Attics and Crawl Spaces
Dear Readers: Crawl spaces and attics need a little attention this time of year, as cold weather sets in.
Do you have any of those rotating turbine vents on the roof? It's a good idea to shroud each of them with a garbage bag and strap until spring. That way, they won't suck warm air out of the attic—plus you'll increase their ultimate longevity, since they will be motionless and not spinning for several months. In the winter, you save energy costs by capturing passive energy from the sun in that attic space. If you can preserve it until nightfall, it will help lower interior heat transfer through the ceiling—and so the furnace will run less often.
One precaution, though: Moisture can build up in a totally sealed attic space. So make sure there are a couple of other openings up there to allow it to escape. That could be a south-facing gable vent in the wall or a flat roof vent or two cut into the top roof shingles.
Cover all but one of your exterior crawl space vents this time of year. The easiest approach is to don a mask and, using your gloved hands, stuff a chunk of fiberglass insulation against the inside of each grille. That will prevent crosswinds from stealing your hard-earned heat out of the house. But sometimes these vents provide combustion air to your furnace and/or water heater, so you’ll need to get additional air though grilles or louvers from inside the house. In that case, check with your friendly HVAC contractor.
Finally, please remember to open them up in the spring to relieve excess humidity inside the crawl space.
Dear Ken: We want to stick the washer and dryer into the garage. What kind of heat would I need out there to help protect the washer? Julie
You probably don’t need any. My garage—even on the coldest near-zero overnights—stays at or above 40 degrees. However, I do have an insulated garage door plus the walls are insulated and sheet rocked. If that’s not the case with you, and if you’re still worried about a freeze-up, you could add a piece of baseboard electric heat. Since you’re near the electric panel anyway, it will be easy (and cheap) to wire it into a new 240 volt circuit. Choose, say, a six foot strip and attach it on the wall next to the washing machine. Set its thermostat at the lowest possible number so it comes on only under the most extreme cold weather conditions. Finally, make sure that all the pipes serving the washer are on an inside wall, and you’ll be fine.
Dear Ken: We are at 9,000 feet. I have a wood entry door that’s in tough shape. Which would be the best type to replace it, fiberglass or steel. Dustin
High elevation or not, I really like the fiberglass product. It is very stable, doesn’t warp or twist and seems to take temperature extremes with ease. If yours is a south-facing entry, with year-round sun, I would probably avoid installing a storm door in front of the new fiberglass unit. Why? Heat from the sun becomes trapped in that space between the doors; the high density foam in the new door will not let it escape into the house very readily. So, the temperature soars in that space, and that can seriously deteriorate the finish and shorten the life of the door.
Otherwise, I’d recommend painting—not staining—your new door. Prime it first with Bullseye 1-2-3, then apply a high quality exterior latex (2 coats each).
Dear Ken: What do you think of those heavily advertised electric room heaters? Are they worthwhile to save energy? Pete
In a roundabout way, yes. These mini electric room heaters are fine in limited applications. The major brands use a multiple heat lamp and fan system to produce hot air blown out of the side of a handsome wooden cabinet. Since they plug into the wall, they are substantially more expensive to operate per BTU than your natural gas furnace, but they can save you money anyway. How? If you spend entire evenings in one place—like the family room—you can turn down the thermostat in the rest of the house and use your electric room heater only. So instead of heating, say, 3000 square feet all evening, you can electrically heat the 5 or 600 square feet you’re hanging out in.
Dear Ken: We have white cabinets with some sort of plastic or acrylic finish. We are having a heck of a time repainting them. We can’t get anything to stick. Any ideas? Theresa
This is one for your local name brand paint store. Take a drawer out and show it to the experts. Generally, the selection of the right primer is the key to recoating these surfaces. But alas, if your cabinets are covered with some sort of plastic laminate or melamine, they may not be paintable at all.
Dear Ken: Is it too late to apply concrete caulk outdoors on my driveway? Maria
Not at all. Wait for a warmish day—when the highs will be over 60 degrees. Apply the material in the early morning, after sun-up, so it will have time to cure before the cool evening air arrives. I prefer the liquid, pour-out material. It is extremely easy to use, is self-leveling and holds up well because of its perpetual flexibility.
