Tag: Heat

Categories
Cottage Life

Cottage Q&A: Pros and cons of running a furnace fan

By Daniel Krason/Shutterstock

What are the pros and cons of running a furnace fan when away from the cottage? I am looking to save on hydro but I worry about moisture buildup.—Ruta Valaitis, via email

Well, there’s really just the one major pro and the one major con. And you already know what they are. “Air circulation is almost always a good idea, but a furnace fan can be expensive,” says Don Fugler, an Ottawa building scientist. “Depending on the fan motor and its setting, a circulation fan can use from 300 to 1,500 watts continuously.” (That said, it might be possible for you to make some adjustments to the unit, for example, replacing the fan motor with one that’s more efficient.) 

10 wood-burning stoves that will make you want to ditch your furnace

But, “here is one interesting fact,” says Fugler. “If you heat your cottage with electricity during the winter to keep it above freezing, the furnace fan electricity use will not add greatly to that cost. Those 300 to 1,500 watts of fan electricity will simply offset 300 to 1,500 watts of electric heating.” (This is assuming that your furnace runs on electricity, not natural gas, oil, or propane.)

So, if you regularly visit your cottage in the winter, it might be beneficial to leave the heat on low when you’re away—Fugler suggests at least 5°C—along with running the fan. Bonus: this’ll probably make the cottage visit more pleasant, certainly when you first arrive. “If you let the cottage go down to -10°C, or whatever ambient temperature is in the vicinity, it will take all weekend for the surfaces and bedding to get up to comfortable temperatures,” says Fugler.

Have you had moisture problems before? “Existing conditions are the best indication of the need for more ventilation,” says Fugler. “When people ask if they should add more attic vents, I ask if they have had to replace roof boards or sheathing due to rot.”

4 winter catastrophes and how to prevent them

Air circulation will help to minimize localized moisture problems, says Fugler—for example, window condensation that drips down onto the windowsill. But no fan in the universe will prevent moisture buildup if water is getting into the cottage from, say, leaks or a high water table. You’d want to resolve those problems before trying any ventilation solutions.

This article was originally published in the Winter 2022 issue of Cottage Life.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

Build it, fix it, get it done!

Get Dockside DIY, for tips on how to maintain your cottage…and then some

Sign up here

Categories
Cottage Life

Cottage Q&A: Did we get more dock spiders this year?

By valleyboi63/Shutterstock

I swear that there were more dock spiders at my cottage this summer (as compared to last summer). Is that true? Did we have more dock spiders this year?—Phoebe Will, via email

The short answer? Maybe. “In the absence of a bona fide regular population monitoring program—such as there are for birds or pest insects, for example—spider population fluctuations over time are difficult to determine,” says Robb Bennett, a spider biologist with the Royal BC Museum (and a fan of Cottage Life—he was wearing our dock spider sweatshirt when he addressed your question!). But it’s possible. “Various factors, weather especially, can cause major changes in population numbers. Here on the left coast, unseasonably cool, damp weather has apparently negatively affected population levels of many insects, spiders, and plants this year,” says Bennett.

Wild Profile: Meet the dock spider

If the weather in your neck of the woods has been warm and humid, and the temperature and relative humidity were “markedly different than last year” dock spider populations may also have changed, says Bennett. “There are also cascading effects, for example, if prey species are on the rise, then their predators may benefit.”

Brad Hubley, the entomology collection manager at the Royal Ontario Museum, agrees. A milder winter, followed by a warmer spring and summer, “could provide favourable conditions for the development of prey that dock spiders feed upon, such as flies and mayflies.” More spider prey, more spiders.

Of course, the experts can’t rule out that your perception may have played a role in this reported dock spider increase. It’s possible that you were simply paying more attention to the presence of dock spiders this year, says Hubley. “Once you saw one of them, you may have then been noticing more of them without even realizing it.”

10 amazing facts about dock spiders

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

Categories
Cottage Life

Cottage Q&A: Heating half a room

By sf_freelance/Shutterstock

We have a large dining room. How can I put in a temporary structure that will allow me to cut off half the room so I don’t have to heat the whole thing?—Spatially Challenged

Sticking a new structure in there sounds complicated. And unnecessary. But sectioning off part of the room and heating only that space is totally doable.

How much money and effort do you want to spend on this project? Options range from simple and visually appealing (thermal curtains hung from a rod) to simple and ugly (thick plastic) to more labour-intensive but still decent looking (building a temporary wall with a series of structural insulated panels). A basic SIP is rigid foam (such as extruded polystyrene) sandwiched between some kind of sheet material (such as panelling or beadboard). The sheets extend beyond the foam to create flanges for screws to attach one SIP to another, or to 2x4s. You could screw the 2x4s to the floor, ceiling, and walls and then slide the SIPs in place.

