PREP Second Hand Prep Experience

[Shadow]

I was working in Dallas yesterday with a guy who told me of his ice storm power outage experience. When the power went out he went to Lowes. It was crazy he said. People were buying things that made no sense. Some were buying 2x4's and having them cut to 12in lengths to burn! He wandered about and found 4x8 foam insulation boards and bought them all. At home he cut them to fit his (single pane) windows. It made a world of difference, kept the house livable and the pipes from freezing.

He took air activated hand warmers, two each, and put them in socks. He tossed them at the bottom of the under the blankets, two socks per person, just like he does when winter camping in Colorado. His skeptical wife was warmer than she wanted to be.

I found the sock/hand warmer thing interesting. But I had never heard someone unprepared come up with insulation boards for the windows. Thought I would pass it on.

Shadow

 

[dvo]

Yea…not a pretty look for your windows, but probably doubles the R value in each one. In an emergency, who cares about the look? The panic isn’t where you want to be if possible.

 

[Publius]

I have seen people cutup anything made of wood to toss in a fireplace and shipping skids was high on the list of things to grab and cutup and it would be better to cut the skids up on location as for the small amount of wood contain they take up a lot of space.
New Generators at such times are in limited supply in any given county to about 20 portable generators max and some to big to move by your self and a few so small you can only run a refrigerator by it self and nothing else.

 

[kyrsyan]

I've seen the foam insulation board before. The hand warmers are new. I have hand warmers that can be recharged in boiling water. That would be great match.

Another one that I learned. Put your kerosene heater in the room with the AC air intake. That helps the AC system a lot and gets the heat well circulated.

And those cheap fleece blankets from Walmart and Dollar Tree make great impromptu curtains to help cover windows. Just cut slits and put a pole through.

 

[Sage Brushfilly]

I have used aluminum foil covered blue board for windows at night or if there is a cold wind blowing. I use turn buttons to keep them in place with the foil facing outwards. Take them down when sun is able to come in. My windows have a trim that keeps them about 4" from the glass. Works great and has lasted over 10 years. I covered the board myself using the foil and double sided tape.

 

[dvo]

I have used aluminum foil covered blue board for windows at night or if there is a cold wind blowing. I use turn buttons to keep them in place with the foil facing outwards. Take them down when sun is able to come in. My windows have a trim that keeps them about 4" from the glass. Works great and has lasted over 10 years. I covered the board myself using the foil and double sided tape.

That’s a good idea. Don’t know what turn buttons are though. For most homes, the windows have the lowest R value. Ideas like this help a lot. Especially under emergency conditions.

 

[nehimama]

turn buttons

 

[Wildwood]

Millwright posted the foam insulation board a few years ago. I showed DH and we now have three windows that we stick it in when it starts getting cold. They aren't on the front of the house but I wouldn't care if they were. It makes a huge difference. Someday, they may be in most of our windows if things get bad.

I think the guy that bought it during the ice storm was smart. We usually have all kinds of insulation around here but I'm going to make sure we have more of that just in case.

 

[Barb]

If you don't like the look of the white boards, you can always pretty them up with wrapping paper, fabric or paint.

 

[BV141]

The Japanese make 2 quart plastic hot water bottles for beds.
They work.

 

[ExCop]

When I first got married we lived in a balloon frame Victorian where the windows only strained the wind coming through. I built frames with foam board sandwiched in between plywood for every window. It made a huge difference and they could be reused over and over.

 

[kyrsyan]

The Japanese make 2 quart plastic hot water bottles for beds.
They work.

The big ones are hard to find anymore. But you can find small ones.

 

[kyrsyan]

You can also make "interior storm windows". They're just plastic stretched over 1x1s cut to fit inside the window frame. Or, if you can find it, clear mylar.. For sturdier, that you can use for a long time, make them from poly carb.

Making a batch of them from Lexan is actually on my list. The house has no insulation except for the attic.. At the same time, son and I suffer from SAD so I can't block the sunlight. So the plan is to make them and use them to help with heat loss in the cooler months. And in son's room, they'll protect the window from possible meltdown damage. Even though his meltdowns have been decreasing.

 

[LoupGarou]

Bubble Wrap on the windows. Two or three layers of the smaller bubble type works best. They use it on greenhouses this way to keep the heat in, and let the light in to do it's job. It lets the light in just fine (and unfortunately OUT as well, so be "Light OPSEC" aware at night as you might be the only light on in the block...).

 

[Chicken Mama]

Yes, bubble wrap. Put water in a squirt bottle, spray the inside glass and press a pre-cut piece of bubble wrap on it.

 

[Firedave]

Used the foam insulation boards on all widows during the great Texas freeze of 21. Three of them I cut 4"x 8" holes so I could look out and let light in, covered holes with plex glass, used painters tape to attach. Also used painters tape to seal around all the edges for a tight seal. Comes off easy without any damage to paint.

 

[shane]

I built my new house in west texas out of 4" thick freezer panels on the four sides, the roof top and even out 8' all around as skirting for flooring of porch on ground level, which keeps heat/cold all that much further from invading the footing of house. Cost me used less than 50 cents a sq ft, though most was actually new and looks it with aluminum siding on both sides.



Facebook market place and Craigs List are your friend finding this stuff, have bought many thousands of sq ft of it over the years, used on a wide variety of projects.

Panic Early, Beat the Rush!
- Shane

 

[Loretta Van Riet]

I built my new house in west texas out of 4" thick freezer panels on the four sides, the roof top and even out 8' all around as skirting for flooring of porch on ground level, which keeps heat/cold all that much further from invading the footing of house. Cost me used less than 50 cents a sq ft, though most was actually new and looks it with aluminum siding on both sides.

