Preparing for winter II

Sunnyday

Red Doe - someone posted a link to a heated throw a few pages back, i`m wondering if a bit of velcro could be added to one of these and then when you need to walk around you could unplug it and the velcro would keep it wrapped around you. Plug it back in again when you sit down.

Electric blankets are fab too for when you`re in bed but apart from spending 24 hours a day in bed the throw might be a good investment.

I really feel for you, being cold is horrible.

SD

dom300186

anyone looking for tights who normally wear leggings etc or just want some tights to wear under trousers this coming winter, PRIMARK are selling some thick tights that have like a fleece lining on the inside for £3.50 i grabbed 3 pairs and some 200 denier tights for under jeans or something for £2.50.
i found out 2 weeks ago im pregnant so tights will come in handy to cover bump lol, plus i need to becareful as i caught pneumonia in march and was really poorly at just the age of 25
Hope this helps someone

so far i have......
Thick tights for me
wind up torch
rug in bedroom as laminated flooring
hot water bottles for all 3 of us
uggs for me
grit for drive

still to get
line curtains
put shower spring loaded pole upby the front door
curtains for front door
make a draft excluder for our built in wardrobe and under stair cupboard which has an old coal hatch
draft proof old coal hatch
cover 2 of the hot water bottles making them out of old jumpers.
mend/make curtains for our bedroom and landing
ski suit for ds age 4
ski boots for ds
sew some elastic to ds gloves so he doesnt loose them last year he lost 3 pairs lol

still picking up ideas to add to the list.

kidcat

shoei wrote: »

Here goes my 1st post!!!!

So this weekend I have started my winter prep! I have already insulated a third of the roof and this weekend cleared 130 years of dust and muck out of another third ready for insulating and found out the hot water bottles. Also have my thermal curtains up in the bedroom.

I wondered if anyone could help? We live in an old stone semi cottage with hardwood double glazing that I have just restained. The house is well ventilated (draughty) and we dont dry washing on clothes horse but use a condenser dryer, and have fans in kitchen and bathroom.... however the windows are ALWAYS dripping wet with condensation in the winter. The house has been damp proofed and it is just the windows we have issues with. Is there anything I can do other than buying an expensive dehumidifier?

It really is about ventilation - our last place was awful for it and we had to have the window vents open all yr round. We still used the dehumidifier pots on windowsills too.

rising_from_the_ashes

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

It's a couple of inches too long (my fault - measurements slightly off!:o) and I've been meaning to alter it but haven't bothered as he's only had it on a few times each year.

All done:D - was a bit worried about unpicking and getting the binding back on (which is one of the reasons I've never done it) but it wasn't so bad .... not perfect but sure he'll not notice!:j

Confuzzled wrote: »

do you have a tent? if so, i know this sounds weird but could you rig it up inside on top of some cushions or even the mattress? it would be sooo much warmer inside that tent when you're sleeping, even a tarpaulin hung over a rope stretching over your sleeping area would trap some of your body heat inside...

Roe-deer If your tent won't stay up, what about a pop-up one? Loads getting sold off cheaply now the music festivals are over. Had a really quick look and a 2 man one is under £20 http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_786561_langId_-1_categoryId_236902 also a few on my local Gum*tree for £5!

I've also just come across the following ad for gas bottles:

"We have 2 large orange colour Calor Gas bottles that we don't need anymore. Each one is 47kg butane. One bottle is full and costs £65-70 to buy. The other bottle is empty.

£30 for both together or £30 just for the full one".

It may be worth having a look on your local one ..... or again if we could work out a way to get them to you .....

Sunnyday

shoei wrote: »

Here goes my 1st post!!!!

So this weekend I have started my winter prep! I have already insulated a third of the roof and this weekend cleared 130 years of dust and muck out of another third ready for insulating and found out the hot water bottles. Also have my thermal curtains up in the bedroom.

