Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

i have been increasingly become more concerned about the approaching winter and have been taking steps to prepare for it, some friends in the upper part of CO have told me that they have seen geese flying south already--and the almanac portends an early and bitter cold season for most of the US. if you follow the webbots (treeofliberty.com) they also portend a bad winter. we are already having cool weather here at night, so i am working overtime trying to finish things up around here, including getting almost twice the wood we usually use for the wood stove.

here are some things i have been doing, some ideas ive collected over the years...please, everyone post what you do to get ready for winter. even if you think it is something small, there might be someone who hasnt heard of it and could benefit.

here what i do; we live in a very small house that we rent---


windows---i have lined curtains for all windows--thermal curtains, they really help a lot. some folks use quilts, blankets, etc especially for sliding glass doors. and i have some of the thermal liners to hang behind the curtains which have worked great but ive found something extra that really makes a difference.....

instead of covering windows with just plastic, get some rolls of bubble wrap.--- stuff works fantastic---cut bubble wrap so that it will fit to cover right over a window. lightly spray window with water to moisten it, place cut sheet of bubble wrap over window--viola! it sticks there insulating, it keeps the cold out that seeks thru window and still lets light in. i tried this first on the kitchen window where i keep pots of herbs (that usually suffer thru winter) and i was amazed that there was no draft of cold air at all. dont use the tiny bubble bubble wrap--get the medium, it works the best, but i reckon the large will do also. in the spring, just fold them up and roll them away til next winter. if you put a bit of masking tape on each one marking which window it fit, it makes it easier to put back up for next winter. oh, if the bubble wrap starts to come loose, just spritz a little more water and gently press the wrap back on the glass. i was really amazed at how well this worked and bought some rolls of bubble wrap on amazon for a great price to do all windows.


wood stoves or fireplaces---'fire starter rocks'. get some pumice stone, the kind that is used in gas grills, take about 4-6 decent sized ones. put them in a closed container with some lamp oil and let them soak up the oil. before starting a fire, place one or 2 rocks under the wood, then light and it burns great to start the fire. no more huffing and puffing to start the fire or buying those expensive fire starter sticks. one jug of lamp oil lasted me all winter. oh, keep away from pets, kids, away from flames, etc.... . after the fire goes completely out and the rocks have cooled, just pull them out of the ashes, set them somewhere SAFE to totally cool down then put them back in the oil container to soak up more oil for the next use. we make a fire each morning to warm the place up and every evening when we come home from work--this makes it sooo much easier.


instant heat--get a strong sturdy plastic soda or water bottle--not the flimsy kind--i like the mountain dew bottles
fill 1/3 with ice melt, Calcium Chloride Only
put lid on and store in safe place.

i like to use the regular individual sized pop bottles, not the liters--i think that would be too hot, but ive not tried that size so i dont know. the green mountain dew plastic bottles work really great.

when ready to use, fill almost to the top with plain water, shake real good
it will get warm, real warm----thats why you dont want cheap flimsy plastic bottles. as it starts to cool down, just shake it up real good and it will get warm again. it lasts at least 45 minutes. great to take to kids ball games, store in your car, camping, hunting, sitting at your computer in a cold room, put one under your feet, etc.

these things are real nice to use. but remember to get ONLY calcium chloride.

canned soups and stews--i always can up several cases of different types of soups and stews, with chicken, ham, burger, kielbasa, whatever. when the weather is cold, this is primarily what we eat, and it is so great to come home and just pop a jar of homemade something and have an instant dinner. and if the electricity goes out i can put a pot on the wood stove to heat some up real quick.

ive used one of those little 'alcohol stoves' just fine to heat things and heat water for coffee or tea. they are just great to have around 'just in case' and a bottle of alcohol is still under $1 which gives you several uses of the stove. very handy to keep around just in case.

light--candles, wind up flashlights and wind up lanterns---i have several different types of lanterns and some old oil lamps too that i keep ready and filled.

blankets--i have mucho more blankets than i will ever need, but i do have a variety including wool, down and some sleeping bags.

vehicle--i have restocked my jeep with a winter 'BOB' along with a set of chains, checked the flashlights and emergency kit. i already keep a sleeping bag, tarps, shovel, cat litter, alcohol stove, a bit of extra cash, 2 cans of tire foam filler stuff, minor food items, water, and even a flask of whiskey. driving in the mountains i try to think if i was stuck, what would i need or like to have.

so whatever you guys do to prepare for winter please add. id bet alot of you have some tips in preparing for the winter that many of us havent heard of yet. as we are already having cooler temps and will probably have an early frost, getting ready for winter is really on my mind

thanks so much


jazzy
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Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

my brother an i saw geese a few days a go on the ohio river

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

Thanks for the good info.

instant heat--get a strong sturdy plastic soda or water bottle--not the flimsy kind--i like the mountain dew bottles
fill 1/3 with ice melt, Calcium Chloride Only
put lid on and store in safe place.


Where do you get the Calcium Chloride from?

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

Thanks for the bubble wrap tip. What a great idea! I think I'll try it in our sunroom this year. Btw, there are also heavy-duty vinyl curtain liners that work very well at keeping the cold out as long as they're closed over a window or doorway. We have a heat-sucking "sunroom" that has a big double-door (there was a sliding glass door on it when we bought the house). We hang the vinyl curtains over it and cover it with regular curtains. You can stand next to them and not feel the cold from the room until you walk through them.

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

good start on winter prep there Jazzy. Sleeping bag, tire chains and whiskey. I like your style.
Only thing I would add is a good centerfire revolver or twelve gauge riot gun.

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

budfox,
i get the calcium chloride at either walmart or the grocery store where they keep all the 'ice melt' stuff, but you have to read the bags to make sure of the ingredients--also, ace hardware had some too last winter. if it has other ingredients it wont work. i had to check several brands til i found one--but its out there, and its pretty cheap. i keep some filled bottles in my jeep, along with a separate gallon of water. just dont add water til you need them. i also keep a box of bottles filled in the garage, ready to grab when we go places in the fall and winter--that way i have several on hand and ready to go--when im ready, i add the water--these things are sooo handy. you are gonna be amazed at how handy they are.

if you camp alot--a bottle or 2 of this stuff is amazing to put in your sleeping bag before you climb in--i know it sounds too simple or too silly--but it really works. i promise.


maddie,
i have those vinyl liners too on every window and on the sliding glass doors-and they have made a great improvement over years past---but if you feel like adding the bubble wrap to the windows, i bet you will be happy with the results. i have found it to make a great difference in keeping out the cold. i have a 'sun room' also with sliding glass doors that is actually for us just a storage room--we dont use those doors so ill put the bubble wrap on them--i didnt do that last year but i will this year. that room is right off the LR with the wood stove, so is a heat -sucker...lol.

fullpower,
got it covered. i am familiar with the additions you mentioned and we are old friends. :wink: good friends to have too.

mick silver--just think, if geese are already flying south, its gotta be telling us something. since im hearing reports of it already in our local--i can smell fall in the air--we have already had nights at 38 degrees--unheard of. so im not fooling around. im getting started now for winter and preparing for early frosts with the garden.

my rolls of bubble wrap were delivered today---guess ill be measuring and cutting soon. each year we improve our winterizing a little bit more, but i know there are still plenty of good ideas out there and i can learn more from you all.

thanks guys.....

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

i was talking with a old farmer the other day , we got in to the weather he was saying this summer we did not have no night in the 80 , i thought for a few seconds he was right , im in ky

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

have you guy seen that silver insultion look like foam but silver stuff on both sides that stuff works great on windows , you can put your hand on it an remove your hand an i well be stil hot , same with cool air it look like the bubble wrap but with silver on it got some at lowes an homedepot

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

"fire starter rocks" - we can buy them here just for that purpose, but they are made from what looks like white reconstituted pumice, and the size and shape of a mobile phone. With a wire handle. I recently had to replace mine, after 20 years, and was surprised to see that they still sell them. At my BO place it sits near the fire in an old fruit can filled with paraffin. Uses next to no paraffin, but will light pretty much anything. And "recharges" in about a minute flat - you can see the air bubbles coming out as the paraffin soaks in.

