A good primer on the science behind chimneys

[firecracker_77]

http://www.woodheat.org/outside-chimney.html

 

[Ashful]

Very educational. It's interesting to note that most old houses (1700 - 1900) built in the mid-Atlantic region have chimneys built into one or both end walls. These are not truly "inside" or "outside", but rather captured within the thickness of the wall. In New England, it was common to put the chimney inside the house, typically centrally located. It's often claimed that's because they wanted to pick up the radiant heat off the chimney, but I don't see why folks in Philadelphia wouldn't want the same effect. I believe instead, it was just the customs of the local builders, brought over from their old-world educations.

 

[begreen]

I believe instead, it was just the customs of the local builders, brought over from their old-world educations.

Or lack thereof. The Philly area is normally 10-15 degrees warmer and much hotter in the summer. Back in colonial days it was a malarial swamp and folks vacated the area, including the Continental Congress. Maybe it was just easier to heat? Sounds like a worthy research project.

It might have just been the current style. Here's a colonial house in New Hampshire with chimneys at both ends.Maybe that kept the summer cooking heat from the rest of the house?



(broken link removed to http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/17761976/1976_4.htm)

Interesting to note : "The average colonial family used 30-40 cords per year, the equivalent of one acre of woods, to heat their homes and to cook their meals."

 

[fossil]

...Interesting to note : "The average colonial family used 30-40 cords per year, the equivalent of one acre of woods, to heat their homes and to cook their meals."

Oh c,mon...they gotta be talkin' "Colonial face cords" here.

 

[Pagey]

Oh c,mon...they gotta be talkin' "Colonial face cords" here.

Or the infamous Colonial stove cord...?

 

[firecracker_77]

Or lack thereof. The Philly area is normally 10-15 degrees warmer and much hotter in the summer. Back in colonial days it was a malarial swamp and folks vacated the area, including the Continental Congress. Maybe it was just easier to heat? Sounds like a worthy research project.

It might have just been the current style. Here's a colonial house in New Hampshire with chimneys at both ends.Maybe that kept the summer cooking heat from the rest of the house?

View attachment 71876

(broken link removed to http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/17761976/1976_4.htm)

Interesting to note : "The average colonial family used 30-40 cords per year, the equivalent of one acre of woods, to heat their homes and to cook their meals."

Your factoid about cord usage is amazing. No wonder Europe ran out of forests at one point. I can't even imagine splitting and stacking that. I bet it was all wet and smoldery instead of seasoned

 

[firecracker_77]

30 cords of oak would be about 120,000 pounds of wood burned annually. Next time a teenager gives you grief about household chores, throw that fact in their face.

 

[MishMouse]

30 cords of oak would be about 120,000 pounds of wood burned annually. Next time a teenager gives you grief about household chores, throw that fact in their face.

My back hurts just thinking about it.

 

[begreen]

Your factoid about cord usage is amazing. No wonder Europe ran out of forests at one point. I can't even imagine splitting and stacking that. I bet it was all wet and smoldery instead of seasoned

And this was just for wood burning. Shipbuilding took an even heavier toll in some areas. It's said that at one point in Ireland and parts of England that you could ride all day without seeing a single tree. The thought is also that deforestation contributed to the extinction of the passenger pigeon (and likely many other species).

 

[firecracker_77]

And this was just for wood burning. Shipbuilding took an even heavier toll in some areas. It's said that at one point in Ireland and parts of England that you could ride all day without seeing a single tree. The thought is also that deforestation contributed to the extinction of the passenger pigeon (and likely many other species).

View attachment 71888

That is sad. I'm not one to scream about the world shouldn't have humans, but it is sad to think about all those forests taken away forever.

 

[firecracker_77]

In your map there, the whole Eastern side of the US was all woods at one time. I can't even imagine.

 

[fossil]

Early in the Industrial Revolution (until mining for coal began in earnest), wood was still the most widely used fuel. Thus, locomotives, steamboats, and stationary steam engines (including those that powered sawmills ) all were voracious wood-burners.

 

[firecracker_77]

I wonder if the railroads properly seasoned it or just threw fresh logs in the firebox.

