Cold Weather Recommendations to the General Consumer (ME)

Brad White_203

<i>"I'm going to practice one of the best ways to stay warm today.... Share bodily warmth ;)" </i>

It is amazing what you find time to do when you step back from the keyboard :)

Mark Eatherton

It's Winter...

Watching the national weather maps, and seeing people posting concerns about sudden losses of heat reminds me that we professionals have some recommendations to share with the general public.

I will start it off by stating that if you have a programmable night set back thermostat, to disable any set back programs to keep the system running when it get extremely cold outside. If you are concerned with wasting energy, then turn the set point lower, but DO NOT allow the system to shut down or you will most probably freeze (and possibly burst) your heating lines.

NEXT....

ME

Bob Gagnon plumbing and heating

cold weather

make sure your basement windows are shut all the way. make sure your storm windows are closed. check and replace weather stripping around windows and doors. Make sure your basement is tight, seal holes in the foundation and around pipes and wire penetrations, and insulate the perimiter of your basement up at the floor joists. Make foam squares to cover leaky single pane basement windows for a couple of months. Insulate water and heating pipes that go near the outside foundation or windows. Seal holes around pipes and wires that go from the basement to the first floor, this slows the chimney effect of your house, and helps eliminate drafts and basement infiltration.

Thanks, Bob Gagnon

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Mark Custis

Here is mine:

Wait until the first major snow storm to call about getting your equipment serviced.

Not

Hey ME looks like that house thawed finally.

RonWHC

OK.

1. Make sure Smoke & CO Detectors are operational. 2. That kitchen sink on the north facing wall. Open the door & prop it open. 3. Test the generator. The one you're going to operate OUTSIDE! 5. When the drifting starts. Check, & keep checking, those intake & exhaust vents from your shiny, new, Mod/Con. 6. Do it now. Disable & throw away that cheap electric resistance heater(s) that can burn your house down. 7. Those radiators you turned off to save $$. Turn them on & make sure they heat. 8. When the heat, & maybe everything else fails, leave the house only as a last resort. There are many things you can do to prevent/reduce damage, if you stick it out. 9. Don't forget the extra bread, milk, & toilet paper.

Rocky_3

If you go on vacation

make sure someone checks the house at least once a day. This means they physically go inside the house and walk around. Had a call yesterday from a frantic "house sitter" who checked the house the day before the owners came back from a nice, two week vacation in Hawaii. Toilets frozen solid. Ice coming out of the faucets. But the boiler was purring away. Circ pump failed. "House sitter" thought that just by driving by the house and seeing the smoke come out of the chimney everything was OK. Nope.

Rocky

J.C.A._3

Spot on Rocky!

That and, DON'T TURN THE THERMOSTATS DOWN, Momo...TURN THEM UP!!!!!

The fuel you use will cost FAR LESS than the bill for me to be there for 2 days fixing broken pipes!!! Chris

Derheatmeister

Mice

Make sure that the "Orkin Man" got all them Critters, I have seen Frozen Pipes because of the Theft of Insulation from Mice or Rats..

I'd Bring the Core temp from the House up! Just in chase of a power failure..

Make sure that the LP Tank is Full and not at 15% !

Also, is there a "Cheaper" of the shelve Programmable Tsat with WWSD or outdoor influence ??

Richard

Perry_5

Things were so simple back then...

In the olden days.

All you did if you went on vacation was to ensure there was a pile of wood next to the wood stove ready to go (and maybe you even prebuilt kindling so that all you needed was a match when you got back).

At night you just got up an extra time and fed the fire...

Of course, there are some advantages to more modern times.

Interestingly. My 50+ year old house has never had its heating pipes freeze - and the old system only ran the circ pump when the boiler fired up due to a call for heating.

There is some insulation in the walls (1.5" thick rockwool) - but not the full 3.5".

Have a great day... Enjoy.

Me. I'm going to practice one of the best ways to stay warm today.... Share bodily warmth

Perry

Mark Custis

What is a keyboard?

Steve Ebels_3

Only one and it involves time travel

Rewind the calender back to July and call your heating man for an annual service and inspection of your system. That's SYSTEM, not just the furnace or boiler. Insist on a combustion test.

Darrell_6

How about talk nice on the phone when you call a serviceman...swearing at him is not even remotely motivational. Your task is to sound nice enough to make him want to leave his nice warm couch and come to your home after he's already worked a very long day for tense people.

It's probably not his fault that your equipment quit.

Don't expect him to have all the french parts or korean parts or martian parts for that cool hyper efficient thing you bought on the internet.

If he doesn't have the parts or your equipment isnt his specialty or he can't come out, (He just might have something else he has to do), treat him nice and ask for a referral. If you swear at him, he will remember you when God makes you call him back and beg.

If he agrees to come over, at least try to find the service manual for your equipment, be able to tell him some "patient history", clean the boiler room so he can get in, and do not lie to him about what you or your male relative did to try to fix your equiment.

Don't make cheesy jokes about how much money he's making in the cold weather...he is not makng as much as you think, and he'd rather be able to schedule a decent day to minimize his windshield time and maximize his revenue.

