Paper-thin walls

[Fletcher22202]

Need some general advice on keeping an old single wide warm. We've got a good stove that should be able to keep a house twice the square feet warm, but the house is seriously thin walled and cold comes in from everywhere. The trailer is skirted aside from a few spots that have given us trouble, but those will be finished soon which I know should help. Seriously considering buying sheets of insulation and stapling them over all the windows from the inside (or at least the sliding glass door) because it is very clear we lose a significant amount of heat there. Honestly most the windows don't seal well. Its not the ideal house for most people to say the least. Solution does not have to be pretty. We will only be staying in it as long as we have to, and I don't think anyone will want to try and fix it up after. Its from the 70's and was built cheap in the first place.

That being said, looking for general advice on what we can do to get the darn thing sealed up or at least insulated a bit better, without spending a lot of money. If all goes well we just gotta make it through the winter and spring in this house. We've already burned more wood than expected cus the house will not hold any heat. As long as the stove is burning around 200-400 or higher we can keep it decent, but once stove temp drops below that the house is getting cold.

Thanks for reading

 

[EatenByLimestone]

200-400 is a low temp. Might want to check the flue to make sure it's clean.

Since this is a temporary place, I'd plastic and bubble wrap the windows to stop drafts. Maybe plywood over the problematic skirt areas.

If you can close off rooms, you can keep the place warmer.

 

[peakbagger]

I am big fan of sheets of foil faced Isoboard foam with foil tape to cover windows. Cut it tight to fit in the openings then push it in and cover the seams. The foil facing reflects heat back into the room. Definitely cover the sliding glass door, they are notorious for leaking air, they are close to leaving a window open. Whatever you do dont skimp on smoke detectors and CO detectors. Check your bathroom and kitchen vents to make sure the backflaps are working.

 

[coaly]

Heating isn’t all about the stove, the chimney is what makes the stove work. Then the surface temperature of each part of the stove radiating into the area determines output. So let’s make sure the stove is heating correctly first.

Does it have Class A insulated chimney outside?
Are you using a surface thermometer on the pipe or stove inside?

 

[zrock]

Plastic over the windows to stop any drafts, check your doors the older ones are famous for letting allot of air in, Underneath make sure their are no holes in the belly bag if so tape it up. if you have snow on the ground toss it up against the bottom of the skirting as you will always see the snow melted their and that's huge heat loss...

 

[ispinwool]

Well...we're still using our window quilts...here's the link with some shopping info :

Successful test

Quite awhile ago I'd mentioned that I was going to whip up "window quilts" to see if they'd make a difference in the temperature of our porch. It's currently -4° outside with the wind chill and we're comfy sitting here at roughly 68°-70°. I think I like how they turned out

www.hearth.com

The insulated fabric was much less expensive than thermal drapes and quite a bit thicker...but they aren't very pretty

 

[blades]

Just a note: your water lines runs along the heat ducks under the floor, which is fine as long as you use the furnace , with out the furnace running you will run the risk of them freezing- heat tapes help but are not always enough. personal experience with a 1980 unit similar to yours. your walls/ ceilings are made with 2x2's . mine had a bit of fiberglass insulation stuck in there- might as well not had any for the way it was installed, spent 7 years in that tin can till I could get myself back on my feet due to a divorce. pulled the interior paneling and put agricultural bubble ins. in the cavities- better r value than fiberglass for the depth, iirc the studs were not 16" on center on mine.

 

[clancey]

Ispinwool: the think that was a good idea "window quilts" and I would use heavier draperies so that I could draw them open--some people on those types of windows that do not open line the outside with some type of plastic or something like that for the winter time..just saying...clancey

 

[all night moe]

I lived in a tin can too, once. You are getting good advice here. When I moved in the 70s dated can I was in, the plumbing needed redoing from freezing. I ran them along the ceiling. I left mine exposed but one could easily put them in a chase. I also got square bails of hay. The following winter I replaced the bails because of deterioration and rodents. That time I cement faced them and restacked. I also covered them with some cheap tarps for a wind break through the joints. I kept the bedroom in the rear closed off and crashed on the couch during winter. I was by myself though.

 

[Fletcher22202]

Heating isn’t all about the stove, the chimney is what makes the stove work. Then the surface temperature of each part of the stove radiating into the area determines output. So let’s make sure the stove is heating correctly first.

Does it have Class A insulated chimney outside?
Are you using a surface thermometer on the pipe or stove inside?

