/diy/ - Do It Yourself

If anyone knows how to keep the downstairs part of a two story house warm, please chime in.

I don't know how true this one is, but a good mechanic told me that if I need to wash my hands after coming in from really cold temperatures and my hands are really cold, I should wash them with cold water, because using warm water could cause arthritis.

Once again, don't know how true this one is, but I've been doing it since he told me.

>if I need to wash my hands after coming in from really cold temperatures and my hands are really cold, I should wash them with cold water, because using warm water could cause arthritis.
I live in a tropical country so that means that the coldest weather I normally experience is 10C but I've been told to do the same if I visit cold countries don't know if its true or not...

>>554602

I do it because I'd rather feel a little extra cold every now and then, instead of fucked up arthritis crippling me.

Also, about heating up the car, make sure not to leave alone while running. So many people do it, and it creates an excellent opportunity for someone to steal your car. So just make sure someone (not a thief) is in the car while it's being heated up.

>>554590
>If anyone knows how to keep the downstairs part of a two story house warm, please chime in.

Unfortunately, a lot of this has to to do with the design of the house and heating system. Properly placing vents and returns as well as sizing the ducting evens out temperatures tremendously if you have forced air heat.

Without modifying the system that is already in place your options are more limited. First you need to limit the ability of warm air to travel upstairs. If your stairwell has a doorway, keep it closed, if not try hanging a sheet/blanket to isolate it from the rest of the downstairs. If you have forced air heat, try closing off some of the upstairs vents so that more of the heat starts off downstairs. If you have ceiling fans, make sure they are on the winter setting (usually clockwise) so that they force the warm air down around the outside of the room.

Next minimize heat loss. If you have old windows insulate them with plastic sheeting. You can do this with newer windows as well, but it's less necessary. Make sure the weather stripping on all your doors is in place/functional to prevent drafts. If you have any fireplaces that you won't be using put some fiberglass insulation into the flue, then cover the fireplace with a sheet of cardboard/wood.

Finally, if the downstairs is still cold, consider additional localized heating. Space heaters and such are fine, if you have a fireplace consider getting an insert or making a rocket stove, as these are more efficient at heating areas than a traditional fireplace.

>>554590
Dude you can't get arthritis from that...lol

If you want some real advice on washing your hands in cold weather I'll help you. Generally if you turn the hot water on full blast it takes a while for it to get warm. However if you wash your hands with a small trickle of water you will find the water to be room temperature because it hasn't yet gotten to the cold water in the down stairs pipes. If you are quick you can wash your hands before it gets cold.

>>554602

I live in cold winters. I have never heard that exposing yourself to hot water when really cold will give you arthritis. I can say that I have never tried it though because it hurts. When your hands are very cold and you put them under hot water they will sting and burn like you are burning yourself on a million degree fire. Even if the water is luke warm. Don't know don't care about arthritis later in life. Right now it hurts so I don't do it.

another tip? stuff sweat shirts under doors or use draft stoppers to isolate each room. They will heat faster without wind blowing throughout them.

>>554590
>>554602
Canadian here. If you think your hands might be frostbitten or they're just really really cold, you run them under room temperature or cold water because the sensation of heat is relative so your hands will feel warm simply because the water is warmer than your hands even if it's cold water. And it's more safe than using hot water because if you run hot water on your hands, it feels numb and tingly and you can't tell if it's too hot or not because you can't feel your hands anymore vs cold water gradually unthaws them.
I hope that made sense

>>554741

Yup, my house has this big hole thing that's about 6 feet by 7 feet that lets you see downstairs, really lets the heat rise. Modifications aren't an option so I thank you very much for the solutions you've provided; I will put them into action.

I don't like that a lot of people think space heaters are hazardous, as long as no one goes full retard with them, they're safe. Reminds me of those Japanese heating table things (don't remember what they're called) where it's just a heater in under a table under a blanket, don't know how those things haven't singed Japan yet.

