Like a little competition: My house and stove vs. Nature

[thinkxingu]

Gonna get down to 2 tonight here in Southern NH--we'll see if the Homestead can keep us at 70!

S

 

[pen]

Here in NE Pa I'm looking at a high temp of 10 right now, and down to mid single digits tonight as well. Was that way last night also. This is only our second cold snap. The new 30 did well during the first one. I see it as a challenge and love it!

(Please don't take it as I am complaining or think that I am "cold" I know some of your look forward to "warm" days w/ a high of 10 to give your stoves a rest )

Good luck

pen

 

[LLigetfa]

Hmmm.... even at -40, I can keep my house above 70 without even trying. That's not good enough for the wife though. She want it at 75. At -40 outside, trying to keep it at 75 becomes a bit of a challenge with coal buildup. It may drop to around 72 temporarily while I work at burning down the coals. At times like that I've been known to let the gas furnace kick in for a few minutes to prevent marital discord.

It was -28C (-18F) this morning. If I couldn't keep the house at 70 with it +2F outside, I'd be replaced right quick.

 

[heffergm]

At 9F my stove destroys nature. It's largely a function of your stove, how much space you need to heat, and how well that space holds heat. I've got roughly 1200ft of cathedral ceiling spaceon two levels, but because of the floorplan the heat disperses very well. Add to that the fact that the house holds heat like crazy (I had it up at 80 this morning before letting the fire die... it's still 70F at 3pm and it's been crazy windy and around 20F) and 9F doesn't faze me.

 

[iceman]

well i am keeping the house at 74 right now ..... over 2000 sq ft my stove is at the other end so downstairs is 74 upstairs hallway 74 bedrooms 70-72 and over 60' away from the stove ....... there MIGHT be only 2 more stoves that can do it....... and both have 4+ cubic ft firebox...... (blaze king and equinox)
so... the winner is
THE SUMMIT by over acheiving

 

[hareball]

My Fisher is the size of a small couch with a firebox large enough to contain a small forest fire :D

 

[Corey]

Hmmm.... even at -40, I can keep my house above 70 without even trying. ...

Oh yeah - well it got so cold here once, we thought it was snowing, but it was really CO2 freezing out of the air! (-110F / -79C) I kept the house at 80 all night long with two twigs of hedge and a sheet of newspaper.

On a serious note, though...I've come to appreciate buildings further north are much better equipped to deal with the cold. Lots of insulation, 'tight' construction, etc. Most houses of any age around here may have ~3" insulation in the walls and 8-10" in the ceiling. When it gets to be -20 here, you feel that!

I topped off my attic recently to 15-18 inches. Could definitely tell it made a difference, but there is not too much which can be done with walls which doesn't require major surgery.

 

[quads]

Hmmm.... even at -40, I can keep my house above 70 without even trying. ...

That's when my stove starts to burn clean!

 

[Bobbin]

It's 11 °F and very windy right now, the sun is just down. I refired the Classic pre-dawn and let it burn down to a bed of coals by 1PM. I did some deep cleaning (vacuuming, etc.) and cracked the windows to "change the air" at the same time. The space is 1008 sq. ft. with 8' ceilings and is well insulated, although there is definitley leakage around the 27 flush mounted flourescent lights. The room dropped from 74 to 69 °F in that time. I tossed in a couple of splits at about 1PM and dampered the stove down again. I'll let it cruise along on that until it's time to load it for the night (it's 74 °F in there now). I suspect, with the wind and cold temperatures forecasted, the space will be in the mid-60s tomorrow morning and the stove will be at about 150-200 °F, with plenty of coals to reignite the next fire. Even though I don't used the space 24 hrs. I've learned that maintaning the space at a "basic" of heat level is the way to keep it within easy range of "cozy". Time to go bring in some wood before it gets dark!

I agree that newer homes in more northern climes tend to be well insulated. New windows and good insulation make a huge difference. I was at my brother's home yesterday and his new garage has radiant heat in the slab and maintains 60 °F with minimal oil. The stove he has in the second floor workshop keeps that space very comfortable with minimal wood or coal. In spite of improvements in insulation and windows the layout of the heating system in his home leaves some "cold" areas.

 

[pen]

I'm ready. Although I wish I had more insulation in the walls and newer windows.

Stove Top

No Flash

left a thread w/ these pics and more after being inspired by this thread here --> https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/49257/

 

[thinkxingu]

Good thing we're replacing all the windows and siding this spring--I can see the curtains moving from the air leaks! My brother's telling me to get that shrink-wrap stuff to seal the windows off, but there's something about seeing a 'legitimate' change in performance each year/upgrade.

