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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1976-10-28, Page 48hats ear blankets. •e heli ugly to wi her or cf doors. in Lorne can responsib .. per cent of YoUr heat ss, evens more if ,they •re poorly Fitted, single pane of glass..has an R value of about 1. So, it loses about 12times, as much heat as the, same area of properly insulated wall. Adding double glazing or storm windows will double the resistance and cut heat loss in b -- but it's still six times the equivalent wall area. Uninsulated doors are another big source of heat loss --- especially if your kids leave them open. Let's suppose the outside temperature is a chilly 20 de,;g. F (-7 deg. C) and that it's cloudy so that -your windows are not letting in radiant heat from the sun. If you keepyour thermostat set at .70 deg. F (21 deg. C) and you have an average 200 square feet of single -pane windows, you lose over 11,000 BTU per hour, just through the glass. You could half this loss by fitting double panes or storms, and save 1 gallon of heating oil or 128 cubic feet of natural gas each day -- that repretents a dollar saving to you of from 15 to35 cents every day! deet l eapnsed p�aseent late as you vK up wall -- 112. In cases, apply. a meisprroof coating. the wall before ins cletingg. "'here are; two ways' A°insulate a t.sement wall: Inside and Wilde, ou can 14111110:e masonry walls. by first strapping theta... with 1 x 2" �g� strips. 2 x 2" strapping or a x 4 frame, depending on the thickness of insulation needed. These strapscan he placed on 16 or 24" outside centres, depending on the thickness and type of wall finish. Remember that few insulation should be covered withlaster or gyps board. When you've completed the strapping or framing, -refer back to the earlier in- structions for insulating framed walls. You can use R7 - Wits with 2 x 2" strapping by compressing them slightly; however this reduces '°their insulating value toabout Re. Itss been shown -that - basements con be insulated • effectively and easily by applying foam slabs about 2 inches..• thick to the outside of masonry walls. Above ground. the foam should be securely stuck to the wall, protected at the top from water seepage and coated with paint or another covering to protect it from . the elements. Below ground it's quite adequate to rte a horizontal slab, at a slight angle to drain away water. This slab can be covered with patio stones; grass or a garden. It acts as an effective heat barrier for the lower wall. In fact, 'ibis type of exterior insulation can be just as effective as interior applications. _ "'Basements are naturally cold and damp since most of their wall area is below the ground level. Ilowever, much can be done to addwrarmth.to a basement recreation room. Outside. . walls should be insulated and storm windows added. A sub -floor overlaid with tile or carpeting will help to overcome the chilly floor problem. Any door into a cold room or cellar should be fully insulated. Don't forget to damp-proof the walls before you begin. You may find that even with adequate insulation, your recreation room is still on the chilly side. Perhaps your heating stem lacks the capacity to .put -beat into the room. Cold air tying static ata floor level will chill the feet and make your basement room seem colder. To help the furnace do a better job, be sure that a cold air . return leads from the basement room back to the furnace. This will allow the cold air to teave the floor area and be replaced by Warmer air. Floors over unheated crawl spaces, garages and projections should have at 4 Ieast R12 insulation. In most existing homes, insulation of ope.- floors is easily ac - con. iished with batts in- stal d front below. Be sure to secure the baits ,.with wire Mesh" or cross -braces. And remember to put the vapor barrier up to the warm side. The roof of the garage may be a floor for a second -floor m dist is alreadycovered When you're replacing windows, install double glazing -- either two separate panes or the bonded type. If you live in an extremely cold area .think about triple glazing, especially on win- dows facing north. If you have single -pane windows ° adding storms will cut your heat loss in half. The modern storm window Is designed to be left on year- round.; you can open both panes in summer and the window is equipped with a screen. deer frame Were u bead; out b tI fir• T come to dand You don't haat to, vrage gasoli`ine ma'ldagr two thestore he one w e hest• storm da? also have a screen so your house- won't be invaded by suntm r inse.cts when you want fresh air. Talk over- ur e.,...with the service manager or salesman at the store., fle can help youoothe righttype and size. You migiht440 piek up sometips on installation', Before you start the actual installation, read the' in- structions that come with the door. Find a second pair of hands to help You. ice the door is in position, make the final adjustments to level it and ensure that the flexible strip across the bottom (usually made of rubber) makes a good seal. Now you can laugh ; at cold, winds blowingyour way. Both you and your furnace need some fresh air coming into the house -- also to clear out odors and moisture. This is called infiltration and most Canadian homes have too much. In fact, up to 25 per cent of your heat loss can be due to excess infiltration, around windows, doors and other cracks. These drafts not only cost you money but can make your home unpleasant through winter. How far l sig up th seal and Paid* ung is qui ea er, a l but not excesslv'e,fog. or mist develops occasionally on windows on the .