 

[begreen]

Wood was also used to create iron for colonial America.

 

[Ashful]

It might have just been the current style. Here's a colonial house in New Hampshire with chimneys at both ends.Maybe that kept the summer cooking heat from the rest of the house?

There's exceptions to every rule! I do think New England favored the central chimney more than Philadelphia, where end chimneys are the dominant form.

Interesting to note : "The average colonial family used 30-40 cords per year, the equivalent of one acre of woods, to heat their homes and to cook their meals."

Ouch! I do have a few old pre-industrial firewood saws, and they cut mighty fast, on par with a good bowsaw. That said, it gets old after the first round is bucked. I can't imagine processing 30 - 40 cords without the aid of a chainsaw. Then again, I suspect that's 30 - 40 cords per "household", most households consisting of several members beyond the nuclear family (and more than our current average 2.3 kids per household).

Early in the Industrial Revolution (until mining for coal began in earnest), wood was still the most widely used fuel. Thus, locomotives, steamboats, and stationary steam engines (including those that powered sawmills ) all were voracious wood-burners.

This is interesting. It does seem most steam engines in America were burning wood prior to 1850, whereas England had replaced almost all wood-burning appliances with coal during the late 1500's. By 1600, you'd be hard-pressed to find the average person burning wood for any application in Wales, Ireland, or England.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Interesting to note : "The average colonial family used 30-40 cords per year, the equivalent of one acre of woods, to heat their homes and to cook their meals."

Well, it's good to know that I'm a little more efficient at heating my home with my 7-9 cords a winter...

 

[begreen]

Perhaps because there was no more wood, where in America it was still in plentiful supply. They used most of it up by the mid 1600s with ship building taking the bulk of what remained. The colonies regularly exported wood for this purpose.

 

[firecracker_77]

Well, it's good to know that I'm a little more efficient at heating my home with my 7-9 cords a winter...

I guess you are a wood miser...by 18th century standards at least hahahah

 

[fossil]

Unlike in America, in England there was abundant readily available coal on or near the surface that could be gathered without mining.

 

[Highbeam]

And this was just for wood burning. Shipbuilding took an even heavier toll in some areas. It's said that at one point in Ireland and parts of England that you could ride all day without seeing a single tree. The thought is also that deforestation contributed to the extinction of the passenger pigeon (and likely many other species).

View attachment 71888

Yes, but that map only shows remaining "virgin" forests. Our rotations now are only a few decades and whether or not the forest is virgin makes no difference to the heat made when it burns. I'm not sure how good the colonials were at planting trees but a similar chart showing just plain forested areas would certainly look different.

30-40 real cords? I have my doubts. I expect that the definition of cord was different. They also had to make hay, grow crops, brew beer, chase off indians, etc. I just can't see how that much wood could be processed.

 

[firecracker_77]

Yes, but that map only shows remaining "virgin" forests. Our rotations now are only a few decades and whether or not the forest is virgin makes no difference to the heat made when it burns. I'm not sure how good the colonials were at planting trees but a similar chart showing just plain forested areas would certainly look different.

30-40 real cords? I have my doubts. I expect that the definition of cord was different. They also had to make hay, grow crops, brew beer, chase off indians, etc. I just can't see how that much wood could be processed.

This sounds like claims of walking 10 miles to school in a foot of snow. Not the same measurement as today.

 

[begreen]

Hard to say, I wasn't measuring. Go to the section on wood here:

http://www.engr.psu.edu/mtah/articles/colonial_wood_water.htm

Some differences were that they were burning constantly, year round. They didn't let the fire go out because there were no matches to restart it. And they were burning in open fireplaces, so a whole lot of the heat went up the chimney.

 

[firecracker_77]

That could be true. Burning year round would waste tons.

 

[begreen]

Found a little more definitive source that seems to confirm the 30 cord figure, real cords too. They used a crap load of wood. Source is Almanacs of American Life by Thomas Purvis. This is from the Colonial America to 1763 book.




(broken link removed to http://bit.ly/Rb9zus)

 

[firecracker_77]

The founding fathers were a bunch of tree assasins. They could have used a good plate steel stove.