7.01.2024 Stopping heat from rising!

 ~o~

 Sunday 7th 20F/-7. Up at 4.30 after recycling unhappy memories. 57F/14C in the room. I lit the stove straight away. I checked upstairs. Exactly same temperature. 

 I am trying to decide on an efficient closure of the open stairwell. To stop heat rising so readily up the stairs. A form of closure which will be effortless to open and close. One which will not block the light falling down the stairs. This provides useful, additional light at the entrance to the living room. Even bright sunshine at certain times of the year. 

 A hinged trapdoor at upper landing level is difficult to arrange. Due to the banister rails projecting into the open space. The bannisters are vital on such steep stairs. If the space was clear then a hinged or sliding, lightweight panel covered in clear plastic might do. It could be counterweighted for ease of operation. 

 Floor to ceiling curtains might have been a relatively easy option but would block the light from upstairs when closed in winter. Clear curtains? Might look odd!

 Sliding, glazed doors would be expensive and heavy. Hinged doors would seriously obstruct the main, living room, foot traffic. To and from the entrance door and the bathroom. 

 It has been suggested that a partition wall across the long leg of the L-shaped room would seal off the stairs. This partition and vital door could be glazed to share any light. 

 The problem is siting such a partition. The chimney offers an obvious attachment point but directly faces a window. The dining table presently lies on this same line. Though the dining table could be moved to lie across the east facing window. Which would allow a partition close to the north window. [Red line.]

 The bottom of the stairs needs plenty of clearance for furniture removals. Making a fixed partition even more difficult to arrange. The large chest of drawers at the bottom of the stairs would have to go. If the partition was moved towards the stairs. Not a project killer but it seems quite happy sitting just there in the alcove formed by the chimney. 

 6.30 21F/-6C outside. 63F/17C in the room. I'm going back to bed! 

 9.00 64F in the room. 21F outdoors. 59F upstairs. My nap was involuntarily extended. The snow hasn't melted. Breakfast.

 9.45 Sunshine!  Though it will be some time before the sun clears the towering, overgrown trees. Belonging to the absent, investment portfolio "neighbours." As a tree grower myself I plead my innocence. Nobody else is likely to fall within the shadow of my 50' boundary "hedge."

 The old car, which I cleared only yesterday, is now covered in frost again. The MM remains snow covered. Though now a little depleted around its shapely midriff. Morning coffee is served. You know it's cold. When the butter, deliberately kept near the fire, remains stubbornly unspreadable. 

 10.15 The sunshine has reached the greenhouse. Though more of a glancing blow so far. The UV rays need to be more head on to make any real impact. It is currently 28F/-2C out there. Most off its surfaces are thoroughly opaque. Or highly decorated with ice crystal "brambles." 

 13.00 26F/-3C. Bright sunshine is melting the ice and snow on the greenhouse. The snow on the gently sloping glass roof loses adhesion and forms tiny avalanches. Which shoot over the rounded plastic shoulders of the greenhouse and fall to the snow covered ground. 

 I continue to struggle with measuring the air temperature of the greenhouse. I have two outside thermometer sensors mounted in their own blocks of foam insulation. The idea being to avoid direct solar heating of the sensors. While the hole in the underside of the insulation block should provide enough air movement. To allow the air temperature to be read. 

 I am currently seeing a 6-7F difference in readings between the two! Both sensor tips are at the same height. One digital thermometer is currently reading 57F. The other only 50F. Which is correct? I have just checked again and the difference has dropped to 3F. Then widened again. I should bring the two together to ensure there is no variation between the sites. One is outside the kitchen. The other the living room. Both well within the greenhouse boundaries.

 16.00 The sun did a good job of melting the snow on the greenhouse roof. There is now only ice from refreezing. Sadly the sunshine did not last. 

 Dinner was fish fingers and chips. No imagination. It was that or toast again. I have taken two recycling wheely bins along the snow covered drive for emptying tomorrow. I have printed out the 2024 emptying calendar as large as possible on A4. Last year's was too small to see the symbols clearly without a magnifying  glass. The sky is clear with lots of stars but cloud is approaching from the west.

~o~