not enough heat

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
All I can add is that cathedral ceiling(as I have) will rip your wood stove efficiency a new one :-((
 
this is what I mean by insulating the roof. This is what our contractor told us to do. View attachment 192002
If you pack those rafter tight spots in the upper corners of the room with insulation, you are asking for trouble. No ventilation will bring mold & rot. Unless you are going to seal the underside of the roof tight and condition the entire space.
 
Are you loading the stove front to back, or side to side. Front to back will give the hottest burns. And leave a space between each stack of wood, that will also give more surface area to burn and may give you a hotter burn.
 
If you pack those rafter tight spots in the upper corners of the room with insulation, you are asking for trouble. No ventilation will bring mold & rot.

Interesting. I'll have to discuss this with our contractor and try to figure something out.

Are you loading the stove front to back, or side to side.

I started out E/W then after reading on here a bit I switched to N/S.

All I can add is that cathedral ceiling(as I have) will rip your wood stove efficiency a new one :-((

The primary rooms / house have standard ceilings that stand 10' tall. The cathedral business is just in the attic due to the roof getting in the way. The level ceiling in the attic is maybe 7' so there wouldn't have been much storage without having a bit of a cathedral going on.

Can you fit more than 4 pieces of wood? Fill that thing up and go for 600°.

I can fit 3 pieces N/S and 2 on top of that E/W. I ran her pretty hot last night - cruising around 600 most of the evening. Definitely helped a lot. I patched more holes and things where cold air was seeping in. When I got home the house was about 40 degrees. 3 hours of burning and the two primary rooms were up to 55. Which is a pretty significant improvement. I don't think hope is lost just yet for this little stove. Maybe in a few years I'll upgrade to the 27, but for now I'll see if I can make her work :)
 
Interesting. I'll have to discuss this with our contractor and try to figure something out.
You will need vent shoots to allow air from the bottom of the soffit / roof migrate to the top, once those are installed then you can pack in your insulation, the idea is let your roof breath (stay at the same temp as the outside) but insulate the inside so you ceiling / walls retain the heat
 
upload_2017-1-6_12-21-35.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: webby3650
Just wanted to update now that I have the house more sealed off / insulated. I think this thread may help some people with similar issues. I know there was a newer thread regarding insulation issues.

I have yet to insulate the floors, but pretty much everything else is done (insulation wise). I'm running the stove nearly 24 /7. She won't burn all night, so there is a bed of coals in the morning I have to coax into a fire again each morning, but other than that we are able to keep it burning full time. Last night we had the place a balmy 85 degrees inside. It was fantastic considering outside was in the high 20s. Hope is not lost for this little stove!

We had space heaters running the first week of stove operation, while I was just burning pallets. Now that I'm burning oak the stove is the sole heat source and we absolutely love it. The wife kicks on a space heater in the bedroom at night, but that's about the extent of our electric heating use :)

I really appreciate everyone's input, this site is a fantastic resource.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Squisher
Be very careful insulating the floors. Typically you would want to encapsulate the crawlspace and insulate the walls down there. Warm crawlspace=warm floors. Fiberglass insulation wil act as a sponge if it's not completely dry down there, then you will have rotten rim joists in a short period of time. I've seen rotten rims in homes that were only a few years old caused by the wicking effect of the insulation.
 
Interesting thought. When I inspected the house before purchasing it It seemed like the crawl space had never seen moister - ever. Which is kinda odd for something built in 1906. I'm guessing the addition in the 30s, and then again in the 40s required the house to be put on a proper foundation and drained efficiently.

Given its incredibly dry state and the fact that I installed a vapor barrier I wonder what should be done. I am going back and forth on sealing the crawl space and insulating the foundation (walls if you will) or if I should leave it vented and insulate the floor and install an OAK.
 
Interesting thought. When I inspected the house before purchasing it It seemed like the crawl space had never seen moister - ever. Which is kinda odd for something built in 1906. I'm guessing the addition in the 30s, and then again in the 40s required the house to be put on a proper foundation and drained efficiently.

