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O/T will it help or is it a waste of time

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old

12-05-2005 21:26:05

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Heres the plan. I have a lot of old dock foam and I'm cutting it in the pieces about 2 foot wide and stacking it around my moblie home. Up at least to the bottom of the windows. So will doing that help cut do on heating cost this winter or is it just a waste of my time?? Biggest problem I have with it is that some of it is badly water logged which I know cuts down on how well it would work. So what say you??
Thanks

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Dave NE IA

12-08-2005 18:27:47

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

NOTE IS VERY CORRECT, and VERY IMPORTANT. Also a mention to burning. The average I am told is three breaths of the burning styrofoam to paralize your lungs-that is why many folks are dead from smoke. Remember if it burns black, it is very harmfull. We as guys are moncho, but that don't get it with that stuff. Dave NE IA

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Nolan

12-07-2005 03:18:06

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

Insulating with ice-cubes is of dubious worth. While they can block wind, they don't do much thermally.

Use blocks that are light and not water logged where possible.

As for draining them, they don't. Poking holes doesn't help, the foam is already full of holes. That's how the water got in there in the first place.

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old

12-07-2005 08:03:02

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to Nolan, 12-07-2005 03:18:06

Yep I have found that over time they drain but it took years for the water to get in so its going to take years for it to go out. I only use the lightest stuff. But when you have as much of the stuff as I have thats a little harder then it would seem to be, most of the time the light stuff is under the heavy stuff, but thes luck for you

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hazfun

12-06-2005 17:34:01

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

Hi old

Sure it will over time become waterlogged.
But it will dry out over time also. To
help with cutting use your welder with
A piece of electric fence wire two insulators.
apply power from welder +and- and it will slice
It faster than any chain saw through hot butter lol. Good luck. hazfun

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JD9295

12-06-2005 14:59:51

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

big big fire hazard, it will save you money but is the alternative worth it?

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JD9295

12-06-2005 14:58:41

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

it will help but checking in your trailer for air leaks will do as much and be A WHOLE LOT SAFER.
Just cut a 2x2 ft piece and set it on fire. that would be my concern, it it starts youll have a hard time getting out.
We had a large4 acre all steel building where they were making that catch on fire when the poly flashed, all steel remember, roof on the ground in 30 minutes

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Note#

12-06-2005 13:08:37

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

If your furnace and water heater(if gas)draw their intake air from under the trailer(many do),be sure to allow a hole for that or build a duct to the outside.....BTDT

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old

12-06-2005 13:22:03

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to Note#, 12-06-2005 13:08:37

All eletric, bills around $400 a month in the winter. Got to do something and since I got the stuff for free and have probably 4 or 5 semi loads of it just fugured it wouldn't hurt

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Keith-OR

12-06-2005 08:23:44

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

Old, what are you calling dock foam??? If it is a form of polystyrene or polyethylene it will not absorb any water, and is great insulation.

expanded polystyrene looks like a rigid white foam and is used as packing or insulation

polyethylene
a lightweight thermoplastic; used especially in packaging and insulation

Keith

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old

12-06-2005 09:19:22

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to Keith-OR, 12-06-2005 08:23:44

Its the white stuff like what cheap ice coolers/beer coolers are made of. This stuff it about 12 inch thick, 4 foot wide and some up to 12 foot long. It was used to hold boat docks out of the water here at the lake of the ozarks but new laws has made it so its not legal to use any more and by 2008 it all has to be out of the water. I got a loarge amount of the stuff for free but its heavy from the water, or at least some of it is. I'm just tired of $400 a month for heating bills, in the winter. Summer is only about $150 a month.

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Keith-OR

12-06-2005 12:02:48

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-06-2005 09:19:22

Old, I think that the reason some of your polystyrene is heavier than other pieces is that some are more dense in structure. Never heard of polystyrene absorbing water, it is full of air pockets that is why it floats and such great insulation. I would cut a small piece and dissolve it with laccuer thinner and see how much water is in it, NONE I'll bet. I would cut it where it is the same height as the distance from bottom of your trailer to ground stand it up right. 12 inches is a lot of insulation around your trailer, the main thing is to stop the flow of air, as air is the best insulation there is.HTH

Keith

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old

12-06-2005 12:59:16

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to Keith-OR, 12-06-2005 12:02:48

Well from cutting it up I can tell its got a lot of water in it. Thats one of the reasons they want it all gone by 2008. I use an eletric chain saw to cut it and the bar is always wet after a cut. Some of it is esy to move and others it takes 4 guys just to pick it up. Most of it has been in the water for 10 plus years and has slowly absorbed a lot of water. I was cutting it up and putting it under the trailor then putting the under pinning back up but since its got cold I have had to stop that for now. At this time I'm just takeing as large a piece as I can and putting it all long the out side so the 12 part is how deep it is from the out side wall and 4 foot up on the walls. So far that puts it just at of below the window levels

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Keith-OR

12-06-2005 15:30:21

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-06-2005 12:59:16

Well Old, take an Ice pick put lots of holes at one end of the 4 ft side stand it on it's side this summer, most of the water should drain out,hopefully. Small holes won't hurt a thing as far as the insulation quality. It gets hot enough in your part of the country to evaporate most of the water if exposed to the sun...