>>554746
>>554749
>>554803

Thanks I thought that was the case, and thanks for the info. It's nice to see people who have to deal with the problems year round are here and pointing stuff out. I'm not gonna lie though, I feel kinda bad knowing just how shitty your showers/baths must be, the winter really makes them unpleasant.

If you're wearing lots of clothes in the cold and you actually start sweating from heat, take off clothing until it stops. If you start getting hot just put some clothes back on until you start feeling hot again. You want a neutral temperature. If you sweat, you'll wet your clothes from the inside and wet clothes loses heat much faster than dry clothes, and you'll end up making yourself much much colder than you were.

>>555109
Any chance you could take a picture of this hole? Now I'm really curious.

>>554749

It sounds to me like something we used to say to each other as kids -- that washing your hands with warm water when they were cold would cause them to, uh, fall off.

Makes sense that grown ups would pick up the story with arthritis or something less dramatic.

>>555109
>Reminds me of those Japanese heating table things (don't remember what they're called) where it's just a heater in under a table under a blanket, don't know how those things haven't singed Japan yet

Kotatsu. They're almost never left unattended though, and the design makes it impractical to sleep with one running.

>>555163

Here you go; the squarish thing near the bottom right is the door and just ignore the black square.

>>555172

Sounds like very much is the case, I think you hit the nail on the head.

>>555174

Yes, that's what they're called, they seem so dangerous though, being under a blanket and all. I've never seen one in real life though, so I'm sure you're right.

>>555327
>Kotatsu

Modern ones don't get all that hot. They are safer than electric blankets. Some of them just use an incandescent bulb for the heat source while others have an open heating element. All are pretty safe because nothing touches them and you can't shove your foot into it or anything weird. They are also pretty easy to make, if you buy just the heater or DIY one using incandescent bulbs.

>>554632

Two sets of keys. Start car, lock door.
Been doing this for years, no problems.
(Not that anyone would want to steal my POS Ford truck)

Gardners: A threat of frost overnight? Turn on your sprinkler. The water from the well is nearly 50ºF and is just warm enough to keep your plants from freezing.

>>555356
This just blew my mind. Ive seem them in movies/anime and never really thought too much about it being anything other than a table with a blanket. HOW LONG HAVE THEY HELD THIS TECHNOLOGY IN SECRECY! I DEMAND TO KNOW

>>555371
traditional japanese home has no furnace, only kotatsu

>>555356
holy shit, why heat your house when you can heat your ass! Shit man, the thermal efficiency on that has to be amazing!

WHY DON'T WE HAVE THIS IN THE STATES!

>>555387
Aincent japanese secret. They let us see them the whole time. They just never made it apparent what it was all about and let us not question it. I am ashamed i am just now finding out too

Youll call me hilariously paradoxical, but the best way to keep the house warm, is to actually ventilate it with fresh air from outside one in the morning, and once before it gets dark in the evening.
Musty, moisture rich air is much denser and harder to heat up than the fresher and comparatively drier air from outside.
Ventilate for 15 minutes, then close windows again and carry about your day.

Even if what you can contribute might be common sense to you, it could be something totally new to someone else. A good example of this can actually be found in this tread with the Kotatsu, I'm sure the Japanese and Japanese enthusiast of /diy/ are laughing at the people who never new of the common Kotatsu. So please do chime in.

>>555356

That does seem fine now that I see it from underneath, I used to think they were hiding something akin to a space heater in there.

>>555361

Thank you, I don't know how I'd never thought of this.

>>555367

Do you mean to just turn them on once or leave them on overnight?

>>555399

Excellent, what if it's windy and snowing, do we just skip it for that day?

>>554590
Daily reminder that /pol/ is not allowed outside of /pol/.

>>556601

What's /po/ about Koko (sign language gorilla) being a guest on the Oprah show?

Being on topic, those snow monkeys in Japan bathe in hot springs to stay warm. If you do this, make sure to immediately jump into some cold water afterwards, viking style.

