Preparing for Winter

emmwri

My house is seriously drafty. I have been here 2 winters and still haven't caught the drafts! I have got to buy/lurk on freecycle for curtain poles and put curtains up at all windows and doors. I am going to make some draught excluders from old leggings stuffed with old socks lol. The windows in here are terrible, they are meant to be upvc double glazed but i don't know if the council have scrimped on the budget as they are terrible quality - so drafty. I have trawled the threads about draftproofing windows but I'm not keen on not opening the windows in the house as I'm worried it'll get damp etc. Does anybody completely seal up their windows for winter? And no problems with damp?

cheerfulness4

I tried it last year emmwri and wouldn't advise it. Got mildew round windows and damp on two walls for the first time ever in 14 yrs of living in this house.
Back to cling film window seal and using little windows at top to ventilate.

downshifter

emmwri wrote: »

I have trawled the threads about draftproofing windows but I'm not keen on not opening the windows in the house as I'm worried it'll get damp etc. Does anybody completely seal up their windows for winter? And no problems with damp?

Most of the damp is caused by you inside the house, not from outside, so things like cooking, bathing, washing clothes, washing dishes - oh yes, and breathing - produce masses of water. You need to let it out somehow. One of the best ways of curing damp is to keep windows open a little, or else have a good blow through once a day or so. Keeping them shut just keeps the damp inside and causes mildew etc. You also get a build up of bad air meaning that you'll feel tired a lot without enough oxygen. Somewhere you can get figures that give the recommended amount of new air needed in a room per day or hour or whatever. So at least any smells get out!

It's important to deal with draughts though, I live in an old cottage and it's full of draughts. You can seal round the windows, or make them fit better, or use clingfilm or bubblewrap on those you don't open (but not all, please!!), do under doors as you have said, seal floorboards and the bit where boards meet skirting, seal under windowsills, block off fireplaces, thick curtains - I could go on, there's lots of advice on here, on the net, leaflets in B and Q etc. in books. But your house and you needs fresh air, plenty of it, so don't seal it completely!!

DS

Molly41

Gigervamp wrote: »

Does anybody know if you can still buy woolly tights? I've seen them for children but haven't seen any adult sizes for years. Wouldn't mind getting some for the winter.

I use them every year under my trousers. Marks and Sparks sell them ...they adjust to your temperature. Very good and wash well on 40.

cheerfulness4

downshifter wrote: »

block off fireplaces
DS

Doing that made a huge difference to us last year. We put in a new (to us :rolleyes: ) fireplace and so blocked off the open chimney. We used to hear the wind howling up it before and the door blowing with the draught, was so peaceful last year.

Olliebeak

People have mentioned draughts with double glazing.

Can I just ask you, have you got the 'window vents' open during very windy weather?

Naturally, we need these vents open to stop condensation forming but on very windy days/nights this 'ventilation' can quickly turn to 'draughts'. It may be worthwhile closing them when its very windy outside - but you'd need to remember that you'd done this and make sure that you opened them as soon as the strong winds had passed.

It's sometimes worth checking your letterbox for draughts as well. We get really bad ones through ours - bit of a pain in the asre as we don't have a hallway/vestibule and the draught comes straight into the living room. We also have a staircase that goes up from the living room - so we have chattering teeth in the l/r while upstairs doesn't need any heating on :rolleyes:!

downshifter

Olliebeak wrote: »

It's sometimes worth checking your letterbox for draughts as well. We get really bad ones through ours - bit of a pain in the asre as we don't have a hallway/vestibule and the draught comes straight into the living room. We also have a staircase that goes up from the living room - so we have chattering teeth in the l/r while upstairs doesn't need any heating on :rolleyes:!

Or block off the letterbox completely and put one on the wall outside instead. That's what I've done, but I've got a catflap which can be draughty instead if it's windy, you can't win!!

Don't forget keyholes too.

I also have a staircase that goes up from the living room, I've just about stopped using that room at all, it feels like a corridor, never cosy, and as you say the warm air goes straight up. Someone suggested a curtain at the top of the stairs but knowing me, I'll trip up on it. Making sure all upstairs doors are shut helps a bit. It's a stupid design for a house isn't it. If it was mine instead of rented I'd build a wall or divider though I'm going to look into maybe a big curtain which might help instead.

DS

Gigervamp

Molly41 wrote: »

I use them every year under my trousers. Marks and Sparks sell them ...they adjust to your temperature. Very good and wash well on 40.

Great, thanks. I'll have a look today.

Savvy_sewing

downshifter wrote: »

Or block off the letterbox completely and put one on the wall outside instead. That's what I've done, but I've got a catflap which can be draughty instead if it's windy, you can't win!!

Don't forget keyholes too.

I also have a staircase that goes up from the living room, I've just about stopped using that room at all, it feels like a corridor, never cosy, and as you say the warm air goes straight up. Someone suggested a curtain at the top of the stairs but knowing me, I'll trip up on it. Making sure all upstairs doors are shut helps a bit. It's a stupid design for a house isn't it. If it was mine instead of rented I'd build a wall or divider though I'm going to look into maybe a big curtain which might help instead.

DS

Could you put a curtain pole from the ceiling, around the bottom of the stairs, and the side of the stairs. Then you could hang curtains made out of fleeces. (Just sew the header tape on them - maybe join afew together?) Or of course if your able buy the fleece fabric and get the right lengths? Fleece is quite light weight, and warm?

larmy16

Beki wrote: »

Tonight's the first night i've really felt like winter/autumn's on it's way for a looong time!

It's lovely and chilly and breezy outside and i'm thinking about jobs to get done for winter. I really need to do a list actually... might get onto that tomorrow! xx

I flippin love that autumn approach. There is a special smell in the air, not least because those darned wheelie bins stop stinking.

For me the heatwave on Wednesday was my idea of hell! Aah lovely lovely Autumn.