Preparing for Winter

twiglet98

Olliebeak wrote: »

When mum sold grandad's house (1984), my younger sister baggsied the airing pulley and got her OH to install it above the landing in her 'warm-air blower' heated house.

Silly girl forgot to take it down when she moved out for that house to be modernised!

I've just put up a 4 foot pine pulley airer in the kitchen, at the end where the boiler, washing machine and freezer are, near the radiator too. I didn't varnish or paint it before hanging so I don't put wet things directly onto the slats, but on hangers. Got a big oval hanger thing with lots of pegs from Morrisons and hang that from the airer too, for socks, and a smaller Tesco one hanging from the wall light bracket above my bathroom radiator, plus two concertina clothes horses, and radiator airers everywhere. We have a big bath that is never used so that has a clothes rail full of hangers standing in it, and anything else hangs from curtain poles or door frames. Will have to rethink the curtain pole system as planning to close curtains this year. Perhaps DDs will wear fewer clothes, wear things more than once, and reduce their laundry?

Builders here doing oddments today, fixing tiles and gutters, and put curtain poles above the front and back doors. Popped into a charity shop just for a browse as I had the morning off work, and found a gorgeous Sanderson Lily door curtain for £4.00, unlined, but the next shop had a NEW thick, soft cream flannel sheet for £2 so I'll try to attach that as a lining, may even be big enough to cut in half, but I don't have a sewing machine and am not that great at needlework. Collecting a sausage draught excluder from a freecycler tomorrow, for the door that is rarely used. Had 1000 litres of oil delivered today and it jolly well has to last a year... just need to get duvets to go under the sheets (and bigger sheets to go over them, saw some in unpopular sherbet colours down to £3 when I got the curtain poles), fleece blankets and two more hot water bottles, and one more door curtain... and decide what to do about a stove...

cheerfulness4

twiglet98 wrote: »

Got a big oval hanger thing with lots of pegs from Morrisons and hang that from the airer too, for socks, and a smaller Tesco one hanging from the wall light bracket above my bathroom

I've got ones like this and can't believe that I haven't remembered to use them indoors! In fact, I completely forgot I had them and haven't even used them outside this year!
Just think of all the times its showered recently and I've got soaked unpegging all the socks and hankies. :mad: I could have just lifted them off and ran in.

Oh well, at least I've had the reminder now and it will help me through the autumn and winter.

loobyloo0302

Hiya! I posted this on a thread where someone was having similar issues and got directed to this thread, any advice or help at all will be VERY much appreciated!

"Hiya all. Sorry to butt into the thread but I too have oil fuelled heating and hot water (which at the moment is broken down :rolleyes: ) I have a couple of issues.

Our house layout is a front porch, leading to a living room, then next to our living room, we have a large dining room/kitchen, then we have the back porch, in a small room in the back porch is our oil burner. (where we live, it is basically three houses that have been knocked into two, so we have half of the other house that used to be here if that makes sense)

Last winter, we only had the one little one, and he was 1(ish) at the time, so when the weather became cold, we could keep the living room door shut, have a draught excluder on each door and have an electric halogen heater on constantly in the living room. This was sufficient at the time, as our son had no urge to be in and out of the living room. Now, obviously, the cute little innocent baby turned into a monster that spends all day running in and out of the living room, lol, so keeping him tied to the one room will not work, especially now he has his nearly 1 year old sister as they are a pair together! When you open the door between the diner and living room, the cold is just incredible. I think alot of this stems from the fact that there is a large hole in the wall under the sink for the pipe for the water to drain through, and the back porch is also not double glazed (I think the same applies for our kitchen window, too) We also have vents at regular intervals that sit just above the skirting boards, but I have managed to cover most of these, and intend to cover the rest in due course. Now you all know that oil is not cheap, last year, it was costing us up to £75 a week to fill the tank, which we simply cannot keep doing. I really do not know what to do, as I know I will not be able to keep my children in the living room all winter like I could do last year, so a small halogen heater in the living room will not cut it HELP!!"

mardatha

The best thing I think is a small wood or multi-fuel stove. They start off quite cheap for small ones. Maybe look it up online and see if it can be done in your house ?

downshifter

mardatha wrote: »

The best thing I think is a small wood or multi-fuel stove. They start off quite cheap for small ones. Maybe look it up online and see if it can be done in your house ?

Can you recommend a brand or type? I could do with a small one, they all seem huge and/or expensive. thanks

dumpy

loobyloo0302 wrote: »

We also have vents at regular intervals that sit just above the skirting boards, but I have managed to cover most of these, and intend to cover the rest in due course.

Be careful of covering these vents if you have any form of heating that involves burning fossil fuels. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a real threat. You do need to keep your ventilation.

loobyloo0302

dumpy wrote: »

Be careful of covering these vents if you have any form of heating that involves burning fossil fuels. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a real threat. You do need to keep your ventilation.

Thanks, I never thought about this until someone else mentioned it, thank you! The oil burner is technically outside, but never thought about it. I'm getting desperate now, and looking at good portable heaters for large rooms as its very chilly in here right now, and the little uns are layered up The vents are in every room, including the living room, what would be sensible for me to do with regards to these? I would say that there are roughly around 12 vents in the living room but these are generally not the ones that you can feel the draught through. Its the ones n the kitchen and dining room where you feel the breeze around your feet. Whoever lived here before us used cellotape along the top, bottom and side of the living room door as this too blows a gale on a very cold day. (same situation of the front porch not being double glazed)

Rummer

Sorry folks, I just found this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8273960.stm

pebbles88

Rummer wrote: »

Sorry folks, I just found this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8273960.stm

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Strapped

Rummer wrote: »

Sorry folks, I just found this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8273960.stm

Aaaarrrrgggggghhhhhhh!!!

I'm going conker-gathering RIGHT NOW!