Cold Effin Weather!

[jclay]

This is playing hell on the frame I'm trying to get painted. Starting tonight lows in the mid/lower 20s for the next four or five days in Tallahassee. Possible snow. You know, you guys really can keep your cold weather foolishness up north, where it belongs. This is the Sunshine State...as in WARM sunshine.

There was a period, a very long time ago, when living in snow country sounded attractive. That time has passed.

[Wisco]

20's at night is pretty cold for Florida, even as far north as you are.

I guess I won't bother discussing the -15F we had for lows the past few days... might be +5F for a high temp tomorrow!

[Saab2000]

It's been chilly in western Michigan as well, with near daily snow showers due to the warm Lake Michigan and the prevailing winds. As the lake cools this will taper off. We have a real winter here. The Bridgestone Blizzaks are a godsend.

The interesting thing is that this is how winters used to be until we got used to much milder winters. My house was built in 1950 and has had much insulation work done. It is still terrible. If I decide this is my home for a while I may do a 'down to the studs' re-conscrution and will have much, much better insulation and windows, all of which are mediocre at best.

I turn off the heat and it cools off rapidly. Many of the neighbor homes are much worse, with serious icicles (basically ice stalactites and stalagmites). Because this is the season of near-constant furnace running and bad things, I bought a couple CO detectors. Both read 0 and that makes me happy. The previous owners maintained the property very well and the furnace was serviced professionally each year.

BTW, I bought way too much house. Even at 1500 square feet above ground square feet I have no idea what do do with the space. But that's another story.

I remember winters in Wisconsin that were like this in the 1970s and 1980s. We've gotten used to the change and a chillier winter has been probably a good thing. Here's a shot from my bedroom window about 3 days ago. This was a rare sunny spell for western MI at this time of year. The snow is really not much, but at least it looks like winter. I may go skiing tomorrow.

This is a pic from the new iPhone X with a 'touchup' and a bit of cropping. Too much blue but a crisp image for a cellular telephone.

[guido]

-10 in chilly Stow this morning. Hasn't been out of the teens for over 2 two weeks. Warms up tomorrow and thursday for some snow then they are saying -13 on Sunday morning...
This is starting to get a bit old, and it is barely January. Oh boy...

[mmoore]

its cold.

didn't slow us down from having a little hockey game on the ice on sunday.

-22c today (-10f) but its been between that and -27c for the last week or two.


not looking forward to this months gas bill. like @saab2000 we have a '50s house and its been fitted with some insulation where its easy but it still cools down fast and the interior walls are cold to touch at any given point in time. if the house were in a better location I would strip the old aluminum siding and insulate/wrap the house too.... but I don't love living across the street from the commercial plaza.

[Tom]

The good thing about this weather that is like the old days is that the various fungi and insects that haven't been knocked back by the cold in recent years are going to be reset to earlier levels. We've had a couple of years of extra bugs and blights in the trees so a little die back would be OK.

[NYCfixie]

...My house was built in 1950 and has had much insulation work done. It is still terrible. If I decide this is my home for a while I may do a 'down to the studs' re-conscrution and will have much, much better insulation and windows, all of which are mediocre at best.

I turn off the heat and it cools off rapidly. Many of the neighbor homes are much worse, with serious icicles (basically ice stalactites and stalagmites)...

Our previous NJ home was a 1940s era center hall colonial with about 1800sqft. The windows were old, divided light, and not well maintained which was weird because the rest of the house was. We spoke with several architects, builders, and renovators who all said they same thing; newer windows will have the most impact on drafts, warmth (or cooling in summer), and energy efficiency assuming you purchase quality windows and have them installed correctly.

We purchased the highest-end divided light "replacement" Pella windows and had them installed by a professional we trusted and not Pella. He removed the old sashes, counter weights, and other materials from the old windows. He then used spray foam before and during window installation to seal the area between the old wood and the new windows as well as caulk/sealant after the stops went back on. It was expensive, we did the work over 3 years (back of house, sides/basement/attic, front of house) so we could better afford it, and it was worth every penny.

