Hunkering down for the winter

[protokatie]

Well, the cold weather is getting even colder up here in Maine. I have started "hunkering down" for the long cold trip ahead. And decided to make a thread about how people are/have getting ready for it.

The only thing I have done this year (as I rent a room from a guy who has a cage around the thermostat) was to buy one of these:
http://www.air-n-water.com/product/NX3.html

I just got it tonight and it is working great in my tiny 8x10 bedroom.

So, what has everyone else in the northern northern hemisphere done to prepare for old bastard winter?

[CheffoJeffo]

I've got to seal up the stairs leading outside from the basement, but have been putting it off hoping to pick up another cabinet ... and I was just offered POW in a Dynamo for free, so perhaps I will put up with the drafts for another couple of days. 

[ChadTower]

I've got to seal up the stairs leading outside from the basement, but have been putting it off hoping to pick up another cabinet ... and I was just offered POW in a Dynamo for free, so perhaps I will put up with the drafts for another couple of days. 

I usually seal up the same stairs but I'm not going to this year.  I'm finally making progress on the gameroom and need that stairwell to move materials in.  I replaced my furnace in September anticipating $5/gal heating oil.  Needed to be done soon anyway, the old one was 22+ years old, and was developing a hole inside that wasn't worth repairing.  I spent the last couple of days of spare time sealing air leaks in the basement and putting up sheet insulation in prep for framing.  I also have to replace a lot of the window locks since they're not pulling tight anymore and the wiper brushes on the windows probably need to go since I'm getting condensation next to them now.

EDIT:  forgot to mention, I have a working POW PCB and marquee in great shape I'll sell you cheap if it turns out you need them.

[CheffoJeffo]

EDIT:  forgot to mention, I have a working POW PCB and marquee in great shape I'll sell you cheap if it turns out you need them.

Thanks, but if the board doesn't work (and perhaps even if it does), the cab's getting a cleaning, monitor rotation and 48-in-1 ... and off to Craigslist.

[SavannahLion]

Those oil heaters practically saved my life one winter. I lived in an apartment with an in-wall gas heater. The thermostat was in a drafty place so running it meant you reached tropical temperatures in a hurry. One year I purchased two oil heaters and decided not to run the wall heater ever again. They were very effective with one in each room.

After I moved out, I learned the next family that moved in experienced a minor fire from that wall heater. It's not entirely clear what happened but my best guess was the family grossly misjudged the wall heater's capacity and something nearby caught fire.

As for my home. Not really a whole lot. Insulation against the cold has taken a sort of second rate of importance against resolving some serious leakage issues that only crop up around winter time. I guess by default fixing the leaks also fixes any insulation issues.

I want to do some remodeling to the garage to ensure the temperature is more consistent (ie cooler in the summer, not so wet in the winter) throughout the year.

I also did discover a curious draft from the windows in the kids rooms. I'm inclined to believe the moronic construction crew installed our windows backwards. The bottom of the window track has slots that lead to the outside. Almost like they're runoff channels for condensation. 

[ChadTower]

So, I'm at Lowe's last week to grab some insulation to put around the sill plate before I enclose the basement walls.  The perforated (so you can make narrower strips) R13 bundles are ~$40 each.  I am walking away with it when I notice the R19 bundles, same manufacturer/perforated, are $30.  Of course I grab that instead.  And apparently so did lots of other people since that shelf was the only one nearly empty.

Weird.   

[Cakemeister]

I turned off the air conditioning and the sprinkler.

I'm thinking about adding some insulation in the attic, not for winter, but for next summer.

[HaRuMaN]

I turned off the air conditioning and the sprinkler.

Same here...

[shardian]

I suppose I need to pull my furnace filter and clean it.

We turn the heat down at night and just heat our room with an oil-filled radiator. The wife bitches that she freezes during her multiple bathroom runs. I feel like telling her tough ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- - it ain't worth heating the whole house so she gets 30 seconds of toastiness out of the bedroom.

[ChadTower]

I suppose I need to pull my furnace filter and clean it.

We turn the heat down at night and just heat our room with an oil-filled radiator. The wife bitches that she freezes during her multiple bathroom runs. I feel like telling her tough ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- - it ain't worth heating the whole house so she gets 30 seconds of toastiness out of the bedroom.

Don't you have other people in the house?

[shardian]

Toddler sleeps in our room.

[ChadTower]

Toddler sleeps in our room.

Oooh, man, break that habit now.  If you don't it will be ugly later.  Mucho uglio.

[shardian]

The wife thinks she is getting ready to have her own bed because when playing in the dollhouse, she now refuses to put the baby in the big bed. She puts the baby in its own bed, and then puts the mommy and daddy into the big bed.

I explained to her that only means the DOLL BABY gets its own bed, not that our toddler wants her own bed.

[Ed_McCarron]

I suppose I need to pull my furnace filter and clean it.

We turn the heat down at night and just heat our room with an oil-filled radiator. The wife bitches that she freezes during her multiple bathroom runs. I feel like telling her tough ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- - it ain't worth heating the whole house so she gets 30 seconds of toastiness out of the bedroom.

I keep one of those little ceramic heaters in the bathroom for this exact purpose.  You turn it on, aim it at the throne and do your business in comfort.  Then, turn it off when you leave.

