hello all, I have been running my pellet stove all winter so far, the temps are going to be in the teens for highs during the day and low digits at night for the next few days. I'm nervous about pipes freezing and am thinking about shutting it down for the next few days due to the really low temps.. Thoughts, suggestions, ideas?
Running stove in freezing temps
- Thread starter Ribcage
- Start date
-
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. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
Randy Fischer
Member
Why dont you set your main heat at 70 and set you stove for 68 and just let you stove help your main heat?
I have an older Englander pvd 25 and it does not allow me to set it via temp.. I'm thinking it won't kill me to run the heat for a few days.. I have it set for 2 different temps during the day..
Randy Fischer
Member
Rearscreen
Minister of Fire
Please put your stove's make and model in your signature so we can see what kind of stove you are working with so we can help you better. Thanks
TonyVideo
Feeling the Heat
I run my Harman P68 in stove mode not room temp when it gets in the low teens are below. I have it set where the main furnace kicks on at least once an hour and as it gets colder at night it will run more often so I don't get frozen pipes on one end of my house. Set your main thermostat to the desired temp and turn your stove on a setting where it quite does not keep up and your thermostat then kicks in to maintain temp. Best of both worlds for me and to even out heat on real cold days/nights.
bogieb
Minister of Fire
I used to just jack up the temp on the FHW thermostat up to 80 when I got up in the morning for 10 minutes, then again when I got home from work (sometimes, when in negative numbers already), I might do that one more time just before going to bed.
I recently installed a Temp Guard and have it set to kick on the boiler 3 times a day for 10 minutes each.
I am unsure if you are worried about FHW pipes or the DHW, so my answer may have no actual bearing on you concerns. However, I have not had an issue with DHW since the pipes for that are further from the foundation than the FHW.
I recently installed a Temp Guard and have it set to kick on the boiler 3 times a day for 10 minutes each.
I am unsure if you are worried about FHW pipes or the DHW, so my answer may have no actual bearing on you concerns. However, I have not had an issue with DHW since the pipes for that are further from the foundation than the FHW.
tiger
Feeling the Heat
I was thinking of buying one of those IR thermostat guns and walking around in the basement to check the temperature of the pipes. When I replumbed the house many years ago, I kept the pipes away from outside walls as much as possible, but the radiators are around the perimeter of the house and even with a 90 degree approach angle, the ends where the pipes meet the radiators, they get within a foor of the outside (insulated) walls.
I think it's important that the rim joist area is draft sealed. Insulated too.
jss227
Burning Hunk
I've been lucky to have never frozen up. I have ZERO heat in my basement. 24x26 with a 20x38 crawl space leading from it. I actually have just started to frame and insulate the basement to eventually put my wood working tools down there. Then to beg the needed funds from the better half for another PDVC.
I guess I missed something ??????????
With temps dropping so low, why would you want to shut off your stove ????
With temps dropping so low, why would you want to shut off your stove ????
Study where your pipes go. In many cases they go through interior walls and have nothing to worry about. Your basement may feel cold but it needs to be pretty cold to freeze pipes or have a huge air leak. You can always cycle it before bed and when you wake up.
I had a toilet feed line freeze last year when it was -30F outside nothing would have prevented except flushing the toilet that night probably.
I had a toilet feed line freeze last year when it was -30F outside nothing would have prevented except flushing the toilet that night probably.
My 2 stoves have their own thermostat set at 69 during the day, they come on every hour sometimes hour and a half, bring up the temp to 71-72 and shut off. Evening cycle calls for 70, night cycle calls for 66 and they will typically re-start at 4:30am if it reaches 65, morning cycle set for 4:45 calls for 71 until 8:00am. This is working like a charm, been burning since the second week of Oct. used up $216 worth, cut my hydro by 55%
tiger
Feeling the Heat
Papelletman
Member
I put a cheapo digital / wireless thermometer sensor in the basement of our 1870's granite foundation farmhouse near the water pipes that are on the cold northwest side, and farthest from our oil furnace. That way I can monitor the basement temp from upstairs when it is below zero outside and windy like it was this AM, and is predicted to be all this week. Then I know when to turn the oil burner on for a bit if it gets too cold down there.
I'll run the oil burner for a bit on really cold days like this if I have to do a quick clean of the pellet stove, so the house doesn't cool down too much. With #2 fuel oil selling for $2.39 a gallon now here in central ME, and likely going lower with crude prices now selling below $50 a barrel, I don't feel so bad running the oil burner !
This morning it was -3 F outside and 37 F in the basement, so I wasn't worried about the pipes yet, but the more prolonged the cold snap the progressively colder it will get down there. Putting pre-slit poly foam tubular pipe insulation on the exposed pipes will give some added freeze protection, and letting the faucets drip that are furthest from your water inlet is a good back-up.
Our washer has the hot and cold pipes as well as the stand pipe drain plumbed right against the basement foundation wall where I couldn't insulate those pipes. So I had to run some plug-in electrical heat tape along those pipes to keep them from freezing up.
X 2 on draft sealing the sill / foundation area - take some spray can insulating foam and seal all along the sill / foundation junction and that will prevent allot of cold air infiltration.
