Customer Reviews

3M 2144W-6 Indoor 1-Patio Door Insulator Kit, 7 ft x 9.3 ft

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A huge sheet of plastic comes in this package. HUGE. You almost need two people just to handle it. Package comes with a roll of tape too. I've insulated my patio door and noticed the change. Even bought a thermometer to measure the change. This stuff works great.

The instructions are a bit...well...they could be better. Window tape goes around the patio door frame, the plastic is added, then the plastic is pressed against the tape. The theory is that the plastic and the tape make an air-tight seal and keep the cold drafts from entering your home.

One note: If your patio door doesn't have a space on the bottom for the tape, the instructions call for nailing a piece of wood to the floor and using that for the bottom. Not too sure about that idea. Check your patio door before ordering. All you need is a 1/2in space for the tape.

Works pretty well and relatively easy to install. I didn't use this product for my patio door, because I realized after purchase that I'd be unable to go in and out of the door(duh, should have thought of that). But did use it on windows too large to use the regular window sized sheets I'd also purchased. Although it hasn't gotten very cold yet, I have noticed a difference and I've already noticed a alot less drafts. Can't afford to replace windows right now, so this is a pretty good alternative!

This product creates a tight thin clear plastic protection over leaky windows that let in winter wind. I have used this product for almost a decade. I put it on in the fall and remove in the spring. I can often reuse the plastic the following year. After tightening up the plastic with a hair dryer, it is truly clear.

There is a huge window on one side of my bedroom, and the room was quite drafty because of the old windows. After I put the insulator up I could definitely feel the temperature difference at night. The installation was easier than I thought and I was able to insulate the windows twice my height (5'2") by myself with no problem. Buyers should note that this product also works for windows with blinds, although its a bit tricky if you still want to open/close the blinds with the insulator in place.

One tip for installation: make sure to sweep the floor you will be working on before because human/pet hair tends to stick to the film, and it's not a pretty sight when you finish putting up the film and you notice all the hair stuck to it.

Overall, awesome product. It definitely keeps my room warmer than before, and wish I knew about this earlier.

The official instruction is to cover the whole door with the film, and hence blocking the the use of the door for the whole winter. If you still wish to use the door, and if you are mostly worrying about the insulation property of the thin glass, then apply the film to individual door panels instead of the molds. Certainly this can't stop the draft, but it gives you the insulation property of a double glass door.

Argued with my husband over the necessity for this window film (this one is sliding door-sized, but we also got window-sized) and I won. He has had to admit that I was right! Not only did our heating bill go way down this winter (which had record snowfall for our area), but the house had no drafts and was much more comfortable. Definitely worth the money and easy to use. Done right, you really don't even see the film. We had it on all the bedrooms, the basement windows, the sliding glass door and the den doors. We put it on the window frame, enclosing our blinds (adjusted to an angle I would be happy with all winter), and sealed it up. You can put it inside the window frame, as well. With heating our homes becoming more and more expensive, this is an awesome was to cut that heating bill without sacrificing comfort.

I've used this product for over 15 years. You need to clean the surface with an alcohol swab before applying the tape, letting it dry thoroughly first. If you are having a problem removing the tape at the end of the season, preheat it with a hairdryer first. Any residue can be removed with Goo Gone. My house has old, drafty windows. This product cuts out the draft and the house is noticeably warmer.

Instead of tape on 3 sides of the patio door (top and 2 sides) I only put tape on 1 side and half way across the top. Over the part of the door that slides and on its side I put Velcro that sticks to the door frame on one side of the Velcro and to the plastic on the other side of the Velcro. Nothing on the bottom - just leave 5 or 6 inches of plastic to trail on the floor. I stick the plastic to the tape where the tape is and to the sticky side of the Velcro where the Velcro is. I have 2 heavy draft dodgers that I lay across the plastic at the bottom. When I need to go out onto the deck to shovel snow, feed the birds or let the cat out, I separate the Velcro on the side of the door, open the door and go out. I just match it back up when I come back in. Works great!

Tip - Don't shrink the plastic so much that it gets really taut across the door - it makes it harder to match up the Velcro pieces when you separate them and put them back together again. Use it just enough to get the creases out. And because I don't shrink it too much, I can usually get 2 years out of the plastic and Velcro if I am careful taking it off.

Because I rely heavily on user reviews and because I found this product to be so excellent, I feel compelled to give feedback on it. I have a house full of sliding glass patio doors, which provide spectacular views in the spring but are extremely drafty in the winter. This product does exactly what it claims to do and the sheeting itself is really so clear that when the vertical blinds are open but not drawn, the sheeting behind them is almost invisible. The insulation this sheeting has provided is terrific. Am sorry I waited so long to try it.

We have a very large old picture window and couldn't find anything in the stores large and clear enough to suit our needs. This product is terrific once it is shrunken with a hair dryer.

However, installation wasn't quite as easy as depicted in the instructions and the corners don't shrink to wrinkle-free. But, where it is taut it is absolutely clear.

I doubt there is much, if any, insulation value - but it certainly keeps the room draft free.

3M is the only window shrink film insulation I've found worth putting on.
The several others I've tried don't last the winter and/or they don't stick to painted or metal surfaces the whole season and/or the plastic is not as clear and/or wrinkles don't come out as easy or not at all and/or the film is not as tough and splits easily.

Cannot find the 3M brand in Kentucky, so I order it from Amazon if I forget to buy it in Wisconsin in the summer for $5-$10 less per box.

This stuff saves me a net of $300+ in the heating bill in January and February alone on my (3) patio doors and casement picture window. One has to look twice to see it is on.