36
votes
Accepted
Will window shrink-wrap make a noticeable difference in heating bill in house with single-paned windows?
You will almost certainly save $100 on your heating costs by using film, assuming you install it well and stop drafts through the window seals. It may also make the home feel more comfortable, which ...
- 129k
19
votes
Will a PVC weld cure to fill 1 mm?
It might work or it might not work.
PVC pipe and fittings are not really 'glued' together but are solvent welded. The inside of the fittings are designed with a tapered hub (the inside diameter of the ...
- 5,404
16
votes
How do you make outdoor wooden stairs less slippery in winter?
There are a few approaches available. You've already described one of them: add a grippy tread on top of the wood. Another approach is to mix sand in to the next layer of wood finish that you paint on,...
- 9,197
15
votes
Will window shrink-wrap make a noticeable difference in heating bill in house with single-paned windows?
Film in Nebraska would likely be worth it, at least for the worst offenders in terms of drafts.
A tight storm window can boost a single-pane's R-value from 0.9 to about 2.0, which is actually ...
- 2,212
14
votes
Accepted
Will a PVC weld cure to fill 1 mm?
Will a PVC weld cure to fill 1 mm? What other bonding agent could I use as a filler before using, or in addition to, the PVC weld?
As others have mentioned, PVC weld only works on PVC. The black part ...
- 1,285
12
votes
Will window shrink-wrap make a noticeable difference in heating bill in house with single-paned windows?
Air has pretty good insulation value if you can stop it from convecting. If it convects, it transfers heat fairly efficiently.
Fiberglass and rock-wool matt rely on this - the point of the strands is ...
11
votes
Will a PVC weld cure to fill 1 mm?
These things are not designed to go together. They are not made of the same kind of plastic.
And PVC cement is not made to bridge gaps. That would never hold against pressure.
Since leakage is not ...
11
votes
How do you make outdoor wooden stairs less slippery in winter?
The problem comes from the high gloss wood preservative. I imagine the steps would be slippery if just wet.
Sand the treads just to knock off the gloss. Then apply a Matte finish with some sand ...
- 25k
9
votes
How do you make outdoor wooden stairs less slippery in winter?
There are a number of wooden bridges in a nearby park.The local council has secured some chunky plastic mesh to the tread areas using galvanised staples, and its far less slippery now.
I've also seen ...
- 10k
6
votes
Automatically trip breaker in power outage
If your HVAC situation permits it...
The ability to have a source of heat that works during a power outage is a massive asset, especially if power outages are a serious concern (as they typically are ...
- 81.7k
6
votes
stop cold air around window cracks
It looks like the caulk there is old and cracked. Scrape it all out so you have a good surface to work with and use a premium acrylic caulk. DAP extreme stretch or 230 would be good choices if you ...
- 1,695
5
votes
Accepted
Winterize my lawn mower
The "article" you linked to is written by the manufacturer of STA-BIL, a brand of fuel stabilizer. So I would take the entire thing with an enormous grain of salt.
I don't see how you can go wrong ...
- 14k
5
votes
Accepted
Should I close the gable vent on my garage in the winter?
In most cases, vents are there precisely to be open in the winter (and all other seasons) and plugging them up may result in various problems depending on which of various roles they serve, including ...
- 201k
5
votes
stop cold air around window cracks
Looks like caulk was applied once before and has cracked due to movement. You'll want to scrape that all away and apply new caulk. Silicone would work, but it's not paintable, so consider that.
- 129k
5
votes
How do you make outdoor wooden stairs less slippery in winter?
I'd go with some metal grip strips. You want something that won't hold water against the wood and allows the treads to dry or your treads will rot away faster.
Image from: https://www.clearwaysupply....
- 13.4k
4
votes
Water Main coming into house - is just super cold and keeps the basement cold
This question is about thermal mass/intertia.
Suppose you are doing solar panels. The solar energy (from the panel's perspective) is exactly the same 1 hour after sunrise versus 1 hour before ...
4
votes
Accepted
Inserting a Tee In 1" Pipe for an Air Compressor?
You should consider something like this. These are just pieces I have laying around. All are common, easy to source and inexpensive. The fitting in your link will work as well, you would just follow ...
- 6,314
4
votes
Do I drain my washing machine pump for long term winter storage?
IF you can drain it of all water, that would be good. Since this is often difficult, or requires major disassembly to achieve with any confidence, non-toxic RV antifreeze is another option to prevent ...
- 201k
4
votes
Will window shrink-wrap make a noticeable difference in heating bill in house with single-paned windows?
Growing up in Iowa in the 80's and 90's, we would put plastic on our windows every year. I'm pretty sure they were all single pane windows, too, as it was an older farmhouse.
As a kid, I don't know ...
- 1,770
4
votes
Will a PVC weld cure to fill 1 mm?
The PVC welding cements rely on the PVC fitting fitting together in a very tight fashion. I doubt that you'd have satisfactory results based on my experiences. Your best solution would be to get a two ...
- 78.7k
4
votes
How cold can it get outdoors before air source heat pump sees damage from running?
I assume that you've tried to find the freezing point of R134a at various pressures and you were stymied. That's because the freezing point of almost all pure liquids (except water) barely changes ...
- 10.9k
3
votes
Accepted
Do these pipes need to be winterized? How?
Yes, you need to winterize them. That looks like a backflow-prevention device, which prevents water from the lawn from flowing back into the city pipes (in the event of a loss of pressure). Typically, ...
- 8,803
3
votes
Accepted
Do outside faucets need to be winterized in a home with a conditioned crawlspace?
Varies with climate/temperature and specifics of the faucets/plumbing. We've had heated basements for a long time, so nothing all that new here.
If they are frost-free sillcocks, probably nothing is ...
- 201k
3
votes
Fire table surface disintegration over winter
I have the exact same fire table and mine does the same thing! I even pull it inside during the MN winters, but to no avail, I am refinishing it every year! It is definitely a poorly made product. I ...
- 31
3
votes
Accepted
How to stop cold air entering through the breaker box
What you are looking for is duct seal. You can pick it up at most home centers. This will seal the external conduit, where the power line enters the house.
For sealing the studs, you could get a can ...
- 824
3
votes
Accepted
Do I need to winterize 40' underground hose?
Blow it out with air.
Over simplified example: the ends may freeze first, then when more freezes in the middle it has nowhere to go.
There is a gadget for this if you want to use a compressor. ...
- 4,220
3
votes
refrigertators that go into storage
You are doing a great job!
With the system clean and open no bad bugs can grow.
Second, with the system turned off, if there is a leak, there will be much less pressure on the lines.
Last some might ...
- 102k
3
votes
Accepted
Access for Shut-Off Valve
I decided to install an A.Y. McDonald 6001 series brass stop and waste valve (for example, on Amazon, ASIN B003MXYJOU). Such units are much more expensive than a common valve, and I was hoping to ...
- 53
3
votes
Outdoor extension of hose spout
PEX stands up pretty well to freezing. It's amazing what you can do to it and how it recovers. Freezing isn't a problem for PEX. Still I would recommend draining it during the winter via a drain ...
- 23.1k
3
votes
Can this seasonal cottage be insulated for winter use?
Verify first that the property is not restricted to seasonal use only, whether outright, or via means that you may not have considered such as the roads are not plowed in winter, but if you want to ...
- 201k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible