Confessions of a woodburner

[Rockey]

As much as I wish I could say I have heated my house this winter sans the propane furnace, it just isn't true. It seems that when it gets to 10F and below I just can't keep up. Sure I could rough it out and live through the low 60's in the house until the temps come back, which they always do, but my wife thinks it is just a bit too much and I agree. I just can't imagine what it would cost to heat this house with propane only. I went through about 10% of a 500 gallon tank of propane this winter just using it as supplemental heat to the 24/7 insert I have. I have had the furnace on for a total of 6 nights so far this winter and I still have all of Feb to get through. I think I will be finishing the basement this year, which I beleive I lose a lot of heat to. I'm not sure what else I can do upstairs execpt maybe some insulated window shades for the windows in the house. If that doesn't work then a good sized stove will be going in downstairs when it is finished. Any other confessors out there?

 

[begreen]

I often ran the furnace a little in the morning to take the chill off and to keep it dry and good working order. The last thing you want to do is let it rust or corrode up and then fail when you really need it.

 

[jpl1nh]

I often ran the furnace a little in the morning to take the chill off and to keep it dry and good working order. The last thing you want to do is let it rust or corrode up and then fail when you really need it.

Often ran? What do you do now?

 

[begreen]

Heat pump. If it comes on I don't worry about it the cost is so low.

 

[ChrisN]

I run my oil furnace when it gets below 10 degrees here, just enough so that my bedroom which is in the far corner of the first floor, stays above 50 degrees. I have to give my wife MAD PROPS. She is a real trooper and never ever complains, thank goodness she loves the electric blanket!! I have used about 1/2 tank of oil (140 gallons) since the last fillup in Sept. But that also includes my hot water which is heated by the oil furnace.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like putting the far end of the house on it's own zone might be a comfort improvement. 50 is cold even for a bedroom and I like it cool for sleeping.

 

[ChrisN]

Sounds like putting the far end of the house on it's own zone might be a comfort improvement. 50 is cold even for a bedroom and I like it cool for sleeping.

You are right BeGreen. I have been putting off rezoning the house, but it is sorely overdue. It's on my list of must do's before next heating season.

 

[bcnu]

I'd rarely use the oil furnace if I waited until 10F. We're in our coldest weather in four years and its getting down to 20F this week. Thr wind chill is making it feel even colder. I just hooked up the oil line after moving the tank this fall, so yesterday was the first time I've fired it up this winter. I've had it on twice for total of 20 minutes - more to keep it functioning rather than extract the heat(although the boost felt great). Outside temp is 32 and 73 inside. I'm eyeing a large piece of dry, seasoned oak for the overnight burn and will be using more this week as we stay in our "cold zone". Talked to a friend in Minneapolis area. Ouch - now that sounds real COLD

 

[staplebox]

I've pretty much been running my stove in the basement 24/7 since mid November. It keep the basement in the 70's- 80's, the main floor in the mid to upper 60's (depending on outside temps), and the second floor in the mid 50's (2 beds and a bath up there). The oil burner has kicked on a few time here and there, I keep it set a 64. The teens tonight will force it on. I also have hot water off the boiler so it runs several times per day for that. I haven't had a fill since early summer and still have just under 1/4 tank left.

My wife actually enjoys the cold bedroom. Probably because she is 8 months pregnant, the kid is due in mid Feb, when I also expect a demand for more heat, so..

I just picked up a England pellet stove for the main floor and hope to have it up and running next weekend. That ought to take me off oil except for the H2O.

 

[glenng]

My gas furnace cycles on for a minute every 15 minutes @ 10f OAT. My stove cannot keep up when it gets really cold.

My stove is in the unfinished basement of our square 2 story house, built in 1900. Aluminum siding over insul-brick and wood, no insulation in plaster and lathe walls. And its drafty too.

Attic is R-30. I plan to insulate the walls this year and maybe finish the basement next year. I know there is a lot I can do to help it hold the heat.

My white oak and locust needs another year to season also. I have been burning for only 10 months and my wood is less than a year old. As my wood burning neihbor/mentor says 'heating with wood gets better every year and it will teach you alot about heating efficiently'.

