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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1976-10-28, Page 59Insulation -tie heat saver ...: (continued fro,in page 11 here,. use Batts: or blankets. door .frame before you head How far should you go in sealing , up the house? Con- tinue to seal, weatherstrip and caulk until you find that -in quite cold weather, a light but not excessive fog or mist developsoccasionally on windows on the downwind side. At this point you've achieved •a considerable saving, without making the 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 feeling a cold draft?. This can, be 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 hanger,a plastic sandwich bag (or 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 overthecross-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 gauge 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 exposed, youshould add. insulation' with a resistance value of R7 or R8 to at least 2 feet below grade-. For fully exposed basement walls, insulate as you would an upstairs wall. - R12. In all cases, apply a moisture -proof cbating to the wall before insulating. g g as - These ca'n be held snugly to the garage ceiling with either. a light lathe support or chicken wire. The windows and doors in your home can be responsible for 25 per cent of your heat loss, even more' if they're' poorly fitted. A sin le pane of lass .h There are two ways 'to an R value of about 1. So it insulate a basement wall: loses about 12 times as much Inside and outside. heat as the same area of You can insulate masonry properly insulated wall." walls by first strapping them Adding double glazing. or. with 1 x 2" furring strips, 2 x storm windows will double 2" strapping . or a . 2 x ' 4" the resistance and cut heat frame, depending on the loss in half = but it's still six thickness of insulation times - the . equivalent :.wall'. needed. These straps can. be ' area. placed on 16 or 24'.' . outside . Uninsulated doors are centres, depending on the' another big source of heat thickness and type of wall loss _ especially if your kids finish. Remember: that foam leave them open. insulation should be covered . Let's suppose the outside. with plaster • or ° gypsum , temperature is a chilly. 20 board. deg. F (-7 deg. C) and that it's When you've completed the cloudy so .that your windows are not letting in radiant heat strapping. or framing, -refer back to the earlier in- from the sun: If you keep your structions . for • insulating thermostat set at 70 deg. F (21 framed walls. You can use R7 deg. C) ..and you have an batts with 2 x 2" strapping by average 200 square,' feet of compressing them slightly; single -pane windows,yyou lose howeverthis reduces their over 11,000 BTU per hour, just insulatingwalue to about R6.. through the glass. You could It has been 'shown that half this loss by fitting double basements- can be. insulated panes, or storms, and save 1 •effectively and easily.by. gallon of heating oil or 128 cubic feet of natural gas each applying foam slabs about -2 inches thick to the outside of . day —: that , represents a masonry walls. Above ground dollar saving to you of from 15 the foam should be securely to 35 cents ev�e,ry day. « stuck to the wall, protected at When yo't1'r.e replacing• the top from water `seepage windows, install double and coated with paint or glazing -either two separate another covering to protect it panes or the bonded type. If . from the elements: Below ,you live in an extremely cold ground it's quite adequate to area think about triple use a horizontal slab, ata glazing, especially on win - slight angle " tb drain away d"ows facing north. water. This slab . can be If ' you have single -pane windows, addin-g 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. • 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 them in spring. If you have air con- ditioning throughout the out 'to buy . the door. They come in different sizes and you don't want to waste gasoline making two trips to the store when one would do! The best" storm' doors also have •i screen so your house won't be invaded by summer insects when you *ant fresh air. Talk over your needs with, the service manager or 'salesman at the store. He:can help,you choose the right type and size. You might also pick up some tips. on installation. •Before you start the .actual installation, ' read the in- structions that come ,with 'the door. Find • a second pair of hands tohelp you. Once 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 blowing your 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 heatloss can be due to .excess infiltration, around.' windows, doors and other cracks. These drafts not only cost you money but can, make . yout home unple .sant through winter. covered with . patio stones, grass or -a garden. It acts as an effective heat barrier for the lower wall. In fact, this type of exterior insulation can be just as effective as interior applications. Basements are naturally cold and dampsince most of their wall area is below the ground' level. However, much