Storm windows
Storm Window Repair
Seized tracks, broken clips, missing panels and blocked weep vents. In a Minnesota winter the storm window is not an accessory — it is what keeps the inside surface of your glass above freezing.
- Typical visit
- Half a day for a house
- Most common fault
- A seized track
- Best month
- September
- Small jobs
- One panel is fine
Rule these out first
Four things a failing storm window is not
Storm windows get written off constantly, almost always for reasons that are not true.
Not this
It is not a dead frame because it will not slide
A seized storm is a cleaning, lubrication and clip problem. Aluminium frames very rarely fail; the small components inside them do, and they are available parts.
Not this
It is not optional trim
On a single-glazed sash in Minnesota, the storm window is doing most of the thermal work. Removing it or leaving it jammed open is removing a layer from the building envelope.
Not this
It is not the reason your primary window should be replaced
This is the one we see most. A broken storm is a cheap, separate item, and it is routinely used to sell an expensive replacement that solves nothing the storm would not have.
Not this
It is not causing the condensation between the layers
Blocked weep vents are causing it. The storm is doing what it should; the drainage that lets the gap dry out has silted up, and clearing it is a short job.
How it actually works
Why the storm window matters so much here
The physics of a two-layer assembly, and why Minnesota is where it counts.
The gap is the insulation
Not the extra pane. The still air trapped between the storm and the primary sash is what slows heat loss, which is why a storm that does not seat properly performs so much worse than one that does.
It raises the inside glass temperature
That is the part people miss. A sound storm keeps the room-side surface of your primary glass warmer, which directly reduces how much condensation and frost forms on it in January.
The gap has to be able to dry
Small weep vents at the bottom of the storm frame let moisture escape. Blocked, that moisture sits against the primary sash and rots the bottom rail of the window you were protecting.
Which is why you never seal the bottom
Sides and head, yes. The bottom edge is deliberately open. Sealing all four sides is the most common and most damaging mistake made with storm windows anywhere.
By temperature
What the storms are doing through the year
A storm window is working hardest exactly when you are least likely to go and look at it.
60°F
Swap to screens
On combination units this is when seized tracks show themselves, and spring is the easy time to free them.
30°F
Everything should be shut
If a panel will not come down now, it will not come down in January either. September and October are the months that matter.
0°F
Doing serious work
The gap between the layers is the difference between a cold pane and a frosted one. A missing panel at this temperature is a measurably colder room.
-20°F
Carrying the building
On single glazing in deep cold, the storm is most of what stands between the room and outside. This is the temperature that justifies the whole service.
On the visit
What we check on a storm window
Four quick things that decide whether the assembly is working or just present.
Does every panel travel fully?
Up, down and latching at height. A panel that stops two inches short is a gap in the outer layer for the whole winter.
Are the weep vents clear?
Checked and cleared on every visit. This single item causes more rot behind storm windows than anything else.
Is the perimeter sealed correctly?
Sides and head sealed to the casing, bottom left open to drain. We fix this on a surprising number of houses where somebody caulked all four.
What condition is the primary sash in?
The storm and the window behind it work as a system. Checking one and ignoring the other is half a job.
Minnesota conditions
Why Minnesota depends on storm windows
Old housing, extreme cold and a long heating season.
A great deal of single glazing still in service
Minneapolis, St Paul, Duluth and the smaller cities are full of pre-1940 housing with original sash. On those windows the storm is not a supplement to the thermal envelope — it largely is the thermal envelope.
They directly affect frost formation
A sound storm raises the inside surface temperature of the primary glass, which reduces condensation and frost. That is not a comfort detail in Minnesota; it is the difference between dry sills and wet ones all winter.
Grit, salt and ice in the tracks
Winter treatment and snowmelt work into aluminium channels and the small steel clips inside them. A storm that slid freely a few years ago can be immovable now, and forcing it bends the frame.
Nobody else will come out for them
Storm windows are small-ticket work in a trade that prefers large tickets. That is precisely why so many Minnesota houses have two or three that have not moved in a decade.
Questions
Storm window questions
Are storm windows worth keeping?
In Minnesota, emphatically. The air gap raises the inside temperature of your primary glass, which reduces frost and condensation as well as heat loss.
Can old triple-track storms be repaired?
Almost always. Tracks can be freed and cleaned, clips and latches are available parts, and glass panels are cut to size.
There is condensation between my storm and the window.
The weep vents are blocked. Clearing them usually resolves it, and it matters because that trapped water rots the sash behind.
Should I seal around the storm window?
Sides and top yes, bottom never. The bottom edge is deliberately left open so water can escape.
What about low-E storm panels?
Worth considering when a panel needs reglazing anyway. Low-emissivity glass in a storm is a recognised cold-climate retrofit and the glass is coming out regardless.
Will you come out for one jammed panel?
Yes. Hardly anybody will, which is why so many houses here have one that has not moved in years.
Coverage
Storm window repair across Minnesota
A mobile service covering the whole state, metro to the Iron Range. Pick your town below, or call and we will come to you.
Storm Window Repair Across Minnesota
Related
Other repairs we handle
Windows and doors are the whole business, so whatever has failed, it is on this list.
Next step
Get the storms working before October
Free estimates across Minnesota, and we are glad to take the small jobs.