Heating the basement, and the arrival of Musca domestica

[KB2WIG]

My shack is in the basement. My wife likes it 'cause, for one, she can keep me in there, and the "why does it always squeal like that" sound stays down stars, muted.  Problem being, there’s no direct heat  from the forced air furnace. But I do have a coal/wood stove which I fire up on my days off.

When I do get the temp to go from 59° to 68°, out comes the musca. It's particularly annoying when night comes, and I've got the florescent lamps over my desk on. The buggers buzz around the lamps, and when I try to squarsh them, they hide behind the  tubes. Ahrg. I've tried chasing them with a piece of paper, and they, like little squirrels, climb around the tube. Ya don't want to slam them, breaking the lamp. And then my frustration level soars, considering its only a fly, and its outsmarting me. But, I remembered the words of Frank Costanza "As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way."  So this morning, glass cleaner in hand (to wash the little fly turdlets off light bulbs) the miracle occurred. I placed the bottle onto 'spray' and soaked the little bugger in flight. It dropped like a stale bagel onto the floor. Even when hiding behind the tube, ya can spray 'em. So, like Shimmer, the floor wax and dessert topping, I discovered that Wegmans Glass Cleaner with Ammonia has multiple uses.

I give you the secret of keeping flies in check. And so, with the full Spirit of Festivus, I ask.  What Have You Done For ME?? I got a lot of problems with you people! I’ve got the pole out, and am ready to take on all comers.


klc

[Tom WA3KLR]

I've been sucking them up with a Dustbuster, patrolling the windows a few times a day.

[K9DXL]

Wood stove in the basement?  Maybe the carbon monoxide will get the buggers before it gets you!  Sounds like you need a big ol' BC rig down there to warm the place up.  Anyhow, Happy Festivus, Merry Christmas,Happy Holidays, and may Santa bring you something nice from Collins!

[W3GMS]

Do you mean stink bugs?  Not sure what kind of bug your dealing with. 

As far as a warm basement, get yourself some 2 x 4's and build a room.  Put some insulation between the studs and some drywall up and you will easily heat the space.  Put some vapor barrier under the SILL plate before you build the walls and you will be good to go.  Is you basement dry?

Joe, GMS

[KB2WIG]

" Not sure what kind of bug your dealing with."

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Kill the wood stove in the basement! Wear a coat or a sweater. My main basement, even with no direct heating, generally hangs around 65 to 68 degrees. However, the concrete floor is cold to the feet so I went to Harbor Freight and bought some insulating pads (4 Piece Anti-Fatigue Foam Mat Set). These things are 25 inches X 25 inches. They also interlock. When on sale, which is often, the set of 4 goes for $6.99. I interlock them end-to-end which can give you a little over 8 feet of insulated floor area.

[W1RKW]

Put a regulateable register in the ductwork. Open it when you're in the shack and close it when you're not.

[ka4koe]

We found lady bugs in our guest room today. It's considered a sign of good luck.

[KD0HUX]

My shack is in the basement. I have a regulatable  register in the basement and a electric heater.In the winter it is always comfortable.                                                                      In the summer it does not get cool enough

[Opcom]

It seldom gets below 50 in my shack. Why a huge steel building above ground in the wind at 20 degrees for 3 days never got below 40 is anyone's guess. If it gets too cold I turn on the transmitter. The waiting is rough though.

[KB2WIG]

The frost line  around here is about 42 inches deep, so things can get a bit cool. The purpose of the 'line' is to determine the depth that a building foundation needs to be to prevent heaving. When we have a lot of snow that arrives before the weather gets real cold, the frost doesn't penetrate as much. A cold snap before snowfall does not allow for the insulation effect of the snow. So it can get cold in the basement.

klc

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

You're still ahead of me, K. I'm still in an unfinished station out in the garage, as in uninsulated, open to the bays, etc. I can make plenty of heat with the big rig, but it escapes too fast. Only good thing is, it kills off the black widows once it gets cold enough out there. Wife wasn't terribly impressed by the 5 foot black snake that took up residence a few years back, had to tote him to the field across the road. But my little neon friend still shows up from time to time now, probably as a result of the snake being gone.

My suggestion for heat: Build or buy a big rig that runs some large jugs, you'll be amazed how much heat it will create in a small space. As long as your basement is fairly tight, it might be just right. You'll have heat while you're down there, and not the rest of the time. Double the bang for your electricity buck, so to speak.

[W2PFY]

lady bugs

I wonder if there are any "Manly Bugs" out there?

[N4zed]

Wood/Coal heaters are great in the basement....if you can keep a fire in them and "stuff" don't collect on the top.



And when that happens....the ol propane heater between the knees keeps the toes and fingers nice and toasty.



Ken
N4zed

[KB2WIG]

We keep things clean 'round here.


klc

Happy Festivus ! ! !

[W6TOM]

  Gets down to the mid 40's in my garage but morning even in our mild Bay Area winters. On a nice day like we had all this weekend it will be in the high 50's late in the day. A few years ago I had my house re roofed, because there is no snow loading issues here roofs are built rather flimsy. I had to have my old roof roof completely stripped, that presented a problem.

  Older houses here, mine was built in 1945, old for California! They use a method called skip lath, the frame of the roof had 1" X 4" nailed to it and then a 4" gap (skip) between the next 1" x 4", so when you remove the old roof a lot of debris falls into the void. In my attic that wasn't an issue but the garage was another story. I decided that if I insulated the roof that would stop the debris from falling into my garage. I had considered putting plastic over everything but it would have still been a huge mess!!

  The difference in comfort level was dramatic, warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, well worth the effort but was not an easy job.

[N4zed]

We keep things clean 'round here.

Oh NO !!!!  

Another wasted basement...  


Nice Stove ! 

[VE3AJM]

Have you figured out how the flying buggers are getting into your house/basement? and how you can keep them out.

What kind of shape are the windows and screens in your place? Keeping the flies out will also help keep the heat in.

Win win situation if they are in good condition.

Al VE3AJM

[KB2WIG]

I've used expandable foam and caulk to seal up any openings I've found..... The window cleaner works well.

The basement is unfinished, so there's a lot of small spaces fer the flies to hide. There's no food available for them, at least none that I can find.


klc

[W1RKW]

I don't have the common house fly problem you have but got the much smaller buggers in the living area. I think they're fruit flies that have come into the house from fruit or some of my wifes house plants.  I got annoyed with them and bought a small bug zapper and put it in the living room.  The first day it was snapping like crazy. Now it's one or 2 a day.

[KB2WIG]

Funny you should have brought that up....

My wife made up a 'fruit fly trap'.  A small container with plastic rap over the top. Add some vinegar, orange peel or some other fruit, and poke some holes in the wrap. Like the roach motel, they can get in , but they can't get out. It do work.

 Not as much fun as watching the bug zapper.

klc

[w1vtp]

Why not take !!REVENGE!! and use this?  I get a great sense of fulfillment during the summer early evening with mine.  When I connect it resounds with a loud ZAPPP!

Just don't get carried away and hit the florescent lights.

Happy Zapping!!  Al

 

[flintstone mop]

Kevin
Your house flies are frozen in time and when you light up your heater they awake and come back to life. We had a small problem with stink bugs reappearing in the dining room and my son's room. Don't know where the HECK they come from.

[KB2WIG]

FM,

Yeah, they do hybernate, du they. Actuall, they are a good indicator of temperature when evaluating cadavers.


klc