How to Get Your Home Ready for Winter

 

There are lots of ways to prepare your home for winter's freezing temperatures. © Eugene Brennan

Winter Is Coming!

This article gives you some common sense tips on keeping your home snug and warm in the winter. It also provides information on how to protect your home and yard from cold, wind, rain, and snow. 

What Is Insulation? 

Insulation is any material that reduces the rate of heat transfer. For instance, the handle on a saucepan is insulated so you don't burn your hand. Metal is good at transferring or conducting heat, so saucepan handles are usually made from wood or plastic to stop heat conduction.

In the context of a building structure, however, insulation is a material that is used to stop heat flowing out through the walls, ceiling and floor. Usually, this is in the form of boards with an insulating foam layer or layers of fleecy material such as fibre glass, rock wool or sheep's wool. If rooms are well insulated, once they're heated, they hold the heat for longer and it doesn't leak out so fast.

How to Keep the House Warm in Winter

There are numerous ways to keep the chill at bay when temperatures drop.

General Tips

• Single-glazed windows should be upgraded to double or triple-glazed units.
• Boilers should be serviced to ensure they are working correctly, the flue is clean, fuel is being burnt thoroughly and they are working at top efficiency. Circulating pumps can become stuck during the summer so this needs to be checked out.
• Chimneys of open fires need to be cleaned to remove soot and creosote deposits or leaves from overhanging trees. Guards should be fitted to the chimney pots to prevent birds setting up residence the following spring.

Insulation Upgrades

• If you can afford it, try to upgrade the insulation in the house. Most heat is lost up through the ceilings into the loft and out through the roof. The space between the joists should be insulated with 4 inches (preferably 8 inches) of fibreglass or rock wool insulation.
• Inner walls can be insulated with rock wool and finished with plasterboard (drywall), or plasterboard backed with foam insulation may be used.
• Cavity walls can be drilled and a foam insulation pumped into the intervening space.
• External insulation is also an option. Multilayer sandwich panels consisting of insulation, a water-permeable membrane and an outer painted finish can be retrofitted to exterior walls. Some contractors render the finished insulation when it is installed.

Exterior House Maintenance

• Gutters and downpipes need to be cleaned to ensure proper drainage from roofs, but wait until the leaves have fallen off all nearby trees or you will have to do the job again later!
• Remove any moss or leaves which accumulated in the valleys between apex roofs.
• Ensure all brackets, nails and screws holding the gutters are secure.
• Check your downpipes are not clogged.
• Drips from overflowing gutters in the winter can form large icicles.
• Check gulleys for blockages from leaves and other debris.

Gate Valve. © Eugene Brennan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Protecting Plumbing From Freezing

• Frozen and burst pipes are a common problem during freezing weather. All pipes which may be exposed to freezing temperatures should be lagged with insulation to prevent freezing. New pipe work should be buried deep enough in the ground to protect it from freezing.
• The cold water tank in the loft should be surrounded with a layer of insulation and the associated pipe work should be lagged. When the floor of the loft is insulated, this makes the loft colder and plumbing is more prone to freezing, so during extremely cold or snowy weather, the loft door should be left open to allow some heat from the rooms below to travel upwards.
• Ensure you know the location of all your gate valves/stop cocks inside and outside and their functions. Write their function on the wall behind them with a thick marker and obviously check they actually turn and aren’t seized. You don’t want to be trying to turn off a seized valve in an emergency when water is coming down through the ceiling!
• You can use pipe heating cable to stop pipes from freezing where pipes are exposed to really cold temperatures. This comes in the form of a tape or cable that you wrap around the pipe. The tape warms slightly when powered up. Newer versions of this tape are self-regulating so temperature doesn't become excessive.

Preparing for Ice and Snow

• Ensure you have adequate supplies of fuel. Oil, gas and electricity suppliers are competitive so shop around to get the best deal.
• Get a good quality snowblower, snow or grain shovel for clearing snow from pavements and driveways. A blade made from aluminium is lighter than a steel blade.
• Clean moss from pavements with a proprietary cleaner or power washer.
• Stock up with salt and grit for defrosting snow and ice on pavements.
• Gutters should have adequate brackets to support snow load as snow starts to thaw and slide down roofs.
• Drain hoses to prevent them freezing and bursting.
• During thunderstorms which can occur during blizzards, unplug all electrical appliances and landline equipment such as modems and phones and use your cell phone for communication.
• Stock up with torches and a camp stove in case there are power failures.
• Get some storage containers which can be used to hold water in case the water supply pipes freeze and the supply is interrupted.

