At what outside temp do you start burning?!?!

[akennyd]

It's been running in the upper 30's and low 40's for about 3 weeks now here in North Carolina where I live. Have built a fire in the stove everynight except 2...house has been a little warm but we have been enjoying it compared to the normal coolish feel of our heatpump heat. It was mid 50's last night so I decided not to light the stove...got up early this morning and was wishing that I had. House was much cooler feeling and the heatpumps were running. Temps tonight supposed to be about 50 around here and I'll have a small fire going...

What's the warmest outside temp that you'll fire up your woodstove??


Kenny {

 

[liv2hnt]

Mid 40s for me or when the thermostat in the house dips below 70. That is usually when the wife and daughter start looking for the matches.

 

[raiderfan]

When its in the 30's outside, I'll usually fire it up. Or when the basement temps hit 60 or below. Have used it this year without the outside temps and/or basement temps being so cold, but that's because its a new stove, and I was begging to use it!!

 

[Lanningjw]

I wait until it dips below 30 degrees. We had a heat pump installed and have been using it. My BK insert turned to low is to warm for my cold blood....

Last year I started burning in the middle of Oct and ran out of seasoned wood in the middle of Feb. My idea this year is to save my wood for the colder weather like now..... 15 degrees and very windy!

 

[velvetfoot]

It was a balmy 51 degrees this morning and I still made a fire.
It's hard to get out of the habit once you start.

 

[quads]

I don't necessarily go by the temperature outside. If I'm feeling chilly INSIDE, I light a fire. If I get too warm, I open a window. Sometimes I might have a small fire when it's cloudy, dry, windy 70° outside. If it's a calm, sunny, humid 70° outside, then no.

 

[nate379]

Low 30s.

I am DYING right now from the fire I made almost 24hrs ago (yes still burning). It was 10* when I left for work and overnight it warmed up nearly 30*... it's almost 40* right now! It's nearly 80* in the house.

 

[NH_Wood]

Supposed to reach 58* today, so let yesterday morning's fire die and never reloaded. Woke up to 65* in the house - hasn't been below 70* in the house in about 3 weeks (been burning at least 2 fire per day). Kind of wish I had built a medium sized fire last night, but didn't want to cook us today with the higher outside temps. You definitely get used to the wood warmth, and when it's gone, seems chilly. Funny, because before the stove, we'd have our house at 65 or 66 all winter - always chilly. Now we are finally warm when we want to be - all our wood is scrounged, so I'm not hugely careful with the supply (but not wasteful either - still a lot of work). Supposed to dip to 32* tonight, with a high of 36* tomorrow - I'll get a fire going this evening, as soon as outside temps drop enough to get a good draft going. Cheers!

 

[JV_Thimble]

I tend to look at a combination of forecast and indoor temps. If the outdoor temp is going down from where it is, and the combination of my downstairs temp (where the stove is) + upstairs is 110 or less, I'll light a fire. Typically downstairs is 6-8 F cooler than upstairs, and this usually occurs when outside is well below 50. Just my current system.

 

[Deadcalm]

I'm intrigued at the temperatures some of you like your living accommodation at.

In my cathedral-like salon here in France, the Jotul F600 will push out quite a bit of heat, and the two new ceiling fans spread it about a bit, but 19 - 20 degrees C (about 66 - 68 in old money) is about the norm. Any more, and it's too warm and stuffy. I like the bedrooms to be relatively cool, too. How you can be comfortable in 70 - 80 degrees of heat baffles me, particularly if external temps are really low. Each to their own, I suppose. Anyone else prefer it a little less warm?

 

[shawneyboy]

I prefer to keep the house in the high 60's to low 70's. Soooooo small fires start on days in the low 50s if we have no solar gain. At night with those daytime temps we fall to the low 40's to high 30's. Keep the house warm, thats why I bought the damn thing.

 

[Don2222]

Hello

That is a good question.

I figured that if the overnight temperature forecast was 45 degrees or above then I do not need heat. I live in southern NH in a split entry and last night's low was 46 and the livingroom was 70 degrees when I woke up. I re-did the insulation in the attic. Which means I totally removed the dusty and dirty 48 year old R7 fiberglass insulation. Then nailed 2x2s to the 2x4s in the attic floor to create 2x6s. Then layed down R4 Reflextix foil for a radiant heat shield(keeps heat in the living space and makes a good vapor barrier) and then put down faced R19 fiberglass on top of the foil. Then crisscrossed it all with R30 unfaced fiberglass for a total of R53. That saves alot of heating fuel no matter what kind is being used!

 

[gerry100]

When the daytime temps are in the 40s , I burn.

