24 October 2010
Rules and Tribulations
24/10/10 09:50
One of the rituals of fall is The Wrappin' O' The Windows. You know what that means. At least those of you that don't live somewhere that gets perpetual warm weather like Tahiti, Kenya, or Albuquerque do. Pull out the window kit, put the double sided tape all around the frame, stretch the plastic film over the window and then use a hair dryer to shrink the plastic so all the wrinkles are gone. We've all done it for years and it really does make the house more cozy. In this part of the world, the damp part that is, there is an added benefit. By keeping the moist air away from the aluminium window frames it prevents condensation. This keeps the trough from filling up, first with condensed water and dust from the air and then with mould. A window trough that looks like a swamp is not something Marsha wants to see so a plastic wrapped window means a happy home.
So this week I set about wrapping the windows. Not all of them mind you. We replaced the front four with low E, double glazed, IR coated, plastic framed, super efficient windows. I'm going to see if they are really that good. I'll leave them uncovered this winter and watch to see if the cats start getting a drink at the window like they did with the old ones.
Now, after all these years I've gotten the process down to a science. Strangely enough, it starts in March or April. That's when I look for the wrapping kits. Oh, they are hard to find, but there are usually some tucked away in the back of the closeout table behind a tattered box of Christmas lights and an ugly ceramic votive candle holder. Yes they are scarce but it's worth it as usually the kits are something like 75% off. One year we hit the jackpot. We ran across a garage sale with about ten kits for sale. The guy had gotten low E, double glazed, IR coated, plastic framed, super efficient windows installed throughout his house and figured he wasn't going to need them any more. We got them for $1.00 each and were set for several years.
But I digress. I pulled out the first of the three patio door shrink wrap kits. We don't have three patio doors but when you do find these kits on the closeout table the First Rule is that you grab them, regardless of what size they are. It's plastic and plastic can be trimmed. This brings up the Second Rule which is always save whatever leftover tape you have for next time. Once around a patio door is less than once around three different windows. Eventually you'll need the extra. And don't let your significant other question this. It doesn't matter if you have a whole steamer trunk full of little roll ends each with a foot or two of tape on them. Just keep repeating "Someday I'm gonna' need that" until they stop asking.
So I started in the guest bedroom. I pulled the curtains down and pulled the blinds up. I won't be able to adjust them once the plastic goes on so the Third Rule is make sure the blinds are where you want. I prefer fully open. In December it seems like a crime to block any bit of light that may try to come into the house. Then I applied the tape and the shrink wrap. I use my heat gun to shrink it up. It's a lot faster than a blow dryer and oddly enough it makes less noise. Once all the wrinkles were out I stepped back to admire my handiwork. At this point I remembered Rule Four: Make sure the window is closed.
Moving on to the bathrooms I repeated the process. Rule Five is whatever is on the windowsill, stays on the windowsill. This is going to be a cool, slightly damp space with sunlight coming in. It might be a good idea to remove wooden things, or little stuffed furry things, or your sandwich before you seal the window up. On the other hand should you miss something by spring it might make an interesting science fair project for any middle school kids you've got hanging around the house. I had just about gotten the plastic all shrunk up tight when I ran afoul of Rule Six, don't touch the plastic with your heat gun. The plastic will lose.
Last of all was the bedroom window. For this I needed to break out the second of the patio door kits. In a few minutes the window was closed up and the whole house was beginning to feel quite a bit warmer. This brings me to the last rule.
Rule Eight: Warn the cats.
Geiger trotted into the room. I turned around just in time to see him try to leap to the windowsill and bounce off the invisible barrier. He flailed around, snagged on the curtain, and as I tried to catch him landed with a thud on the floor and looked up at me with an accusatory glare. He ran over to the other end of the window and tried again there. No luck. Then he jumped up on the cat stand and tested the plastic with his paw. He has continued to do this, test to see if the invisible barrier is still there, several times each day and night. Momiji on the other hand just walks up to the window and bounces her face off of the film. Usually she does this three or four times when it finally dawns on her she can't go there.