I wondered if anyone could help? We live in an old stone semi cottage with hardwood double glazing that I have just restained. The house is well ventilated (draughty) and we dont dry washing on clothes horse but use a condenser dryer, and have fans in kitchen and bathroom.... however the windows are ALWAYS dripping wet with condensation in the winter. The house has been damp proofed and it is just the windows we have issues with. Is there anything I can do other than buying an expensive dehumidifier?

Hi Shoei - welcome to MSE :hello:

Two years ago i invested in a dehumidifier and it is the best thing that i`ve ever used for condensation so it may be worth the initial investment. I bought mine on offer after carefully watching the prices for a while and the difference that it makes is amazing. There is always at least a litre of water collected just by running it overnight and you don`t have to keep replacing salt or crystals. Just plug it in and leave it be. Its cheap to run too and has the benefit of making the house warmer by extracting the water from the air.

If the problem really is bad then i would highly recommend one. Go for one with an automatic cut off and a decent collection capacity if you do decide to take the plunge.

HTH

SD

Justamum

Rainy-Days wrote: »

Good grief Red Doe, I knew it was bad but that is just dire. These flipping oil suppliers they act like the !!!!! the way they go on. Surely by paying monthly installments you would build up a credit with them so that when they do come to deliver the money is there!

I had a similar problem to Red Doe when we moved into our house, going from gas to oil. There are three oil suppliers here, and two of them were very unhelpful, but the third could hear how desperate I was so supplied the oil provided I immediately set up a DD, which I did. We are now well in credit with them.

It seems appalling that the oil supplier near Red Doe appears to be quite happy about people freezing to death over winter.

toottifrootti

RedDoe what about freegle - I know its not such a populated area but there is no harm in putting on a wanted add - I would try your own area and an adjoining one - you could meet someone halfway maybe?

Justamum

kmiller4 wrote: »

And here I was, just the thinking just the opposite-- why all the weighing in Ireland/UK-- its so much easier to put it in a cup!

No!!! How do you measure out something like a cup of broccoli? Or a cup of chopped carrots for instance? Surely it would depend on whether you slice the carrots or chop them in fine dice?

I don't mind using cup measurements for the cake I normally make as that uses oil instead of marg so it's easy.

rising_from_the_ashes

shoei wrote: »

The house is well ventilated (draughty) and we dont dry washing on clothes horse but use a condenser dryer, and have fans in kitchen and bathroom.... however the windows are ALWAYS dripping wet with condensation in the winter.

Welcome!:D

The dryer won't be helping at all:( (even if it is a condensing one). Could you put it outside (garage / shed)?

Why can you not use clothes airers? Even if the stuff takes a couple of days to dry, it'd be better than having loads of condensation...

kidcat wrote: »

It really is about ventilation - our last place was awful for it and we had to have the window vents open all yr round. We still used the dehumidifier pots on windowsills too.

My window vents stay open all year, I know it lets out some heat (or cold in) but I'd much rather that than get damp .....

I had the tubs that you sit on the window sill and fill with salt type stuff in my old house and they worked quite well. DM's house is terrible (very old too & also new damp course installed) so I think sometimes it's very difficult to try to sort out.

Alisonpennypincher

Oh Red Doe, i wish i was nearer and could help. My dad is in Scotland, not as high up as you ( the north side of Aberdeen) and he gets such bad weather, i can't imagine how it must be for you.

This may sound a little crazy but have a look at home made solar heaters, they can sit in the windows and add abit of heat. I know the sun in Scotland is seen very little in the Winter (and the summer!) But you can make "heaters" quite cheaply that add more heat when the sun is out. As they saying goes every little helps!

I saw one once made from 2p coins pasted on a wooden board and then painted black, these (apparently) retained the heat quite well and made a few degees difference to the room. if you google DIY solar heaters it throws up some made from pop/beer cans too.

As i say may be a little extreme but though i would mention them

APP