Preparing for winter II

NualaBuala

jackieglasgow wrote: »

Maybe the meet fairy can bring you one

What?! There's a meet fairy?! I feel like Cinderella! Aw, that's lovely Jackie! :beer: I haven't quite given up though - there's a funny little shop in town that sells housey things for cheap so that might have one. And I seem to remember Penneys (Prmark) did them in previous years so maybe they have them again ... that could be dangerous though as I'm bound to buy new fleece PJs if I set foot in the store.

Emstick14

katholicos wrote: »

It's surprising how much cold can flow through a keyhole. I use sticky labels over one of our larger keyholes, though i used to use blue tack...till i pushed it too far in and couldn't get it back out again .

If you use blue tack like a normal person that wouldn't happen, of course

We get a draught through the overflow in the bath lol, it can get quite chilly if sat up that end during the wintery months!

happyin_devon

NualaBuala wrote: »

What?! There's a meet fairy?! I feel like Cinderella! Aw, that's lovely Jackie! :beer: I haven't quite given up though - there's a funny little shop in town that sells housey things for cheap so that might have one. And I seem to remember Penneys (Prmark) did them in previous years so maybe they have them again ... that could be dangerous though as I'm bound to buy new fleece PJs if I set foot in the store.

primarni in england have hwb for £3.99 i think,decent size ones too not those that hold an egg cup full of water!!

wilsooon

Just posting to share my chuffedness (??). Managed to sew some Asda cheapo fleeces into the bedroom curtains today (2 for £3 at the mo'), and its really made a difference (north facing room, high ceilings, brrr). Can definitely recommend adding linings or extra linings to curtains, I just tacked them at the top but could probably have gotten away with pinning them instead.

Thanks for all the tips, need all the help there is!!!

sb44

Ours is the same, no thermostat only numbers one to six on the boiler in the kitchen.

We can only have hot water if we have the radiators on too, so it in the warmer months we have to go around and turn all the radiators off if we only want water and then back on again if it gets cold.

My question is, do the numbers on the boiler control the heating or the hot water temp?

I was under the impression it just controlled the temp of the water in the tank in the loft.

I normally have it at about 4 to 5 and whenever the engineer comes to do the annual service he turns it up to the maximum, number six.

I shall have to ask him next time if there is a genuine reason or is it just so that we use more energy.

Sylvan

I thought it just controlled the amount of work the boiler did, the same way as the knob on a gas fire or a gas cooker increases the height/width of the flame.
The water in our tank can get very hot even with the knob on the boiler set below 1. Turning it higher only seems to make a difference to how quickly it gets hot, rather than how hot it gets.

NualaBuala

happyin_devon wrote: »

primarni in england have hwb for £3.99 i think,decent size ones too not those that hold an egg cup full of water!!

Thanks a mill - hope they have them here too! I know what you mean about those small sizes - no use to me!

twiglet98

Charis wrote: »

Mine's not homemade but it's very basic, a long thin pillow shape, about as long as the distance from my elbow to the tip of my longest finger, made from unbleached calico and has a corduroy 'pillow case' that you put on after it's been warmed. The pillow's filled with wheat grains. You're supposed to sprinkle essential oils on it and use it as a neck warmer if you have a headache, I think it holds about 500g of wheat, maybe a bit more. I read about the fires from wheat bags and it was recommended that you put half a cup of water in the microwave when you heat it. I heat mine for 30 seconds or less at a time then shake it around to mix the contents and spread the heat so none of the wheat scorches. It usually takes two or two and a bit goes till it's warm enough to be useful. I used to have really bad headaches and found it very comforting.

I half filled an odd sock (large, thick boot socks) with wheat, knotted the top, and it takes between two and three minutes in the microwave to heat up enough to go in the dog's bed - he's an old terrier and likes it under his fleece, against his back. Just add a little dried lavender, or a few drops of oil, to make one for human use. I also put half a mug of water in the microwave at the same time. I had a large sack of wheat for my ducks anyway, but most places that do chicken and livestock feed will sell it, if you don't have a farm nearby who can give you some.

NualaBuala

twiglet98 wrote: »

I half filled an odd sock (large, thick boot socks) with wheat, knotted the top, and it takes between two and three minutes in the microwave to heat up enough to go in the dog's bed - he's an old terrier and likes it under his fleece, against his back. Just add a little dried lavender, or a few drops of oil, to make one for human use. I also put half a mug of water in the microwave at the same time. I had a large sack of wheat for my ducks anyway, but most places that do chicken and livestock feed will sell it, if you don't have a farm nearby who can give you some.

Thanks for all that info - I'm the one who was looking for homemade heat pack info. I can't think where I'd find wheat where I live - that's why I was thinking maybe I could use rice. I'm pretty sure I've heard of people using that. I like the idea of the sock but I don't have any big enough but I do have bits of material I could use, old pillowcases and the like. I like the lavender idea too, thanks!

Dippypud

Sorry to butt in,

Some people have asked about Water Storage here's a solution:

Curry_Queen wrote: »

You don't need a baby in the house to use Milton's sterilising fluid!

I use it for everything in place of regular anti-bacterial products and it saves a fortune as it's only £1.88 for 1250ml bottle at Tesco and will last me a month a more ... soaking dish cloths, pet dishes,wiping all kitchen/bathroom surfaces etc

It's effective against E.coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Rotavirus and Candida Albicans and much safer to use than bleach as it's non-toxic!

You can even add it (following directions on bottle) to water to make it safe for drinking

Cheers all, Pud.;)