Preparing for winter II

calleyw

sb44 wrote: »

Thanks.

I will take a look in Wilkinsons at the weekend as I read somewhere that they sell it.

If you are after the film stuff for windows and have a poundland nearby pop in and have a look or give them call. As I saw some a few weeks ago in one of my local ones.

Yours


Calley

sb44

calleyw wrote: »

If you are after the film stuff for windows and have a poundland nearby pop in and have a look or give them call. As I saw some a few weeks ago in one of my local ones.

Yours


Calley

Thanks very much, I'll pop into Poundland later in the week.

NualaBuala

Yay! I have found super-cheap hot water bottles at €2 each. But I am still tempted by the ones for €5 with furry covers ... decisions, decisions!

I treated myself to some cute non-frugal thermal socks from M&S. So I will put those to the test tomorrow.

It has got chillier - the fire is lit tongiht as I am cold!

I have no idea about condensation with double glazing. We have never had a problem with it - neither with our old DG windows nor our new ones. But that could be because the house is reasonably well ventilated (ie draughty).

fedupandskint

I did some more winter stocking up today of pasta on BOGOF in Mr T of my favourite pasta and slightly reduced hot chocolate and soda crystals yesterday so I can tick these of my stock lists

Nearly there now and just some cheap basics left to get in

Just deciding whether to order those shoe grippers tohelp me carry on running in the mornings for a bit longer if the frosts arrive and ice over the payments again for 2mths like last year.

Guess it is worth it when I think of it like that!

Granny_Smith

Frugal wrote: »

:j:j:j:j:j:j

Morning everyone

Whoever suggested to me that I use paper mache to fill the holes in my outside wall, where plumbing came out... THANK YOU :T

I tore a load of newspaper into thin strips, then into small pieces, mixed with half kids PVA glue and half water, mixed til squidgy then plugged the gaps I am very pleased.

All I have to do now is get a small pot of varnish and then it will be waterproof too Hope it doesn't rain before I do it coz I am a bit worried about it absorbing water and making a damp problem.

That should prevent a fairly hefty draft :T

I was just reading this out to my hubby.....and he said best way to fill the gaps was with children's plasticine which is waterproof and easy to remove should any problems arise with pipes...

Chipps

NualaBuala wrote: »

Yay! I have found super-cheap hot water bottles at €2 each. But I am still tempted by the ones for €5 with furry covers ... decisions, decisions!
>snip<
I have no idea about condensation with double glazing. We have never had a problem with it - neither with our old DG windows nor our new ones. But that could be because the house is reasonably well ventilated (ie draughty).

Hi - you could always buy the cheap hot water bottles and make them nice fluffy covers from old fleeces or the off-cuts from any curtain lining ventures!:D

But re condensation - my DH is an expert on the subject!!! He works for a double glazing company as a service engineer and his pet hate is condensation. Apparently the salesmen tell people that double glazing will get rid of it forever - then when it doesn't, people call DH in and say there is something wrong with the windows.
What the salesmen don't say, is that if you seal up a house, then let moisture loose in it, it will gravitate to the windows and condensate. So drying washing, showering or bathing, cooking, ... or even breathing ... will put moisture into the atmosphere, and when the windows are all shut, it can't get out.
Anyway -we are not allowed to put washing on the radiators in our house...

(but we still get condensation:eek:)

(he even has little books on the subject he hands out to people!)

CCP

It's definitely been much colder in Portsmouth today - it's like someone flicked the switch from 'summer' to 'winter' overnight. I've got the central heating on, just for a while, partly to prove to myself that it works now the man from the letting agency has come out to fix it (the gas pressure keeps dropping so that the boiler doesn't fire up properly, so I have to get someone to come and adjust it every three months or so).

I need to ask a question which I know is going to make me feel very silly and helpless, but: several people have mentioned turning off the water to outside taps, so they don't freeze and burst. How do you go about turning the water off - is there a switch or something? Told you it was a silly question...

La-Cara

so far I have:

• hung cheap asda fleece over roller blind to insulate it a bit
• batch cooked macaroni cheese, bolognese sauce & chilli for freezer
• stocked up on dry goods, tins, toiletries, medicines etc
• inherited a pair of wellies, only to discover that they aren't fully waterproof!
• bought waterproof breeks, new hiking boots & headtorches
• bought more cheap asda fleeces
• put thick fleece blankets under the bottom sheet

still to do:

• buy cheap candles
• make Christmas cake- this is usually done by mid-September at the latest!
• defrost the freezer- waiting for a cold day to do this
• get wellies that are waterproof!
• look into getting a cheap pedestal mat for the bathroom

Lesley_P.

Having read several posts recently about hot water bottles, I thought it was time to bring mine out of retirement. Despite regular use, and the oldest one being 6 years old, I'm pleased to say they all look fit for another season with no signs yet of the rubber perishing. That's just as well as I'm too much of a skinflint to replace them as long as they don't leak!

TITEASCRAMP wrote: »

I still have two Boots one's that I used as a child when I was at my grandmothers. They have the Boots logo on the front. Very retro. Must be nearly about 40 yrs old, or maybe more I don't know how long she had them before she gave them to me. They still work brilliantly. I would of thought the rubber would have perished but no they're fine.:)

TITEASCRAMP
A 40 year old HWB??? When it finally gives up, don't throw it away - Donate it to your local museum!
I wish mine would last that long.

NualaBuala wrote: »

Yay! I have found super-cheap hot water bottles at €2 each. But I am still tempted by the ones for €5 with furry covers.

Nuala
I like the sound of the €2 bottles, but I bet they won't last 40 years! I've never been able to understand the purpose of furry covers myself. They seem to defeat the object of having a hot water bottle by restricting the amount of heat.

NualaBuala

Chipps wrote: »

Hi - you could always buy the cheap hot water bottles and make them nice fluffy covers from old fleeces or the off-cuts from any curtain lining ventures!:D

But re condensation - my DH is an expert on the subject!!! He works for a double glazing company as a service engineer and his pet hate is condensation. Apparently the salesmen tell people that double glazing will get rid of it forever - then when it doesn't, people call DH in and say there is something wrong with the windows.
What the salesmen don't say, is that if you seal up a house, then let moisture loose in it, it will gravitate to the windows and condensate. So drying washing, showering or bathing, cooking, ... or even breathing ... will put moisture into the atmosphere, and when the windows are all shut, it can't get out.
Anyway -we are not allowed to put washing on the radiators in our house...

(but we still get condensation:eek:)

(he even has little books on the subject he hands out to people!)

Good idea Chipps! My sewing skills are not up to much but it's not like it's something I'd wear, tempted as I am to go around wrapped in fleece. I have plenty of spare fleeces I could use ... got a bit over-excited in Ikea a couple of years ago! :rotfl: They wouldn't be as fluffy as the ones in Penneys/Primark but hey, the €3 I'd save could buy me chocolate.

Lesley, we had the same pink hot water bottle at home for over 20 years and it didn't leak. The rubber and the seal were fine. It wasn't anything special - I think they just made things better years ago. I know what you mean about the cover but I reckon fleecey stuff feels cuddlier and nicer than rubber when tucked up in bed (unless one has erm special interests :rotfl:). I wonder does it help the bottle keep it's heat for longer?