Comments on: A Guide to Winterizing Your House

By: Brooklyn

Brooklyn — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:18:29 +0000

We have a BIG OLD two story. If you’ve got a fireplace I recommend investing in a fireplace insert. You can post fans to push the hot air into the next room and another to push cold air into the hotter ( insert ) room. Ceiling fans reversed also circulate air.

By: goldenme

goldenme — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:24:52 +0000

FYI – Carbon monoxide detectors should NEVER be installed near the furnace. First of all, being too close to the source could result in false readings, plus you might not hear the alarm if it goes off. CM detectors should be installed in living and sleeping areas, just like smoke alarms.

By: Howard

Howard — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:48:53 +0000

Nicely written. I definitely agree about trimming back branches near the house. I live in the northeast, and a few years ago, we had enough snow that one of our trees actually bowed enough to push against our living room window and crack it. (That was a cold night.)

I also agree about regular gutter cleaning. A couple of years ago, I didn’t bother, and the gutters got clogged during the fall (which I didn’t notice, of course). When the spring came, all the snow melted, but didn’t have anywhere to go, so I got water damage in my attic. For those of you who hate cleaning gutters, too, I recommend installing gutter covers. I haven’t had a clog in the 18 months they’ve been on my house, and I never have to clean them out. If you’re interested, this is the brand I use: http://www.gutterhelmet.com

By: Mule Skinner

Mule Skinner — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:09:20 +0000

A multi-day power outage might result in the indoor temperature dropping enough to freeze your pipes. In my case, the furnace is electrically controlled, and beyond that, the heat is distributed by hot water which depends on electrically driven pumps. Power down means it won’t work even though the gas is available. One solution for me would be to fire up one of my (smoky) fireplaces, which I don’t like to use. Other solutions for me would be to put in an airtight wood stove, or a gas heater that will work without electrical controls. I haven’t done either, alas.

By: Mule Skinner

Mule Skinner — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:00:52 +0000

@kc — I am told that a candle flame is very sensitive to window drafts.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:23:47 +0000

I just changed out the screens for glass on two doors this weekend. This allows us to have the full benefit of a breeze during the summer, a bit more sunshine heating the house during the fall, and another barrier during the winter.

We also made sure all the windows were tightly closed with the storms all the way down.

By: Mary

Mary — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:49:07 +0000

If you use a wood stove or fireplace, it’s also a good time to start putting together newspaper logs (I found some directions here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/69357/making_newspaper_logs.html?cat=24 ), especially if you don’t have a good source of free firewood.
Oh, and save the colored comics pages to use as gift wrap for the impending holiday season.

By: A. Dawn

A. Dawn — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:08:09 +0000

I live in a condo and not allowed to do any additional weatherization than what’s already been done by management. I noticed that a condo is usually a lot warmer(in the winter) and a lot cooler(in the summer when central ac is on) than a house.
Cheers,
A Dawn Journal
http://www.adawnjournal.com

By: KJC

KJC — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:35:44 +0000

Good list. One other thing I’d add: if you have garden hoses connected to outside spigots, by all means remove them. The risk of the spigot freezing and splitting internally is MUCH higher with the hose attached. As Trent suggests, it’s best to drain the hoses and bring them inside, but at a minimum, unhook them from the spigots.

By: steve

steve — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:28:13 +0000

2nd @ john:

check you home insurance and see if they require a minimum temperature to pay water damage claims. That would be something else to be aware of. I know some rental contracts, for example, require the tenants to keep the thermostat at 55F, to ensure against the possibility of pipes freezing. Me, I go lower and haven’t had any problems. But I would keep an eye on it if your insurance won’t cover a water damage from a burst pipe and you keep the temperature lower than they specify, and you care whether the insurance covers such things (i don’t, really).

By: steve

steve — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:24:55 +0000

@john: the only danger in keeping the temperature set low would be if you froze a pipe, which would cause water damage if it cracks the pipe (water expands when it freezes). However, I have had no problems with this and I keep most of my house (which is too big) at 52 F.

That temperature will not harm electronics. Think about your car stereo–it regularly encounters temperatures much lower than 57F yet continues to work. (mine is 16 years old and sits through -10F temperatures in winter).

By: steve

steve — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:05:03 +0000

@kc–the leaks are probably coming in through cracks in the sills (on the outside of the house). That’s where caulking the exterior seams comes into play.

By: kristine

kristine — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:15:29 +0000

As a renter, a lot of this is not within my purview. But’s it’s a great list. Reminds me to go drain my hose today!

If you have a small window that no one sees- you can seal it with bubble wrap.

One thing- you lose 30 percent of your body heat through the top of your head. Remember Ebeneezer Scrooge, and that long flannel nightcap? Well, it really does keep you super-warm at night! You can make one easily with 2 flannel triangles, or get an elf or very thin Santa hat from the party store after Christmas.

By: John

John — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:15:01 +0000

Great ideas for lowering the heating bill costs. I did, however, have question for you. I’m a medical student in the midwest who bought a home because the MD/PhD program I am will take 7-8 years for me to complete the requirements for both degrees. Thus, I figured that buying an affordable house was a better investment than throwing money away on rent for seven years. I spend almost all of my day studying in my office, where I employ a space heater to keep the room comfortable while keeping the rest of the house at a crisp 57 degrees. The question is, is it possible to have the house set at too low of a temperature? I don’t want to damage any of the applicances/electronics in my home…

By: KC

KC — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:53:25 +0000

I live in a very mild winter climate, but we do get some windy, cold days. I buy some of those insulated window/door sealers (look like a long tubes filled with insulated beads) and put them in the window sills where I can’t find the wind leakages. I’ve inspected several of my windows and can’t figure out where the wind is coming in, so I just use those things and they work great.

I also wrap my hot water heater in a blanket. It only costs a few bucks and reduces the energy it takes to warm up the water throughout the day.

I also shut some of the vents in my home where it is too hot. My upstairs has a plethora of vents and of course hot air rises so it gets much hotter upstairs then down. I shut about half the upstairs vents and it helps some. But mostly I just put a sweat shirt and warm slippers at the top of the stairs to put on when I go down.

By: CM

CM — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:33:12 +0000

I read a lot about doing things to make a home more energy efficient, but what about an apartment? I want to make my home more eco friendly, but I can’t go around installing thermostats and changing windows. And I live in an apartment owned by a major university so it’s not like I can go talk to my landlord about making a change. We always turn out lights when we not using them and try to be frugal with the heat (we live in WI so there’s no air conditioner to worry about). We also make sure that small appliances get unplugged when they are not in use. But is this the best we can do? Can you come up with 10 tips for apartment dwellers?

By: Meg

Meg — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:33:58 +0000

One caveat–if your windows are poorly installed and let in draughts, close the shades and curtains–you’ll stay warmer that way. I lived in a sunny but bitterly cold dorm room one year because the windows were so bad. I ended up pinning quilts over my windows for an additional layer of insulation.