Protecting Garden Plants From Frost

If possible, bring vulnerable plants in containers which could be damaged by frost, inside or into a frost-free shed. Wrap bubble wrap or straw around larger plants or plants in the ground.

Here are a few more ways to protect your plants from frost.

Coping With Electrical Power Outages

• If you have a generator, make sure it works properly, the oil level is ok and it starts up without difficulty. Test it under load to see if copes ok without struggling.
• A freezer will maintain low temperature for several hours if it is not constantly opened.
• A portable gas stove can be used for heating and cooking.
• The backup batteries in your alarm panel and bell/sounder have a limited lifespan so replace them at the required interval.

 

 

 

How to Stop Nails Splitting Timber

Flat or round nails can split timber, especially if they're used near the edge because the sloped tip acts as a wedge. An old tip is to shear the tips off wire nails to stop them doing this. The nail then shears and cuts through fibres rather than acting as a wedge, pushing them apart and splitting the timber.

"Talking Tools"

Just wanted to let you know about my new Facebook group "Talking Tools".
It's a platform for pros and newbies to talk about tools, share reviews and tips. Novices can ask questions and get help from more experienced members. Manufacturers can also show off their new products.

Talking Tools

Good DIY Gifts For Men?

I better be diplomatic about this and suggest that DIY gifts for men needn't be any different than those which would be suitable for all the ladies amongst us (and even "non-ladies"!) Speaking as a serious male DIYer, I would like a cordless drill with two lithium batteries. The advantage of this battery technology is that the batteries don't lose their charge as quickly, and the drill is always ready for use.
A mitre(miter) saw is useful for making square cuts on timber, dado rail etc. An 8inch version is fine.
Jigsaws are useful for making curved and straight cuts in sheet timber. Go for one with variable speed on the trigger.
Angle grinders are useful for cutting metal and masonry.
A socket wrench set or ratchet wrenches(spanners) are always handy for tightening and undoing nuts and bolts.
Personally I would prefer to buy my own hand tools. While power tools are somewhat similar, the shape and size of hand tools are such that it is better to try them in your hand before buying. I mean how would a woman feel if their partner bought them shoes?

What is a Neon Glow or "Phase" Tester?

A neon glow tester, sometimes called a "phase" tester is a device used to detect mains voltages. The neon capsule in the device is usually sensitive to voltages from 90 volts upwards. Contact must be made with a live terminal for the neon bulb to glow. When doing electrical maintenance work, a neon tester can be used to double check power is turned off after switching off a breaker. Neon testers are commonly available in the form of a flat screwdriver whose blade is sized to suit the screws in electrical fittings.
Newer type hand held electrical testers such as the Fluke VoltAlert use an electronic detection circuit which activates an LED when the tip of the tester is in close proximity to a live terminal or power cable, actual contact is not necessary. These testers are useful for detecting presence of voltage e.g in a power flex or on the output of a breaker. However if the tip is too far away, the LED may not light up, giving the false impression that a circuit is not live. So they should never be used to test for absence of voltage. A neon tester should be used for absolute certainty when testing (and the tester should be pre-checked by touching it against a live terminal , e.g. the outlet of a socket to ensure it is working properly).

How Can a Pinhole Leak be Temporarily Fixed Until a More Permanent Repair Can be Done?