 

[Beanscoot]

Well my furnace is on a clock thermostat so it comes on early in the morning so we can get up to a warm (64 degree) house. Unfortunately my old woodstove is a piece of junk on its last winter till replacement and the house isn't insulated. I do buy second hand oil which saves about a third of the cost though. This is through a furnace man who resells fuel oil from houses switching to other heat, demolitions, etc.
I wouldn't worry too much about leaving an oil furnace idle for long periods. When I bought my house ten years ago, the previous owner told me he hadn't used the furnace in fourteen years. He did have an elderly repairman check it out and do any required TLC before I took possession of the house.

 

[jbrown56]

Hi, Don't feel bad because the furnace runs once and a while, at least it's not running 24/7. I have a propane FWA furnace with the stat set at 66* on the lower level and when the temps drop below 10* outside the furnace cycles a couple of times iin the early morning. It is good to run it once and a while.

Jim

 

[jbrown56]

Hi, Don't feel bad because the furnace runs once and a while, at least it's not running 24/7. I have a propane FWA furnace with the stat set at 66* on the lower level and when the temps drop below 10* outside the furnace cycles a couple of times iin the early morning. It is good to run it once and a while.

Jim

 

[kevin fitzsimmons]

Yah my furnace comes on on cold nights, i could get up and put more wood on in the wee hours, but i choose to sleep. However, when the furnace hasn't come on in days and i go to he wood pile for a armload i can count all the houses in the area that the furnace is firing in and i smile and scoop up some wood and follow the well worn path in the snow to the door.

 

[pulldownclaw]

We live in a fairly mild climate compared to most of you, and we don't burn 24/7, so our oil furnace runs some. What I've been impressed with is being able to keep it from kicking on at all during the day while we've been in this cold snap, and our house is 2700sf. The wife is a little freaked about me packing the stove full right before we go to bed too, but I'll get a good fire going before bed and I don't think the furnace kicks on until the middle of the night. When I get up in the morning I rake the coals a little, throw on some splits to get it going, and the furnace won't be on again until the next morning. I am anxious to see how much I am saving in oil, we've only been burning a month and just had the tank refilled, so I'll be able to see the next time they come out how much we're using.

 

[swestall]

Well, you're gonna like this... We have an oil furnace that's very efficient; and it heats our hot water, so it runs a little bit all the time. The furnace used to kick in a bit from 4AM to 6AM to get the house temp up a bit.

This year when it started to get cold out (below 30) my wife commented one morning that it was cold on the 1st floor; I looked at the t-stat and indeed it was colder than the setting. So I went to diagnose; it turns out that the zone control valve for the first floor was dead. And, they didn't have one and had to order it; I forgot about it for the past month and called today; they have it and are going to call.

So, for the last month or so of cold, the furnace hasn't been coming on at all for heat.
The effect is that its just like it used to be on the Farm when I was a kid; we come down in the AM and its cold, we stoke up the fire before we leave for work and it gets warm, we get it nice and toasty before bed, load and go to sleep.

We have an extra comforter on the bed, last night the wife kicked it off because she was too hot. (at about 64 degrees.

So much for running the furnace, when they install the control valve, I'm going to drop the temp the heat comes on at. (don't tell my wife please)

 

[jpl1nh]

While our Keystone is a delight to use and to watch, in the coldest weather it can't keep our house warm all by itself unless someone can reload about every 5-6 hours. We're often gone for 9-10 during the day. Ran the furnace for about 45 mins this morning and it warms the whole house including basement. Since the Stove is on the main floor, the basement can get pretty cold, (not yet insulated) My wife and I were discussing how much insulating the basement and good drapes or blinds in all the windows we have might just make the difference.

 

[RedRanger]

Since Sept. we have used 50 gallons of oil for the boiler,80 gallons of propane for the insert, and 3 and a half cords of wood for the first floor insert. The wood insert can keep the 1st two floors nice and toasty, but the next 2 levels need that boost from another source. Temp has been hovering around 28 at night to 38 during the day lately. :roll: By the time I finally win the battle with my wife about installing another wood insert on the 3rd level, I will probably be too old to do the wood anymore.

