How to warm up a house?

Question

I don't have a heater and I own a two story. I blocked of the upstairs so the heat won't raise. I have a fire place and I have to oil burning heaters in the big house. It is getting much colder and winter just started. I don't have extra money and I don't have handy family members. Can someone please tell me how to keep the house warm.

Answer 1

Definitely block up the fireplace.... they have been proven to sweep more heat out of your house than they give off....even when lit!

Use the oil heaters wherever you are and pile on the layers. Make sure you keep your feet and head covered as you lose most of your heat through your heat and cold feet can chill you to the bone.

Try to keep as many rooms closed as you can so you can heat just the space you use most. Use weather stripping to fill in gaps around windows and doors.... you can buy the peel-and-stick kind at any hardware store. You can also make "draft dodgers" out of mens' long tube socks and dry rice to put along the bottom of doors to stop drafts.

Good luck! Stay warm!

Answer 2

No offense meant at all but 98.6 is the best way; and I'll leave you to figure out what I mean.

Most obvious in "I don't have extra Money" is to make the source of heat,,,and the effect, as efficient as possible. Certainly closing off NON used rooms is one way, as well as the registers. You seem to have accomplished Blocking to a degree; but you don't explain HOW you did that.

In your description of what service is available you have way more than you need to heat areas specific to use. HOW you use them is unknown by us.

How old is the house? How secure are the doors/windows? How cold can you tolerate? How much or little is extra money? How well is the house insulated? How efficient are the appliances used to produce heat? What type of heating system do the oil burners supply heat for? Running any heating system, and a fireplace at the same time is pretty ludicrous, in that the fireplace is also SUCKING heat generated by any other means; exhausting it through the Chimney.

Answer 3

Make certain that you have the damper open on the fireplace, and remember that it takes awhile for the heat to radiate out into the room itself. Don't forget that windows and doors have the greatest heat loss, so caulk around these and prevent drafts. You may even need to get heavy drapery for the windows.
But it sounds like you have pretty much got it covered, other than that.

Answer 4

so what you need to do is trap in the heat. good idea blocking off the upstairs but you need to put towels at the bottom of your doors to outside to prevent wind from blowing in (or heat from seeping out). Also, cover your windows with plastic so that no heat is escaping there either.

Good luck, and stay warm.