>>554803
Also if your hands are really cold, your body has probably contracted all the blood vessels and reduced blood flow to retain heat. This also means there's no blood flow to carry away *excess* heat so if you run hot water over them it's really easy to burn yourself badly. 'Leastaways that's the reason I was always told to warm up cold hands with cool water first instead of hot. (Frostbite being an extreme case.)

>>554562
Bit of a obscure redneck winter plumbing trick here, saw this when i was a kid in Maine:

Install a fork in the pipes leading to your outdoor hose spigot. Install pair of hand operated cut off valves on the fork, have one end lead to the normal cold water you use for your hose, have the other one go to your hot water giving you the option to have hot water come out of the outside spigot.

Forget about shoveling snow off the car and getting salt damage, powerwash the snow off with hot water.

>>554562
>I'll get the ball rolling; make sure to let your car run for a few minutes before driving it for the first time of the day in the cold

Cars do not benefit at all by running a few minutes before driving. As long as you're red lining the engine right away, driving the car warms it up. As long as you switch to less viscous oil in the cold months you'll be fine.

>>557265

>There is nothing wrong with raising the temperature of this integral part of the vehicle by a substantial amount in a few seconds, nothing can or will go wrong.

I put a 120VAC 1500W fan heater in my car. I plug it into an extension cord on a timer every day when I come home from work.

I set the heater to run for about 1.5 hours before I leave for work in the morning, which makes the car toasty warm. No frosty icy windows so far either.

>>557728

Not bad, anon, I am impress.

I'm guessing you do it in your garage, what do you suggest to someone who can only park his car in a driveway? Since thievery could occur and all.

>>557169
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chilblains/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Chilblains guys. Rapidly heating cold extremities ie hands.


Also, has anyone actually tried this?
http://www.permaculture.co.uk/videos/heat-your-room-8-pence-day

>>557735
I don't do it in my garage. I'm not worried about thievery in my area because it's at the edge of town among farms and orchards.
There's nothing worth stealing in my car (except for the 29$ heater) and I drive a shitty old tin can geo metro.

Ha Ha Ha Ha I live in Florida so I don't really care. Just stopped in to see how you cold dwellers are living. Ex Michigan here. Ha Ha Ha

>>557743

Huh, I guess there is some merit to what was said earlier. I haven't tried that candle-flowerpots method.

On another note, I'm kinda surprised someone from Europe is on /diy/. I always thought there were only white Americans and Hispanics here; not saying it's bad that you're here, I'm just kind of surprised. It's good to have multiple points of views. So how are your cold seasons over there? From reading that article, it sounds like it doesn't get as cold as the US, but it's wetter, anything you've picked up over there for the cold? Maybe you have your own Kotatsu-like object that we've been seeing but never knowing about all this time?

>>558298
>On another note, I'm kinda surprised someone from Europe is on /diy/. I always thought there were only white Americans and Hispanics here;

>>558298
I thought that was a strapon, but apparently it's the business end of a microphone recorder.

>>558298
Its because Europe in general doesn't have a lot of people that are "handy" like most Americans

>>558330
>>558330

I wanted to laugh at you at first... but then i remembered all my friends.

You are probably right.

>>558330
I've not stopped laughing yet.

Have you SEEN Europe? Fuck me sideways, everything America has is from Europe and then some!

>>558298
>I'm kinda surprised someone from Europe is on /diy/

u wot m8 r u avin a giggle i swear to mum

No but seriously, there's fucking loads of Europeans on /diy/. I have no idea why you'd think there isn't, apart from the inherent americentricism of the average American.

>>558306

I meant /diy/ specifically, not the whole of 4chan.

>>558310

Where did you hear that from? I thought it was some type of dildo, or a video camera; but these are just my hypothesis, so I'm not sure.