-downwind side. At this point you've achieved a considerable saving, without makingthe house too airtight. Most homes have a long way to go to reach this point. When you're sitting around the house, does,a member of the family occasionally complain of an a cold ca draft? This n difficult to locate by ' feeling along the bottom of a window or around a door, but here's a simple item you can make to ac- curately pinpoint the source of the draft. It's called a draft gauge and all you need is a metal clothes hangei a- -plastic sandwichbag for a piece of light tissue paper), a pair of scissors and two clothes pins. Cut the sandwich bag down each side and wrap one end over the cross -bar of the clothes hanger. Use the clothes pins to fasten the bag to the bar. To check for drafts around a window, hold the gduge steady by the handle of the hanger with the plastic bag close to the edge of the frame. If any breeze is coming in, the mover,!ent' off` the plastic will show you w +e 10 analk the widow frame, f 'se t gouge on ►Il suited areas. ou'll surprised- discover, ho many s r king or w„eatherst-ripp.in The outside doors of the house shouldfit snugly so that air can't sneak in around the edges. 11 they don't fit snugly put weatherstripping around the door frames. CIose and lock the door so the door and casing are tight together. If you're using a rigid sgripping, measure and cut the 3 or 9 pieces you need , mitering them to fit well at the top Corners. If your weatherstripping is flexible, you may want to put it in. pieces for convenience or use one continuous piece for the sides and top. Tack tor screw the side and top pieces to the • door stops with the contact edges pressed evenly, but not too. tightly, against the face of the door. The 'bottom stripping, depending on the type, is attached to either the bottom inside edge of the door or to the doorstep. Make sure it's a snug fit before you tack or screw it in place. Leaky windows should be weatherstripped around the frames, using appropriate stripping. If the windows don't have to be opened they can be locked and caulked. In older homes the storm - window frames are usually made of wood. If you have this type, put them on in fall before you start using your heating unit. Remove there in spring. If you have air con- ditioning throughout the house, leave the storm windows on year-round. The air space between the two panes of glass provides the insulation and keeps the house at the temperature you want. Be sure there is a space, otherwise it will be the same as one thick pane of glass. windows that are not used for the view, you can install plastic sheeting tacked to the outside Window frames. All outside doors should contain insulation rather than hollow spaces. Many moderately priced homes have outside doors made of a light wood frame covered with plywood or a similar material,_ A light door doesn't give much protection against the cold. When the tem- perature is below 20 deg. F (-7 deg. C), and the sun is away from the door, feel the inside of the door with your hand. If it's much cooler than the walls near the door, consider puttingonastorm 'door. Well -fitting storm doors will cut heat loss and prevent chilly drafts. A storm door can easily be* . mounted by the average. homeowner, but be sure to ade intulatlon take the ett urexrleatts of the. RECOMMEND Keeping your heating system well Maintained; • Check Filters regularly, etc., • Consider a Shell Chronotherm for Greater Fuel Economy Introducing ducing the Thermosheli Chronotherm a ronotherma new kind of thennostat for comfort, . conservation and economy. Sari: up-to.1Oi% on your fuel bill*. -Everyone knows you can conserve energy and save., by turtling down the heat at night. The problem is waking up to a cold house. The Thennoshell C�tir'onothcrm, a new semi-automatic thermostat from Honeywell, solves the problem. 'l'Ou simply set the timer in the evening: when you wake, the heat will have returned to normal - automatically. With regular use, the Thcrmosheil Chronothcrtn could save you as much as IQ% of your fuel bill depending on the severity of your wintct and how much you lower the heat. As a rule of thumb, yyou U save 1%, over an 6 -hour period, for each degree Fahrenheit you set the thennostar back at night. For even greater savings try combining night setbacks with. a permanent temperature drop. For example,, if your present temperature is 72'F (22'C)'all the time, and you lower it to 6S'F WPC) during the day and cut it back another SAF (3'C) at night, your combined. say i uld be IS per cent, That's S45 on an annual fuel bailie. At this rate, your Chroitotherm could pay for itself within one year! Installation is easy. Just remove your old thermostat and connect the Chronotherm to the same wires. All you'll need is a scrcwcinver, pliers and a level. (Quebec law requires unit to be installed by a qualified electri- cian.) Deluxe lydly-automaticmodel also available. 'fate fully -automatic Themsoshell Chr moth errn base built-in electric clock. You can set it toautomatically lower the thermostat at a pre-set tinteesch night =drawn it to normal at .� prat time each . f set it once and it saves flail, sans money, all; meter. The; fully-automatic .andel ahou'ld. trundled by.a qualified electrician or con- tnwrtor. Estimated labour cue= may.