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Post by ogeezer on Oct 11, 2006 7:50:49 GMT -6
Does anybody have any winterizing tips for home and garden?
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yippee
Founding Member
Posts: 1,996
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Post by yippee on Oct 11, 2006 11:57:00 GMT -6
about the only thing i do it to wrap the exposed pipes.
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Post by ogeezer on Oct 14, 2006 8:23:18 GMT -6
Here's some tips the wife + I have used or at least have followed every year or so to winterize our modest country home:
a) Test for air tightness - Hold a lit incense stick next to your windows, doors, electrical boxes, plumbing fixtures, electrical outlets, ceiling fixtures, attic hatches, and other locations where there is a possible air path to the outside. If the smoke stream travels horizontally, you have located an air leak that may need caulking, sealing, or weather-stripping. Caulk and weather-strip doors and windows that leak air.
b) Caulk and seal air leaks where plumbing, ducting, or electrical wiring penetrates through exterior walls, floors, ceilings, and soffits over cabinets.
c) Install rubber gaskets behind outlet and switch plates on exterior walls.
d) Look for dirty spots in your insulation, which often indicate holes where air leaks into and out of your house. You can seal the holes by stapling sheets of plastic over the holes and caulking the edges of the plastic.
e) Install storm windows over single-pane windows or replace them with double-pane windows. Storm windows as much as double the R-value of single-pane windows and they can help reduce drafts, water condensation, and frost formation.
f) As a less costly and less permanent alternative, you can use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Remember, the plastic must be sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.
g) When the fireplace is not in use, keep the flue damper tightly closed. A chimney is designed specifically for smoke to escape, so until you close it, warm air escapes—24 hours a day!
h) Don't forget to weatherize the attic access. Secure batt insulation to the back of the hatch or door, and use weatherstripping to seal the opening.
i) Checking the furnace, air ducts, gutters and water pipes before the cold weather hits will help you prepare your house for the worst. Make sure your furnace is in good working order. Check that the furnace filter is clean and replace it if it's not. Ensure that the thermostat and pilot light are working properly and that the pipe bringing fuel to your furnace isn't leaking or loose. Have your heating ducts cleaned. It's recommended that the ducts be vacuumed every five years.
j) Trim trees and remove dead branches. Ice, snow and wind could cause weak trees or branches to break, damaging your home or car, or injuring someone walking on your property.
k) Remember all the leaves that fell off your trees in autumn? Well, a lot of them are still in your gutters. Cleaning them out should prevent water from building up and freezing in the gutters. As long as you are cleaning out leaves, make sure none are clogging your chimney. Install a screen over the chimney top to prevent this after cleaning.
l) Check the caulking around doors and windows to make sure there's no cracking or peeling. Recaulking if needed prevents cold air from entering your home. Why pay a higher heating bill if you don't have to?
m) Keep the house warm. The temperature in the home should be at least 65 degrees in winter. The temperature inside the walls where the pipes are located is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 65 degrees will not keep the pipes from freezing.
n) Learn how to shut the water off and know where your pipes are located. If your pipes do freeze, time is of the essence. The quicker you can shut off the water, or direct your plumber to the problem, the better chance you have to prevent pipes from bursting.
o) Drain the gasoline from lawnmowers, weed whackers and other engines that won't be used until summer.
p) During the winter, remove window air conditioners and seal the windows with caulk and weatherstripping. You might also want to cover the central air compressor with a tarp to keep it clean.
q) Seal doors and windows with caulk, weatherstripping and plastic film. An investment of $50 in weatherizing supplies can reduce heating costs by two to three times that much.
r) Add foam gaskets behind all outlet covers and switch plates, and use safety plugs in all unused outlets. These are prime places for outside air to leak into your home. Be sure to shut off power at the fuse box or circuit panel first.
s) Check the exterior of your home for air leaks, especially around openings for water spigots, air conditioner hoses, dryer vents and gas pipes. Use caulk or expanding foam to seal spaces.
t) If your home has a large, single-pane picture window, use heavy draperies during the winter to help hold back cold air.
u) If you have a forced-air furnace, do NOT close heat registers in unused rooms. Your furnace is designed to heat a specific square footage of space and can't sense a register is closed - it will continue working at the same pace. In addition, the cold air from unheated rooms can escape into the rest of the house, reducing the effectiveness of all your insulating and weatherizing.
v) Install a programmable thermostat. If you use it to set back the temperature by 10 degrees for eight hours every night, you'll lower your heating bills by 10 percent. A $50 digital thermostat can pay for itself in energy savings in less than a year.
w) If your home has electric baseboard heating, be sure to keep furniture and draperies away from the heaters, and leave at least a three-inch clearance under the heating unit.
x) Keep curtains and blinds closed at night to keep cold air out, but open them during the day to let the sun warm the room.
z) If you have hardwood or tile floors, add area rugs to keep your feet warm.
aa) When the fireplace is not in use, make sure fireplace dampers are sealed tight, and keep the glass doors closed. If you never use your fireplace, plug the chimney with fiberglass insulation and seal the doors with silicone caulk.
ab) Check insulation levels throughout your house. Measure attic insulation with a ruler, and check behind switch plates for sidewall insulation. Install additional attic insulation at right angles to the previous layer. You don't have to use the same type of insulation - it's fine to use batts or blankets over loose-fill, or vice versa. ac) Install more attic insulation. Upgrading from three inches to 12 inches can cut heating costs by 20 percent, and cooling costs by 10 percent. While shopping for insulation, remember that R-value measures the amount of thermal resistance. The higher the R-value, the better the insulation. When using loose-fill, be sure to distribute the insulation evenly. Any inconsistencies can reduce the insulating value.
ad) Add pieces of batt insulation to the rim joists - the area along the top of the foundation where it meets the exterior walls.
ae) Have a leaky roof repaired and make sure your basement is waterproofed. Wet insulation is worthless.
af) Plant a tree. One well-placed shade tree can reduce your cooling costs by 25 percent. For maximum benefit, place leafy shade trees to the south and west, and evergreens to the north.
ag) Check window panes to see if they need new glazing. If the glass is loose, replace the putty holding the pane in place. Most types of window glazing require painting for a proper seal.
ah) If drafts sneak in under exterior doors, replace the threshold. If that's not practical, block the drafts with a rolled-up towel or blanket.
ai) Seal the edges of unused doors and windows with rope caulk. Don't seal them shut permanently - you might need quick ventilation or escape during an emergency.
aj) Choose the right kind of caulk for the job. Use latex or acrylic caulk inside - it's easy to clean and more forgiving if you're a beginner. Silicone caulk is great for outside use because it lasts longer and seals virtually any type of surface.
ak) Keep waterbeds covered with quilts or blankets to help retain their heat. You might also want to insulate the bottom with a sheet of rigid foam insulation.
al) Keep the garage door closed during the winter to keep from losing heated air from inside the house and to prevent cold air from entering.
am) If your home has no sidewall insulation, place heavy furniture like bookshelves, armoires and sofas along exterior walls, and use decorative quilts as wall hangings. This will help block cold air.
an) If you live in a house with a second floor and the sleeping quarters are upstairs, heating the lower level allows warmed air to rise to the upper level which reduces the cost of heating. When heating an upper level, set the thermostat about 10 degrees lower than the thermostat on the first floor. Doing so will effectively prevent cool outside air from drafting into the lower levels.
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