Yes, it is a class a insulated chimney, and there is a magnetic (?) temperature gauge on the stove body

 

[Fletcher22202]

Just a note: your water lines runs along the heat ducks under the floor, which is fine as long as you use the furnace , with out the furnace running you will run the risk of them freezing- heat tapes help but are not always enough. personal experience with a 1980 unit similar to yours. your walls/ ceilings are made with 2x2's . mine had a bit of fiberglass insulation stuck in there- might as well not had any for the way it was installed, spent 7 years in that tin can till I could get myself back on my feet due to a divorce. pulled the interior paneling and put agricultural bubble ins. in the cavities- better r value than fiberglass for the depth, iirc the studs were not 16" on center on mine.

No furnace running. We put heat tape on the pipes and so far its been okay - not great. Will have to look into popping something in the paneling

 

[Fletcher22202]

I lived in a tin can too, once. You are getting good advice here. When I moved in the 70s dated can I was in, the plumbing needed redoing from freezing. I ran them along the ceiling. I left mine exposed but one could easily put them in a chase. I also got square bails of hay. The following winter I replaced the bails because of deterioration and rodents. That time I cement faced them and restacked. I also covered them with some cheap tarps for a wind break through the joints. I kept the bedroom in the rear closed off and crashed on the couch during winter. I was by myself though.

Not a bad idea haha we've talked about plopping a matress in the kitchen on the worst nights. Thats other part of the issue, the woodstove is in the kitchen so it stays plenty warm, the living room does okay but we lose lots of heat to the big sliding door. Down the hall the bathroom just stays closed and cold, and the bedroom has an electric radiator heater (not sure what its actually called.) At current temps of averaging a little below freezing we're doing okay, but this next week is supposed to be frigid

 

[Fletcher22202]

I am big fan of sheets of foil faced Isoboard foam with foil tape to cover windows. Cut it tight to fit in the openings then push it in and cover the seams. The foil facing reflects heat back into the room. Definitely cover the sliding glass door, they are notorious for leaking air, they are close to leaving a window open. Whatever you do dont skimp on smoke detectors and CO detectors. Check your bathroom and kitchen vents to make sure the backflaps are working.

Foil is a fantastic idea- this sounds like it could help a lot. We have CO detectors no smoke detectors though...

 

[Fletcher22202]

Well...we're still using our window quilts...here's the link with some shopping info :

Successful test

Quite awhile ago I'd mentioned that I was going to whip up "window quilts" to see if they'd make a difference in the temperature of our porch. It's currently -4° outside with the wind chill and we're comfy sitting here at roughly 68°-70°. I think I like how they turned out

www.hearth.com

These look great, is the fabric easy to find online or in store?

 

[peakbagger]

Years ago, I had an apartment with single pane windows with really poor air sealing. On cold days If I had exposed skin I could feel the cold from heat being sucked out the window. I installed 1/2" iso board in the openings and I could move my chair up almost against the window. Folks underestimate how much a single pane drafty window really impacts the conditions inside the house.

 

[Fletcher22202]

Years ago, I had an apartment with single pane windows with really poor air sealing. On cold days If I had exposed skin I could feel the cold from heat being sucked out the window. I installed 1/2" iso board in the openings and I could move my chair up almost against the window. Folks underestimate how much a single pane drafty window really impacts the conditions inside the house.

Good to know! That's relieving, as I think that is the main problem by far. the house has 9 windows and they're all single pan for sure. The stupid crank kind and most probably never sealed well brand new. Add a huge sliding door that we close with two cut 2x4's because it certainly doesn't seal on its own. I think looking into some covering will help immensly

 

[Rusty18]

+1 on getting windows covered. I’d try plastic so you still get light through but no draft. Just be careful about getting condensation in between the window and the plastic and causing rot/mold. We just have heavy drapes here and it’s enough that I’ll get water on the inside of the windows. They dry out during the day when drapes are open though so I’m not too worried about it, not sure I’d want to seal them completely up with plastic and keep it sealed till spring. Air tight with a little insulation goes a long ways. I used incense sticks here to track down my worst air leaks, some people use a blower door I used a raging fire with my stove doors open...

Another line of attack, not sure how you are for room around the stove but if you had some thermal mass around the stove it may help with the temp swings between reloads. In the shop we used cement blocks, not the greatest but it’s what we had.

Good luck and stay warm!

 

[stoveliker]

And please get at least one smoke detector. It might save your home. Or your life and that of your loved ones.
At big box stores (e.g. the orange or blue one) it won't cost too much.

And be sure to change the battery on time.

 

[tlc1976]

In my old house I nailed old blankets over the windows, and if there was room behind, I’d roll or fold up others to take up the space. Kept the drapes up, looked a little better too. Made a huge difference. I had saved the old roofing nails from my previous roof job so it was free. Did this every winter.

