I bought a fixer-upper in the Pacific Northwest so that I wouldn't have to stay in motels when I travel. I knew the town had no natural gas but expected propane would be available, and I could get automatic delivery and just leave the heat on while I was away (to eastern Oregon). However, delivery stops just a few miles down the road. I had plans to do a little remodeling which now sounds like it will become a full on gutting of the place (1928 1-story craftsman, 1200 sqft). That is driven partly by the fact that I think there are already squatters, but also by the fact that I can't think of any way to keep the place dry except to make it my primary residence. I was leaning toward putting in a heat pump (mini-split) since the town is at just 1000' or else a pellet stove. It sounds like the heat pumps require fussing and I expect the humidity may turn it in to a moldy nightmare. I also have not read anything to convince me that the problem has been mitigated with the copper tubes (made in China) developing wormholes. I took care of my father at the end of his life and I liked the heat of the wood stove, but I am female, 62, and it's just me and the dog now. I had to remove a very heavy grate every day to clean out the ash and I am losing my grip [sic]. The house has a traditional fireplace with brick chimney that looks crumbly. I am thinking a pellet insert would be nice, but I think it would potentially have to run 24/7/365 and I get the impression that the hoppers are small and the cleaning is cumbersome. So my final answer is to get a free standing pellet stove that also burns wood for those (apparently frequent) power outages, but these units sound like new technology, which always has alot of new kinks, and I don't see that the forum has collected data like on wood stoves. Any thoughts? Or is it off to assisted living...
absentee, 67" of precip and no NG
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There are some mistaken notions about mini-splits. Heating the interior will lower the humidity, not raise it. And many of the good ones are made in Japan, not China. The only fussing they require is an occasional cleaning of the air filter. Pellet stoves are definitely higher maintenance and noisier.
It looks like you live in the region. What is your advice on leaving a minisplit (or heat pump of any sort) running for a couple of months at a time with the house unoccupied? Maybe I'm on the wrong forum for this question. What other specific options are there?
It's ok. I would recommend having a good quality surge suppressor installed for it. Power outages can cause line spikes which can kill the electronics. You could add a wireless monitoring system to notify you if the temp drops too low.
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
I too live in the area and since our power is cheap and that place is small why not just install some electric baseboard heaters (or wall heaters) and leave them on? Very common in the PNW. No maintenance, cheap to buy, very dependable.
Mold and moisture is caused by water leaks. Fix the roof.
Mold and moisture is caused by water leaks. Fix the roof.
I see on PUD several recent notifications of outages. I was told electricity was expensive up there. I know we get a good deal here in eastern Oregon because of govt subsidy on Bonneville Dam but it sounds like they are going to sell it (or the power business anyway) to a private company and prices expected to go way up. Sound like they want to run more lines right through my son's "backyard" all the way to Boise, but that's all second hand info., so not sure what's real.
Anyway, I like the idea of the baseboard heating when power is cheap. They would be easy to remove if I wanted to change it up.
What about the fireplace for back up. Probably should get an insert, but do you think it gets cold enough to need the kind that sit out in front? I may not know what I'm talking about (again) but I am thinking that the pipe on those goes out the back instead of the top, and I can see where it could be hard to get the smoke moving with a bend in the pipe, especially when lighting. I thought I might remove the whole fireplace and centrally locate something with a straight pipe out the roof. Comments? Is there a pile of WA regs that go with any of this, like the air supply?
Anyway, I like the idea of the baseboard heating when power is cheap. They would be easy to remove if I wanted to change it up.
What about the fireplace for back up. Probably should get an insert, but do you think it gets cold enough to need the kind that sit out in front? I may not know what I'm talking about (again) but I am thinking that the pipe on those goes out the back instead of the top, and I can see where it could be hard to get the smoke moving with a bend in the pipe, especially when lighting. I thought I might remove the whole fireplace and centrally locate something with a straight pipe out the roof. Comments? Is there a pile of WA regs that go with any of this, like the air supply?
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
A masonry chimney and fireplace from the 20s you describe as crumbling, I would not invest in. Best case, any type of insert is a compromise where you lose performance capabilities compared to a freestanding appliance. I was happy to demolish my masonry fireplace, cheap and easy, to make way for a freestanding stove.
our power here is 8-10 cents per kWh. It gets cold enough to need heat in the foothills and that old house doesn’t likely have much insulation. 26 this morning. We usually see single digits and wind every year. Usually though it hovers above freezing so the ground stays muddy!
our power here is 8-10 cents per kWh. It gets cold enough to need heat in the foothills and that old house doesn’t likely have much insulation. 26 this morning. We usually see single digits and wind every year. Usually though it hovers above freezing so the ground stays muddy!
We pay about 6.8 cents for electric and 82 cents per therm. Sorry I can't keep my questions specific, but these things are all sight-unseen. It's been a steep learning curve since I found this site and I am grateful for all that you guys kick around here. So... the brick chimney is going. As well, I hadn't thought about the noise of a pellet stove, and I get that, after working in a fume hood for years. I get the impression that the pelletXwood stove is quite a new thing, and I am wary of multiple functions ("now, how much would you pay"). Unless you have comment there, I think you guys have me on my way -- besides, my vizsla pup keeps bugging me and I need to finish digging her luge out back.
