More on Insulating
Aug. 14th, 2008 12:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helwenSo here I am again, thinking about insulating... I left up most of what I'd done last winter as we need insulating from the heat of summer as well, so now I'm working on adding more, now that most of the busy-ness of summer is done and it isn't so hot out.
Sharon Astyk's been thinking about insulating too, specifically ideas for where you are now: Heating and Insulation Options This covers some basic ideas on heating and insulation, but she'll be writing more on cooling options, and then more specifics on different useful things. Sharon has a lot of good ideas, as do many of her readers, on what they've tried. I'm not interested in everything she writes, but the how-to/informative stuff can be useful.
Since we're probably going to be in the apartment here for a few more years, and since the cost of all heating fuels are going up, I figured it was time to work harder on adding insulation, even though the house is already pretty good. The more we can cut down on fuel usage, the better. I've mentioned insulating by putting off-season clothing, fabric, extra blankets, etc. against outer walls, but I haven't really maximized on that here in the apartment.
***
On a local note about fuels, a man showed up here at the farm looking to see what firewood we might have -- price, availability, and dryness. He'd gone for a second load from his usual source in Sunderland/S. Deerfield and the fellow was sold out. So now he's looking up in the hills for wood... and on Sharon A's site one of the readers said her CT newspaper reported that firewood in Maine has gone up to $300/cord because they're getting low on hardwoods and have to import from Connecticut! Current price for a cord of wood here in MA is $180-$220. Expect that to go up with the cost of fuel used to get the trees off the hills and cut up into a manageable size for stoves and furnaces.
Mind you, this shortage doesn't mean that there aren't any hardwoods left in the managed forests, just that if the properties are to be properly managed, one doesn't cut down every tree for short-term profit. Bad for the ecosystem and bad for future generations. But it does indicate that more people are using wood because they can't afford oil, or because they're trying to switch to something more "sustainable" and/or not dependent on a foreign country for.
Regardless of type of energy used for heating/cooling one's home, the best way to save on energy use is to not have to use as much of it. Hence my return to insulating...
***
Today I'm adding another insulated shade in the southwest room -- meant to do it at the beginning of summer, but instead we just tended to keep the door closed to that room and not go in there in the middle of the day. Then there's the space below the south-facing window that I haven't been able to figure out what I want to put there. Now that all the books are out from under it, I'm going to put our Pennsic trunks there -- they hold stuff for Pennsic/summer camping in them, so they might as well help insulate the place during the rest of the year. We can use them as additional horizontal workspace as needed, as Southwest is where most of our non-fiber crafting stuff is kept.
Then there's the space behind the two bookcases against the south wall in Southwest, where the back of the cases stand away from the wall a bit because of the baseboards. Only an inch of space, but if I hang a few layers of fabric on the wall behind them, I can join the wall's insulation to the bookcases and create a foot of insulation. Even multiple layers of thin fabric would help, as the layers trap the air between them. If I can, I'll wrap around to part of the west wall with the wall drapes... I have a picture hanging there, but I can run a ribbon or cord from the top of the drapes down to where I want the picture to be, so that's no big deal.
I'm actually a bit excited about being able to use some of the fabric I have in storage, because if I can use enough of it to insulate the apartment, I can make some space in the barn. Yes, I have that much fabric. Combination of sewing clothing and being a crafter. Might as well maximize use of the materials until I need them for projects. And in rooms where I want the addition be neutral, I can put a layer of muslin or other plain light-colored fabric as the top layer (light-colored to better reflect light at night).
Also, I'm starting to tape the window frames with painters tape (the removable stuff). We discussed putting up a layer of plastic for winterizing and for keeping the ladybugs out, but it would only keep them from being all over the apartment, it wouldn't keep them out of the house. I don't really want to look at piles of dead bugs on the window sills all winter... Last year we started out thinking maybe they were coming in around the half-screens that come with the windows (double-glazed replacement windows). Then we figured out that they could fit into the grooves that the windows slide up and down in. So my hope is that by taping over the slider grooves onto the window frames I can remove any air movement that may be attracting the bugs to try to come into the house. And of course, that means also cutting down on unwanted air penetration during the winter! In a modern house I might have to worry about over-tightening the house (houses do need to "breathe"), but that's not a concern with a house the age of the farmhouse.