I’d close off all rooms except the core of the house with the pipes (thankfully the kitchen and bathroom and laundry were together at house center). Keep water running slowly, sometimes still would get ice in my tub. Sealed crawl space got mighty cold with no furnace running.

 

[Max W]

If you have a flat enough surface area around your slider and windows you might look at using velcro whether to hold foil faced rigid insulation or insulated drapes. That can make it easy to open for healthy daytime light. For a quick help put a blanket over the sliders and even heavy curtains over the windows. While there is little insulation value you will definitely feel a difference as that will block some radiant loss. If you go for plastic, the kits with the clear plastic and double sided tape that you shrink tight with a hair drier make are much nicer to live with than rolled or sheet poly. They make these kits slider sized. It may be a combination of plastic and a blanket over the slider will work. For someone living in a hard to heat trailer and not planning to be there long enough for major improvements the three most important things may be to keep your water from freezing, think safety and strive to keep your attitude up beat. After you have done what you can, yes, bring out that mattress as needed, bundle up, cuddle up, read or watch tv by the stove and look ahead to warmer and better times. Kinda been where you are physically for two winters but with small kids, a small stove, enough electric power for lights and a radio and cold enough outside and in that water in a bucket on the floor would be iced in the morning.

 

[Corey]

Have lived in a few cold/drafty houses. An extra layer of clothing / extra blanket was often the best and cheapest way to fight the chill. Obviously long pants / long sleeve shirt, but beyond that, some nice wool socks and house shoes/slippers, often a second or third layer for a shirt, ideally if one of those is hooded, or even wear a sock hat. Or even take a look back to earlier times and wear a heavy house robe.

As far as the stove, I didn't see or maybe missed, but do you have any fans on it or pointed at it? If not, a small fan will turn a radiant room heating stove into a whole-house furnace. Ideally you want to avoid any high heat zones, especially with minimal insulation in the house. What I mean by that: with no fan, the stove would make a plume of hot air rising straight up to the ceiling. That hot air doesn't do anyone any good up there and the heat can quickly be lost to the "attic" (or outdoors in your case) If you use a fan to stir the air, more of that heat can go into the room where people are and because there are no 'hot spots' at the ceiling, the overall heat transfer outside is much less.

 

[semipro]

As far as mods to the trailer I'd prioritize highest to lowest:

• Make sure your wood stove is working well. Keep in mind that wood above 20% moisture may not burn hot. Many think their wood is well seasoned when it's not.
• Address obvious air leaks in the trailer first (doors, windows, etc.)
• Add insulation where it's most needed like on single-pane windows.

 

[clancey]

Get a great big wide bathrobe--you use one arm and your wife use the other and just snuggle on this Christmas day and get some irish coffee and watch the fire if it is working okay that will keep you warm...clancey Merry Christmas

 

[all night moe]

Not a bad idea haha we've talked about plopping a matress in the kitchen on the worst nights. Thats other part of the issue, the woodstove is in the kitchen so it stays plenty warm, the living room does okay but we lose lots of heat to the big sliding door. Down the hall the bathroom just stays closed and cold, and the bedroom has an electric radiator heater (not sure what its actually called.) At current temps of averaging a little below freezing we're doing okay, but this next week is supposed to be frigid

I did mean to say that I used the square bails, outside, along the skirting/
Case of brain fade left that out of the post.
Hope you are staying warm. Cold spell incoming.

 

[Fletcher22202]

Have lived in a few cold/drafty houses. An extra layer of clothing / extra blanket was often the best and cheapest way to fight the chill. Obviously long pants / long sleeve shirt, but beyond that, some nice wool socks and house shoes/slippers, often a second or third layer for a shirt, ideally if one of those is hooded, or even wear a sock hat. Or even take a look back to earlier times and wear a heavy house robe.

As far as the stove, I didn't see or maybe missed, but do you have any fans on it or pointed at it? If not, a small fan will turn a radiant room heating stove into a whole-house furnace. Ideally you want to avoid any high heat zones, especially with minimal insulation in the house. What I mean by that: with no fan, the stove would make a plume of hot air rising straight up to the ceiling. That hot air doesn't do anyone any good up there and the heat can quickly be lost to the "attic" (or outdoors in your case) If you use a fan to stir the air, more of that heat can go into the room where people are and because there are no 'hot spots' at the ceiling, the overall heat transfer outside is much less.

We've got one of those little thermal activated fans on the stove top, but finding it didn't do much, we set up a box fan to blow air right over the stove into the living room. It helps considerably with moving the heat.