Forums | MacLife

resedit wrote:

I thought a friend just bought a new place and you were looking for a good gift.

What to do in cold weather?

I keep my bathroom doors closed and block off the heater vents in them.
Sure, it means I'm cold while taking a dump, but it also means I'm not heating rooms I seldom visit. When taking a shower, the water is warm, and the steam heats up the air in the bathroom anyway.

One thing you might consider for next winter - finance better windows. They will pay for themselves in energy savings. You may be able to do it through your house mortgage company as it adds value to your home.

Check the weather stripping on your doors. Repkace it if it is bad.

And believe it or not - they make insulation that you can put between your outlet/switch cover plates and the outlet/switch - reducing heat lost through them.

We keep the spare bedroom doors closed, as well as the one bathroom we don't use.  The dog uses the other one, so we have to leave it open for him to get water, and to his bed.  The basement door is always left open to get that nice heat from it.  I will even turn the ceiling fan on in the family room to help draw air out of the basement (I think it does) 

Weather stripping was replaced, but still needed in areas.  I will be finishing it today.  We ran out and needed to get more.

I did not know they made insulation for switch plates and covers.  I will have to look into that, because by the front door, there is large amounts of heat loss through the one light switch.  Thanks.

I am looking into replacement windows today for the major rooms we use.  There will be 4 to 6 windows replaced depending on price.  We decided not to do anything with the bathroom, or the spare bedrooms until we really need to, or can afford to.  The furnace is in good condition, and I don't think it needs to be replaced just yet.

I have also been looking into a pella stove.  We may not be able to get one for a year or two, but we may start saving up for one.  Either that, or a regular fireplace because around here, firewood is free if you chop it yourself.

I will bite the bullet and put plastic over the windows today.  IT's too cold not too.  First sign of mold, or moisture though and I will have to do something different.

I'm not sure if it's because the switch works the porch light just on the other side of the wall, or what.  But the sockets along the wall are warm, just threw switch leaks cold air.  I will be doing something to fix that once I get to the home store

I dont understand why the basement is warm when the upstairs is cold. Hot air rises. Attics and second floors are always warmer, and it doesn't sound like there is so much insulation in the floor between the basement and the living area.
Perhaps there is a vent open in the basement, and all the heat is being released there insted of being blown up into the house.
Is the furnace in the basement?

DukeofNuke wrote:

I dont understand why the basement is warm when the upstairs is cold. Hot air rises. Attics and second floors are always warmer, and it doesn't sound like there is so much insulation in the floor between the basement and the living area.
Perhaps there is a vent open in the basement, and all the heat is being released there insted of being blown up into the house.
Is the furnace in the basement?

Denali, do you have a cold air return vent in the basement?  If not, you should put one in (it may be as simple as cutting a hole in the cold air return ductwork.  This will help circulate the air in your house.  Also, if there is a temperature imbalance in any part of the house, try closing some of the heating vents in the warmer rooms.  This will force the air to escape into the colder rooms, thus balancing the temperature in the house.

jeff-o wrote:

DukeofNuke wrote:

I dont understand why the basement is warm when the upstairs is cold. Hot air rises. Attics and second floors are always warmer, and it doesn't sound like there is so much insulation in the floor between the basement and the living area.
Perhaps there is a vent open in the basement, and all the heat is being released there insted of being blown up into the house.
Is the furnace in the basement?

Denali, do you have a cold air return vent in the basement?  If not, you should put one in (it may be as simple as cutting a hole in the cold air return ductwork.  This will help circulate the air in your house.  Also, if there is a temperature imbalance in any part of the house, try closing some of the heating vents in the warmer rooms.  This will force the air to escape into the colder rooms, thus balancing the temperature in the house.

Don't understand it either.  It's just the opposite in the summer. 
Furnace is in the basement, and I'm not sure there is an air return in the furnace room (someone enclosed the furnace and hot water heater in a small, but not to small room.  It is plenty big for everything there.)  We keep the door to this room open as our basement is finished, but currently used for storage.  Vents are also closed off in basement completely as they are not needed.

Another reason the upper 3 levels of the house are so cold is massive air loss through windows.  I just finished putting plastic up over the 3 most troublesome windows.  I had a terrible time doing it myself because the air coming from the outside kept wanting to peel tape off.  I was truly amazed at the amount of air coming through the windows.  I ran out of plastic and tape, so the rest will have to wait. 

I am trying to figure out why in the family room (the floor just above the basement) has very hot air coming out of the vents, same with one level up, but by the time you get to the bedroom, the air feels luke warm.  When I find that answer, I will have something.

We are also talking to someone about windows on Monday.  Any advice about which windows to get for a good price speak up now.  We plan to get lots of quotes for labor and materials, we will try to replace 4 windows in the rooms we use all the time 6 windows if we get the kitchen done (which had the most amount of air loss I noticed while putting up plastic)  The drapes are helping.  You can feel the difference between the front and back, but with the plastic, there is no cold air at all.  Good thing too. I just checked the thermometer outside.  It's reading -5 and it's only 7pm

How many levels is your house?

Get stormpanes.

Denali wrote:

We keep the door to this room open as our basement is finished, but currently used for storage.

Close that door.

Just to see if it changes anything.

BTW, with the temps you guys are having tonight, put on a sweater and some long underwear. Put your biggest stock pot of water on to boil(humid air is warmer). Make some hot cocoa, and cuddle up with that big dog till morning.
We'll be back to check on you in the AM. Good Luck.
P.S. Keep a trickle of water running. You sure don't wan't the water to freeze.

mix a pinch of nutmeg, a few drops of vanilla extract, a teaspoon of brown sugar, and a slice of soft butter together.  add 2 oz of boiling water and about 1 1/2 - 2 oz of dark rum. 

mtpalms wrote:

But the wood is free.

? Maybe if you have a wood-lot - even then you have the costs of harvesting. that's why the woodstove that someone gave me is still rusting on my carport. I realized how much room I was going to have to make for the thing, having to reline my old old chimney and that I'd have to buy wood. It was OK for Grandma - the back 40 had trees instead of other people's houses.

I think that the ductwork for the house is likely to be poorly designed. The plenum is supposed to be engineered in such a way as to evenly disperse the warm air throughout the system. Either that or you're losing air from leaky ducts.

freecat wrote:

Are you guys seriously asking why the basement stays warm in the winter, but cool in the summer?

Yup - the earth is very insulating.

freecat wrote:

Are you guys seriously asking why the basement stays warm in the winter, but cool in the summer?

Or is just shock that so much heat is being lost through the windows that it's significantly warmer in the basement than upstairs? Every old house I've ever lived in (until and unless it had new windows installed) was the same way.

I picture a whirlwind in your kitchen.
Dishes 'n smurf flyin' around, people hidin' under the table...

Brrr.. Our heat just went out in our house this morning -- called the maintenance team but they haven't been out yet. It's like 45 F! smurfing cold