The caulk the stores have for winterizing would probably work too, but I'm finding the tape works more easily for me so far. OTOH, the caulk isn't _blue_, and would be visually less noticeable... hm, maybe in some of the other rooms...
Another project for Southwest will be to put up some of the wire rack wall-shelving we have, right behind the door on the west wall. They're shallow enough to fit behind the door, and I can roll up chemises and stuff and store them there -- more storage and insulation. This has the additional plus that the bookcase in the hallway that the clothing's currently on can then be used for more books ;) I have a box or two I'd like to unpack...
***
Should be an interesting challenge, getting the house more insulated -- L and W have some other things they'll be doing as well, like replacing a couple of the old windows. While the replacement windows aren't perfect, the two they'll be replacing are in pretty bad shape after all these years. And maybe they can figure out a way to make them tighter/more bug-proof...
Sharon Astyk's been thinking about insulating too, specifically ideas for where you are now: Heating and Insulation Options This covers some basic ideas on heating and insulation, but she'll be writing more on cooling options, and then more specifics on different useful things. Sharon has a lot of good ideas, as do many of her readers, on what they've tried. I'm not interested in everything she writes, but the how-to/informative stuff can be useful.
Since we're probably going to be in the apartment here for a few more years, and since the cost of all heating fuels are going up, I figured it was time to work harder on adding insulation, even though the house is already pretty good. The more we can cut down on fuel usage, the better. I've mentioned insulating by putting off-season clothing, fabric, extra blankets, etc. against outer walls, but I haven't really maximized on that here in the apartment.
***
On a local note about fuels, a man showed up here at the farm looking to see what firewood we might have -- price, availability, and dryness. He'd gone for a second load from his usual source in Sunderland/S. Deerfield and the fellow was sold out. So now he's looking up in the hills for wood... and on Sharon A's site one of the readers said her CT newspaper reported that firewood in Maine has gone up to $300/cord because they're getting low on hardwoods and have to import from Connecticut! Current price for a cord of wood here in MA is $180-$220. Expect that to go up with the cost of fuel used to get the trees off the hills and cut up into a manageable size for stoves and furnaces.
Mind you, this shortage doesn't mean that there aren't any hardwoods left in the managed forests, just that if the properties are to be properly managed, one doesn't cut down every tree for short-term profit. Bad for the ecosystem and bad for future generations. But it does indicate that more people are using wood because they can't afford oil, or because they're trying to switch to something more "sustainable" and/or not dependent on a foreign country for.
Regardless of type of energy used for heating/cooling one's home, the best way to save on energy use is to not have to use as much of it. Hence my return to insulating...
***
Today I'm adding another insulated shade in the southwest room -- meant to do it at the beginning of summer, but instead we just tended to keep the door closed to that room and not go in there in the middle of the day. Then there's the space below the south-facing window that I haven't been able to figure out what I want to put there. Now that all the books are out from under it, I'm going to put our Pennsic trunks there -- they hold stuff for Pennsic/summer camping in them, so they might as well help insulate the place during the rest of the year. We can use them as additional horizontal workspace as needed, as Southwest is where most of our non-fiber crafting stuff is kept.
Then there's the space behind the two bookcases against the south wall in Southwest, where the back of the cases stand away from the wall a bit because of the baseboards. Only an inch of space, but if I hang a few layers of fabric on the wall behind them, I can join the wall's insulation to the bookcases and create a foot of insulation. Even multiple layers of thin fabric would help, as the layers trap the air between them. If I can, I'll wrap around to part of the west wall with the wall drapes... I have a picture hanging there, but I can run a ribbon or cord from the top of the drapes down to where I want the picture to be, so that's no big deal.
I'm actually a bit excited about being able to use some of the fabric I have in storage, because if I can use enough of it to insulate the apartment, I can make some space in the barn. Yes, I have that much fabric. Combination of sewing clothing and being a crafter. Might as well maximize use of the materials until I need them for projects. And in rooms where I want the addition be neutral, I can put a layer of muslin or other plain light-colored fabric as the top layer (light-colored to better reflect light at night).
