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Across the Fence:  Another use for aluminum foil and duct tape...  |
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melanie47601
True Blue Farmgirl
1949 Posts
Melanie
Boonville
IN
USA
1949 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 19 2008 : 11:02:40 PM
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I wasn't really sure where to out this.
Me and the kiddos live in a 14 x 70 mobile home. The way it's... umm.... parked, we get the morning sun in the front of the house and the blazin hot afternoon sun in the back.
We have central air and 4 fans going and it was still only cooling to about 85-90 degrees. Well yesterday was the kicker. I took a short nap and when I woke up it was 100 degrees. It was cooler outside then inside!!
I have racked my mind all summer trying to think of a way to cool this place down and hopefully save my electric bill from becoming as inflated as the gas prices. (Although I heard oil prices plumeted the other day and experts are wondering if this could be the end of high gas prices for now. Keep your fingers crossed gals!!) So as I lay there, stretched across the bed in the sweltering heat, the wheels started to turn. Comically I thought of a gigantic mirror to cover the entire backside of my home to reflect the sunlight. But then my little joke made sense. Duct tape the shiny side of the aluminum foil to the glass facing the outside. But I had to do it on the inside of the windows so the weather wouldn't do it in. It looks really ugly but it works miracles. Thank goodness it's on the backside of the house and you can't see it from the road! For the first time all summer my house has actually gotten down to 72 degrees!!
Before I put on my new "reflectors", if you had put your hand behind the drapes and the blinds it would feel like an oven, now it's completely cool!
Also while I was playing fix it gal, I took the cover off the a/c unit (I shut the breaker off first of course) and hosed it out real good. You wouldn't believe how much crud can build up on the coils.
Aluminum foil and duct tape??? Is that farmgirl or redneck?? Whatever it is it works
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart. Helen Keller "http://wheelsarealwaysturning.blogspot.com/ ~shop~ http://www.brokenin.ecrater.com/ |
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Mommyswanson
True Blue Farmgirl
463 Posts
Laura
Waukegan
IL
USA
463 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 05:15:21 AM
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Good For you!!! Necessity is the mother of invention!
Laura
"That which does not kill us makes us strong!" "I cast all my cares upon you Lord." |
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Ga Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
2355 Posts
Karen
Meansville
Ga.
USA
2355 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 05:20:41 AM
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Great job, and if it saves you money even better! Karen
Create in me a pure heart,O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalms 51:10 http://farmgirlingastyle.blogspot.com/ |
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Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl
3890 Posts
Karin
Ellenwood
GA
USA
3890 Posts |
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lisamarie508
True Blue Farmgirl
2648 Posts
Lisa
Idaho City
ID
USA
2648 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 05:26:28 AM
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You know, Melanie, I've had the same thought about doing that very thing to my kitchen window that faces West because my kitchen gets REALLY warm in the afternoon without even turning on the oven. However, that same window faces the road and I don't think I could stand to block the light and view from my kitchen sink, anyway, so I continue to tolerate the heat in the kitchen.
But, then I don't have ac in my house. I really don't need it. We have an old ash tree on the southwest corner of the house that shades most of it (the house is L shaped and the kitchen is the bottom of the L) and keeps it fairly cool all day. Then when the sun starts going down, we open all the windows and the night air (anywhere from 36-50 degrees) cools the house back down to about 60 or so. I really hope that tree lives a long, long time. I planted 2 nut trees a couple years ago in front of the kitchen window so that someday, they will be big enough to shade the kitchen.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
my blog: http://lisamariesbasketry.blogspot.com/
My Website:
http://www.freewebs.com/lisamariesbasketry/index.htm |
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yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 05:31:47 AM
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Great job!
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Jesus was a feminist!
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farmgirl #71 Linda in PA |
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yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 05:35:45 AM
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When I lived in Alaska we had to cover the windows with tin foil just to keep the light out so we could sleep in the summer. Dark most of the time (daytime) in winter and light most of the "night" in summer.
There were dark shades made but nothing worked as well as tin foil so all the homes used it...even the fanciest.
The edges let light in on all shades so the foil could be pushed into the corners all around.
Go tin foil!
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Jesus was a feminist!
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farmgirl #71 Linda in PA |
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electricdunce
True Blue Farmgirl
2544 Posts
Karin
Belmont
ME
USA
2544 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 09:26:46 AM
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You are a genius. I tack things up over the windows, but aluminum foil and duct tape never occurred to me. Ih Maine if you have a tool kit, the two most important tools are a hammer and duct tape ( well, that's my toolkit)
Karin
Farmgirl Sister #153
"Give me shelter from the storm" - Bob Dylan
http://moodranch.blogspot.com
http://domesticnonsense.etsy.com |
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clux64
True Blue Farmgirl
162 Posts
Celeste
Blair
NE
USA
162 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2008 : 10:02:18 AM
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This works in campers too...sometimes you just don't have a choice as in which direction your 'parked.' We used to use a reflective blanket as a drape on the sunny side of our tent as well when we tent camped.
