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Post by PaperGrace on Oct 24, 2014 10:14:45 GMT -5
For those of us in places where it is about to get cold... What are you doing to winterize your house? Let's share tips!
The last couple of years I've had too much other digging out to do to really take care of seasonal chores, costing us hundreds of dollars in energy costs. This year we can/must do better.
I found some window plastic kits while I was sorting things earlier in the year and put them where I could actually find them. These are the clear film that you tape to the window frame and tighten with a hairdryer. I've used them before, but this year, there's a twist~ I've put bubble wrap between the glass and the window plastic!
Does anyone have experience with this? Its been popping up all over my Facebook newsfeed. The tip that is circulating is this: Wash your window, spray lightly with water, press bubble wrap onto the damp glass. Supposedly it stays up with just the tiniest bit of water. I haven't tried it that way, I'm just taping it to the frame just inside where I tape the window kit. I've seen lots of "This really works!" and a few "It works too well, be careful with wooden framed windows or you get too much condensation and that can lead to rot!" comments so far. Anyone here care to chime in?
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Post by PaperGrace on Oct 24, 2014 10:39:05 GMT -5
Let's Talk Caulk! There was a gap in our window sill that I could fit my pinkie finger in. I bought a caulking gun and some cheap caulk to fill it. Husband did the job. For now since we're renting it is good enough, but if we owned this place I might have invested a bit more time/effort/resources to the project. Does anyone have a fool-proof technique to recommend or a favorite brand to endorse? Any ingenious uses for caulking that the rest of us might not think of?
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Post by ohblondie on Oct 24, 2014 11:06:21 GMT -5
great ideas. I put a draft stopper at my doors.
I need tips to help winterize a sliding door. Supposedly this is an energy efficient door - guess I will find out. I will get drapes to hang in front of it for the winter.
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Post by PaperGrace on Oct 24, 2014 11:16:12 GMT -5
That reminds me! We have a stuffed snake that is coming apart at the seams that I want to convert into a draft stopper for the boys' room! I was thinking of using rice, anyone have a different favorite filler? ohblondie is your sliding door flush with the side that doesn't move or is there room to put bubble wrap or one of those shiny insulation panels when you don't need the light? Drapes really do make a difference!
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Post by aa on Oct 24, 2014 11:19:56 GMT -5
I did the bubble wrap last year and thought it really helped. Most stayed up with just the mist of water, but some I had to help out with tape. I saved a few that I knew I would reuse and will put them back up when it cools down here. Right now we're still running the AC.
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Post by ohblondie on Oct 24, 2014 11:26:38 GMT -5
It is flush so no room for bubble wrap - I think tab top insulated drapes will be the ticket for the winter - esp at night!
My tenants do the plastic on the windows. They also staple heavy duty plastic on the outsides of all the windows. I wish they would take it down in the summer......
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Post by PaperGrace on Oct 25, 2014 9:40:33 GMT -5
I propose that this weekend we all take the time to find out how to turn off the gas and water to our homes and locate our breaker boxes. There were some very wise ladies on the appliance thread on the general forum and one of them mentioned that you don't want to have to learn these things when you are in the middle of an emergency! From Swan's Group Safety thread <click> in which gadget reminded us to check our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. I thought it was worth a mention here, since we're sealing up our houses and getting ready in some cases to burn wood, kerosene, oil, or natural gas. Make sure heaters are free of squalor, fire extinguishers are up to date and in reach, batteries are fresh in detectors... am I missing any big ones? In the process of putting up bubble wrap and plastic I've decided to leave one window just bubble wrapped, so that if there are any fumes noticed in the house we can open it up right away without fuss.
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Post by PaperGrace on Oct 25, 2014 9:54:14 GMT -5
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Post by dayeanu on Oct 25, 2014 18:42:29 GMT -5
If you use a wood stove or fireplace, be sure to have your chimney/stovepipe cleaned.
Don't forget that outside water faucets need to be wrapped or in some way freeze-protected.
Drain all garden hoses before the first freeze.
Antifreeze for vehicles, where needed.
And if you have animals that live outside, be sure to have good shelter and plenty of bedding on hand.
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Post by misssue on Oct 25, 2014 19:17:11 GMT -5
I have put the small bubble wrap on a window, a long one next to my front door. It did seem to work! I may put it on a bedroom window, behind the curtains in my master, that room is on a corner. I have also used the clear caulk that is removable where there was a draft on the edges of molding. I have all in one windows, but are from 1975. Wash your windows, before it gets too cold outside.
Clean your gutters. Check your smoke alarms and replace the batteries. If you do not have CO2 alarm, get one if you have gas or propane anything. I have one in my living area and one in the basement. Yes, drain your faucets, and shut them off. If you are worried about the faucet freezing, get a cover for it, sytrofoam. I have never had an issue, and do not cover mine, and that is with it going to 20 below. BUT make sure you shut them off if you have them in winter climates.
If you have central AC, shut off the breaker to it. I learned from my HVAC guy years ago, not to cover it or wrap your central AC in plastic or a cover. Not needed and all it does is trap moisture in it in the spring. I worked for HVAC place in 2011. He agreed, so I only blow out the leaves before it snows with an air compressor. I had a wood box cover that matched the house for the original central ac, all said that was fine.. not air tight, but new AC is way bigger unit.