Ordinary 2-part epoxy resin also works well for sealing leaks. I have used it successfully for repairing a long crack in the polystyrene spray nozzle of a hose. Make sure you get the quick setting stuff which hardens in about 10 minutes. Try and dry the joint thoroughly, and if possible, rub it with sandpaper to improve adhesion. Let the epoxy stiffen slightly before applying to prevent it spreading out. Heat from a hair drier accelerates the curing process. As far as I know special pipe sealants are epoxy based.
Another alternative (although this is theoretical and I haven't tried it!) is to use a hose clip. Keep one opened out and if you have a leak, wrap it around the pipe, push the end of the clip back into itself and semi-tighten it with a screwdriver. Push a small piece of rubber (bicycle patch, piece of old tire, rubber boot or whatever) under the clip over the hole and tighten. The advantage of this is that the water wouldn't have to be turned off and the area around the hole wouldn't need to be dry but it would probably only work on a hole in the actual pipe itself where the clip would exert sufficient pressure on the patch. You can also buy emergency clamp type fittings which seal over a hole, effecting a temporary repair until the section of pipe can be replaced.
Yet another repair method for cracked brass fittings is to solder them. I had to do this when a fitting on a heating system in my workshop developed a hairline crack during a lengthy period of snow during the winter. (Haven't looked at it for years so hopefully it's still water tight!).
It's wise to know the location of all your stop cocks/gate valves, and write the function of the valve on the wall behind it with a marker, or tie a label around it. In an emergency, you don't want to have to figure out which valve shuts off which pipe. Also valves tend to stick and seize up after years of disuse, so "exercise" them at least once a year by screwing off and back on again. It's actually a good a wise idea to add a redundant valve in case your main water shut-off valve fails. Another option is to fit a quadrant ball valve in addition to the main valve which can be quickly turned off by turning it through 90 degrees (These are the ones commonly encountered on gas and air compressor lines or on oil tanks). Quadrant valves don't normally seize up.

How Can I Mould Stepping Stones For the Garden Using Cake Tins?

If the pans are slightly tapered from top to bottom, there shouldn't be any problem releasing the cement, just as it is easy to release a cake from a mould or a sandcastle from a bucket. Cement doesn't normally stick readily to smooth metal. You could spray the inside with silicone lubricating spray and this should help also or even rub around the inside of the mould with some butter, Vaseline or similar. You only need to rub the surface in the same way that pans and dishes are coated when cooking or baking.
When the cement is set hard after a few days, lightly tap all around the base and sides, turn upside down and then if possible, hit the edge of the pan off the edge of a surface such as a bench, wheel barrow or kerb. This usually works when releasing plants from pots so it should work with cement also.
Leave the cement for about a week before walking on it so that it attains its full strength.
If you want to make the stones really strong, you can reinforce them by laying any scrap metal items you want to dispose of inside the cement. Half fill the mould with cement and then place the pieces of metal flat on the cement. Fill up to the top of the mould with cement.
If the stones are going to be walked on, they need to be at least 2 to 3 inches thick.

For Less Than $4 This Mini Adjustable Zooming LED Flashlight is a "Must Have" for Camping, Hiking and DIY

So I received one of these flashlights from Dealextreme  in the mail today and I wasn't disappointed! This 120 lumen flashlight is really bright and runs on a single1.5 volt alkaline AA cell or alternatively you can use a 3.6 volt Lithium 14500 type.

SIPIK SK68 120lm Convex Lens LED Zooming Flashlight w/ Q3-WC

You are probably familiar with the two AA cell Maglite which is a nice compact torch, and an indispensable item in any DIYers toolbox. Maglites can be zoomed so that they throw a narrow parallel beam, useful for instance when running services under floorboards or pinpointing stuff in the distance. This flashlight is a little over half the length of  a double AA Maglite, but has the added advantage of a zoomable beam, which can be adjusted from flood to spot by sliding the lens at the front backwards and forwards.

How Bright is It?

Well it's REALLY bright for something so small which runs on a single AA cell! According to the spec on Dealextreme's website, the flashlight pumps outs 120 lumens of light from the Cree Q3-WC LED. This is insanely bright and perfectly adequate for lighting up an area. When adjusted to provide a narrow beam, it can easily light up a target 30 metres away.

What's the Runtime?

At a voltage of 0.7 to 4.2 volts, runtime is 1.5 hours

What's the Construction Quality Like?

The body is made from aluminium so the flashlight should withstand being dropped from at least waist height. It's sealed with O-rings as is standard on these types of torches to make it water resistant, I couldn't see how they sealed the the LED head, presumably there is an O-ring between the two sections. The contact spring in the base cap is gold plated which may help to reduce bad connections, a problem which plagues torches with pressure contacts. The contact pad inside the torch however isn't plated with gold. A metal belt clip is a useful feature with a recess on the flashlight to prevent it slipping off the belt.

How Much Does it Cost?

$3.43 £2.62 or €3.09 excellent value for a bright, well constructed flashlight

Where Do I Buy It?

From Dealextreme at this URL http://bit.ly/2aZexby