>>558504

I only know Europe from the internet, and it looks like some young adults and teenagers there either party a lot and nothing else; that some are NEETs who live off their parents (probably the ones who are on 4chan), but I don't expect those to do too much /diy/; then there are some poor ones who do /diy/ and drop by rarely because they don't have the time or a way to get on here; and some are just studious types who might go to 4chan but probably don't /diy/. Then, there are the full grown adults who do /diy/ but don't really have the time or interest to get on here because they're working and raising their partying/NEET/studious offspring.

I'm sorry if I offend anyone with this or I look ignorant, please excuse my lack of knowledge about culture.

>>558596
>Then, there are the full grown adults who do /diy/ but don't really have the time or interest to get on here because they're working and raising their partying/NEET/studious offspring.

Full grown adult Europeen who comes to /diy/ here.

I think you'd be surprised at how old the average /diy/er is.

Also don't forget that Bunkerfag, one of the most epic posters ever to post on the board, is European.

>>558622
>one of the most epic posters ever to post on the board
>one of the most
>not "the most"
U wut m8 ow bout i 'ook u in da gabber m8

>>558726
<now thinking about epic posts
<decided to look at the Oscarbro pics for old time sake
<mfw they were on my old external HD that ate shit, and I no longer have pictures of Oscarbro and his glorious wigs.

>>558776
Oh god, so tired and put all the the ">" as "<" Feeling pretty retarded now.

>>558780

Shhh, no tears, only dreams now.

>>558806
>Dat dog

>>558806
>Quaaaid! Start the reactor!

>>557721
Exactly. Look it up. Experts all agree. Drive easy for the first five minutes. Idling a car is bad for it as the car runs very rich and can leave deposits.

>>557728
This is a terrible idea. Enjoy burning your car to the ground. Buy a block heater. They're designed to keep your engine warm in cold climates. They'll have your vents pumping out warm air in seconds.

>>559001

The most official source I could find was http://www.thehcf.org/antiidlingprimer.html
it makes its claims by using results found using two cars (doesn't say much about what kind, only states one has 8 cylinders and the other is "small," so I'm guessing the latter has four cylinders). On the website, the last review it says its organization has received was in late 2005.

If you have it, I'd like to see a much more official source for your claims, such as a government study; and not something like the website I posted, which is a charity organization whose contributors aren't experts in vehicles.

>>559002

As long as he's using a modern heater, and doesn't go full retard, I don't see how he car will burn; I do agree about the block heater though, they're very useful.

As a side note, holy fuck it's cold as shit outside today.

>>555880

Actual Grunt here.

That can stretch out your socks and takes up more space than just stuffing the shit in a waterproofing bag.

>>560116

I thought the gif was if you just didn't have anywhere to actually hold your spare clothes for transportation, but yes, you make an excellent point. I know you must have to wear one of warm, comfy parkas in this weather.

>>560126

I'm in Japan. We don't have any kind of comfy parkas. There's an "all weather" jacket and Goretex, but as far as generally issued shit goes you just get cammies, and under the cammies warming layers.

Did get some ECW gear recently, as we'll be going somewhere significantly colder to train, in the near future.

>>560127

Hey, you'll probably see those hot spring bathing monkeys.

If you've been to the states, how is our cold weather behavior different compared to Japan's? I know you probably laughed at the people who stumbled upon the Kotatsu earlier in the thread. I've read you guys gather snow and use it after the winter season, is this true?

>>560129

Sorry if this was not clear, I'm American military in Japan.

> Idling a car is bad for it as the car runs very rich and can leave deposits.

Not since fuel injection became standard a long time ago. (Mechanicfag here.)

>>560152

Ah, no problem; you'll still probably see the snow monkeys bathing themselves and salting their food.

>>560194

What do you think about this whole "idling your car to keep the engine safe" business?

>>560197
It's garbage. Unless the engine is under load, it won't reach full operating temperature. If it doesn't reach full operating temperature, then fuel deposits in the exhaust system/moisture in the intake system won't continue to evaporate after it's turned off.

