tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5138459729531944998.post8154495663826197865..comments2024-03-11T02:25:25.123-05:00Comments on Living Low in the Lou: Other options to reduce fossil fuel use in heating seasonSLClairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17307602613058790026noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5138459729531944998.post-62476372964855830532015-12-31T14:46:57.030-06:002015-12-31T14:46:57.030-06:00Hi Chris! It turns out that the wood stove (that&#...Hi Chris! It turns out that the wood stove (that's what we call it in the US) does in fact heat the entire house by itself, at least during the normal winter temperatures at which we've used it. We haven't yet used it during our worst cold waves. The bedrooms, which are farthest from the stove, stay a little cooler, which we prefer for sleeping anyway.<br /><br />We could, if we thought it was needed, attach small electric fans, called muffin fans here, to the top of interior doorways to help blow stove-heated air into the farther regions of the house. So far that hasn't been necessary. We tried using the furnace fan to redistribute stove-warmed air. It turns out that because the ductwork runs through the unheated basement and out a vent we have in the basement that doesn't fully seal, it actually works better to let the heated air redistribute itself on its own. It got cooled off when it ran through the basement.<br /><br />So far we've had many less nights of 0C or less than usual. The official reporting station has racked up only 9 such lows in December, of which the lowest was 26F, and 2 such lows in November, of which the lowest was 23F. It's a little colder here but still a very warm start to winter, maybe the warmest ever.<br /><br />So far no damage to the combustion chamber, but we have hardly used the stove, it's been so warm. Plus Mike hasn't split that much wood yet, and much of that was newly cut.SLClairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17307602613058790026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5138459729531944998.post-18779829284084429532015-12-18T05:19:20.662-06:002015-12-18T05:19:20.662-06:00Hi Claire,
Your wood fire box looks great. Do you ...Hi Claire,<br />Your wood fire box looks great. Do you find that it provides enough heat for the house (as you reported the same experience that I had where the heat becomes less the further away you are from the wood fire box) and can you zone that heat so that the wood fire box doesn't have to work as hard. Wood fires are a bit of a learning experience aren't they?<br /><br />I've found over the years that I sleep more deeply if the bedroom is less heated anyway and that is the furthest room from the fire box - not that it is far at all in a small house. The insulation helps greatly though and I can not recommend it enough. Are you having many 0'C or less days this winter?<br /><br />Just out of interest are you finding any damage to the steel in the combustion chamber?<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />ChrisFernglade Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06950962122594709186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5138459729531944998.post-43048983725632920312015-12-17T17:29:40.863-06:002015-12-17T17:29:40.863-06:00Hi Pam - I'll have to look at Chris' post ...Hi Pam - I'll have to look at Chris' post again for your comment! Seems like I keep getting behind on my comment-checking. I don't yet have a post up about pruning, but I expect to get to it someday. <br /><br />The weather has been variable for us as well, especially this winter. If you can even call it winter so far. Last weekend it was warm enough we would have opened windows to let heat in, except that it was also very humid, and we didn't want to let the humidity in. The upshot is we haven't burned any wood so far in December. If I remember, I'll attempt to estimate the volume of wood we use the next time we fire up the stove. So far, though, I think I've replaced all the wood we'd burned in two weekends from pruning weed trees in the vacant lot next door that were close enough to our house to threaten it.SLClairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17307602613058790026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5138459729531944998.post-51982770832450396342015-12-09T09:32:47.598-06:002015-12-09T09:32:47.598-06:00Hi, Claire:
I am really enjoying your blog! Thank...Hi, Claire:<br /><br />I am really enjoying your blog! Thanks for all the work that you put into it.<br /><br />I am completely with you on where any extra largesse should be spent - on the home and property that sustains us (though not "sustain" in the the sense of adding income; someday?). It's an immeasurable investment. And how often have so many of us said that "firewood is money in the bank" or ditto for potatoes or such? Actually, I'm not too keen on banks right now.<br /><br />You were so smart to invest in a wood stove and I am glad that you were lucky enough to find the right people to install it. We have a wood stove in the basement and a fireplace in the living room. We have tried to keep track of how much wood actually goes into the fireplace in a given day, but the weather has been so variable that it seems kind of pointless so far. The basement woodstove is a back-up; we only fire it up when it stays freezing or below for a long time. Haven't had to use it this year. The heat from it easily reaches the first floor.<br /><br />Off topic: I have a comment to you about pruning at Chris' "Devil" post of this week. Perhaps you have a post on this blog concerning pruning?<br /><br />PamPam in Virginiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00895842137691734477noreply@blogger.com