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Show Conserving energy Tips given to heat homes in winter insulate attic floors, cellar ceilings and the walls of unfinished rooms. In these cases, to have the vapor barrier facing the warmer adjacent ad-jacent areas, the barrier and its flanges will be out of reach on he inside of the cavity. Support this insulation with chicken w ire stapled to the studs. Weatherstripping Control heat loss through windows and doors by weather-stripping. weather-stripping. Place the stripping with its edge firmly against the frame of the window sash and staple it about evey four inches. Doors should be weatherstripped on the outside. Install the stripping on the door stops, the wood strips on the sides and top against which the door closes. The following is the third in a series by the Iron County Record providing tips on conserving con-serving energy around the home. Most of us live in houses which were built at a time when nobody worried about the cost and supply of oil, gas or electricity. Today, however, we are learning from our soaring heating bills that our homes are ill-protected against heat loss. Yet, by adding more insulation where there is none or too little and by installing weather-stripping weather-stripping and storm windows, we can cut heat loss, use less fuel and save money. Insulation To control heat loss through walls, floors and ceilings, insulate. Insulation comes in various widths and thicknesses and may have a vapor barrier on one side. The purpose of the vapor barrier is to prevent the passage of water vapor from heated areas into the space between the walls where it could damage the insulation. in-sulation. The vapor barrier should always face the warmer side of a wall, floor or ceiling. When you go to a lumber yard or home center to buy insulation, don't judge it by thickness alone. Look for the letter "R" followed by a number printed on the insulation. "R" stands for resistence to heat flows. For walls you need R-ll (about 4 inches), in-ches), for ceiling and floors you need R-19 (about 6 inches). If you don't see R numbers printed on the vapor barrier, don't buy the insulation. Bear in mind that 8-inch insulation in-sulation marked R-19 has no greater insulation value than six inches marked with the same R number. Insulating is really very simple. All you need is the proper insulation and a good stapler. Press the insulation between the studs and staple the flange on one side to the front of the adjacent stud; repeat with the flange on the other side. The entire cavity between studs should be filled with insulation from top to bottom without any gaps or breaks. The staples should be driven every six inches. If you use insulation with an aluminum foil vapor barrier, the flanges on both sides must be stapled to the sides of the studs. If you use insulation without a vapor barrier, place it between the studs in the usual way, then cover the entire wall with sheets of clear polyethelene plastic as a vapor barrier. If possible, fold the sheet so you are stapling through a double thickness. Staples should be inserted every eight inches along the front end of each stud. It is very important to Insulating is just one method of buttoning up your home to protect it from winter elements. Homeowners should also consider weaterstripping and storm windows. |