>>560232
> If it doesn't reach full operating temperature, then fuel deposits in the exhaust system/moisture in the intake system won't continue to evaporate after it's turned off.
Sorry if I read into that incorrectly, but doesn't a car that idles wind up at full operating temperature soon after? (As in, it idles, then someone runs in?)
So why wouldn't it evaporate?

Cold engine. Read the fucking manual. All modern car handbooks will tell you to start engine and drive off. An idling cold engine will damage itself more than a hot one. Engineering tolerances are much smaller today and are designed for hot engines.

>>560279
>Cold engine
I understand that part.
But the engine is going to reach normal heat, you're not just going to let it idle then turn it off.
So I don't understand how they wouldn't evaporate. Like if you set out a glass of water on a cool morning that turned into a hot day, it'd still evaporate, vs setting one out when it's already hot.

>>560249
No, an engine idling at 1-2k rpm will not generate the amount of heat that running it under load (driving) at 3-5k rpm will, ever. That's just physics. It will also not charge the battery properly, because again, cars are designed to be driven, not solely idled.

>>560279
>Idling cold engine will damage itself more than a hot one

Precisely. So how do you think an engine under /load/ will do when cold?

>>560361
They will /eventually/ evaporate, but for how long are those corrosive chemicals in contact with bare metal? That's the whole point.

Squeeze some citric acid from a lemon onto your arm, and it won't hurt, because your skin is resistant to it. Let it sit there for 10 minutes, and you will begin to feel sharp pain and itchiness which oil-removing soap can no longer help, because the chemicals have done their deed.

That's what's happening to your engine, except, unlike skin, engines can't fix themselves or regenerate.

>>560396
>No, an engine idling at 1-2k rpm will not generate the amount of heat that running it under load (driving) at 3-5k rpm will, ever.
I never said that, at all.
Go back and read my post.
I'm saying that you are going to run the car up to normal heal. You're not just going to idle it, then turn it off. It's going to be run.
So, once it's running, why wouldn't those deposits evaporate, if they do under normal conditions? (Since, you know, it will be reaching normal conditions)

>>560396
>No, an engine idling at 1-2k rpm will not generate the amount of heat that running it under load (driving) at 3-5k rpm will, ever.
I never said it would.

>So how do you think an engine under /load/ will do when cold?
You would assume it wouldn't be good. Which side are you arguing here?

>They will /eventually/ evaporate, but for how long are those corrosive chemicals in contact with bare metal? That's the whole point.
Thank you. This is the answer I was looking for.

>>560403
>Idling cold engine will damage itself more than a hot one
I was referring to
>>560279

>>560403
Yep. If you start the car, heat that bitch up. But if you keep the battery charged, it shouldn't be that big a deal sitting for a little while. If there's salt on the roads, you'll have to choose between buying new tires or hosing them off after you drive, because salt ruins rubber.

>>560421
>I was referring to
>>560279
Right, but it seems like you're saying that if idling is bad, a cold engine under load is worse.
Unless I have my people mixed up here.

>But if you keep the battery charged, it shouldn't be that big a deal sitting for a little while.
If I ever get in my car it's got at least 30 minutes of running time. The battery is always charged. That being said, I rarely "warm up" my car, maybe a couple weeks out of the year, cause lul central Texas weather.

>If there's salt on the roads
So glad I don't have that problem.

>>558298
German reporting in. guess not, was also amazed by that Kotatsu...

Temperature here go from as cold as -20°C (-4F) in winter up to ~100F in summer

>>558452
I wanted to laugh at first too, but then remembered i never built something greater in dimensions...
On the other hand, handy persons I know mostly wouldn't trust a site like 4chan (or most internet in general)

>>557728

Works fine. (Not the previous Anon.) Did it for several winters. Don't point the fucking heater at anything in the interior it will hurt. I'm a mechanic but don't feel like adding block heaters to whatever I might be driving as I live in the South. No one gives a fuck about stealing a cheap tiny heater.