This year I've burned on and off for a few weeks. Today we're in the 50s so I'll shut down , restart tommorrow.

When I had Jumbo Moe the smoke dragon exhausting into the chimney, I avoided stop/starts becuse of the creosote buildup in the cold chimney during startup.

With a liner and an EPA stove I start and stop at will.

 

[Jags]

As Quads was pointing out - I don't go by outside temps - I go by INSIDE temps. If its cooler than I like...I light a fire. 70-72F is my target temp with the stove running.

 

[Hanko]

usually I light up when the old ladys starts a bitchin. Her idea of a warm house and mine are vastly different

 

[corey21]

I start the stove when the house drops to 70. But if it above 40 outside i don't.

 

[firefighterjake]

+1 to what Quads and Jags said . . . I don't really care what the temp outside is . . . I care more about the temp inside . . . of course the outside temp can impact the inside temp . . . but I never bothered looking outside and then saying to myself, "Self, it is now 43.6 degrees Fahrenheit . . . if it dips down to 43.2 degrees Fahrenheit outside I will light a fire."

No . . . rather this is more typical --

Mrs. Firefighterjake: "It's a bit chilly in here."

Firefighterjake: "Want me to light a fire?"

Mrs. Firefighterjake: "Yes, that would be nice my darling handsome husband man . . . and may I say you look particularly dashing tonight . . . in fact by lighting a fire I may well want to tear off all my clothes and throw myself at you."

OK, I may not have got the entire transcript exactly right . . . word to word . . . but you get the gist.

 

[gerry100]

One question for Master of fire-

Doesn't the house get too warm in the summer?

 

[Monkey Wrench]

If I'm chilled...fire-It up.

I'm going to freeze all winter processing it.

 

[sixman]

My first fire of the season was when it was still 85 outside.. Got pretty warm inside that day. New install and just couldn't help myself.
When we were on propane heat it was the low 70s in the house to save $$, now that we are on free wood, upper 70s and short sleeves for us.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I don't necessarily go by the temperature outside. If I'm feeling chilly INSIDE, I light a fire. If I get too warm, I open a window. Sometimes I might have a small fire when it's cloudy, dry, windy 70° outside. If it's a calm, sunny, humid 70° outside, then no.

Quite the same here.

Not really sure about outside temperature but probably below 50 for sure we'd have a fire. We do not have an indoor thermometer so I don't know what that is either. However, I can say I like it around 80 or at least the high 70's in the house.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I'm intrigued at the temperatures some of you like your living accommodation at.

In my cathedral-like salon here in France, the Jotul F600 will push out quite a bit of heat, and the two new ceiling fans spread it about a bit, but 19 - 20 degrees C (about 66 - 68 in old money) is about the norm. Any more, and it's too warm and stuffy. I like the bedrooms to be relatively cool, too. How you can be comfortable in 70 - 80 degrees of heat baffles me, particularly if external temps are really low. Each to their own, I suppose. Anyone else prefer it a little less warm?

And in the summer people are always claiming they like hot weather! I've always been intrigued at the temperatures some folks like their living accommodation at during the winter Why do they want the outside temperature above 80 in the summer but only 65-70 in the winter?

I also do not understand what the indoor temperature has to do with the outdoor temperature. If, say 70 indoor temperature feels good with an outdoor temperature of 30, then won't 70 degree indoor temperature also feel good when the outdoor temperature is 10? Personally, if I've been working outdoors in 10 degree temperature, I appreciate the indoor temperature being well above 70. I happen to believe a man should be warm and comfortable in his own home. So really, I doesn't bother me in the least if someone is comfortable with a 65 degree (or lower) home.

 

[thewoodlands]

It's been running in the upper 30's and low 40's for about 3 weeks now here in North Carolina where I live. Have built a fire in the stove everynight except 2...house has been a little warm but we have been enjoying it compared to the normal coolish feel of our heatpump heat. It was mid 50's last night so I decided not to light the stove...got up early this morning and was wishing that I had. House was much cooler feeling and the heatpumps were running. Temps tonight supposed to be about 50 around here and I'll have a small fire going...

What's the warmest outside temp that you'll fire up your woodstove??


Kenny {

It's called the wife temperature, when she would like it warmer the Liberty gets fired up and is ready for duty.


zap

 

[madrone]

If the weather bureau predicts 50 or higher, I let the NG furnace handle it. Between 40 and 50, I might go for a small morning fire. Or not. Under 40 I run the stove all day when I'm home.

 

[Freeheat]

Its 45 and the stove is running tonight its going down to 28 so just a early start