Been busy all afternoon draining my sprinkler system, fixing the damper on my chimney, doing some calking, changed the furnace filter etc. It's supposed to be 22 degrees on Friday night here. First hard freeze of the year! Every year, it feels like it's the first time I've had to do all this stuff to get ready for winter. I need to air up the tires on my car and my parents cars as well.
Anyone started winterizing yet?
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It's 83 degrees right now and we're under a freeze watch and a fire weather warning at the same time!
JHZR2
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what have you been caulking? Have you pulled and replaced or just cauled over the old hard stuff? Some of my aluminum trim has been repainted and Im a bit worried about pulling the old caulk and the paint coming too...
But i think ihave some old hard spots to do.
I am going to do the OPE maybe around Thanksgiving after all the leaves are gone.
But i think ihave some old hard spots to do.
I am going to do the OPE maybe around Thanksgiving after all the leaves are gone.
I've been recaulking around all my windows and 2 new doors I had installed. I pulled out all the old caulk around the windows since it's dried out and hardly even sticking to surfaces anymore. I could see daylight around some of the windows from the inside. I used GE Silicon II.
Umm, I had to use my heated seats once last week. Does that count?
I did my most serious winterizing back in May. I did to my 1st floor what I did to my 2nd floor 2 years ago. Took down all the vinyl siding, removed the old windows (1994) that the builder never bothered to install properly (no caulk, no flashing, etc.). Wrapped the house with Tyvek, properly installed new energy efficient windows, put back up the original vinyl siding. It made a huge difference in comfort in both summer and especially winter. When the wind would blow the bedrooms on the upwind side of the house use to get 10 or more degrees cooler than the downwind side of the house, now it is consistent everywhere on the 2nd floor. I think we'll notice an even bigger improvement on the main floor where we spend most of our time. I think it will have a bigger impact on the energy bill as well. It sure made a difference this summer as well, record heat, record elec. bills for the average MI resident, and my bills were down a bit. I ran the A/C all summer as well, due to allergies we pretty much have to. I did drain out the garden hoses and put most of them away already. I still need to winterize the RV but we'll be using it again in a couple of weeks so I'll just keep an eye on the temperatures.
As for car winterizing, I'm thinking of getting the winter wheels/tires down for the wagon already as this year it has performance summer tires on it for the 1st time. I've always used all season tires in the past for the warmer months so the transition to the Blizzaks was always flexible before, not this time. I don't want the wife driving around a RWD V8 powered vehicle with no traction control and a limited slip rear with summer tires and frosty (or worse) roads.
As for car winterizing, I'm thinking of getting the winter wheels/tires down for the wagon already as this year it has performance summer tires on it for the 1st time. I've always used all season tires in the past for the warmer months so the transition to the Blizzaks was always flexible before, not this time. I don't want the wife driving around a RWD V8 powered vehicle with no traction control and a limited slip rear with summer tires and frosty (or worse) roads.
i havent rode either motorcycle in a week, but i havent used my heated seats yet.. Were in that nice comfy Autumn temps zone.. no heat needed, no cooling needed.. open windows durrin ghte day if needed, close them at nite if needed.. i love it !!!
I think I'm a bear. As daylight grows shorter, I find myself spending more time indoors, hitting the fridge for snacks in preparation for winter hibernation.
I love working outdoors and hate that I can't be out there until 9:30 or so.
Last week I noticed dead silence after dark....no more crickets, frogs, and other creepy crawlers:
I love working outdoors and hate that I can't be out there until 9:30 or so.
Last week I noticed dead silence after dark....no more crickets, frogs, and other creepy crawlers:
I did my fall oil change a few days ago in both cars. Other than that they're kept in a state of readiness, so there is nothing else to do. I chained up the Ford N that I use to plow the driveway last weekend and made sure everything was ready for the sub-zero starts if needed. I'll change the oil in it this weekend, along with the JD 757. Mowing is done for this summer but I'll chop leaves at least a couple times before the first snow flies.
Some of the garden is already out and there are a few canvas tarps to ready to toss over some of the actively growing items for the next couple of frost warnings. Most of the rest of the garden will come out in a couple weeks.
I cleaned all of the windows in the house a couple weeks ago (I despise dirty windows), and while I was on the outside of the windows I checked all the caulking and seals. This summer I replaced the sweeps on all 6 exterior doors-the commonly used doors were worn and the others were getting brittle. I also re-caulked the outside power outlets as well as around the electric meter. Our HVAC company will be out in a couple weeks to service the heating system, and we not only have a credit from last year but already purchased the propane for this season-fortunately prices were very low when we locked in. We have an ample supply no matter how cold it may get.
I still need to pick up 4-5 large bags of ice melt. I keep it in a plastic garbage can just inside the garage door and I'm almost out.
