"RJ_32" wrote

aside from the obvious of water pipes freezing, can cold damage a house? I
don't know what might occur, wallpaper peeling or plaster cracking or
whatever.

If damage can occur, at what temperature would it occur? If I keep am
unused
bedroom closed up for the winter with the radiator turned off, can
anything
bad result?

Depends on the dampness of your climate which isnt mentioned. That said,
'been there, done that'.

We were in a medium-dry but cold area (hit -5 but seldom lower and usually
above freezing by a notch in daytime). We kept a window propped open just a
little bit (2 inches or so). Although it wasnt a 'good vapor barrier' I
think it helped that we put up pretty quilts tucked all about the doors
inside the house (tucked under the door to prevent drafts). Those would be
so cold, it was hard to tell if they were also damp. They may have been
though as they collected alot of our 'construction dust' so Mom was always
taking them down and washing them (replacing with others).

We did this 1 winter with 2 bedrooms out of the 5 until in spring we could
take down the old tounge-n-groove walls and insulate behind them (old house,
virtually no insulation at all, oddly previous person had taken the walls
down and modernized all the electric but not bothered to insulate but 1 BR,
living room, and kitchen).

I do recall Mom had some sort of buckets filled with stuff that pulled damp
out of the air in those rooms (kinda like those silicate packets), but do
not recall if she changed them or how often. They were a precaution and may
not have actually done anything since the windows were somewhat open?

We did not have any mold or mildew problems.

I think reading the thread through, best is a combination of the replies.
Check room often, if possible (no rain or sleet coming in) prop the window a
bit, spend a little for a dehumidifier if after a week or so it looks like
you need it, and insulate the door a bit with something temporary thats easy
to take down and tuck back up after checking the room.