The problem with a temporary solution is that it’s…temporary. And since curtains offer no vapour barrier, you could get frost and eventually mould (don’t hang any luxury brocade). As an attractive and multi-use option, architect Dale Parkes, a senior lecturer at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., recommends a set of well-insulated double swing doors. These could split the dining room in two whenever you want. “You can order them in many sizes from almost any hardware store,” says Parkes. And if you’re handy, you can install them yourself.

Check with your building department. A curtain won’t require a permit, but constructing a temporary wall may.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

Categories
Cottage Life

Cottage Q&A: Heating half a room

By sf_freelance/Shutterstock

We have a large dining room. How can I put in a temporary structure that will allow me to cut off half the room so I don’t have to heat the whole thing?—Spatially Challenged

Sticking a new structure in there sounds complicated. And unnecessary. But sectioning off part of the room and heating only that space is totally doable.

How much money and effort do you want to spend on this project? Options range from simple and visually appealing (thermal curtains hung from a rod) to simple and ugly (thick plastic) to more labour-intensive but still decent looking (building a temporary wall with a series of structural insulated panels). A basic SIP is rigid foam (such as extruded polystyrene) sandwiched between some kind of sheet material (such as panelling or beadboard). The sheets extend beyond the foam to create flanges for screws to attach one SIP to another, or to 2x4s. You could screw the 2x4s to the floor, ceiling, and walls and then slide the SIPs in place.

The problem with a temporary solution is that it’s…temporary. And since curtains offer no vapour barrier, you could get frost and eventually mould (don’t hang any luxury brocade). As an attractive and multi-use option, architect Dale Parkes, a senior lecturer at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., recommends a set of well-insulated double swing doors. These could split the dining room in two whenever you want. “You can order them in many sizes from almost any hardware store,” says Parkes. And if you’re handy, you can install them yourself.

Check with your building department. A curtain won’t require a permit, but constructing a temporary wall may.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

Categories
Cottage Life

Cottage Q&A: Heating half a room

By sf_freelance/Shutterstock

We have a large dining room. How can I put in a temporary structure that will allow me to cut off half the room so I don’t have to heat the whole thing?—Spatially Challenged

Sticking a new structure in there sounds complicated. And unnecessary. But sectioning off part of the room and heating only that space is totally doable.

How much money and effort do you want to spend on this project? Options range from simple and visually appealing (thermal curtains hung from a rod) to simple and ugly (thick plastic) to more labour-intensive but still decent looking (building a temporary wall with a series of structural insulated panels). A basic SIP is rigid foam (such as extruded polystyrene) sandwiched between some kind of sheet material (such as panelling or beadboard). The sheets extend beyond the foam to create flanges for screws to attach one SIP to another, or to 2x4s. You could screw the 2x4s to the floor, ceiling, and walls and then slide the SIPs in place.

The problem with a temporary solution is that it’s…temporary. And since curtains offer no vapour barrier, you could get frost and eventually mould (don’t hang any luxury brocade). As an attractive and multi-use option, architect Dale Parkes, a senior lecturer at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., recommends a set of well-insulated double swing doors. These could split the dining room in two whenever you want. “You can order them in many sizes from almost any hardware store,” says Parkes. And if you’re handy, you can install them yourself.

Check with your building department. A curtain won’t require a permit, but constructing a temporary wall may.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

Categories
Cottage Life

Cottage Q&A: Heating half a room

By sf_freelance/Shutterstock

We have a large dining room. How can I put in a temporary structure that will allow me to cut off half the room so I don’t have to heat the whole thing?—Spatially Challenged

Sticking a new structure in there sounds complicated. And unnecessary. But sectioning off part of the room and heating only that space is totally doable.

How much money and effort do you want to spend on this project? Options range from simple and visually appealing (thermal curtains hung from a rod) to simple and ugly (thick plastic) to more labour-intensive but still decent looking (building a temporary wall with a series of structural insulated panels). A basic SIP is rigid foam (such as extruded polystyrene) sandwiched between some kind of sheet material (such as panelling or beadboard). The sheets extend beyond the foam to create flanges for screws to attach one SIP to another, or to 2x4s. You could screw the 2x4s to the floor, ceiling, and walls and then slide the SIPs in place.

The problem with a temporary solution is that it’s…temporary. And since curtains offer no vapour barrier, you could get frost and eventually mould (don’t hang any luxury brocade). As an attractive and multi-use option, architect Dale Parkes, a senior lecturer at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., recommends a set of well-insulated double swing doors. These could split the dining room in two whenever you want. “You can order them in many sizes from almost any hardware store,” says Parkes. And if you’re handy, you can install them yourself.

