Comments themrfreeze has made

As somebody who owns an 86 year old house and restored almost all of my original windows, I'll throw my two cents in as well.

Unless your original windows are lying in rotting pieces on the ground, the window can be restored to like-new condition. Our ancestors weren't stupid...they made things that were durable and repairable. Windows are one of them. Loose joints can be reglued, rotted areas can be restored with epoxies, and glazing can be replaced. With proper maintenance, a wood window can last indefinitely.

None of the work particularly hard, nor is it expensive (once you've invested in a few tools), but it does require an investment of your time to do the work. If you want to learn more about this, get thee over to the Old House Web website...there's tons of info in the forums about window maintenance.

As for vinyl replacements, don't believe the hype about energy savings. If your original windows are in good condition, and you have a quality storm window (and I'm thinking wood, not cheap aluminum triple-tracks), they can be as energy efficient as a modern replacement unit. No way will you recoup the cost of vinyl replacements in the ~20 years the vinyl will (hopefully) last.

Finally, don't feel like you need to get every window done at once. Take your time and do each one correctly. Tackle the ones in worst shape first, then the ones that aren't so bad. I've owned my house for 9 years now, and am about 70% done with them. I find it VERY rewarding to take my old windows, with their wavy glass and original solid brass hardware, and restore them to new condition. They really make the house look "right".

Projectors are power hogs

Projectors use a lot of electricity due to the high intensity bulbs in them.

For reference, I just took a look at one of our small portable data projectors we use here at work.  Nothing fancy, just a 700 lumen projector.  It's rated at 120V/2.7A, which is 324W.  The bulb itself is rated at 170W.

The power supply on my 17" LCD monitor is rated at 1.3A...half that of the projector.  I seriously doubt the display is even pulling that much power...that's the power supply's maximum rating.

Same with laptops...I looked at the power supplies for a few different laptops around here, and they're all rated lower than the projector.

So, if you want to save electricity, ditch the projector and buy an LCD display.
On How to green your entertainment center posted 1 year, 2 months ago 2 Responses

Painting wood

It all depends on the wood.  Some woods are extremely rot resistant and can last quite a long time without being painted.  Cedar, white oak, cypress, mahogany and ipe/ironwood are all examples.

Other woods will rot very quickly if not protected from the elements.  White pine (commonly used as siding here in the Northeast) is one such wood.

I personally wouldn't side my house with wood and not put some sort of treatment on it.  Warpage is a major issue with wood ...if one side of an unfinished board gets drier than the other, the wood WILL warp.  Heck, even putting a finish on one side and not the other can cause the board to warp.

I think the thing that really should have been addressed here is replacing the old windows with new ones.  An old wood window, properly maintained and with a good fitting wood storm window, is almost as energy efficient as a new replacement window, and will CERTAINLY last longer.  Any window you buy today will last 20 years tops before it have to be completely replaced, and you'll never recoup the cost of it in energy savings.  Old wood windows need repainting every 5-6 years and reglazing every 20-25 years to keep them functioning indefinitely.On Umbra on house siding posted 1 year, 9 months ago 9 Responses