Pay him his price. Be honest with him about your ability to pay before he even unloads his truck...he's probably very willing to make an arrangement if you will do him the courtesy of being honest about it upfront.

He may have to patch things up just to get you warm and it may be ugly until he can schedule a time to come back and fix it for real...be grateful for his expertise and ingenuity...and they will be two different service calls.

Feel free to hang out and talk with him while he works...after you ask him if that's ok with him. Some guys just don't think well while you're talking, some need to swear abit under their breath, and he's probably grumpy 'cuz he's been at it all day without a decent meal.

A few cookies and a cup of coffee or cocoa can go along way toward getting your heat back on.

Maybe I'm just grouchy 'cuz it's been minus 30 degrees all week...my hats off to Rocky and Weezbo in Fairbanks.

Darrell_6

I sounded grumpy in the previous post...

My son is home from college this week and rode with me for three long days of crisis calls...as we pulled into the driveway at 9pm last night he remarked that he was envious of my job. When I asked him why, he said it was because I got to meet the neatest people...

I am grateful for the customer base that God has given me...they really are the neatest people in town.

Mark Eatherton

Covet thine neighbors vent pipe...

and keep an eye on it during heavy snow, especially senior citizens.

They don't have the view or perspective you have, and it the snow gets too deep, it could collapse on the vent cap and cause the flue products to back up in to the house.

To avoid having to climb up on the roof, I devised a nifty snow pole out of a professional painters pole. It extends to 12 feet and I fashioned a reverse shovel scoop on the business end to allow me to rake the snow off the roof. Be careful if using this device around power lines...

Oh, and do your senior citizen neighbors a favor and shovel their sidewalks. They'll LOVE you for it.

ME

radiconnection

For snow birds... Invest in a CottageSitter. Call into it everyday and check what is going on back home. Add a WaterCop as well. Additionally, the WaterCop can also be wired to the CottageSitter in case it senses a leak to dial out the alarm. Both can prevent or limit damages, and might also get you a reduced rate on your insurance. Make sure a trusted neighbor has a key, and that you have a reliable, trustworthy plumber and heatspecialist to handle problems while away. Better to set up that relationship before you leave!!!!

Baltimore/Maine Doug_4

I use video in my building

but this is an exception to the typical.

My simple and cheap backup is the large (foot diameter) wall thermometer hanging in the window. My neighbor can see it from their window and everytime he drives out of his driveway. Requires no power and be will be cooler than the building because it is about a foot from the glass.

Brad White_203

Yeah, just

what is a keyboard?
Mark, get over here.

Now.

Mitch_4

Whew, ..Perry

I am glad I wasn't there..you're not my type...

Mitch_4

Do

the basic maintenance.

1- Make sure venting is clear

2- Make sure your gas meter (if you have) is clear

3- Oil motors, pumps etc as applicable

4- If Forced air CLEAN YOUR D**N Filters!! (and no electronic air cleaners are NOT self cleaning)

5- Call me to check you equipment BEFORE winter starts. If you call me for a "check up" in December and say..It was working just before you got here, you must have broke something, so you are fixing for free..." I ask you why you keep you house at 50°, you had better have a better answer that "I usually do" It was broke, admit it and pay..

6- Don't treat me like a Jerk becuase you are 4th in line, the 3 people before you also have no heat. and remember it may be my day off I am on call for you because it IS cold out,and you want to be warm

7- Don't debate the bill...I will gladly undo all my work for free if you will not pay me what I charge..and do not expect me back....EVER,

8- If you brother / father / son / Rabbi whoever is such a genius..call him next time...

9- if the aforementioned relative / friend / priest has been working on it all day, and at 2am decides he can't fix it...don't call me..you had all day, its night time, and I want to sleep too..you can wait a few more hours..you lasted this long..or better yet..call me when it is normal, people are awake" times. if IT failed at 2am,and its still 60+° inside..you will not freeze waiting until 8am

Bit of advice and based on some experiences this past holiday (soem ranting too) (obviously) I am a one man shop and that can raise havoc

Mark Eatherton

It's BAAAaack.....

Bump

27 degrees here in Denver.

We're actually in a drought. Were at the end of last year and are coming up short now. This is supposed to be "Stock Show" weather, cold blustery etc. Supposed to approach 70 degrees this weekend.

You all have my sympathy.

ME

Wayne_29

Thanks Perry

For last night. Cozy

jacksonista1927848

Band Bord Insulation

When the service technician came to the house yesterday, he said exactly this. Insulate between the floor above and the top of the foundation with a spun glass insulation, no paper. He said the difference is incredible and the investment in time and money is negligible. I have quite a few cold floors (at the perimeter and he said this will cure it and also keep the basement that much warmer).

Guess where I'm headed today? menards.

You can never insulate enough.

Steve Ebels_3

RE house sitter

Make sure the house sitter is reliable..........see Rocky's post in (did you know temperatures have smells) regarding the goldfish frozen into the middle of an aquarium that was a solid block of ice. The house sitter said........"I just checked it yesterday". Riiiiiiiiiiight