Popular Mechanics Weatherproofing & Insulation

Popular Mechanics Weatherproofing & Insulation
by Albert Jackson, David Day

Popular Mechanics Weatherproofing & Insulation
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Book Summary Information

Author: Albert Jackson, David Day
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-07-28
ISBN: 1588165345
Number of pages: 80
Publisher: Hearst

Book Reviews of Popular Mechanics Weatherproofing & Insulation

Book Review: Not very good
Summary: 2 Stars

I bought this book at the same time as Insulating and Ventilating your house by William Spence (which I also reviewed). Neither was quite what I wanted, but this was the less useful of the two.

To start with, the book covers a whole range of topics, from replacing roof shingles to painting masonry and roof construction. Not quite sure what the authors purpose was, since each of these topics is given a page or two...not really enough to be useful for anything.

The book is also a little unreasonable on projects such as replacing windows. There is not sufficient detail in the book to do anything else but send you to the library once you have a big hole in your wall. As an example, there are probably more column inches dedicated to ladder safety than replacing a window.

When I reviewed Spence's book, I reported the results of using the book for a couple of specific questions. Perhaps it was just luck of the draw, but this book did pretty well. The four topics:

1. Weatherstripping: There was a page showing each different type of weatherstripping for windows and sweeps for doors. Not much detail on using them, but at least you can see what is available and for what uses.

2. Duct sealing: The book doesn't mention using rigid foam to seal duct work, which was my strategy, but it does mention using fiberglass rolls and duct-tape.

3. Drafts from electric outlets: No mention

4. Drafts from improperly installed windows: It briefly mentions using foam between the window and framing to seal holes, but no details (like being sure to use low-expansion foam). It does not suggest adding foam as a separate project to fix leaky windows. It does, however show weatherstripping used inside windows that can be replaced.


Summary:
Even though it did OK on my test questions, I found the book lacking in useful information. It was more like a collection of those 200 word articles you find in the Saturday Paper on fixing up your house.

There was no mention of prioritizing projects to maximize your return for individual weatherization projects.

In summary, I'd skip this volume.

Summary of Popular Mechanics Weatherproofing & Insulation

In the average house, heat is escaping through every leak, draft, and opening—and that?s like throwing money out the window. Good insulation and weatherproofing can make your home run more efficiently, guard it from the elements, and lower those ever-rising heating bills. Popular Mechanics makes the entire process simple, with hundreds of color photographs, diagrams, and illustrations that teach you how to insulate from top to bottom. Find out how to reflect heat from a radiator, seal gaps around doors, double-glaze windows or add weather-stripping, install vapor barriers, ventilate properly, and block out the chill in attics and between rafters. You?ll feel the difference, and see the savings, almost instantly.

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