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

Personally I'd replace that with a case of whiskey - imagine, you could be stuck for a day or more!:D:wink:

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

on an other forum I visited they were talking early on this summer about shortage of wood stove pellets. Most of the members were discussing how they were trying to stock up, I suggested they stock up on food as well. This was met with harsh backlash and many laughing people saying, peak oil, food riots, the end of the world, and such other things.
I guess wood pellets are really all you need according to these guys.
I am also putting up a lot more fire wood than usual this year.

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

Last weekend the starlings were grouping up.
The old folks are calling, "uh-oh" for this winter. The local rag had a full front page on firewood (jerks). Now the hills are covered with saw hauling opportunists. I got mine, but it erks me when fads fall into my lifestyle, ya know?
I also worry a bit about wood theft. Prolly not rational.

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

ive had wood stolen. we have a very long driveway and the wood piles are next to the front of the house. not much was stolen, but enough to notice. gotta get a motion detector spotlight or something.

Igotoyour6, i cant imagine anyone getting a pellet stove. i dont want to be tied down to having to buy a certain product to keep my house warm, i think its not the wisest choice. but we heat with only wood, and i would be afraid of being committed to that one way to heat, the price and availability of the pellets. wasnt there a shortage last winter? i remember reading about it up here.

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

Being prepared doesn't even have to be about TEOTWAWKI. Up here in the PNW its not uncommon for some people to be without power for a few days during winter storms. I don't remember if it was last winter or the one before but a significant ammount of people were without power for a few weeks. And oh man the drivers. When it snows here its like when it rains in california, everyone starts driving like a moron. You don't want to be on the roads going to get food if you can avoid it. Don't feel bad if people don't listen to your good advice, even if they mock it.

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

http://www.northerntool.com/?cm_ven=...ern%20hardware look in wood stoves for[ magic heat ]it install in your pipe going to the outside , it remove all the heat from the pipe , got it last year the best money i spent on the stove , it workes guys , less wood used also

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

Just think of those poor SOB's that bought corn stoves in the last few years! Pellet furnaces must be a big deal, I made some prototype castings for a stove mfg several years ago, they said their demand was huge- their production foundry was in Belgium.

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

try one of those magic heat reclaimer , it well save you wood are pellets http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...1508_200331508

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

My idea of getting ready for winter down here is to reach up and turn off the A/C, then open some windows and say, " thank god winter is here."

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

I swear by those Mick, I've recommended to many people over the years and here at GIM as well. People don't realize how much heat they are wasting until they get one.

Jazzy....my whole house is wrapped in foil covered bubble wrap, it's called Fi-Foil.....the roof and walls are covered then I put down my metal roof and on the walls I put a layer of Tyvick over the bubble wrap to act as a barrier because I used hardy siding, it is a cement product and I was worried that the cement might cause a long term reaction with the foil.......my house maintains close to a 25-30Deg. differential summer & winter.....and we've been up into the triple digits these last weeks

Jazz....that calcium chloride trick is a good one to know.....better than a hot rock :D

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

like i said got it last year , my wife and i were laughing about being able to open a wimdow to let fresh air in the house in the winter , my house stay at 75 to 78 , an you save wood so you like the one you get nub

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

We burn between 4 and 6 cords per winter and (with the exception of a propane furnace which hasn't been used for for heat for at least 8 years) we heat solely with wood. This past year was the worst for the past 60 years... we recieved about 130 inches over the course of the winter... it just kept coming. We had about a half cord left the first week of May when the last of the crap melted.

Since the hot water heater is propane, we just got 200 gallons in the tank at a cost of $2.55 a gallon. DAMN!

Plenty of food in both the freezer and pantry.

The old timers and the almanac say we in the Inland NW will be 'dryer' than usual this winter. Hope they're right!

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

http://www.northernoutfitters.com/default.aspx

clothes for the coldest of temps

Re: Getting Ready for Winter tips
 

I bought my first one from Northern about 20 years ago.......they turn a regular ole wood stove into a heating machine. I've turned on at least 6 people to the MH.....no telling how many people they've enlightened.

Yeah Mick, they're the greatest thing to happen to a wood stove since wood LOL