The house was warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, and our energy bills decreased. Added benefits were we kept windows open more often during the shoulder months because they were no longer stuck closed and they were much easier to clean. Even though the payback would have taken so many years, we did it anyway because it increased the enjoyment of our home and increased the resale value.

The moral of the story is ask a professional because windows usually make a bigger/better difference in older homes than insulation.

[Saab2000]

Our previous NJ home was a 1940s era center hall colonial with about 1800sqft. The windows were old, divided light, and not well maintained which was weird because the rest of the house was. We spoke with several architects, builders, and renovators who all said they same thing; newer windows will have the most impact on drafts, warmth (or cooling in summer), and energy efficiency assuming you purchase quality windows and have them installed correctly.

We purchased the highest-end divided light "replacement" Pella windows and had them installed by a professional we trusted and not Pella. He removed the old sashes, counter weights, and other materials from the old windows. He then used spray foam before and during window installation to seal the area between the old wood and the new windows as well as caulk/sealant after the stops went back on. It was expensive, we did the work over 3 years (back of house, sides/basement/attic, front of house) so we could better afford it, and it was worth every penny.

The house was warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, and our energy bills decreased. Added benefits were we kept windows open more often during the shoulder months because they were no longer stuck closed and they were much easier to clean. Even though the payback would have taken so many years, we did it anyway because it increased the enjoyment of our home and increased the resale value.

The moral of the story is ask a professional because windows usually make a bigger/better difference in older homes than insulation.

I believe you on the windows. This house does have some newer windows and a few older ones. The older ones have storm window, making me think they're not bad. That said, if I stay here new windows are likely. I'm undecided if this is my forever house or not though. It will become more clear over time.

It's amazing how poorly insulated places like this are. Furnaces must have run nonstop back when places like this were built.

[guido]

Another approach that helps a lot is to seal the leaks. An inexpensive leak detector like this:

Amazon.com: Black & Decker TLD1 Thermal Leak Detector: Home Improvement

and a good supply of calk, foam, weatherstripping etc. applied with care can go a long way towards sealing the leakiest of older constructions...

[NYCfixie]

I believe you on the windows. This house does have some newer windows and a few older ones. The older ones have storm window, making me think they're not bad. That said, if I stay here new windows are likely. I'm undecided if this is my forever house or not though. It will become more clear over time.

It's amazing how poorly insulated places like this are. Furnaces must have run nonstop back when places like this were built.

We had storms on the old windows as well but they did not help much. They stuck, the caulk was cracking, they were not sealed well, and I guess it was better than not having them.

We thought that was our "forever house" and moved a few years after doing the windows - 10 years total in the house and we wish we had replaced them sooner. Buyers noticed and it did help with resale but most of the rest of the house was updated as well.

[rwsaunders]

You can tell that Saab is a pilot as his driveway and sidewalks look like cleared runways. In fact, is that a 28L that I see painted under the snow tracks?

[Saab2000]

You can tell that Saab is a pilot as his driveway and sidewalks look like cleared runways. In fact, is that a 28L that I see painted under the snow tracks?

Actually, it's just how I grew up in Wisconsin! Keeping the sidewalks and driveway clear was a point of pride in my family. Don't read too much into this! ;-)

[Moke]

We left Hawaii and bought a 1940 house in Montana. When we were redoing the kitchen our contractor kept thinking something was wrong with our house when he was rewiring and opened up the walls in the kitchen. Then it dawned on him. We had 0 insulation in the whole wall structure. So for almost 80 years a stucco house with plaster interior walls and 6 inches of air space worked. So the money pit got little holes between the studs and insulation blown in. New Pella windows seem to work lots better than single panes with no storms as well. Ah the money pit. I later learned that there are a bunch of period housed that did the same thing back in the day. I called my friend in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas and Missoula was one degree warmer than there at a balmy 17 degrees. I think I am heating the house with roller power these days. But the studded snows on the bike are ready when we see 30s. again.

