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For any of you who got mad and said it is normal, please read the news. 6 people died, schools got closed, pipes burst, cars wouldnt start, etc! In fact some records were broken that day! This is no ordinary cold but a freaky strange record breaking cold spell!
Need_affordable_home - fair enough, but I've lived up north for 30 years, every few years there are "record breaking cold spells" that kill people. I've lived through many of them and heard similar news reports for each one. This particular cold snap is not extraordinary, I vividly recall two worse that I've dealt with. Schools close, pipes burst, people freeze to death, and cars don't start every few years due to cold, those are the facts. Every single year there are a least a few cold related deaths in the city I live in. Every single year.
Interestingly enough, the most people who died as a result of the weather in Chicago was during 1995 heat wave, that killed 600 people.
yea ill be leaving the space underneath the door and if theres any small leaks by the window, im leaving them alone. Should I also open the door once a day and leave it open for like 10 seconds to allow fresh air in the house?
You don't need to measure the time of leaving your doors open.
Simply by going outside once a day get the mail or newspaper brings a lot of fresh air in.
If you have a dog that needs walking, even better. That very cold air seems to funnel itself inside quicker than regular not-so-cold air. Just like if it was 100 F instead of 80 F outside and 72 F inside.
Northerners do not go outside in a t shirt when it's 50.
It all depends on where you live, and the actual individuals who live there.
Where I live, we have a few weird/hardy people who will wear t-shirts and sometimes shorts when it's in the 40's. Most people who live here like to wear long sleeves if it's not at least 55 F or higher.
I've seen on TV about people in Alaska. There were some kids playing baseball in t-shirts and jeans and it was SNOWING! It must have been around 40 F or colder but they didn't seem to mind...
But there's still the fact that individuals can be way different from the norm. I'm sure there's probably some Alaskans, even among the native born who will probably not wear short sleeves below 60 F.
Last edited by ColdCanadian; 02-06-2007 at 08:33 AM..
I know 60 degrees no problem except the bill but still it shouldnt be high, one guy was selling a nice big 3800 square feet house for $135k and his heating bill was only $220 a month. Those cheap $50k houses of say 1800 square feet would see bills of about $150. I will make the house airtight if it isnt already when time comes to purchase it. Old houses are just fine, most of them have been modernized and are just as good as a new house for much cheaper.
weather com is a great website to check the average temperatures. Woodsfield, OH is only about 3 degrees warmer than Oil city, PA. Theres some areas in souhern WV that are like 10 degrees milder than Oil city, PA.
By the way, is it true that OH has a high tax burden? Ive been told to choose WV or PA for the lower taxes.
I actually want a four season climate, just not something extreme cold like MN or ND. Oil city is the coldest ill deal with. FL has the same problem but with heat and im sick and tired of the heat! Many other reasons I want out of FL. Take care
Well if you have a super insulated air tight house then they install an air exchange system that allows the house to "Breathe". Basically it is a fan / air heat exchanger system. One of the problems can be a build up of radon in some locations. It is just a way of pumping some makeup air into the house continuously, you don't want to depend on cracks and opening door, etc. All about controlling heat loss. Think you are being hopeful with bills that low for most older houses without a very good make over by someone who pays attention to the details.
Those cold snaps are also Momma Natures way of pest control. It kills off a lot of bugs / eggs / larva. In MA the gypsy moths went wild if you had too many warm winters. Might also kill off some Southerns.
Also think you are putting way to much faith in this idea of a buyer doing super modernization of an older house and then selling it for peanuts. Getting any older house that has been upgraded is a crap-shoot. You usually want one that has been done well all in one go. Not all houses are the same. Anybody that does a lot of good work should usually know what it is worth. Just the upgrades will cost more than you want to pay.
Don't go believing data type information about weather to the Nth degree. Oil City and Woodsfield are in different weather systems. Monroe county usually never gets the Northern flow patterns off the lakes like Oil City will. Many people do not seem to understand this concept of microclimates and how just a small distance can yield such different weather results, even within one particular state or even within as small an area as one county. Columbiana and Woodsfield have totally different weather and they are only about 130 miles apart, the data stuff is not a good indication of what a person would actually experience.
Don't know where you are getting the info about taxes. Both WV & PA will have more hassle factor. Both will mess around with your car, both have car inspections and lots of the other mind bending exercises. I don't see many people moving from Ohio to WV / PA. Lots coming the other way for a reason.
This would be a good time frame to get some Boots on the Ground time in the North. Nothing like experiencing the actual location at the extreme periods. Theory is only good to a certain point.
This cold snap in FL also points up the difference and how one feels it. Lake Placid has been down in the 50's. No heat is turned on, I am comfortable. The dog will go out for walks no problems. A lot of it is how it warms up in the day and how quick it cools off once the sun goes down. The FL climate does not act like a more northern climate. You need to get the Boots on the Ground.
yea ill be leaving the space underneath the door and if theres any small leaks by the window, im leaving them alone. Should I also open the door once a day and leave it open for like 10 seconds to allow fresh air in the house?
Don't go too overboard like that leaks around the windows should be sealed, because that can cause the wood to rot.
For any of you who got mad and said it is normal, please read the news. 6 people died, schools got closed, pipes burst, cars wouldnt start, etc! In fact some records were broken that day! This is no ordinary cold but a freaky strange record breaking cold spell!
Unfortunately this is still normal. Heaters stop working, people stay outside too long, old pipes do burst, and new ones do if you don't let water run through them to keep it from freezing.
For any of you who got mad and said it is normal, please read the news. 6 people died, schools got closed, pipes burst, cars wouldnt start, etc! In fact some records were broken that day! This is no ordinary cold but a freaky strange record breaking cold spell!
Are you INSANE? Do you know anything about a real winter here?
-People die from the cold all the time, every year
-Schools close at least a few times a year
-Cars won't start, um, that's the most ridiculous one. that definetly happens yearly.
Some records may have been broken but this was just an ordinary blast of cold. Why is it so hard to swallow that these cold blasts come several times every year?
I just find it ludicrous that he's calling this a freak blast of cold. It's funny.
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but still it shouldnt be high, one guy was selling a nice big 3800 square feet house for $135k and his heating bill was only $220 a month. Those cheap $50k houses of say 1800 square feet would see bills of about $150. I will make the house airtight if it isnt already when time comes to purchase it. Old houses are just fine, most of them have been modernized and are just as good as a new house for much cheaper.