I'm sure there are a few odds and ends, but for the most part I'm ready for the snow to fly.
Some of the garden is already out and there are a few canvas tarps to ready to toss over some of the actively growing items for the next couple of frost warnings. Most of the rest of the garden will come out in a couple weeks.
I cleaned all of the windows in the house a couple weeks ago (I despise dirty windows), and while I was on the outside of the windows I checked all the caulking and seals. This summer I replaced the sweeps on all 6 exterior doors-the commonly used doors were worn and the others were getting brittle. I also re-caulked the outside power outlets as well as around the electric meter. Our HVAC company will be out in a couple weeks to service the heating system, and we not only have a credit from last year but already purchased the propane for this season-fortunately prices were very low when we locked in. We have an ample supply no matter how cold it may get.
I still need to pick up 4-5 large bags of ice melt. I keep it in a plastic garbage can just inside the garage door and I'm almost out.
I'm sure there are a few odds and ends, but for the most part I'm ready for the snow to fly.
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Bought some sun tan lotion for Dec and Jan since there is no such thing as winter down here.
X2, except this Holiday season ill be at Fort Benning GA lol
Bought some sun tan lotion for Dec and Jan since there is no such thing as winter down here.
X2, except this Holiday season ill be at Fort Benning GA lol
Originally Posted By: tpitcher
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
I used GE Silicon II.
Silicone, not Silicon as what Integrated Circuits are.
Sorry, working with IC's for 30 years, that one drives me nuts.
Ah, potato... pahtato
I've used "silicon" incorrectly on occasion, so I took a moment to look it up.
From Wikipedia: "Silicones are polymers that include silicon together with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sometimes other elements. Some common forms include silicone oil, silicone grease, silicone rubber, silicone resin and silicone caulk."
OK, I think I've got it now.
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
I used GE Silicon II.
Silicone, not Silicon as what Integrated Circuits are.
Sorry, working with IC's for 30 years, that one drives me nuts.
Ah, potato... pahtato
I've used "silicon" incorrectly on occasion, so I took a moment to look it up.
From Wikipedia: "Silicones are polymers that include silicon together with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sometimes other elements. Some common forms include silicone oil, silicone grease, silicone rubber, silicone resin and silicone caulk."
OK, I think I've got it now.
Being an apartment dweller ... there's not too much I can really do.
I made a post a while back that my outside wall appears to be uninsulated. I also have a HUGE sliding glass door in my bedroom that goes no where (not sure why ...).
I am going to try to seal off the glass window the best I can. Probably going to get some clear plastic to go directly over it and then hang some heavier curtains on it.
The sliding glass door in the apartment goes out to a balcony, so the screen on the balcony is going to get plastic over the screen ... hoping that will help a bit.
I'm going to install the duct tape grille blocks on the Focus and the Jeep and start undercoating them. Fun, fun, fun!
I made a post a while back that my outside wall appears to be uninsulated. I also have a HUGE sliding glass door in my bedroom that goes no where (not sure why ...).
I am going to try to seal off the glass window the best I can. Probably going to get some clear plastic to go directly over it and then hang some heavier curtains on it.
The sliding glass door in the apartment goes out to a balcony, so the screen on the balcony is going to get plastic over the screen ... hoping that will help a bit.
I'm going to install the duct tape grille blocks on the Focus and the Jeep and start undercoating them. Fun, fun, fun!
Originally Posted By: Miller88
I am going to try to seal off the glass window the best I can. Probably going to get some clear plastic to go directly over it and then hang some heavier curtains on it.
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Insulator-1-Patio-9-3-Foot-2144W-6/dp/B0000CBJ80
I'm buying one of those kits for my basement patio door; the frame in my house is so unsquare from the foundation settling that even with the really good quality refrigerator door type weather stripping, it's still drafty because the door frame is like a parallelogram.
I am going to try to seal off the glass window the best I can. Probably going to get some clear plastic to go directly over it and then hang some heavier curtains on it.
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Insulator-1-Patio-9-3-Foot-2144W-6/dp/B0000CBJ80
I'm buying one of those kits for my basement patio door; the frame in my house is so unsquare from the foundation settling that even with the really good quality refrigerator door type weather stripping, it's still drafty because the door frame is like a parallelogram.
Originally Posted By: Miller88
I'm going to install the duct tape grille blocks on the Focus and the Jeep and start undercoating them. Fun, fun, fun!
If your undercoating is anything like mine it'll take days to cure. Heat is its friend; too cold and it may never set up right. Get on it!
I'm going to install the duct tape grille blocks on the Focus and the Jeep and start undercoating them. Fun, fun, fun!
If your undercoating is anything like mine it'll take days to cure. Heat is its friend; too cold and it may never set up right. Get on it!
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