Insulation/caulking ?

[H8PVMT]

Should I fill this with foam in a can, the narrow channel left of window

And do I need to caulk all these spaces on exterior walls?

Thanks in advance

Doug

 

[heyhar]

I've done the foam in that cavity, but do yourself a BIG favor. Use 'low expanding' foam, or something similar. The normal stuff will push the window track in towards the sash, binding the window. I replaced the sliding door from my kitchen to the deck, and I used foam very sparingly, but it still bowed the frame almost half an inch. If you end up doing this, all is not lost, though. I ended up using a knife to cut a swath of foam out after it dried. I removed enough for the frame to relax, and all is well.

As far as the boards in the wall, typically the wall is covered on the outside, tar paper back in the day, and more recently a building wrap, such as Tyvec. I don't know that I'd caulk the gaps between the boards, as the cavities outside of the heated space need to breathe. It's probably not a good time to pull the siding with this cold snap, but maybe stiff in some fiberglass insulation, and a vapor shield on the inside, and address any leakage from the outside if it ever warms up!

 

[kastein]

I wouldn't use expanding foam in that cavity - leave it alone till you replace the windows. Are you gonna replace the windows?

Those gaps are actually there for the cast iron window weights that keep the windows from randomly sliding open (top half) or slamming closed (bottom half)... if you keep the old windows, you'll want to put weights in, if you get new ones, you might want to go with larger windows and new trim around them at which point you won't want to be digging the spray foam out.

I wouldn't caulk those gaps, either. I haven't been so far anyways, time will tell if that was the right decision... they weren't caulked in the first place and they aren't even an issue on modern construction due to plywood vs barnboards, your call but I wouldn't.

 

[heyhar]

Gees, I forgot about the weights! It looks as though there aren't any currently, or they'd have been obvious. Maybe for the rest of the winter, just stuff some fluff in there, and cover the pocket with trim. New windows are available, if it's a common size, for about a hundred bucks or so. But wait till it's warm out...

 

[kastein]

Also, Doug, if you're keeping those windows, I can throw all my window weights in one corner of the yard as I pull em. All yours.

 

[Original_MudButt]

Don't most people fill that gap with fiberglass insulation?

 

[H8PVMT]

Windows are up next but currently framed with 3/4@" wood and floating, studs are cut above and below

 

[xjwisconsin]

If your going to replace the windows just put some fiber in there for now. It's going to be a pain later on to clean the expand foam out for new windows. X2 on going larger if you can to keep a standard window size. From the lath it looks to be an older place. Manufacturers have come out with many new sizes to accommodate the old frames like you and I have. The siding is where your going to have fudgemeant issues.

 

[H8PVMT]

I cut a deal with a local installer to get oversized Harvey's installed at a sweet price so I don't want to enlarge the windows but maybe reframe them all, I looked closer and the "stud" creating the smaller space is just hanging out not connected on top or bottom so I'll probably yank them all, as for siding they are cedar shingles so it would take longer to carry the ladder over than to reaching or the area