The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

First Aid For The Ailing Houses

STRUCTURAL LEAKS

There is likely to be an open joint between the top of a wall and the under side of a roof, due to hasty or poor construction. Winter air entering at that point, moving across the attic floor, will chill the ceilings of the rooms below. This crack can be closed with caulking compound. Oakum or tow can also be used.

Leaks may also occur between the top of the foundation wall and the sill, this being the timber lying on top of the wall and supporting the framework. Leaks at this point will be from poor workmanship or from the falling away of the mortar in which the sill should be bedded. This leak can be closed from the outside with a mortar of 1 part Portland cement and 3 parts sand. All of the old mortar that is loose should be removed, and the joint between the foundation and the sill tightly packed with the new. The surface of the new mortar should be sloped to shed rain. A crack can also be closed from the inside with mortar or with caulking compound.

HEAT LOSSES BY CONDUCTION

The principal loss of heat by conduction is through window glass, as can be judged by touching the inside of a pane of glass and noting its chill compared with the feel of an inside wall. In the average house, the loss of heat through window glass is about equal to the loss of heat through all of the rest of a wall.

Heat loss through glass is serious, not only because of the fuel that must be burned to make up for it but because the space in a room near a window may be too chilly to be usable. The air of the room gives up heat to the glass; then, becoming heavier, it sinks and, spreading along the floor, is a direct cause of drafts. The chilling effect will be considerably greater with metal-frame windows than with wood.

Pulling down window shades will raise the temperature of a room and make the spaces near the windows more comfortable through keeping room air free from contact with the glass. The chilling effect of a window can be overcome without cutting off the light by covering the entire opening with a sheet of cellophane or plastic sheeting thumbtacked to the indoor face of the window frame. This will not be permanent but can be very effective in an emergency, as, for instance, when there is need for raising the temperature in a sick room.