Check with your building department. A curtain won’t require a permit, but constructing a temporary wall may.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

Categories
Cottage Life

Cottage Q&A: Heating half a room

By sf_freelance/Shutterstock

We have a large dining room. How can I put in a temporary structure that will allow me to cut off half the room so I don’t have to heat the whole thing?—Spatially Challenged

Sticking a new structure in there sounds complicated. And unnecessary. But sectioning off part of the room and heating only that space is totally doable.

How much money and effort do you want to spend on this project? Options range from simple and visually appealing (thermal curtains hung from a rod) to simple and ugly (thick plastic) to more labour-intensive but still decent looking (building a temporary wall with a series of structural insulated panels). A basic SIP is rigid foam (such as extruded polystyrene) sandwiched between some kind of sheet material (such as panelling or beadboard). The sheets extend beyond the foam to create flanges for screws to attach one SIP to another, or to 2x4s. You could screw the 2x4s to the floor, ceiling, and walls and then slide the SIPs in place.

The problem with a temporary solution is that it’s…temporary. And since curtains offer no vapour barrier, you could get frost and eventually mould (don’t hang any luxury brocade). As an attractive and multi-use option, architect Dale Parkes, a senior lecturer at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C., recommends a set of well-insulated double swing doors. These could split the dining room in two whenever you want. “You can order them in many sizes from almost any hardware store,” says Parkes. And if you’re handy, you can install them yourself.

Check with your building department. A curtain won’t require a permit, but constructing a temporary wall may.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

Categories
Potins

Sandra Bullock’s cowboy birthday

Sandra Bullock enjoyed an early 50th birthday celebration at a cowboy bar on Thursday (07.24.14).

The ‘Gravity’ actress reached the milestone age on Saturday (07.26.14), but began her festivities early by heading to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with a group of female pals to listen to country group Southern Soul Allstars.

A source said: ”There were probably six to ten women in the group. It appeared to be a ladies night. They just came in to listen to the band.”

Though the group – which included Chelsea Handler – didn’t seem to be dancing, they all had a great time.

The onlooker added to E! News: ”It was pretty low key. They all had one drink…and were all dressed casually.

”Sandra looked radiant, beautiful and was very sweet. It looked like she was having a blast.”

Sandra and Chelsea have been close friends for years, and on Saturday night, the ‘Chelsea Lately’ host posted a picture on Instagram of a group of women in a cheeky pose, with one of the group showing off her thong-clad butt, though it is unclear as to her identity.

While the picture was captioned ”Birthday girls”, the ‘Blind Side’ actress – who has a four-year-old son, Louis – can’t be seen in the Instagram picture.

Categories
Potins

Zac Efron named hottest hunk

Zac Efron has been named the hottest hunk of 2014.

The ‘Neighbors’ actor has topped heat magazine’s annual poll, knocking last year’s winner, Olympic diver Tom Daley, off the top spot and into second place, while retired soccer star David Beckham retained third place.

The magazine’s editor-in-chief Lucie Cave said website users ”voted in their thousands and selected Zac Efron as the hottest man alive”, explaining he secured top spot in the 101 Hottest Hunks list thanks to his topless appearance in ‘Neighbors’ and having his shirt ripped off by Rita Ora at the MTV Movie Awards.

McBusted drummer Harry Judd and ‘Wolf of Wall Street Star’ Leonardo DiCaprio took fourth and fifth place respectively, while the highest new entry was ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ hunk Jamie Dornan, who took eighth spot.

Rounding out the top 10 were Bradley Cooper in sixth place, one spot ahead of Gary Barlow, and Ryan Gosling and Henry Cavill in ninth and tenth place respectively.

Meanwhile, ‘Gravity’ hunk George Clooney – who announced his engagement to Amal Alamuddin in April – dropped 37 places from last year to number 60, and Britain’s Prince Harry slid down eight places to take 32nd spot.

heat magazine’s Hottest Hunks 2014 top 10:

1. Zac Efron

2. Tom Daley

3. David Beckham

4. Harry Judd

5. Leonardo DiCaprio

6. Bradley Cooper

7. Gary Barlow

8. Jamie Dornan

9. Ryan Gosling

10. Henry Cavill

Categories
Uncategorized

Everyone wants to smell like Beyoncé

People are running to buy Beyoncé’s new perfume, Heat.

According to Glamour magazine, Heat has sold over $3 million US since it was launched just last month.

During an in-person appearance by Beyoncé at a New York store, 72,000 bottles were sold in one hour.

The fragrance has top notes of red vanilla-orchid, magnolia, neroli and peach. There are middle notes of honeysuckle, almond and musky cream, and base notes of sequoia wood, tonka and amber.

Its name is inspired by the singer’s tour and performances. Beyoncé said, "This is my first fragrance and I want to be sure that I will love it forever!"

Heat is available in three formats, 30, 50 and 100ml Eau de Toilette, along with a 200 ml golden lotion. It comes in an antique glass flacon.

It is only available in the States right now but will be launched in the rest of the world later this year.