Also, I'm starting to tape the window frames with painters tape (the removable stuff). We discussed putting up a layer of plastic for winterizing and for keeping the ladybugs out, but it would only keep them from being all over the apartment, it wouldn't keep them out of the house. I don't really want to look at piles of dead bugs on the window sills all winter... Last year we started out thinking maybe they were coming in around the half-screens that come with the windows (double-glazed replacement windows). Then we figured out that they could fit into the grooves that the windows slide up and down in. So my hope is that by taping over the slider grooves onto the window frames I can remove any air movement that may be attracting the bugs to try to come into the house. And of course, that means also cutting down on unwanted air penetration during the winter! In a modern house I might have to worry about over-tightening the house (houses do need to "breathe"), but that's not a concern with a house the age of the farmhouse.
The caulk the stores have for winterizing would probably work too, but I'm finding the tape works more easily for me so far. OTOH, the caulk isn't _blue_, and would be visually less noticeable... hm, maybe in some of the other rooms...
Another project for Southwest will be to put up some of the wire rack wall-shelving we have, right behind the door on the west wall. They're shallow enough to fit behind the door, and I can roll up chemises and stuff and store them there -- more storage and insulation. This has the additional plus that the bookcase in the hallway that the clothing's currently on can then be used for more books ;) I have a box or two I'd like to unpack...
***
Should be an interesting challenge, getting the house more insulated -- L and W have some other things they'll be doing as well, like replacing a couple of the old windows. While the replacement windows aren't perfect, the two they'll be replacing are in pretty bad shape after all these years. And maybe they can figure out a way to make them tighter/more bug-proof...
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no subject
Date: 2008-08-14 07:21 pm (UTC)Must go plot and plan...
no subject
Date: 2008-08-14 07:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-14 08:52 pm (UTC)Oh also, try to make sure the outermost layer isn't a high-nap fabric -- no need to add dust collectors to the house :D
Seriously, thinking about this stuff is one of the reasons most of our tallest bookcases are against outside walls, so I can add them into my insulation plans.
Have fun plotting!
no subject
Date: 2008-08-14 09:09 pm (UTC)It was also a common technique used by Shakers, to the point that many rooms in Shaker households had long boards of shaker pegs high up on the wall, which were used not only for hanging many things up and out of the way (such as ladder-back chairs), but also for hanging draperies with loops along the walls during cold season.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-14 09:22 pm (UTC)When I did the wall hangings in Holyoke, I just put in nails or screws near the top of the wall, then I got those brass curtain loops (curtain supplies) that you can pinch fabric with and pinched about 4 layers of fabric with them and hung the loops on the nails/screws. Although here I'm thinking about using large screw-in cup hooks and/or largish screw-eyes instead of nails -- they would look nicer than nails and hold the loops better.
Or if you can't find the brass pincher-loop-thingies, you can always tack the layers together with a needle and big thread/yarn and make your own loops. Hm, I suppose the really large safety pins would work too....
Depending on your heating system, you can put pillows, bags or boxes of fabric/clothes around the base of your outer walls. Even if you have a table against an outer wall, you can put stuff in under it, and then put a tablecloth over the top of the table so it doesn't looked cluttered.
What I did for some places where I couldn't hide the fabric was make some fabric bags to hold the fabric, so that they coordinated with the livingroom furniture. Since you can't insulate your basement yet, you might want to consider doing this on the first floor of your house wherever you can. There's often a weak point in house design where the first floor and the basement join.
You probably already know this, but for other folks reading who don't have insulating experience... The thing about shades and/or curtains is (during cold weather) to remember on sunny days to open them during the day. Might as well get some free passive solar energy!
During hot weather, the shades/curtains are great to be able to lower/close once outside temps hit the mid-70s F. Same with the windows -- let in cooler air from the lower half of the window until the low-to-mid 70s F, then close them until (if) it's cool enough in the evening to open them again to let out accumulated warm air.
***
What sort of house do you have? Have you two studied the air movement patterns in it? Could be useful for moving warm or cool air where you want it...
no subject
Date: 2008-08-15 01:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-15 02:30 pm (UTC)Forced air... not the least efficient form of heating, thank goodness (that would be electric baseboards). So, that affects how you do furniture layout; I lived in a house that had that system once, so I know what you mean about the cat toys :D Maybe Mike can attach some window screening to the frame of the floor vents...
Some people might say you should insulate the ducts, but that depends on whether or not you use the basement much. If you're down there a lot (laundry, workshop, etc.), then having some heat down there is a nice thing.
I'm sure I'll get to see it at some point. No worries, it takes a while to settle into a new house :)