[ChadTower]

Meh, a little cold on the ass never hurt anyone.  They could use it in a soda commercial.

LEMON LIME SLICE - EYEPOPPING LIKE AN ICE COLD TOILET SEAT.

[Ummon]

I turned off the air conditioning and the sprinkler.

I'm thinking about adding some insulation in the attic, not for winter, but for next summer.

Hanhanhanhanh. I haven't had the AC on for a spell, and it's steady at about 70 inside. Not quite freezing overnight here. Mild winter, but not uncommon. Haruman's area of course is ten degrees warmer on average.

[Ed_McCarron]

Meh, a little cold on the ass never hurt anyone.  They could use it in a soda commercial.

LEMON LIME SLICE - EYEPOPPING LIKE AN ICE COLD TOILET SEAT.

We can add "ass temperature specialist" to the list of Chad's accomplishents.

Our house was built in 1927 and leaks air like a sieve.  When the thermostat upstairs kicks back to 62 for the night and its below 20 outside,  the bathroom has been known to hit the mid 30s.  Until I find a heated toilet seat, I'll keep the little heater.

[protokatie]

What winter?

They don't have winter in "No-Where", and according to your profiles, you don't live anywhere, therefor you must live in No-where...

[ChadTower]

Our house was built in 1927 and leaks air like a sieve.  When the thermostat upstairs kicks back to 62 for the night and its below 20 outside,  the bathroom has been known to hit the mid 30s.  Until I find a heated toilet seat, I'll keep the little heater.

Jesus Christ you need to fix that.  No wonder you're so cranky all the time.  Your ass is frozen to the toilet seat and shrinkage is imminent.  When someone pees at your house does it bounce into the bowl?

[shardian]

This is the sound of Ed peeing ::insert sound of someone shaking a cup of ice here::

[protokatie]

This is the sound of Ed peeing ::insert sound of someone shaking a cup of ice here::

No, no, no. You got it all wrong. If you mix a ~90F turbulent liquid in a frozen container you end up with slush or "slate" (Sheets of thin ice). This is exactly why you don't see Lemon flavoured Slushies, as the C-store worker could easily "season" that particular flavour of slushy. Also note: Be wary of Pina Colada slushies, as any drunk person could "season" it being as such that drunk pee is clear.

Hmm, on that note: Also avoid the sprite/7-up slushies...(other than the fact that they taste like flat-ass anyways)



... I am gonna go brush my teeth now.... 

[daywane]

cut down and split about 7 trees
put in duct's and two 6 inch duct fans.
I heat with a Baby Fisher wood stove
1 set of ducts suck the worm air from my game room and blow into TV room and daughters room
the other one sucks from the game and blows into Kitchen and master bed room.
next year I plan on tossing in a 4 inch duct and blow into the bath rooms
there not what I would say is cold but maybe 10 degrees colder than the rest of the house

[ChadTower]

I live in the basement of the Alamo. 

Can you say UH DOE BEE?

[BobbyG66]

It's a nice 60 degrees here today in Mass.
But we have had 50 MPH winds all night and today...
I will be back down to 20 this weekend

[ChadTower]

It's a nice 60 degrees here today in Mass.
But we have had 50 MPH winds all night and today...
I will be back down to 20 this weekend

My wife's inflatable snowman decoration spent last night bouncing around the yard like it was trying to escape.   

[Cakemeister]

Holy cow! There's some white stuff falling out of the sky! Was there a volcanic eruption somewhere? 

[ChadTower]

I have decided I will no longer hunker down for the winter.

I will continue to hanker for a hunka cheese.  Yahoo!

[shardian]

Holy cow! There's some white stuff falling out of the sky! Was there a volcanic eruption somewhere? 

Back in the 60's, you would be huddling under your desk right now praying. 

[Ed_McCarron]

Jesus Christ you need to fix that.

As much as I love discussing my bathroom habits and the effect of cold on my schlong with people I've never met...

Years ago, before I lived in this house, it was a duplex.  One of the tenants qualified for some power company program where they would insulate the place for free as long as the landlord promised not to raise the rent.

The genius contractors they sent out caulked some doors and windows shut.  They, they proceeded to drill a few holes in the walls and blow in insulation.

In a balloon framed house.

They stopped when there was a big pile in the basement.

If I ever remodel, I'll tear down the interior walls and put in insulation.  Theres none now.  Just Vinyl siding, sheathing, studs, and plaster/lath on the inside.

It does make it easy tun run cables tho...

[Ummon]

... I am gonna go brush my teeth now.... 

Maybe you should rinse with Drano, if you're worried about it. Actually, maybe it depends on what kind of drunk? I know beer = yellow pee.

[Ed_McCarron]

Holy cow! There's some white stuff falling out of the sky! Was there a volcanic eruption somewhere? 

Back in the 60's, you would be huddling under your desk right now praying. 

There once was a turtle by the name of Bert,
Bert the turtle was very alert...

[protokatie]

Holy cow! There's some white stuff falling out of the sky! Was there a volcanic eruption somewhere? 

Back in the 60's, you would be huddling under your desk right now praying. 

There once was a turtle by the name of Bert,
Bert the turtle was very alert...

Duck! And Cover!

Damn, you just reminded me of Mortis the Tortise from SnL fame... (I believe it was SnL...)