Given its incredibly dry state and the fact that I installed a vapor barrier I wonder what should be done. I am going back and forth on sealing the crawl space and insulating the foundation (walls if you will) or if I should leave it vented and insulate the floor and install an OAK.
It's becoming a pretty well accepted fact that a sealed up crawl space is the way to go. Some old timers aren't on board with the idea yet, do your research and you'll see the benefits. The crawl space is probably the most overlooked area of the house, that and the chimney crown.lol
 
Right, but is it so much better that it negates the benefits of an OAK? I can only realistically vent to the crawl space. If I seal up the crawl space then I lose the option to burn outside air. That is what I'm trying to decide on.
 
When I got home the house was about 40 degrees. 3 hours of burning and the two primary rooms were up to 55.

Please, please, please advise the single male members here at Hearth where such a wife can be appropriated_g My wife would have my man parts in a paper sack on the porch if she came home from work to find the house at 40F;lol All kidding aside. Hope nobody is offended but I just could not help commenting........

Sounds like your on the correct path. Good for you! Enjoy the stove. I started with a tiny stove and got by with it a couple years. Not much sleep time between reloads. I have now upgraded stove type and size a bit. Really impressive. Enjoy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: webby3650
Right, but is it so much better that it negates the benefits of an OAK? I can only realistically vent to the crawl space. If I seal up the crawl space then I lose the option to burn outside air. That is what I'm trying to decide on.
I see your dilemma, I would most certainly encapsulate my crawl space. I would not insulate the floors personally.
 
Please, please, please advise the single male members here at Hearth where such a wife can be appropriated_g My wife would have my man parts in a paper sack on the porch if she came home from work to find the house at 40F;lol All kidding aside. Hope nobody is offended but I just could not help commenting.........

Dude, when I framed in our french doors I made sure that only that room was exposed to the elements. It was 20 degrees outside and snowing. She wanted so bad to help... but... She came outside and was like, "what can I do?" about three seconds later she started crying. I'm like, "What's wrong?" her response, "It's just really really cold!" I'm like, "...Go back inside then? It's fine, I've got this." She refused to go inside because she wanted to help. She soon after sat down on the floor and started crying uncontrollably. I asked her what I could do and she said,"Nothing, I just want it to not be cold any more." I literally had to pick her up and carry her back inside. Like I said, I love her to death, but she's not very handy... She's been awesome throughout this process. I worked outside for most of my career so far, so I'm used to working in conditions like this. I get that most people aren't though.

FB_IMG_1484254680697_zpsrdcbfti6.jpg
 
Can't you run the oak vent through the crawl space and out the perimeter wall?
 
Hmm. I suppose I could do that. My understanding was that the vent run needed to be a fairly short distance. The stove is about in the middle of the house as much as it could be. I'd have to vent about 15' over to an exterior wall.
 
Hmm. I suppose I could do that. My understanding was that the vent run needed to be a fairly short distance. The stove is about in the middle of the house as much as it could be. I'd have to vent about 15' over to an exterior wall.
You would need to see what PE allows for distance.
 
Dude, when I framed in our french doors I made sure that only that room was exposed to the elements. It was 20 degrees outside and snowing. She wanted so bad to help... but... She came outside and was like, "what can I do?" about three seconds later she started crying. I'm like, "What's wrong?" her response, "It's just really really cold!" I'm like, "...Go back inside then? It's fine, I've got this." She refused to go inside because she wanted to help. She soon after sat down on the floor and started crying uncontrollably. I asked her what I could do and she said,"Nothing, I just want it to not be cold any more." I literally had to pick her up and carry her back inside. Like I said, I love her to death, but she's not very handy... She's been awesome throughout this process. I worked outside for most of my career so far, so I'm used to working in conditions like this. I get that most people aren't though.

Bless her heart! And yours for being understanding. Ain't this burning wood stuff fun as a couple. My wife is a office junky holding a chair down in a controlled atmosphere. However she felt so bad for me doing all the cutting, splitting etc. that she has now been outside with me almost every step of the process. It'sa good together time. Which is limited at best these days. And yes. I work outdoors as well.