 

[jpl1nh]

Since Sept. we have used 50 gallons of oil for the boiler,80 gallons of propane for the insert, and 3 and a half cords of wood for the first floor insert. The wood insert can keep the 1st two floors nice and toasty, but the next 2 levels need that boost from another source. Temp has been hovering around 28 at night to 38 during the day lately. :roll: By the time I finally win the battle with my wife about installing another wood insert on the 3rd level, I will probably be too old to do the wood anymore.

Nonsense What about that old saying "There may be snow on the roof but there's still fire in the stove!"? :wow:

 

[RedRanger]

Well JpL:

Maybe I should send you some pics of our acreage-some magnificent firs (90 years old) and lots of spindly ones. I get threatened with "we will sell this place if you cut one more tree down".. Yet, common sense says that the tall spindly ones ain`t gonna compete with those majestic giants. Like how the H@@ is a 6" dia tree supposed to stay alive beside a huge old tree? It will die anyway, cause it simply can`t compete for the resourses. That is the kind of nonsense that I put up with..

Well, can`t really slam my foot down, and just install the wood insert. Even though that is just plain common sense. You know, that a divorce means (half of what ya used to have). which would mean no acreage, no forest. Probably a silly condo.. No, my friend I will just have to keep on plugging away at the better half until she see`s the benifit of total "wood heat"..

My second hobby is gardening in the woodlands,very challenging, but rewarding when it is done right. Moving to a Condo?? Might as well just shoot me. Of course the wife would probably be content, just plant a bunch of tulips and there we go. Hope I expire before that time ever comes-love my little forest, that I have turned into a Rhodo haven. Nice and cool in the summer, but no sun in the winter --so solar is out!! Good and negative things about living in the middle of a forest.

What I have learned is that you need constant heat in the winter. Not a boiler, or a furnace cycyling on and off. But that constant heat that something like a PE Summit can easily provide.

 

[jpl1nh]

Well JpL:

Maybe I should send you some pics of our acreage-some magnificent firs (90 years old) and lots of spindly ones. I get threatened with "we will sell this place if you cut one more tree down".. Yet, common sense says that the tall spindly ones ain`t gonna compete with those majestic giants. Like how the H@@ is a 6" dia tree supposed to stay alive beside a huge old tree? It will die anyway, cause it simply can`t compete for the resourses. That is the kind of nonsense that I put up with..

Well, can`t really slam my foot down, and just install the wood insert. Even though that is just plain common sense. You know, that a divorce means (half of what ya used to have). which would mean no acreage, no forest. Probably a silly condo.. No, my friend I will just have to keep on plugging away at the better half until she see`s the benifit of total "wood heat"..

My second hobby is gardening in the woodlands,very challenging, but rewarding when it is done right. Moving to a Condo?? Might as well just shoot me. Of course the wife would probably be content, just plant a bunch of tulips and there we go. Hope I expire before that time ever comes-love my little forest, that I have turned into a Rhodo haven. Nice and cool in the summer, but no sun in the winter --so solar is out!! Good and negative things about living in the middle of a forest.

What I have learned is that you need constant heat in the winter. Not a boiler, or a furnace cycyling on and off. But that constant heat that something like a PE Summit can easily provide.

I'd love to see some pics of your place. Sounds beautiful. I have a BS in plant science, my dad has a degree as a landscape architect. Love Rhodies.. I know it's a hard battle to convince your spouse but hopefully she'll come to see the undeniable logic and benefits of all wood heat. And the gardening hopefully will keep you young enough and fit enough to be able to keep on cutting your own wood very late into life.

 

[dsil]

I have a BS in plant science, my dad has a degree as a landscape architect.

Well, I have a BS in BS. So There!

 

[jpl1nh]

I have a BS in plant science, my dad has a degree as a landscape architect.

Well, I have a BS in BS. So There!

The more BS you apply the bigger the whatever gets! %-P

 

[Henz]

must admit, wife is away at a conference, I found myself talking to the woodpile last night!