All these were pretty simple and inexpensive DIY prevention measures - certainly cheaper than paying a plumber to come and do an emergent fix on frozen and / or busted water pipes !
The older and more drafty your house and basement are, the more preventive stuff you'll need to do.
I'll run the oil burner for a bit on really cold days like this if I have to do a quick clean of the pellet stove, so the house doesn't cool down too much. With #2 fuel oil selling for $2.39 a gallon now here in central ME, and likely going lower with crude prices now selling below $50 a barrel, I don't feel so bad running the oil burner !
This morning it was -3 F outside and 37 F in the basement, so I wasn't worried about the pipes yet, but the more prolonged the cold snap the progressively colder it will get down there. Putting pre-slit poly foam tubular pipe insulation on the exposed pipes will give some added freeze protection, and letting the faucets drip that are furthest from your water inlet is a good back-up.
Our washer has the hot and cold pipes as well as the stand pipe drain plumbed right against the basement foundation wall where I couldn't insulate those pipes. So I had to run some plug-in electrical heat tape along those pipes to keep them from freezing up.
X 2 on draft sealing the sill / foundation area - take some spray can insulating foam and seal all along the sill / foundation junction and that will prevent allot of cold air infiltration.
All these were pretty simple and inexpensive DIY prevention measures - certainly cheaper than paying a plumber to come and do an emergent fix on frozen and / or busted water pipes !
The older and more drafty your house and basement are, the more preventive stuff you'll need to do.
Last edited by a moderator:
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
takes a day or two for ice to start forming in any water pipes in a basement that get's down to serious low temps or below and Stays there constant.
[ aside from a strong wind draft hitting an exposed pipe or a 90 angle spot.
can keep a small thin flow of water from furthest spigot overnight to keep it moving.
for hot water radiator or baseboard heat I would run the Oil furnace for a cycle before bed to get the pipes good and hot [180 degree water]. that'll melt any forming ice crystals for sure.
then maybe again in the AM.
my basement stays around 60 degrees most times but during last years zero vortex It did drop to mid-upper 30's at night so I didn't want to chance it just to save a few gallons of oil..
prob would have been ok..
[ aside from a strong wind draft hitting an exposed pipe or a 90 angle spot.
can keep a small thin flow of water from furthest spigot overnight to keep it moving.
for hot water radiator or baseboard heat I would run the Oil furnace for a cycle before bed to get the pipes good and hot [180 degree water]. that'll melt any forming ice crystals for sure.
then maybe again in the AM.
my basement stays around 60 degrees most times but during last years zero vortex It did drop to mid-upper 30's at night so I didn't want to chance it just to save a few gallons of oil..
prob would have been ok..
Last edited:
St_Earl
Minister of Fire
Bioburner referred me to a little IR gun and I got it for $14 bucks with discounts etc;. After my $10 Amazon gift card it was $4. Awesome deal! I think it is normally $20 to $30 or so dollars.
IMO it is worth what they normally sell for without a doubt. I have tested it various times and various ways. It is accurate. I am using it much more than I thought and it is an excellent tool to add to the arsenal. Thanks Again, Bio! I could see where it could be used on pipes of concern also.
It is a very quick and easy way to monitor stuff and to also learn a lot more as to how your heating can improve by walking around and shooting spots or whatever. It will open your eyes to say the least. You all know where your cold spots and stuff are but when you can put a number on those areas then you really see what's going on. Anyway I saw where some have commented on using one so I will leave the details here.
Model: Nubee NU8500H infrared thermometer on Amazon. You should be able to find it easily there. Don't thank me. Thank Bioburner. I'm just spreading some love here.
IMO it is worth what they normally sell for without a doubt. I have tested it various times and various ways. It is accurate. I am using it much more than I thought and it is an excellent tool to add to the arsenal. Thanks Again, Bio! I could see where it could be used on pipes of concern also.
It is a very quick and easy way to monitor stuff and to also learn a lot more as to how your heating can improve by walking around and shooting spots or whatever. It will open your eyes to say the least. You all know where your cold spots and stuff are but when you can put a number on those areas then you really see what's going on. Anyway I saw where some have commented on using one so I will leave the details here.
Model: Nubee NU8500H infrared thermometer on Amazon. You should be able to find it easily there. Don't thank me. Thank Bioburner. I'm just spreading some love here.
pulke01
Member
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
so basically the stove never comes on or shuts down I assume since furnace is doing the heating?
pulke01
Member
My steam boiler does most of the work in this case. When the outside temperature climbs again, I'll switch. My stove does most of the work in the house and when I use the oil, it becomes the supplemental heat versus oil is the backup normally
Yeppers last winter not this winter hasnt been anywhere near that cold this winter. Im in the wells/sanford area near a cold patch.
tiger
Feeling the Heat
By the way, I did get one of those guns. This AM with outdoor temps rather close to 0F, went around in the unheated basement, worst I found was right around 40F where one of the hose-bib pipes (drained and shut off, of course) was exiting the house. I feel better now.
That said, one of the reasons that recently I've been shutting down the stove at night and letting the gas boiler work. I figure the pipes won't freeze with screaming hot water flowing through them.
- Status
Similar threads
