Old House Question: Anyone seen a bathroom window like this?

[homer]

We just moved into a house built in the 1940's. I don't know what's original and what's not but the bathroom has a big glass block window in the shower and little window inset in the middle of that. The little window has a screen and you can open the "shutters" to allow air in from outside. The issue  is that when it is winter, that little shutter isn't going to shut very tight and it's going to let a lot of cold air in . I can remove the screen easily enough but I can't find a "storm" window in the house anywhere (there are a few normal sized ones in the basement). The little window is about 8" x 13". Anyone seen anything like this before? Coming up blank on the internet so far.

 

[NBBrewFan]

I have seen something like that, but not in a climate where you had to worry about a cold winter.  I think you are going to be out of luck finding an existing solution as even my 1990 era windows don't have replacement parts/screens/etc. I spent a lot of time on the phone with Pella and they didn't have a single thing that I could get to fix my issue as the original parts were long since retired. I would suggest getting a metal picture frame and a piece of glass and create a storm (does the bottom clip on? or is it screwed?).  You can get padding at places like JoAnn Fabrics that is thin that you can place between the shutters and the glass to increase insulation (it's usually for upholstery).  The easiest may be to get the padding and put it between the screen and the slats then find a piece of plastic (like a flexible cutting board) cut it to a width just smaller than the frame of the screen and slide it between the padding and the screen. 

[UpandIn]

1 hour ago, homer said:

We just moved into a house built in the 1940's. I don't know what's original and what's not but the bathroom has a big glass block window in the shower and little window inset in the middle of that. The little window has a screen and you can open the "shutters" to allow air in from outside. The issue  is that when it is winter, that little shutter isn't going to shut very tight and it's going to let a lot of cold air in . I can remove the screen easily enough but I can't find a "storm" window in the house anywhere (there are a few normal sized ones in the basement). The little window is about 8" x 13". Anyone seen anything like this before? Coming up blank on the internet so far.

 

Yeah, my parents had windows similar to this when they bought this older farm house when I was a kid. They ended up renovating, but I do remember he'd take the screen out and I think he put in a little insulation and that plastic people used to use. It wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing, but I guess it worked.

[RedStickBrew]

Glass blocks became popular in the 40s. That little window appears to be an attic window with a vent made for non climate controlled part of the home. I would guess the builder was looking for a creative way to vent the bathroom as one cannot open a glass brick window

[GAME05]

At work all our windows are like that but a much larger version. In the winter we don't remove the screens but just screw a big piece of plywood over it. Assuming you already have a fan in the bathroom I'd be more inclined to remove that window and seal the whole thing shut.

[Fear The Chorizo]

2 hours ago, homer said:

We just moved into a house built in the 1940's. I don't know what's original and what's not but the bathroom has a big glass block window in the shower and little window inset in the middle of that. The little window has a screen and you can open the "shutters" to allow air in from outside. The issue  is that when it is winter, that little shutter isn't going to shut very tight and it's going to let a lot of cold air in . I can remove the screen easily enough but I can't find a "storm" window in the house anywhere (there are a few normal sized ones in the basement). The little window is about 8" x 13". Anyone seen anything like this before? Coming up blank on the internet so far.

 

Does it look like that block glass window was cut out so that insert could be put in?  

You might have better luck removing that insert entirely and adding what looks to be 4 more glass bock window panels to seal the whole thin in uniformly....or just replace the whole window with something a bit more modern that can let air in or keep air out depending on the season.

[BrewersSuperCollector]

Is there another vent to get out bathroom shower steam?  Will there be enough light for you in the bathroom if you get rid of the glass block?

[homer]

Thanks for the responses. I don't own this house so I can't really do anything drastic. Just looking for a way to seal it up for the winter. There is the standard bathroom ceiling vent we can turn on and off. 

[AKCheesehead]

I recall a similar or perhaps identical shuttered window venting out a kitchen I worked in back in the college days.  It was right by the ovens and I obviously didn't have to worry about the heat bills so I didn't address it.  Here's what I would do once it gets to be wintertime, since you don't own the home:  Cut a piece of foam insulation for an exact snug fit into the recessed area in front of the shutters.  Close the shutters, coax the foam into place, tape the seams.  Then cover it with your least favorite Yuniesky Betancourt poster.  Remove in spring.

[NBBrewFan]

3 hours ago, AKCheesehead said:

Then cover it with your least favorite Yuniesky Betancourt poster. 

Isn't that the one you keep as an emergency when you run out of toilet paper?

[MrTPlush]

Use some kind of insulation in there and then get some of that insulation plastic to put over it. Might be a bit of a B word to get to get up…but should work.