The magic of plastic bubblewrap

[susieM]

It is cheap and effective insulation. It goes up anywhere, with just a flick of a staplegun.

I have windows which are made of very thin glass. Sometimes they break or crack, or the caulking around them falls loose (my house is old). I used to put temporary cardboard in the place of the broken windowpanes, but I've discovered that plastic bubblewrap...mine has bubbles that are about three to the inch... works even better, and lets the light in, too. Plus I don't have to see the tourists walking down my street or my neighbors anymore...I've put two layers on the windows. Can't feel the cold through the windows, anymore!

The Christmas Tree is a fake one this year (the kids insisted on a fake one...where have I gone wrong?!)..I manipulated the branches to flatten the back and put it up against a window that has two if it's panes missing, and just covered with bubblewrap. This tree has icicles hanging on the branches, plastic skinny ones...and NOT ON OF THEM FLUTTERS IN A BREEZE!

I have a little bench-type of seat against one wall. It was forever giving me trouble with dampness on the bolster pillows that leaned on the wall...to the extent of trashing the fabric of them (there's saltpeter in the walls here, it creeps up to about a meter high and bubbles out of the walls). So I stapled up a back of bubblewrap, and VOILA! No damp on the cushions and more comfortable, too. I toy with the idea of doing all the walls in this rock house, but maybe the house has to breathe.

This is an open-plan house (it wasn't meant to be, but I tore down all the walls and never got around to putting them back up), and there are two sets of staircases that go all the way up to the top floor. Heat rises and cold sinks...bubblewrap works nicely as room and level dividers, too. Maybe I'll use it as attic insulation one day...at less than .50 cents a square meter, it'll be cheaper than the aluminum-backed bubblewrap insulation sold at the do-it-yourself shop.

It helps deaden sound a bit, too, on the windows...I can still hear the outside, but it's muffled. I'm wondering if it could be helpful to safety-pin a sheet of it behind curtains?

I staple it on bubble-side out, leaving me with the smooth edge inwards...mosty as a deterrent to the kids wanting to pop the bubbles. I've only recently done it, against the cold...but I imagine that it'll help against the heat of the summer, as well.

Later in the year, when we go up into the Pyrennees to play in the snow, I'll put my feet into a bag of bubblewrap, between socks and boots, and have warm and waterproof toes.

Anyone else use this magic stuff or have ideas for it?

[Jonesie]

Re: The magic of plastic bubblewrap

Thanks for the ideas.
I have a big roll of bubblewrap. Three years ago, the lowest price I found locally was at Home Depot in the USA.

It comes in a big box. In an emergency I can see where it would come in handy to cover windows to help keep out the cold. (Now I must go out and buy A LOT of extra tape....sigh.)

Here's a link showing current sellers and prices:

http://www.nextag.com/bubble-wrap/search-html

It is probably sold on ebay also.

[susieM]

Re: The magic of plastic bubblewrap

Try a staplegun, instead of tape....it's less messy, and quicker.

[gsgs]

Re: The magic of plastic bubblewrap

can it also be used in Do-It-Yourself to make lodgements airtight,airproof
against incoming air which could contain viruses ?
And pollen-proof for allergic people ?
And safe against small insects ?

All incoming air would go through a Hepa-filter.



do they exist with self-adhesive (glue-)surface (maybe only at the borders) ?
Since they are space-intensive, can you get a machine to create them when needed
yourself from PE-raw material ?
Can they be used as carpets,mattresses, cloths, ... in a pandemic ?

How did you find all these English expressions ? I had to look up: bubblewrap,staplegun,..
still don't know icicles,insulation,...

[susieM]

Re: The magic of plastic bubblewrap

Icicles are those little plastic silver-coloured strings that you hang onto christmas trees...it used to be called tinsel and be made out of tin, then it was made from aluminum, but that proved to be too dangerous to the kitties who would sometimes eat it, after plaing and batting it with their paws from the decorated tree.

Insulation is things that insulate the house walls and inside of the roof...rockwool, sheets of batting, rolls of fiberglass, sheets of polystyrene, and lately...bubblewrap sandwiched between thin sheets of foil stuff.

[DRJJ]

Re: The magic of plastic bubblewrap

Icicles are those little plastic silver-coloured strings that you hang onto christmas trees...it used to be called tinsel and be made out of tin, then it was made from aluminum, but that proved to be too dangerous to the kitties who would sometimes eat it, after plaing and batting it with their paws from the decorated tree.

Icicles ornaments are a stylized representations of Ice spears (long skinny cones) which form outside from melting ice and hang down from roof edges in shimmering, albeit dangerous splendor. When I was little the Christmas tree icicles were made of lead. They were beautiful.

Happy New Year everyone...

[susieM]

Re: The magic of plastic bubblewrap

I remember ornaments like that made from thin, thin, glass.

[Sally Furniss]

Re: The magic of plastic bubblewrap

Plugging the gaps

Older homes can be very draughty. Draughtstopping doors and windows is inexpensive, but will make a huge difference to your comfort and your heating bill. Another notorious gap is an unused open fire. Block up that chimney simply with a rubbish bag of shredded newspapers and you will feel the difference.


Windows

Are you losing heat through your windows? - YES!

A lot of heat escapes through windows. Solutions include generously fitting lined or thermal curtains. ( in NZ Community Energy Action (CEA) provides households on low incomes with recycled curtains free of charge). Plastic window kits, also available from CEA, act as double-glazing and are relatively inexpensive and simple to install.