1971 construction--original windows (no locks!).

 

[LLigetfa]

OK, so I came home to the house at 72 and the wife is complaining that she just can't get the house warm enough today and that she wants me to remove the ashes. Now I generally time the ash removal with pending cold as I get more heat of of the stove with fewer ashes but there really wasn't all that much ash to matter. Of course I blamed her inability on pilot error which didn't earn me any brownie points. I have play my cards close to the vest... can't give away all my secrets... need the job security.

Give me an hour with the stove and I'll have it like a sauna in here. The wife will probably say that her cooking on the gas stove was what brought up the temp. It's supposed to cloud in and warm up a bit overnight so I think my reputation is safe for now.

 

[iceman]

Good thing we're replacing all the windows and siding this spring--I can see the curtains moving from the air leaks! My brother's telling me to get that shrink-wrap stuff to seal the windows off, but there's something about seeing a 'legitimate' change in performance each year/upgrade.

1971 construction--original windows (no locks!).

new windows are good and help... mostly because when the take them out they are insulating around the window.....
i have "new" windows and laughed when a friend put the shrink wrap on his new windows.... BUT WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MAKES!... they shrink wrap over your windows is prolly a bigger r-value than your window... simply because its about a 2' air pocket whereas your window can be triple pane but milimeters apart with gas!
anyways try it makes a huge diff... all of my windows furthest away from my stove have it.. and its about a 5 degree diff... especially if you have alotta windows like me

 

[albertj03]

It's currently 8 degrees outside with 15 - 20 mph wind gusts and my little CFM down in the basement is keeping the first floor at 69 degrees. 2nd floor is 69 also but is being heated by the oil furnace with maybe a little help from the stove getting up there. I've got the primary air open a little more than usual at about 1/4 open. I have a strong draft so usually don't need to keep the air open to much.

 

[thinkxingu]

8 degrees and dropping--20 mph winds--71 first three rooms, 69 last three! Now, gotta make it at least 5 hours on a full load of oak!

S

 

[northwinds]

Started the day at 0 and house at 64 degrees.

Load 1: 6:30 a.m.
Load 2: 2:30 p.m.
Load 3: 9 p.m.

Ending the day at 12 degrees and house at 70. Nature will have to come up with
something colder to test the Isle Royale and 2100 square feet.

 

[Bobbin]

I finished up in the studio about a half an hour ago and the temperature is now 7 °F with a stout wind. When I left the studio the Classic was cruising at 550 °F and I topped off the load with a couple of splits. Temperature was 75 °F. I expect mid-high 60s when I go out tomorrow morning, though I'm not certain.

In the house the Fireview is holding steady at 450 and I'm about to put in a few more splits before hittin' the hay. The "apartment" is a comfy 72, the boudoir a bit cooler which is perfect for good sleeping.

 

[tickbitty]

Egads how do you people survive in -40?! I looked it up to see how -40 c. converts to -40 f. and guess what it equals out at -40! It is about 30 F here right now and I am so cold! (no stove yet either!)

 

[cycloxer]

...there is no competition. it's 8 degrees outside. stove has the house at 75 w/o any problems. running at close to zero primary air. sizing is everything.

 

[LLigetfa]

Egads how do you people survive in -40?!

It's not bad once you get the house banked up with snow. As for working in the bush at -40, you just dress for it. It's the wind chill that's a little hard to take.

 

['bert]

Egads how do you people survive in -40?! I looked it up to see how -40 c. converts to -40 f. and guess what it equals out at -40! It is about 30 F here right now and I am so cold! (no stove yet either!)

The best thing to do when it's cool like that is take the kids out to blow bubbles! They freeze and stay intact before they hit the ground. Then they shatter like glass when you kick them.

 

[northwinds]

Nature caught up a bit last night. -6 F this morning with -24 F wind chill. House dropped to 62 overnight, and it will
take awhile today to recover in this 2100 square foot home. -10 F tonight predicted with more wind chill, so the Isle
Royale's test will continue.

 

[quads]

This morning:

Outside:

Inside:

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Well I wouldn't say it is extreme cold here yet, but this morning I almost tested my frosticles when I went outside.

 

[LLigetfa]

It's -38°C outside here right now. I was up before the wife and got the fire roaring nicely but then she bumped the thermostat when she got up so I didn't have a chance to get the house back up to 74. I could have got it back to that but not nearly as quickly as the gas furnace can.

Oh, well... now all I have to do is keep it at 74 to try and make her happy. Piece of cake! (keeping it at 74, not the happy part)