Preparing for Winter V

Laura_Elsewhere

enchilada said:

I'm working at my desk with my feet on my ceramic hot water pig (which I bought after reading about them here), it definitely helps!

That was probably me singing their praises! They do make such a difference, for just the cost of boiling a kettle Glad it's helping keep you cosy!

daz378

Great tips  .will look into ceramic hot water pig...a friend on universal credit...struggles putting the heat on   .wary of the cost...this is another option

Laura_Elsewhere

daz378 said:

Great tips  .will look into ceramic hot water pig...a friend on universal credit...struggles putting the heat on   .wary of the cost...this is another option

The best (and cheapest) material for a new washer on the stopper is actually to cut a flat disc from a plain old cork tile- no leaks with ours at all (although we discovered we need to leave them full over the summer so the cork doesn't dry out). 
For in bed, you need to make sure they can't easily fall out, so for a modern divan with a loose duvet they may not be good- but if there's a footboard or a railing, or it's against a wall, or if the bedclothes are tucked in like they used to be, then it's safe- we boil the kettle ab out half-nine at night and ours is still hot at 8 in the morning, under the bedclothes all night. If we use it as a foot-rest, it loses heat quickly if just 'naked' to the air- but of course the heat is warming the air- but if you cut the sleeve off an old woolly jumper, or even just swathe it in a towel, or put your feet on it and drape a towel or throw over, then it will stay hot for a couple of hours easily. 

They're like a little storage heater. 

Just check visually for any obvious cracks, and don't worry too much about whether the stopper is water-tight, as a cork washer has made all three of ours watertight. 

And they've been consistently about a tenner at most, and often less, for years... 

Auntycaz

I also have several stone pigs in various sizes my smallest is a 1 pint and my largest is a 3 pint, @daz368 make sure your friend makes their home as draughtproof as possible. I made some draught excluders out of a couple of curtain samples i picked up for about a pound in the charity shop and stuffed them with the stuffing out of an old quilt. they could also pin a spare curtain or blanket to the back of their curtains to give a double thickness to keep the cold out. (Its suprising how much heat we lose through the windows) I usually use door cutains at my front and back door as they are both half glazed and it has made a difference Drinking plenty of hot drinks throughout the day also helps to keep warm..When I make a hot drink I boil a full kettle and after making it I put the rest in a flask for my next couple of drinks. It means I can get back to my warmest room quicker.

daz378

Thanks for the tips...spoke to her on the phone..earlier...but forgot to mention it

daz378

BBC 4 a documentary on the big freeze of 63...fascinating to watch how we all coped

cornishchick

daz378 said:

BBC 4 a documentary on the big freeze of 63...fascinating to watch how we all coped

I'm not sure if it's the same one, but this one is on Yt .https://youtu.be/5UY6yJUbswE?si=hanBM184rVSuMAxP 
I don't watch the BBC 

Cherryfudge

I think this is it: I must watch as I was born that winter and it's always fascinated me. Thank you @daz378.
Winterwatch - 1963: The Big Freeze - BBC iPlayer

Wednesday2000

I will watch that later about the big freeze. 

It hasn't been too bad at all here so far this winter. I did put the heating on for two hours yesterday and then brought the halogen heater downstairs and put that on late yesterday afternoon for a while. That really does warm up a room quickly. 

Working_Mum

daz378 said:

Great tips  .will look into ceramic hot water pig...a friend on universal credit...struggles putting the heat on   .wary of the cost...this is another option

I have picked up a stone hot water bottle from Fr33cycle - I was given two! Have been using it to keep me warm whilst working from home and it's been great.