[jumphigher]

Cold effin weather is right! I'm sick of it, havent ridden for 5 days due to temps in the teens and single digits, often with high winds. And it seems like everything outdoors related - going to work, food shopping, etc - is a major project to stay warm. Tomorrow though we're getting the big warm-up to mid 30's in the afternoon, so I plan to finally get in a ride. The indoor workouts are getting tiresome..

[thollandpe]

You can do some very basic insulation and air sealing for cheap, before you get into the big bucks for windows. Hire someone with a blower door to measure the air leakage, before and after.

Some states will actually pay for this service, but even if it's an add-on to an energy audit it's money well spent.

I did 30 buildings in NW Mass with an average 40% reduction in air leakage. Spent less than $10k each.

Because air leaks out up high and leaks in down low, hit the basement (2-part foam the sill band) and attic (seal the holes and bury it in cellulose) first. Cellulose is cheaper than dirt, and it will never be cheaper than it is now.

[guido]

The local energy companies frequently have audit programs and heavily subsidized remediation programs to help you get things more efficient at minimal costs.

[Saab2000]

You can do some very basic insulation and air sealing for cheap, before you get into the big bucks for windows. Hire someone with a blower door to measure the air leakage, before and after.

Some states will actually pay for this service, but even if it's an add-on to an energy audit it's money well spent.

I did 30 buildings in NW Mass with an average 40% reduction in air leakage. Spent less than $10k each.

Because air leaks out up high and leaks in down low, hit the basement (2-part foam the sill band) and attic (seal the holes and bury it in cellulose) first. Cellulose is cheaper than dirt, and it will never be cheaper than it is now.

I think my house has had most of these things done. It's still not great. The basement along the ground level area had foam insulation put in at some point and all the ducting has been sealed up. It's clear from the details that the previous owner(s) tried some things but there's only so much you can do. I suspect the walls have poor insulation because some of them are pretty cool to the touch. The windows are mostly modern though I don't think are the highest level you can get.

The fact is that this is a 67 year old house and if I'm going to stay in it long term it will need some significant upgrades to things like insulation, but also other things. But as mentioned, I'm not yet convinced this is my forever house. It is, however, my now house and it struggles with insulation. Thankfully, Michigan is less bitterly cold than some of the other areas affected by the cold weather because of the warming effect of the lake. I'm driving to Chicago tomorrow and I think it will be much colder there.

Here's a picture of the basement, including obligatory bike content. Look 585, Serotta Colorado III and Giant are all enjoying their winter indoors.

[thollandpe]

Looks like they went after the sill band with single-component foam. Good on them. Like many things we discuss here, quality of execution is more important than the ultimate material. One easy way to check for trouble spots is look for cobwebs. Spiders are opportunists that will set up shop where the best drafts are.

Chances are the energy auditor will have an infrared camera, easy to see how well the walls are insulated. Just tell him not to look for motors in your bikes.

[Bewheels]

I lived in western Maine for 20+ years. While it has no special claim on cold weather, it got "effin cold" there. I heard that yesterday morning it was -29 (f) there. Every year there would be 2-3 weeks straight that you wake up and it was 0 or below and it would warm up to the teens on good days. Most of the houses there were 50-150 years old. Most of the people there could not afford things like new energy efficient windows.
What you did see are things like Saabs photo of spray foam. The other popular trick was to use thing like these or covering any porch (mud room) windows with plastic to create an extra barrier.

On a related note, my son has spent a fair amount of time in northern India and Nepal. One of the things he has described is that places don't have centralized heat of any sort. They may have the equivalent of a wood stove as a heat source in an individual 'house'. However, apartments in towns/cities don't have that. The philosophy is more - heat your self, not the space. If you are cold, put on more clothes.

[jclay]

We're diggin out!

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