preparing for the winter.

[Haynie]

There are enough self reliant folks here that I am sure someone can answer these questions.

I am looking for an uber efficient heater to heat a small room and connected bathroom this winter. The rest of the house is heated with a pellet stove and something like this. This room and bathroom is in a part of the house that is only used when my brother-in-law is in town. When they built the house they did not include a way to shut the water off to the bathroom.

The base board heater decided to commit suicide when I was turning it down one day. Flames and smoke were involved, and is not repairable. We had a radiator style space heater in there after that and it was very expensive to run. I don't want to do that again.

Any ideas will help

Insulation. I went into the attic, the first time in four years, and I think we need to beef up the insulation. This is the first nonrental house I have ever lived in so have no idea what I am looking at. What is the difference between roll out insulation and spray in? Does roll out have to go between the joists? DO I have to get rid of the old blown in insulation or can I roll/spray the new right over.

I can't have heating bills like I did last year.

 

[triw51]

1) I would look into a shut off valve for the water into that area so you only need to heat when someone uses that bathroom.
2) You can put additional insoluation over the the existing. As far as which is better that is depending on the rating. Hope this helps

 

[Talfalfa33]

You can do roll out, but what you do is place it between the joists and if wanted, roll out the opposite direction over the top, and the blow is good, that's what we did and after about 10 years it settles some and have to add more to regain the R factor. But it is a personal preference and also talk with the local home improvement store and they should be trained in that dept. and explain the insulating factors as well cost ratio that suite your needs. I just got hired on at Home Depot in the hardware dept. and had a week and a half of training on different items they have.

 

[carpblaster]

Blown in insulation ,you can most of the time get it down the walls , most insulation will settle down even the old stuff stapled in walls, that is one reason some do the blow in,it is not as good as the roll out you put between thestuds

 

[Rick P]

Best advice ya got so far came from your home state of Arizona.....love that Texas and Alabama piped in too! Whats more they are basically right. You can always add r value and depending on the age of your home it maybe time to do just that. Most dont realise that insulation, like 80% of your home, needs some maintinance....but the biggest thing? Your heating empty space brother! Get a shut off valve to that potty!!!!! Or at least wrap it in heat tape so your not heating empty rooms!

The most overlooked thing I notice in older homes is leaking windows! Even a bit o the shrink wrap stuff will save tons on a winters worth of bills! Drafty doors and windows are your worst enemy!!!!!

Heating oil is over 4 bucks a gallon, winter lasts 6 months and we get at least a month or two of -30 or colder, it is dark for most of that time........wanna trade heating bills?

 

[Haynie]

Thanks. I am doing lots of research too. Yeah, I'm gonna have to find that water line to put in the shut off valve. WHoever built that wing on needs a good kick in the head.

 

[Rick P]

Worked one side or another of the building trades most of my life, thought I had seen everything till I moved here! No codes to speak of and even fewer inspectors plus the "rugged innovative Alaskan spirit" can lead to some very Bizarre stuff!

Guy bought a cabin from a retired Crabber thinking he'd fix it up, old homesteaders looking place in anchorage.....the dude built the damn thing out of bits and pieces from the boat and what he could find in scrap piles!!!!! I was called it too fix the floors, which were tank baffles nailed to spruce logs, they still had the bark! Every time it rained the place reeked of rotting crab!!!!