Deer feeds on the lawn.
In the pale pre-dawn moonlight.
Dark shape by roses.
Cat in the window.
Tail twitches and jaw chatters.
Dreaming of the hunt.
If you did get out,
And were to catch him, then what?
Better to dream here.
Doug & Marsha
We have had lots of fog recently. Here are some foggy pictures from the coast.
Normal
This Week
So this week I set about wrapping the windows. Not all of them mind you. We replaced the front four with low E, double glazed, IR coated, plastic framed, super efficient windows. I'm going to see if they are really that good. I'll leave them uncovered this winter and watch to see if the cats start getting a drink at the window like they did with the old ones.
Now, after all these years I've gotten the process down to a science. Strangely enough, it starts in March or April. That's when I look for the wrapping kits. Oh, they are hard to find, but there are usually some tucked away in the back of the closeout table behind a tattered box of Christmas lights and an ugly ceramic votive candle holder. Yes they are scarce but it's worth it as usually the kits are something like 75% off. One year we hit the jackpot. We ran across a garage sale with about ten kits for sale. The guy had gotten low E, double glazed, IR coated, plastic framed, super efficient windows installed throughout his house and figured he wasn't going to need them any more. We got them for $1.00 each and were set for several years.
But I digress. I pulled out the first of the three patio door shrink wrap kits. We don't have three patio doors but when you do find these kits on the closeout table the First Rule is that you grab them, regardless of what size they are. It's plastic and plastic can be trimmed. This brings up the Second Rule which is always save whatever leftover tape you have for next time. Once around a patio door is less than once around three different windows. Eventually you'll need the extra. And don't let your significant other question this. It doesn't matter if you have a whole steamer trunk full of little roll ends each with a foot or two of tape on them. Just keep repeating "Someday I'm gonna' need that" until they stop asking.
So I started in the guest bedroom. I pulled the curtains down and pulled the blinds up. I won't be able to adjust them once the plastic goes on so the Third Rule is make sure the blinds are where you want. I prefer fully open. In December it seems like a crime to block any bit of light that may try to come into the house. Then I applied the tape and the shrink wrap. I use my heat gun to shrink it up. It's a lot faster than a blow dryer and oddly enough it makes less noise. Once all the wrinkles were out I stepped back to admire my handiwork. At this point I remembered Rule Four: Make sure the window is closed.
Moving on to the bathrooms I repeated the process. Rule Five is whatever is on the windowsill, stays on the windowsill. This is going to be a cool, slightly damp space with sunlight coming in. It might be a good idea to remove wooden things, or little stuffed furry things, or your sandwich before you seal the window up. On the other hand should you miss something by spring it might make an interesting science fair project for any middle school kids you've got hanging around the house. I had just about gotten the plastic all shrunk up tight when I ran afoul of Rule Six, don't touch the plastic with your heat gun. The plastic will lose.
Last of all was the bedroom window. For this I needed to break out the second of the patio door kits. In a few minutes the window was closed up and the whole house was beginning to feel quite a bit warmer. This brings me to the last rule.
Rule Eight: Warn the cats.
Geiger trotted into the room. I turned around just in time to see him try to leap to the windowsill and bounce off the invisible barrier. He flailed around, snagged on the curtain, and as I tried to catch him landed with a thud on the floor and looked up at me with an accusatory glare. He ran over to the other end of the window and tried again there. No luck. Then he jumped up on the cat stand and tested the plastic with his paw. He has continued to do this, test to see if the invisible barrier is still there, several times each day and night. Momiji on the other hand just walks up to the window and bounces her face off of the film. Usually she does this three or four times when it finally dawns on her she can't go there.
Deer feeds on the lawn.
In the pale pre-dawn moonlight.
Dark shape by roses.
Cat in the window.
Tail twitches and jaw chatters.
Dreaming of the hunt.
If you did get out,
And were to catch him, then what?
Better to dream here.
Doug & Marsha
We have had lots of fog recently. Here are some foggy pictures from the coast.
Normal
This Week