how do i keep the upstairs of my house warm durring the winter? no matter what i do cold air always seems to get in and that makes my bathroom cold and i cant really sleep because of it.... i need some help fast... the chicago winter is comming up really fast.
2006-11-13 06:59:00 · 10 answers · asked by trackstud610 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Add insulation. You need to be careful to walk only on the beams in the attic. Get a good dust mask( dont breath the fibers).
Add insulation, at least 4 inches of pink rolls of fiberglass.
Measure the board width first, and get about the same size.
You can also put the insulating peanuts ( shaped) foam in the outer walls if it is open.
Or you could hire someone to blow in the foam. You can put in the rolled insulation yourself and save a lot of money, and is worth it. ( dont forget the part about walking on the boards.
You can borrow an infra-red camera, and look at your house at night. You can see where the cold is blowing in, and the heat is escaping. It should look black( no heat loss), but will appear bright where the heat is escaping to the outside.
Seal up around the windows from the outside with some caulk.
2006-11-13 07:08:06 · answer #1 · answered by Austin Semiconductor 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Be sure you have curtains on your windows. Blinds are not the same, and won't hold the heat out as well as a fabric solution.
Insulate your attic (or the walls, if they're not insulated already).
Look for gaps around windows, etc. Use expandable foam insulation or weather stripping to close up these gaps.
Use fans to pull the warm air from downstairs.
You can purchase rubber-backed carpet (just like bathmat, but bigger) from JC Penney...You might want to lay this down in the bathroom, at least to keep your feet from getting too cold.
You might also consider a space heater in your bedroom. I generally don't like to use these, as I hear too many horror stories about people leaving them too close to the drapes...But there are some out there that put out heat in a mellow way, that doesn't create such a fire hazard...just keeping the bedroom warm may help you to get a good night's sleep.
2006-11-13 07:11:17 · answer #2 · answered by abfabmom1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your bathrm may be the coldest place in the home as it may have the most leaks.
take a match or candle and hold near the windows and baseboards of the bath and see if the candle goes out or is affected by the wind blowing through...
place towels at the btm of the exterior doors in your hm and/or replace the insulation around them, that goes for all the windows in the home as well.
I'm from Chicago and I know what you're up against.
another method is throw carpeting in the bath or floors that have vinyl flooring.
If you have high ceilings, use/install Casablanca fans, it'll disburse the heat more evenly.
Dual-pane glass is a must in the cold country, insulation is a key factor. so in the future try to insulate wherever it is possible if you own the home.
there are tax advantages for the homeowner to insulate and payment plans over a long period of time.
...look for drafts and clog them up; insulate wherever you can and if you don't own the home have a good talk with your LL.
2006-11-13 07:16:29 · answer #3 · answered by ticketoride04 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check your windows for air leakage, and make sure your windows and doors are sealed. If there is a way to check your insulation, I would do that too. Was it built differently than downstairs? Hot air usually rises, so I would think the upstairs should be hotter than downstairs (that's why I think cold air is coming in or the hot is going out.) You could also leave your bedroom doors open upstairs so the warm air circulates in those rooms better.
2006-11-13 07:09:00 · answer #4 · answered by ht_butterfly27 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like you need more insulation upstairs. Also you can get a small space heater to help warm the bathroom up. They are small but put out alot of heat.
2006-11-13 07:19:51 · answer #5 · answered by Txfroggy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Insulating the attic might help, but perhaps you should have the walls checked to see if they are insulated. It's possible to blow cellulose insulation in the stud cavities. You should also fill as many cracks as possible with caulk.
If you want to go whole hog, consider replacement windows, and if your house has not been sided, consider wrapping with Tyvek (it's windproof) and then new siding.
There are tax credits available for certain energy-saving improvements you make to your home. Additionally, some cities offer grants or low-interest loans to homeowners who make improvements. And, energy-saving improvements like these will eventually pay for themselves!
2006-11-13 09:17:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Locate the source of the drafts and seal them up. Look into adding insulation. Close off any unused rooms. Keep windows closed. Get someone warm to cuddle up to.
2006-11-13 07:08:02 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I use a small space heater in my bedroom and it works wonders. They cost about $20 at a Walmart or such and cost less money to run than heaters. Plus you won't be heating the whole house and wasting energy on un-occupied rooms.
2006-11-13 07:08:56 · answer #8 · answered by Semi-charmed 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
turn the the Blower on the Thermostat to the run place and bypass away it there so the air keeps shifting. I stay in a position approximately 2 one million/2years previous and the air has no regulators with the objective to maintain it heat I run the blower 24 hr. 7 days each and every week.
2016-10-17 05:45:53 · answer #9 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Raise your heat!
2006-11-13 07:01:47 · answer #10 · answered by supernova 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