Facebook market place and Craigs List are your friend finding this stuff, have bought many thousands of sq ft of it over the years, used on a wide variety of projects.

Panic Early, Beat the Rush!
- Shane

 

[Profit of Doom]

My house has 2x6 24” studs and matching insulation on the walls. Living room ceiling has 2x8 knotty pine T&G with 4” rigid foam above that.

 

[shane]

More pics of build on my bombshelter posting.

Panic Early, Beat the Rush!
- Shane

 

[Dobbin]

If you don't like the look of the white boards, you can always pretty them up with wrapping paper, fabric or paint.

Find a teen-age girl and have her paint pictures of HORSES.

Funny. Owner's daughter never went through that stage.

Owner says "familiarity breeds contempt."

Dobbin

 

[Illini Warrior]

You can also make "interior storm windows". They're just plastic stretched over 1x1s cut to fit inside the window frame. Or, if you can find it, clear mylar.. For sturdier, that you can use for a long time, make them from poly carb.

Making a batch of them from Lexan is actually on my list. The house has no insulation except for the attic.. At the same time, son and I suffer from SAD so I can't block the sunlight. So the plan is to make them and use them to help with heat loss in the cooler months. And in son's room, they'll protect the window from possible meltdown damage. Even though his meltdowns have been decreasing.

you can buy DIY interior screen and storm window frame material - aluminum strips to DIY cut to length - poly 90 degree corners are part of accessories available >>> screen material is standard nylon and storm window material is clear poly sheeting - makes a nice professional looking factory quality window insert ....

 

[Illini Warrior]

in regard to emergency window insulation >> if you have storm windows and double hungs - you can loose fill that void in between for additional insulation - if you use packaging styrofoam peanuts you'll even get some sunlight filtering thru - and - you can still do an insulation panel on the inside for even more insulating ....

 

[anna43]

My house has thermopane windows plus storm windows, but we still use insulation board during below zero temps. My sister and I were complaining about being cold while playing card games in the dining room which has a large north facing window. My dh got tired of listening to us complain, measured the window, went to his workshop and came back with insulation board cut to fit the window and instantly we were no longer cold. Ugly as all get out, but it works.

 

[33dInd]

They make heavy duty window blankets

 

[Night Owl]

Get two pairs of socks. Put on one and put cayenne pepper in the second one before putting it on, Then put your shoes on. It will keep your feet warm. Don’t let cayenne pepper get on your skin, you need that separation so it doesn’t feel like your feet are on fire.

This could be done with gloves also, but you are more likely to take them on and off and you may get some on your hands and can mistaken rub your eyes. Wash eyes immediately. I just would do it with gloves.

Also eat cayenne pepper in foods to keep insides warm and good for arthritis.

 

[Ractivist]

I built my butcher shop and cooler out of similar stuff. It's such a small world.

Yet, seriously... I ran into a bunch of it cheap as well. Local gas station chain bought out a bunch of another chain and redid all their beer coolers. There was a surplus in the area, and I got real lucky. Mine was even cheaper, and I had three doors to work with. Only used two. It's extremely strong stuff as it's laminated. I wouldn't doubt one could use it on the roof and it would hold a snow load. Easy to clean up and get a consistent finish. Fill the wholes, repaint. Get a cool bot and a window AC unit and you could easily have a refrigerator. .

Cool Bots are worth researching, fyi. Small electical unit easily connected to an AC unit, hundred and some change dollars and an appropriate sized AC unit based on the area you want to cool.

 

[Coulter]

Millwright posted the foam insulation board a few years ago. I showed DH and we now have three windows that we stick it in when it starts getting cold. They aren't on the front of the house but I wouldn't care if they were. It makes a huge difference. Someday, they may be in most of our windows if things get bad.

I think the guy that bought it during the ice storm was smart. We usually have all kinds of insulation around here but I'm going to make sure we have more of that just in case.

What thickness did you use?

 

[Wildwood]

What thickness did you use?

Sorry it took me so long...kept forgetting to ask DH. I just took one down today and measured it. It measures 3/4". We don't have curtains in our living room and dining room and the room actually seemed darker because the foil reflects so much light back into the room but I'm starting seeds and needed real sunlight in there. I can pop it back in if we have another cold spell.

 

[CaryC]

How's this?



Granted nothing to do with thread but it's a picture. LOL

Have used the hand warmers under a towel for outdoor cats. There's really not much you can do to help an outdoor cat. I don't know why, don't like help I guess, but a towel on a blanket in a corner, seems to attract them. There will be a pile of them in morning. Be like a pile of snakes, every 15 minutes or so, they will move around and a new one will end up on top.

Ignoring them helps. So don't go out there bragging on them, they will take that as a sign of weakness and not come back.

Usually just use it when its 20 or less at night.

 

[kyrsyan]

I was in another place and someone mentioned hanging clear or frosted shower curtains and then sheers over that.

 

[Wildwood]

I built my butcher shop and cooler out of similar stuff. It's such a small world.

Yet, seriously... I ran into a bunch of it cheap as well. Local gas station chain bought out a bunch of another chain and redid all their beer coolers. There was a surplus in the area, and I got real lucky. Mine was even cheaper, and I had three doors to work with. Only used two. It's extremely strong stuff as it's laminated. I wouldn't doubt one could use it on the roof and it would hold a snow load. Easy to clean up and get a consistent finish. Fill the wholes, repaint. Get a cool bot and a window AC unit and you could easily have a refrigerator. .

Cool Bots are worth researching, fyi. Small electical unit easily connected to an AC unit, hundred and some change dollars and an appropriate sized AC unit based on the area you want to cool.

This is what I would love to do for a fridge. DH and I have talked about it but just don't have the room for it.