Keith

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old

12-06-2005 20:22:09

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to Keith-OR, 12-06-2005 15:30:21

It been stacked up all summer some stacks as high as 12 foot, still very heavy. I try to flip it at times but find that doesn't help. Oh well it was free and I have time.

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Stand it on edge!!!

12-06-2005 21:57:28

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-06-2005 20:22:09

don't stack it Old, stand it on edge!!!!

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old

12-06-2005 22:07:05

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to Stand it on edge!!!, 12-06-2005 21:57:28

I'm not the one that stacked it, the guy that dropped it off did that. Plus if it sits on edge it takes up 10-20 time as much space. Its also very hard to keep it standing on edge since it will not sit that way on its own. I also have a lot of it sitting every which way but loose and so far it doesn't seem to matter how it sits, it just plain drys very slowly.

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Ranger John

12-06-2005 08:21:58

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

You are doing it right. If you can double layer it to cover the spaces that happen between sheets even the better.

If they are wet, that is fine. From what I remember, in grade school, we learned the eskimoes used iceblocks for their igloos. Blocking the wind is the key. Heck, if you know it will get cold and stay cold, put something over the skirt and spray water on it. That would make a protective layer almost as good as gunite.

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RustyFarmall

12-06-2005 06:12:39

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

It's not a bad idea, except for the water-logged stuff will be worse than nothing, better off not using it. We used to stack straw bales around the foundation of the house I grew up in, otherwise the pipes under the kitchen would freeze up.

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RegoR

12-06-2005 06:03:45

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

Hi Old;
Being resourceful is never without merit- one has to work with what he has and make the best of it.

How does that story go? The one about casting the first stone?
Stay warm.
RogeR

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Tony Oney

12-06-2005 05:32:45

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

You should spend your time straping that foam under the trailer. Then back it down the nearest boat dock, the current will take you where you will not worry about the heat bill.

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BobMo

12-06-2005 05:12:09

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

Old, you need to back one of those tractors up to that trailer and pull it down to Arkansas before you do that. At least then your neighbors will find it acceptable....

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old

12-06-2005 08:17:33

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to BobMo, 12-06-2005 05:12:09

Shoot the nearest house to me is a mile away so I don't need to worry about what the other guy thinks

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MarkB_MI

12-06-2005 02:48:38

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to old, 12-05-2005 21:26:05

Old,
You must not be married. If you are, and you persist in this idea, you should prepare for the single life.

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old

12-06-2005 08:18:26

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to MarkB_MI, 12-06-2005 02:48:38

Shoot my wife agrees and even help me

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rc in ct

12-06-2005 07:22:33

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to MarkB_MI, 12-06-2005 02:48:38

You're on the same schedule as me I see. Winters arrived and were still doing open to the outdoors home construction. If nothing else you'll have a wind barrier. The floating south idea has merit as well.

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TimS

12-06-2005 12:05:14

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to rc in ct, 12-06-2005 07:22:33

The foam isn't a bad idea, anything to help keep the wind from roaring under the trailer will help.

If you are having that big of heating bills, I would put the foam there and then stack hay bales against it.

Air leaks are a big energy sucker to, grab some caulking and go outside and look closely at any openings, windows, doors etc. Caulk up any gaps you can find to make the place as air tight as possible.

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Bill in TN

12-07-2005 05:06:40

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to TimS, 12-06-2005 12:05:14

Old, I didn't catch what part of the country your in, and I realize that with TVA our electricity is a little cheaper than the rest of the country, but $400 seems way high to me.

How big a space is your trailer, and what are they charging you per kilowatt hour? What temp are you trying to keep the trailer?

Have you caulked your windows and doors? Added weather stripping around the doors? Sealed around pipes and wiring entering the house?

If you have a faulty heating unit that isn't operating correctly you can insulate until the cows come home and it won't help. Are you sure you don't have other problems?

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old

12-07-2005 08:57:53

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Re: O/T will it help or is it a waste of time in reply to Bill in TN, 12-07-2005 05:06:40

This is an old moblie home, I'm at the lake of the ozarks in Missouri. One of my problems is that rats have eaten all the insulation from under the trailor so the floors have zero there. I have sealed every thing that I can even removed some of the out side wall last month and replaced insulation that the rats removed. We keep the place at 73 degrees and yes we have had the furnace looked over. I live on disablity so I don't have much $$ to play with and I can't do much other then a little each day to help my self, jobs I could do 10 years ago and do in one day now take me a week or more becuase of my disablity.

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