Celeste
"No matter where you go, there you are"
--Confucious
www.urbanprairiehome.blogspot.com
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Carol Sue
True Blue Farmgirl
4033 Posts
Carol Sue
Washingtonian
USA
4033 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2008 : 12:18:04 AM
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Never thought of doing it for our camper, I have for windows on houses before.....
listening to the quiet moments
Farmgirl #39
www.Quitemoments.blogspot.com |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2008 : 06:01:34 AM
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we lived in an A frame house on a mountainside in Colorado .. it had a southern exposure .. there was some sort of WONDERFUL commercial 'film' that covered the entire glass side of the house .. you didn't even know it was there .. and you could SEE right through it. You could see OUT of it but not IN .. and when you stood outside .. the view behind you was reflected in it. gave us DOUBLE MOUNTAINS. not at all unattractive cuz' you didn't even see the film. AND it did indeed keep our house from getting at all hot inside. I'll have to ask hank if he remembers what it was made of. have any of you ever heard of this 'film' before? my most memorable memory was NIGHT-TIME .. cuz' if you had the lights off inside your home .. you COULD see outside . and the wonderous Colorado snows looked like they were coming right into the house. We used to all just sit (or lie) in front of the windows pretending we were IN the snowstorm. xo
True Friends * Frannie
adopt a 'rag-chile'
http://sistermercysfoundlinhome.blogspot.com
treasures .. new and olde .. http://mudpiemanormercantile.blogspot.com
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Jul 21 2008 : 06:05:10 AM
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You mean other than keeping my house together? Ha ha, but I do use alot of it :)...
I agree with Karin in Georgia, sounds like pure farmgirl to me! Very inventive, and very sensible, to boot!
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2008 : 6:07:12 PM
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We did something similar one year when we had an apartment that had two huge windows facing east and all the other windows either south or west. It would get so hot in there! The siding was medium blue and all the carpets were dark blue. I can still feel how hot it was! We took some cardboard boxes and taped the aluminum foil down and put them in the window. It really helped a lot in combination with that and the blinds.
I can't wait to harvest the solar energy this winter though!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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Betty J.
True Blue Farmgirl
1404 Posts
Betty
Pasco
WA
USA
1404 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2008 : 6:17:27 PM
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Melanie, I have my AC set at 80°F in the house and heat at 70°F in the winter. My mom liked in a MFH similar to size of yours and she was always having trouble. Her AC ran constantly in the summer and sometimes it was like a refrigerator she had it set so low. She also used your method, but I'm not to sure about the duct tape. I don't know what her bill was because she said she was comfortable.
It cooled down here today and was only 86°F high temp with sunshine and clear skies. Supposed to be up in the high 90's tomorrow and the humidity only about 12%.
I complain about the heat and complain about the cold--no getting around me!
Betty in Pasco |
Edited by - Betty J. on Jul 22 2008 6:18:20 PM |
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melanie47601
True Blue Farmgirl
1949 Posts
Melanie
Boonville
IN
USA
1949 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2008 : 6:43:44 PM
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Hi Betty!! That's close to what I keep my thermostat on. I had it on 70 just for the one night cause I wanted to see if my house would actually cool to that temp. But for real during the summer I run the a/c at 80 and in the winter I keep it at 65. My problem is I have way too many windows. 15 windows and 4 of those are very large windows!! They are old and drafty. The aluminum foil so far is working pretty good. The house is now staying at least 12 degrees cooler than it was. I really don't think the aluminu foil will do anything to help this winter with the draft. If I'm still here this winter I'm contemplating some type of insulation to cover some of the windows with. Hmmmm Still a thought in progress...
I won't know how it's affecting my electric bill till next month,
Melanie
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart. Helen Keller "http://wheelsarealwaysturning.blogspot.com/ ~shop~ http://www.brokenin.ecrater.com/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2008 : 8:23:00 PM
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Melanie- You should consider shrink wrapping the drafty windows (they have kits at most stores once the temps start dropping) and I am going to post a tutorial on how to make cheap but effective insulated drapes sometime in the next month or so!!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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melanie47601
True Blue Farmgirl
1949 Posts
Melanie
Boonville
IN
USA
1949 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2008 : 05:29:31 AM
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Alee~ I saw the shrink wrap last fall. I had never tried it before so I wasn't sure how well it would work. I'll at again when it comes back out on the shelves. Last winter I did sheets of plastic stapled over the windows. Oh my wasn't that pretty- NOT. But ya gotta do what works and saves ya money.
Melanie
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart. Helen Keller "http://wheelsarealwaysturning.blogspot.com/ ~shop~ http://www.brokenin.ecrater.com/ |
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yarnmamma
True Blue Farmgirl
4247 Posts
Linda
Clarks Summit
PA
USA
4247 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2008 : 05:38:44 AM
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When my husband installed shrink wrap I think it was shrunk by using hair dryer and after it is installed it worked well and we could also see out the window! I think you should try it.
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Jesus was a feminist!
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farmgirl #71 Linda in PA |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jul 23 2008 : 06:14:29 AM
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Yup! You put up the plastic and use a hairdryer on it. It creates a taunt film. It stops drafts and gives you the equivalent of double glazed windows. I really like it. And as soon as I can unbury my sewing machine I will have my husband or neighbor take photos of me making some low cost- high quality insulating drapes for winter. You'll love it! I just know it!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com |
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Suzan
True Blue Farmgirl
659 Posts
suzanne
duncannon
pa
USA
659 Posts |
Posted - Jul 26 2008 : 5:49:32 PM
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| Alee, Please do! I said that by this winter I would have insulating drapes in my living room so I would love any tips you can offer! |
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Across the Fence: Another use for aluminum foil and duct tape... |
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Another use for aluminum foil and duct tape...