can be done to add warmth to a basement recreation room. Outside walls should be insulated and storm windows added. A sub -floor overlaid with tile or carpeting will help • house, - leave the storm to overcome the chilly floor windows on year-round. The problem. Any door into a cold air space between the two room or cellar should be fully . panes of glass provides the insulated. Don't" forget to insulation and keeps the damp-proof the walls before house at the temperature you you begin. • • want. Be sure there is a , You may find that even space, otherwise it will be the with adequate • insulation, same as one thickpane of. your recreation room is still glass. on the chilly side. Perhaps. your heating system lacks the For windows that are not capacity to put heat .into the used for the view,. you can room. Cold air lying static at install plastic sheeting . at - floor level will chill the feet tacked-to'the outside window and make your • basement . frames. room seem' • colder. To help All outside doors should the furnace do abetter job, be - contain insulation rather than sure ..that a cold -air return hollow spaces. Many leads from the bdsement moderately priced homes room back to the ' furnace. have outside doors made of a This will allow the cold air to light wood frame covered leave the floor area and be withplywood or a similar replaced by warmer air. rnaterial: A light door doesn't Floors over unheated crawl give much protection against spaces, gars es- and the cold. When the tem - projections should have at perature is below 20 deg. F (-7 . least R12 insulation. In most deg. C), and the sun is away existing homes, insulation of • from the door; feel the inside ope: floors . is easily ac- of the door with your hand. If con- fished. with batts in- it's much cooler than the *stat d from below. Be sure to walls near -the door, consider secure thebatts with wire putting on a storm door: mesh or cross -braces. And Well -fitting storm doors remember to put the vapor will cut heat loss and prevent barrier tip to the warm side. chilly drafts. The roorof the garage•may A storm door can easily be be a floor for a second -floor mounted by the ' average • room that is already covered homeowner, but be sure to • in. To up -grade insulation' take the meastfrements of the Page 17 movement of the .plastic will show you where to eaull • -the window frame. Use the gauge on all suspected areas. You'll be surprised to discover how many spots need caulking or weatherstripping. The outside doors of the house should fit snugly so that air can't sneak in around the edges. If they don't fit snugly put weatherstripping around the door frames. - Close 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 4 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 or screw the side and stop 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 bn •-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' windowsshould be weatherstripped around the frames, using appropriate stripping...If the windows don't have to be opened they • can be locked and caulked. to EDWARD GODERICH FUELS LTD. 524-8`386 RECOMMEND Keeping your heating system well Maintained;. Check Filters regularly, etc.,/ • Consider a Shell Chronotherm for GreaterAyel Economy Introducing the Thermoshell Chronotherm a new kind of thermostat for comfort,. conservation and economy. ' • Save up to 10% on your fuel bill*. - Everyone knows you can conserve energy and save money by turning down the heat at night. The problem ' is waking up to a cold house. The Thermoshell Chronotherm, •a new semi-automatic thermostat from Honeywtll, solves the problem, You simply set the timer in the• evening. When you wake, the heat will have returned to normal -- automatically. With regular use, the Thermoshell Chronotherm could save you as much as 10% of your fuel bill — depending on the severity of your winter and how much you'lower the heat. As a rule of thumb, you'll save l%, over an 8 -hour period, for. each degree Fahrenheit you set the thermostat back at night. For even greater savings'try combining night setbacks with a permanent temperature drop. For example, if your present temperature is'12°F (22°C) all the time, and you rower it to 68°F (20°C) during the day an¢ cut it back another 5°F (3°C) at night, your cotnbined saving could be 15 per cent. That's $45 on an annual fuel bill of $300,t At this rate, your Chronotherm 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 scrrewdriver, pliers and a leve[. (Quebec d'liy' law £&quires unit to be installea'gaafified electri- clan.) ' • Order your Thermoshell Chronotherm today. Start saving— in comfort this winter ► Deluxe fully -automatic model also available. The fully -automatic Thermoshell Chronotherm has a built-in' elegrxic clock. You can set it to automatically lower the thermostat at a pre-set time each night and return it to normal at a pre-set time each morning. Just set it once and•it saves fuel, saves• money, all winter long. The fully -automatic model sjtould be installed by a qualified electrician or con- tractor. Estimated labour charge: $30.