FYI only...These are the comments regarding copper coils to which I referred:
highperformancehvac.com
fujitsugeneral.zendesk.com
www.achrnews.com
Copper Versus Aluminum Coils HVAC Quality Guide 101
Copper Versus Aluminum Coils HVAC - Some manufacturers are starting to transition from copper coils to aluminum coils
highperformancehvac.com
Fujitsu
Troubling Pinhole Leaks in Evaporator Coils Cause Corrosion Issues
The problem of “ant nest” coil corrosion is not really a new one. And it has little to do with R-410A in the system. Formicary (literally ant nest) coil corrosion has been occurring throughout the industry for years, on all manufacturers’ brands.
One thing i have noticed in this whole conversation... You say you are getting up their in age and are starting to loose your grip so cleaning a wood stove would be a chore... Carrying 50lbs bags of pellets everyday is not going to do anything for your hands.. I may of missed it but what is in the home now? Have you thought about a electric forced air furnace? A person i know up here where electricity is expensive as it gets and everything in his house is electric in a fairly large home was paying $900 every 2 months oh his hydro bill when outside temps were -20 to -30. He was also heating his garage with several not so energy efficient space heaters 24/7 so i figure those heaters cost him another $400 on his bill...
Then you could run a small easy to care for wood stove for those days you want the feel of a nice wood heat for the day
Then you could run a small easy to care for wood stove for those days you want the feel of a nice wood heat for the day
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
Cleaning a woodstove is not a chore. In the pnw it is very common to burn Doug fir. I burn it 24/7 and have not emptied the ash at all this year. At least 3.5 cords. The daily loading of firewood is hopefully what the OP was worried about. 50# of firewood per day or a 50# bag of pellets, same thing.
batchman
Burning Hunk
Just a thought, that crumbling masonry may only need re-pointing - not unique to the 20s. Of course it could also be "worse".
Different climate, different geometry but I run a pellet stove with 2 bags a day through New England winters, you could probably go one bag per day (or less, according to my PacNW perpetual student daughter). Around here they're only 40lbs - not so bad if you can keep them near your need. Works well that way in my basement, a quick hand-truck with some bags every so often and I stay ready. I would feel a lot differently faced with stairs. As to cleaning, many here spend a lot of time on that but I went for a recipe that is more likely to survive my spotty maintenance - I clean once a season by burning low-ash pellets and using a stove that clears its' own burn pot, emptying the ash bin once per ton or so.
I also run a wood insert that sits "in", so doesn't take much floor space. Only drawback is the circulating fan can annoy when you need to run it up. Around these parts we'd never try running softwoods in a wood stove, due to inevitable chimney fires. Of course, we also have plenty of hardwood. Anyway I only clean the insert once or twice a season; of course it doesn't run every night (and only overnight). Mine is just a brick firebox. First few weeks you have to be artful stacking your wood in (to get a fire to start), but after that just push the ash around to make two "berms" for your new wood to sit on.
I would not think twice about a mini-split from Japan - we have one at our office running 24/7/365 (for a server room).
Never heard of a stove that runs pellets -or- cordwood, other than a screened box that you fill with pellets and burn in your stove/fireplace instead of a log. I joke about my 'giant pellets' (Envi-8 blocks), but I use those to bolster the cordwood fire.
Good luck with your project. Hope the masonry fix is actually easy. Nothing beats a wood fire in a living room, but I wouldn't want to rely on that for primary heat - one day you may not feel up to the work.
Cheers,
- Jeff
Different climate, different geometry but I run a pellet stove with 2 bags a day through New England winters, you could probably go one bag per day (or less, according to my PacNW perpetual student daughter). Around here they're only 40lbs - not so bad if you can keep them near your need. Works well that way in my basement, a quick hand-truck with some bags every so often and I stay ready. I would feel a lot differently faced with stairs. As to cleaning, many here spend a lot of time on that but I went for a recipe that is more likely to survive my spotty maintenance - I clean once a season by burning low-ash pellets and using a stove that clears its' own burn pot, emptying the ash bin once per ton or so.
I also run a wood insert that sits "in", so doesn't take much floor space. Only drawback is the circulating fan can annoy when you need to run it up. Around these parts we'd never try running softwoods in a wood stove, due to inevitable chimney fires. Of course, we also have plenty of hardwood. Anyway I only clean the insert once or twice a season; of course it doesn't run every night (and only overnight). Mine is just a brick firebox. First few weeks you have to be artful stacking your wood in (to get a fire to start), but after that just push the ash around to make two "berms" for your new wood to sit on.
I would not think twice about a mini-split from Japan - we have one at our office running 24/7/365 (for a server room).
Never heard of a stove that runs pellets -or- cordwood, other than a screened box that you fill with pellets and burn in your stove/fireplace instead of a log. I joke about my 'giant pellets' (Envi-8 blocks), but I use those to bolster the cordwood fire.
Good luck with your project. Hope the masonry fix is actually easy. Nothing beats a wood fire in a living room, but I wouldn't want to rely on that for primary heat - one day you may not feel up to the work.
Cheers,
- Jeff
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