I just started heating my home with a harman p 61. Its doing a good job but I have having a problem keeping one room with 6 skylights and a lot of glass warm. The stove is an adjoining room and I have to max it out to keep the glass filled room at 67 when it gets below 20 out. Can anyone recommend window treatments or any other ways to reduce heat loss in this room?
Dealing with heat loss through glass?
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reallyte
Feeling the Heat
Polar Bear
Feeling the Heat
mass_burner
Minister of Fire
if you're going to keep that room open to the stove permanently look into replacing the windows/skylights. We have a little jotul 602 in our patio surrounded by 5 sliders and 3 skylights and it gets toasty warm even at night in 20 degree s.
Lake Girl
Moderator
Do you have an OAK installed on the Harman? If not, put one in as you are pulling cold air through all the weak points around those windows.
This thread goes through many solutions for heat loss/air infiltration https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/problems-heating-with-englander-10-cdv.119372/#post-1597940
Replace windows/doors and install sealing membrane on the exterior flanges if at all possible. If windows and doors can't be replaced, make plexiglass storms that can be installed inside in the winter that have weatherstripping to help seal. Pop off trim and use spray foam or fiberglass/chalking to seal up around windows and doors.... etc.
Good luck
This thread goes through many solutions for heat loss/air infiltration https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/problems-heating-with-englander-10-cdv.119372/#post-1597940
Replace windows/doors and install sealing membrane on the exterior flanges if at all possible. If windows and doors can't be replaced, make plexiglass storms that can be installed inside in the winter that have weatherstripping to help seal. Pop off trim and use spray foam or fiberglass/chalking to seal up around windows and doors.... etc.
Good luck
No I don't have OAK, but I am thinking about installing it. I vent my stove through an existing chimney, can I run an OAK line up through there too, or would that be a problem with it being near my exhaust?
mass_burner
Minister of Fire
Lake Girl
Moderator
Thinking more for the skylights...with the price of plexiglass he might as well replace the windows.
Lots of threads on installing OAKs. Some have drilled through brick out the back, some have used the fireplace clean-out, some liner up to the top of the chimney... Depends on your set-up - pics might be helpful...
Mt Bob
Minister of Fire
Windows loose heat 4 ways.Best way to fix problem is to remove them.In your case,a second stove would be in order.Will leave you a link to study. http://www.finehomebuilding.com/how-to/articles/understanding-energy-efficient-windows.aspx
GeHmTS
Feeling the Heat
Do you have a ceiling fan in the room?
Pellet-King
Minister of Fire
Winter's almost over, for the money you waste fixing it you can buy alot of pellets, when the sun is out i'm sure it get's plenty toasty, thats if all them big windows are facing the sun......
Yup the sun hits that room all day since it faces south. I don't even need to put much heat in that room to keep it warm in the winter when the sun is shining. When it's 30 out and sunny that room stays near 68 with little to no extra heat. The problem is nighttime and days with little sun. I am looking into double celluar shades so I can put them down at night, but they are crazy expensive, it would cost me around 2500 bucks in shades for the entire room or 1000 just for the skylights. For that price I might as well supplement that room during the cold with my baseboard heat, i really only need to raise the heat in there betwen 2-5 degrees on the coldest days. I think the payback time would be years, even with oil at 4.20 a gallon. Any thoughts?
mass_burner
Minister of Fire
Jack Morrissey
Feeling the Heat
mass_burner
Minister of Fire
are you 100% sure its the windows/skylights? which one, windows or skylights? if its your main living area i'd birte the bullet and either replace the skylights or close them up, or a little of both.
I think I am losing most my heat in that room through six large 20"x58" skylights. About 80 percent of wall sace is glass that isn't helping me either. Room dimensions are 20x35. This was built when oil was 75 cents a gallon!
mass_burner
Minister of Fire
Sniz
Member
I'm sure the glass is killing you. I work for Andersen.....modern windows are FAR more efficient but even then, a wall will always be better. Likely you are bleeding hot air out around all the frames AND through the old glass.
Shades will be your best bet short of spending 20-30k to replace everything.
mass_burner
Minister of Fire
My money is on the skylights. I have a 13' x 7' bow window with 18 seprate panes in my LR, about 10' away from and facing the insert. This window was custom built on site in 1956. I have no issue keeping the room and the rest of the open area 72+ with only normal burning. The additional insulation in the attic really helped.
Augmister
Minister of Fire
Had the same issue this year. One small skylight, two picture windows and a deck slider in a house of 800 sq ft. Thermal lined drapes! Cut pellet consumption by almost 1/2 ton! Yes, THIS WINTER! Saved the coupons from Bed Bath and Beyond and bought the drapes and rods. ROI in three years. Simple. Effective. Cheap.
Skylights are 21 year old velux and windows are 20 year old Andersens. I caulked all around. I think I may have to bite the bullet and install insulating celluar shades for both windows and skylights.
batchman
Burning Hunk
We have a "great room" with a tall ceiling and huge amount of glass. When we moved in it had this style of shade, although installed closer to the sides:
Works OK, not a magic bullet but lots better than nothing. You can tell a significant difference if they're left open or closed, winter or summer. Honestly after a couple years raising and lowering depending on the sun and time of day, I leave the upper ones closed and the eye level ones about 2/3 closed - just enough to give the plants something to eat.
The only way to make that room comfy warm is with a stove directly in it - ours has a cordwood insert there, works reasonably well.
I'll add that ours are all 25yo Andersons. I feel your pain.
Good luck,
- Jeff
Works OK, not a magic bullet but lots better than nothing. You can tell a significant difference if they're left open or closed, winter or summer. Honestly after a couple years raising and lowering depending on the sun and time of day, I leave the upper ones closed and the eye level ones about 2/3 closed - just enough to give the plants something to eat.
The only way to make that room comfy warm is with a stove directly in it - ours has a cordwood insert there, works reasonably well.
I'll add that ours are all 25yo Andersons. I feel your pain.
Good luck,
- Jeff
I really just need to keep it a few more degrees higher in that room on the coldest of days, nothing to crazy. I do have a fireplace in this room but I enjoy a natural fire too much to place an insert in there. Thanks for everyone input I truly appreciate it!
hyfire
Minister of Fire
BB heating is the most in-efficient form of heating, it will empty your wallet. If the temps are not cold outside (below 0F) use a split system heat pump..and get heat and cooling...about 3x time efficient than a bb heater..
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