Plastic Window Kits

Plastic window kits are affordable alternatives to double glazing for doors and windows. They contain sheets of plastic film, which looks like cling-film, but is slightly thicker. The kit also comes with double-sided tape, and you use this to tape the wooden framing (around the window pane). You then cut out the plastic to fit the size of your window frame and fix it to the tape. Finally, you blow a hair dryer on the plastic, which shrinks it so that it is very tight.

The fitted plastic creates the air-tight gap that double-glazed windows have, which ensures that hot and cold air do not come into direct contact on your window pane. They cannot be used on most aluminium-framed windows and doors, as there is not enough of a gap between the window frame and the glass to work effectively.

Because they have been shrunk with a hair dryer to fit the window, they cannot be reused on other windows once fitted. The kits are meant to last one winter season, but there are accounts of households in Canterbury that have been using them for several seasons now.

Benefits

Plastic window insulation helps stop indoor heat escaping and largely prevents condensation from forming on the window (it won't form on the plastic either). For maximum benefit it is important to follow the instructions on the pack.
Heat loss and retention

A lot of heat gets lost through windows - 24% of the heat in an uninsulated house. Normal double-glazing prevents 50% of that heat being lost, and plastic window kits prevent 30% of that heat being lost. Using them in conjunction with thermally-lined curtains and pelmets is the best way to keep heat from escaping through your windows and doors.

[susieM]

Re: The magic of plastic bubblewrap

I tried that plastic window stuff, once. It is okay, but there are some problems with it...

The tape ruins the window edges, and to get it to look nice ever again, you have to sand them down and paint it all over again. I prefer the small holes that the staples make.

If a kid pokes their fingers through the stuff, it has to be done all over again. And that includes the tape, which won't stick so well the second time around...and has to be all removed brfore appling a second time.

Sometimes, the windows still get condensation between the plastic and the glass, which hasn't happened with the bubblewrap.

If you have a cracked pane, it must be replaced or taped before sticking the plastic on, or the condensation will not onl ruin the effect, but will build up mould on the inside of the window. With bubblewrap, a cracked or even broken or even non-existant pane doesn't bother it at all...it's still dry and warm in the house...although I've put double layers over cracked and broken and no-pane windows, just to be sure.

You must also have electricity and an electric hair-drier to install the plastic sheet and tape...after it's applied, you 'blow dry' it, and with the heat, the stuff shrinks.

Bubblewrap is much cheaper, easier to apply, easier to care for, and it works better. It's not all that opaque, either, with just one layer.

[Jonesie]

Re: The magic of plastic bubblewrap

HERE'S ANOTHER PRODUCT THAT MAY HELP:

"Another hint for staying warm: Home Depot and similar stores have a product in rolls called Reflectix that can be used over windows, to make tents, on feet, inside a sleeping bag, or as a body wrap. It's space blanket material with a thin insulation core. Love the stuff."

POST #5:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14667

[Jonesie]

Re: The magic of plastic bubblewrap

Some people here are recommending a 1 or 2 man tent in which to sleep for more warmth.

Why can't a bubble wrap tent-like enclosure be made around ones bed, so that one can sleep more comfortably? UV plastic pipes are easy to cut and glue together into a frame to encompass a bed. Then bubblewrap could envelop the entire frame with bed inside.

I don't like the idea of sleeping on a cold hard floor in a sleeping bag for months on end.

I would think that sleeping on a mattress elevated above a cold floor would be better.

The whole entire bed underneath could be wrapped in fat bubblewrap.
Now, would there be too much moisture buildup during the night?
Of would it escape through the seams?

I am in the procees now of buying down comforters and wool blankets, wool clothing, & wool socks to deal with frigid temperatures, should I lose my source of heat. And I am buying sheepskin boots, mittens, slippers and hats.

I have occasionally been turning my heat down to 55F to see what changes need to be made in the clothing and bedding area. It is surprising how much more items I need to stock up on.
Do turn your heat down to 55F to see what I mean. It is a real eye-opener.
I was definitely a candidate for 'indoor hypothermia'.
Should you lose your alternative fuel or your heaters be stolen or fail, and you are not prepared with adequate clothing and bedding, you may well die from hypothermia ... if you live where the temperature drops below 65F.

Most of the sheepskin items I have purchased are manufactured in Australia and New Zealand. They will close their ports down in a pandemic. So look in the internet for stores near you NOW for these items.
Ebay has a lot of the items for sale also.. A little more reasonably priced than stores.
The trade in feathers and down may be halted when H5N1 gets to be a greater problem. So buy your feather beds and down comforters NOW.

FEATHERS, DOWN, FUR, SHEEPSKIN AND WOOL ARE THE BEST INSULATORS.
(Geeze...Where are the cavemen when we really need their advice?)

And if you are strapped for cash, try the local resale shops where you can find $150 sweaters and $400 down comforters for $5 - $15US each.

To get through a 3 year period of economic slowdown and shortages, one will need over 1 dozen socks, 1 dozen sweaters, and numerous blankets, comforters, hats, mittens, shoes, boots, and slippers. Thats a big financial outlay....sigh

MORE ON HYPOTHERMIA:

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14667

[susieM]

Re: The magic of plastic bubblewrap

My kids love to sleep in tents, even indoors. I bought them each a small tent...just big enough to fit a single-sized mattress into. The tents are the kind that have rods inside, not the kind that need to be pegged into the ground. I slid their mattresses into the tent, and then put the tent-bed onto the bedsprings...although maybe a couple of wooden pallets or a few bales of hay or straw might've worked as well (anything that raises the mattress up a bit and lets air circulate underneath)...and VOILA! Camping at home in the comfort and warmth of you own tent. A wind-up flashlight each, and they go to bed happy.

These kinds of tents also exist in double-bed size.