> If there's salt on the roads, you'll have to choose between buying new tires or hosing them off after you drive, because salt ruins rubber.

Not in one season. Besides, if you live in the Rust Belt you don't drive anything that isn't expendable in winter because the rest of the vehicle is going to corrode severely. The effort to wash tires is hardly cost-effective.

>>560279

I've looked at manuals from different manufacturers corresponding to vehicles made in the 21st century here are the results.

The Nissan manual said: "Allow the engine to idle for at least 30 seconds after starting. Do not race the engine while warming it up. Drive at moderate speed for a short distance first, especially in cold weather."

Pontiac: ""When starting your engine in very cold weather (below 0F or -18C), do this: With your foot off the accelerator pedal, turn the ignition key to START and hold it there. When the engine starts, let go of the key. Use the accelerator pedal to maintain engine speed, if you have to, until your engine has run for a while."

The Chevy manual didn't mention it.

However, Ford did say this: "Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may reduce fuel economy."

I also tried to look at some Toyota and Honda manuals, but had problems doing that so I skipped them.

None of the manuals said anything negative about idling, and only one mentioned that warming up was inferior to not warming up.

>>560450

Huh, that's kind of like some places in the US, just ignore the guy from Florida earlier in the thread who was laughing at us.

Anyone have any tricks for keeping the rocks in a gravel driveway, instead of skewing them about when you shovel snow?

>>563156

I can only think of using tarps to cover the gravel and catch the snow, then you simply move the tarp and drop the snow. The downsides to this are that it has the possibility of freezing to the gravel and also that too much snow can accumulate on the tarp and make it heavy as hell.

Maybe you could try the method described here >>557198, I've never used this method myself, but I would think the water could freeze and turn into ice, but once again I've never used the method myself, so I can only assume. If anyone has any experience with the hose method, please do tell if it does cause ice or not.

Should I just let the thread die then, or does anyone have any questions left?

>>563378
Hosing down with hot water is a great way to start an ice rink at any temperature below zero (celsius) with poor drainage, and even with great drainage below -10
Can only really recommend you scrape off the top layer as best you can and let the rest freeze/compact flat then apply traction sand. You will of course want to keep shovelling to avoid huge pot holes and peaks on your driveway.

>>563156

aim high, and maybe pour a little water over the top snow to create a layer of even ice over the gravel. I only recommend the latter if you only have a smallish patch of gravel at the edge of your driveway.

Just dealt with this a couple nights back: frozen door latch and hinges can be minimized with a silica based lubricant. I also saw that Teflon sells a spray developed for this purpose too. check your rubber seals, but my door was freezing from moisture on the inside of my trailer (in this case, my boots that were right by the door, and no heater running while I was at work).

>>565109
in the country (just as the previous poster mentioned) we do not have these problems. roads are higher than driveways and gravel driveways are deep. putting sand in a gravel driveway is not what you want to do. everything you said is bad advice

>>565109
>>565313
>>565335

It seems gravel is just one of those things that gets fucked in the snow.

>>565313

I agree about the silica lube, it helps weather strips last longer and seal better.

Captcha: domfest and

>>554590
I met a really old guy once who had been a Prisoner of war in a Japanese POW camp. Infact the very one where the soldiers built that bridge over the river Kwai. I think he had been a Major in the British army, and he told me that it got really hot out there and after a days work the men would sit on the banks of a small but fast flowing stream dangling their feet in the cold water, but he never did so as he thought it would be bad in the longrun on his feet. I think he believed it caused a lot of problems with muscles and joints if you took them from one extreme to the other.

My tip for beating the cold is this:find the coldest rooms in your house and fit those spring loaded hinges to ensure the door shuts when somebody leaves the room. Too often, pets and kids will push a door open and leave it open. Then examine each of those rooms and find out why they are colder. I havent yet figured out why the bathroom and rear bedroom is colder but since I put those spring loaded hinges on the rest of the house stays nice n toasty

>>560127
Can't be 2/3 they get back this week...