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How much heat is lost in a steaming hot shower anyway?

You *allow* an override?

How gracious of you!

Reply to
DerbyDad03
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Domestic abuse is like that. The woman feels powerless and fears leaving. Don't know the reason here, but it could be a factor.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

We don't know *why* he keeps his house at 55 degrees! Perhaps there are economic issues at play? When I was a kid, I'd catch hell for opening the refrigerator and just standing there, "shopping": "Close it until you've made up your mind".

Reply to
Don Y

If they come out still dripping, you washer is not performing well. They should be wet, but not so much as to drip after spinning.

As paintedcow says, leave the water until it is cooled to extract the heat. Good idea.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Probably blended with cold water.

Turn the temp of the water heater down.

Reply to
taxed and spent

Tell them to put on a sweater in the shower.

Reply to
taxed and spent

Maybe they don't drip; I"m not sure. I thought they were just wet when horizontal but if any part hung down, the water collected and it dripped. (I had a hard time tightening the belt enough to make it start spinning without my help, and I think I need a new belt. It's 36 years old too.)

I'm also afraid to hang too much weight on the shower rod, one wet towel seems like the maximum.

Okay.

Reply to
Micky

I used to (and still do) get crabbed by Mom if I walk out of a room and leave a light on.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

It's my house, and I'm the one that pays the bills, so unless they want to provide money for the energy bill, it's my call. That's how I was raised and it always made perfect sense to me. It's reasonably comfortable as long as you're dressed for winter, not summer, meaning long pants, socks, and sweaters or sweatshirts. If you're sitting still, grab a lap blanket.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

We keep the house between 68° and 72°, although it will fluctuate if we get colder spells and go lower than 68°. For a long time the house was always on the cold side, but this fall I bought 2 portable rolling oil radiator heaters that are wonderful at keeping the house warm. They cycle between high/med/low/off power settings and maintain a surrounding temp based on the thermostat temp that you set it at. When it cycles to off it's still producing heat because the coils are radiating heat from the warmed coils.

They work so well that we have to turn the thermostat down. They are slow to heat up a room, but once they get up to temperature we never get cold. We've tried all sorts of portable space heaters to supplement the gas furnaces and baseboard heaters throughout the house which never really kept us warm, but these 2 oil radiator heaters weren't very expensive at all and they do the job of all the other portable heaters couldn't do.

Reply to
Muggles

They should just report you for abuse and then warm the house up while you sit in a "cool" jail.

Reply to
burfordTjustice

Does your wife clean the house, do the dishes, cook your meals, wash your clothes, or anything else I've not listed? Do you pay her compensation for all the jobs that she does as a housekeeper, nanny, psychologist, companion?

I've heard that sort of argument before and to me it's just a selfish and disrespectful mindset that never takes into consideration the value of anything that wife does in the home.

Reply to
Muggles

Space heater vs. furnace:

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Reply to
Dan Espen

We had 2 gas wall *furnaces* that heated the part of the living room/bedrooms near one, and another room/laundry room for another. We've never had central air in this house. At one point we had a floor furnace where one of the wall furnaces is now located.

There is a larger room on the back of this house that only has 2 baseboard heaters, and we have a wood burning stove in that room. We've always been cold in the winter with the furnaces and baseboard heaters. The wood stove works nicely, but it has to be constantly monitored as to what the fire is doing (do I need to open the flue more or less/add wood/turn logs, etc.)

I've tried several types of space heaters for rooms that don't get heated well otherwise and these radiator oil heaters have been the best heaters I've ever used, and 2 heated the entire house before we even lit the pilot light on the main wall furnace.

Reply to
Muggles

No wife. I do most everything myself, though my elderly mom sometimes cooks or washes out of sheer boredom - something I don't want her to do for safety's sake.

I agree. If I had a wife, her labor would be her contribution. Otherwise, if you're staying with me because you're a relative in dire financial straits, well - you are welcome to stay till you get back on your feet. That's what family should do. It's my house, so I'll do the upkeep. You spend your time looking for work, or working to earn money. If you're feeling cold, *you* decide if you want to turn over some of your money towards the energy bill, or if you'd rather put it towards your savings goal toward getting a place of your own. But if I'm willing to live colder than I'd prefer in order to save my money for better things, it won't hurt you to do the same, as long as you're living with (off) me.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

No wife, no harm then! Doesn't your mom get cold?

That makes MUCH more sense to me. You can't make it too comfy or they'll never want to get back on their own.

Now, that's something I totally agree with!

Reply to
Muggles

I personally think 55 is too cold, especially the older you get, to be comfortable. We keep it in the upper 60s. But, I do have electric heaters (heater/exhaust fan/light/night light) in both bathrooms for nice toasty showers and baths. Had them in our bathrooms in my previous house too. We wouldn't have it any other way.

Reply to
Art Todesco

Up until this year, 67-68 was fine for us. Now, 68-69 seems to be the norm.

I wonder if anyone has factored the aging population and associated increase in thermostat settings into the global warming equation. ;-)

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I suspect not so much. If he was that abusive/controlling, he'd turn off the water to the shower WHILE they were in it ("Showers will be limited to 5.0379 minutes")

Rather, the "offenders" have found a spot of relative bliss amidst an environment that they have acknowledged as "too cold". Make the showers less comfortable and maybe they start showering *less* (i.e., SMELLING more!)

I think the real solution is getting everyone on the same page and sorting out how to come to a solution that fits ALL needs AND other constraints (budget, etc.). There may be other solutions that are amenable to all parties?

Perhaps they aren't anxious to step OUT of the warm shower into a FREEZING bathroom? So, an overhead heat lamp could make the transition less intimidating.

Or, raising the temperature in the house at certain "living" times during the day in exchange for lowering it at others.

Or, adding more layers of clothing; exploiting southern exposure when choosing where to sit/work/play during the daylight hours; etc.

First step is understanding the problem(s) -- on both sides!

Reply to
Don Y

The wife doesn't like the house being set at 55 degrees so she (and the teen) take long showers, only leaving the bathroom when the 50 gallon hotwater tank runs cold.

My propane hotwater heater is set to something like 135 degrees. That means a lot of hot water is going down the drain.

I wonder - is there a calculation done on how much energy it takes to heat 50 gallons of water with propane versus how much energy it takes to heat a house by 5 degrees with propane?

Maybe it is cheaper to just heat the house more?

MY house is 74 and at time I am not happy with that

Reply to
Tony944

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