Questions tagged [winterizing]
111 questions
30
votes
12 answers
What are the "must do" tasks before winter hits?
I've had my furnace serviced in time for winter, but what other things should I consider doing before the snow and the ice come?
Jeff Yates
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22
votes
6 answers
Will window shrink-wrap make a noticeable difference in heating bill in house with single-paned windows?
I'm curious how well the window shrink wrap really works. I moved into an older house (1927) in Lincoln, Nebraska, this summer. It's all single pane windows with a window screen and a storm window, as well. We have about 20 windows, so I'm…
JWB
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20
votes
5 answers
Should I cover my air conditioner for winter?
Should I cover my air conditioner for winter? It's difficult to find an appropriate cover, but finding a cover for an evaporation cooler is easy (and because they allow for air flow from the outdoors, it makes sense).
See this answer for things to…
JYelton
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14
votes
13 answers
How do you make outdoor wooden stairs less slippery in winter?
Outdoors, I have some wooden stairs leading up to my front door.
The wooden stairs are covered in high-gloss wood preservative. In winter, snow and ice are deposited onto the stair-steps. The bottoms of my shoes slip and slide on the high gloss…
Samuel Muldoon
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9
votes
11 answers
Why does significant condensation gather on my bedroom windows overnight?
When we wake up in the morning, we're observing a significant amount of condensation on the bedroom windows around the edges on the inside (inside the house not between the panes). We had new windows installed in the spring, and we didn't have this…
Robert Gowland
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8
votes
5 answers
How should I drain fuel from my mower?
I have a Honda lawn mower (HRX217K2VKA) and I want to drain the fuel for winter. How should I do this? Three options spring to mind:
Run the engine until the fuel is gone.
Tip the mower to pour the fuel out.
Siphon the fuel.
The manufacturer's…
Jeff Yates
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8
votes
2 answers
How long can I wait before staining a new deck?
I just moved into a new (well, old) house. The previous owners put in a deck probably about 1 year ago. It's treated lumber, but they hadn't yet stained it. Winter is approaching quickly here in upstate NY, so I'd like to wait until Spring if I…
andersonbd1
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8
votes
1 answer
How do I "un-winterize" my sprinkler system?
I just moved into a house in which the sprinkler system has been winterized. I want to get it going again, but I'm not sure what to do about these four valves here.
The previous owner told me that I need to go under the house and open a valve to…
Patrick McElhaney
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7
votes
3 answers
What material should I use to insulate floor over a bumpout?
My dining room has part of it bumped out about 2 feet overhanging from the foundation. The floor over this overhanging part gets cold in winter and I'm thinking about insulating below it. I've done a lot of work installing kraft-faced batts in the…
Matthew Leingang
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7
votes
5 answers
Will a PVC weld cure to fill 1 mm?
When we PVC-weld an ending with a flexible pipe, the pipe is usually very snug in the ending. The weld makes the bond permanent and ensures that no fluid can pass through.
I'm trying to double-purpose a shop-vac to become an air pump. The ending…
Sam
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7
votes
3 answers
How do I fill a hole under a sidewalk?
The sidewalk leading up to my front door developed what looked like a sink hole under it about a year ago. Since then, an animal of some kind has made the hole even bigger and it now runs as a tunnel under my pathway.
QUESTION:
How to I fill this…
Snekse
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6
votes
4 answers
What is the most economical and energy-efficient way to winterize windows?
We have vinyl windows (mostly double-paned) and live in a shady greenbelt in Seattle (i.e. wet and dark). We don't have much severe weather to worry about, just a pervasive damp cold that settles in and makes our extremely inefficient remodeled…
mahalie
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6
votes
4 answers
Should I put weather stripping on my unsealed windows and doors?
I currently live in a rented apartment and the windows in my shower are not sealed, so it gets pretty cold there. The front door of the house also has a sealing problem.
The thing is, I'm not going to stay in this apartment more than a couple of…
Asaf
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5
votes
3 answers
Why would a sprinkler Air Valve leak after winterization?
I had someone come over my house and winterize the sprinklers. He explained to me what he did: He said he closed the main valve to the sprinkler system, hooked up a compressor and blew out all the water from sprinkler pipes. He also, opened up the…
Varun
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4
votes
1 answer
How do I winterize this sprinkler system
I am trying winterize my landscaping sprinklers. I just moved into my new house and find out this plumbing layout is quite different, I hooked up my 100psi air compressor and tried to blow them out but no luck. I can't get a hold of the old owners…
Jonathan Escobedo
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