Put a new battery in your thermostat if it uses one. Get your furnace tuned up, better to do it now than in dead of winter have an issue. If you can not afford that, at least vacuum it out. Change the filters in it! As hoarder forum I have to say this, keep the area around your furnace clear.. they need air, and it is safety issue, same with a water heater.. just sayin! Others here have had furnace issues, a blocked or really dirty filter, the furnace will not run, the sensor will not let it ignite.. so do that!
Weatherize your lawnmower or in my case mowers, change the oil. Clean them and put away when done using them. I leave the oil in them. Get your snowblower ready to go if you own one! Know where your shovel is, or get a new one if you need it.
Get a fire extinguisher if you do not own one, and be able to find it. I have one in my basement, my kitchen and my garage. I have a flashlight in a kitchen drawer, that the rule is, you use it and put it back ALWAYS.. for anyone that lives here with me too. I have done that since I left for college, 42 years ago.. my dad very big on being safe. Get batteries and get a flashlight, it might save your life. I have a small one on my nightstand, and one in my car... and all the years I traveled, took small one with me for hotels. Or have with me in rental car.. or a plane, TG I have never had to use in a plane!
My dad died when I was in my early 30s. I miss him and he was a great dad. Years before when I was in college, gave me a baseball bat. It is under my bed still.. He said you would be surprised how well you can defend yourself with a baseball bat! AND, my dad worried about fire.. he said you can knock the glass out of a window frame and get out with a baseball bat if you have to. More about that then an intruder, but then I lived in a urban area and went to big city university. It is under my bed still.. and I have never had to use it. I live in a very safe area now, own this house, and married or divorced, alone or not.. I like having it there! SO just a safety tip for all of you.
AND if you have kids, have a fire drill and teach them how to get out. I did as a kid, and you might be surprised what they do and do not do.. My childhood friend, she has set the smoke detectors off a few times to check on her kids.. and that was 30 years ago now! Be safe.. MissSue the Girl Scout.
Some of this is redundant, because I was posting while other were, sorry!
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Post by dairy2mama on Oct 25, 2014 21:39:39 GMT -5
Just had the fire department at the preschool/daycare where I work. Be sure you all know the same meeting place so the firefighters are not searching for someone already out of the burning building. If you are in the building, you need to scream really loud because they can't hear well with their air tanks on. I put a blanket over the doors we don't use to keep the cold air out. I also put cheap weather stripping along the doors and under the cellar door to the main house so the cold air does not travel up from the cellar. For my outside cats, I have a bench on the porch. I put down cardboard, then straw then a board in front of the bench held up with rocks and a nail with a notch. I have a tee shirt cover over the opening for the really cold times. They can come into the cellar, but you know cats - they have a mind of their own and sometimes choose not to come in.
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Post by eatingbonbons on Oct 26, 2014 3:03:42 GMT -5
Since Jannie brought up winter shelter for outdoor cats, I want to offer this idea which will work well for your own cat, feral cats, or the cat that belongs to your uncaring neighbor.
www.humanesociety.org/news/magazines/2010/07-08/simple_shelter_design.html?credit=web_id383254710
Here's a quick way to visualize it: a styrofoam cooler placed inside a rubbermaid type bin. Straw placed as insulation between the cooler and bin walls. Loose straw in bottom of styrofoam cooler as bedding the cat can burrow into.
Instead of a cooler, this example uses cut foamboard which is probably cheaper. There's another popular version going around that is made with an old tire but I like this one better.
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Post by lesaulerouge on Oct 26, 2014 4:33:00 GMT -5
Doesn't the bubble wrap cut down on visibility and light? Our house only has windows on the facade so it is always dark - we have to have lights on now in any room we are even during the day - so we couldn't afford to lose any more light.
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Post by PaperGrace on Oct 26, 2014 12:52:18 GMT -5
lesaulerouge I too have limited windows. Most of the rooms in our apartment are totally internal to the building. I got the bubble wrap with half-dollar size bubbles. It isn't blocking much light, and visibility wise it offers only a little bit of privacy. I can still see outside pretty well, but can't read the license plates of cars in the parking lot anymore. People can see in enough that I can't be naked in front of the bubble wrapped window, but if I was they wouldn't be able to see much detail. It's brighter than times I've used sheers, and I'm going to add some sheers to it so I can have light and still maintain privacy. I left the top halves of two windows free of bubble wrap, and used clear plastic window kits so there is still a little bit of insulation. Cricket has used the small bubble kind, and tells me that it offers quite a lot of privacy! For me that's a bonus, I don't know if it blocked much more light though.
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Post by angela on Oct 26, 2014 16:20:53 GMT -5
I need to take care of the big gap in the upstairs front window. It is a makeshift solution since the actual window busted out so I put a storm window in the gap and it doesn't quite fit. So I stuffed the gap with pieces of insulation and whatnot. A lot of it has been pulled out by the cats or otherwise decayed. Last night we had our first big wind and rain storm and the wind came right in the inch wide gap.
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