We've been using a Hardy H2 here at "the bunk house" to heat the property since we've moved in as caretakers. It's a new experience for us; learning about wood, building fires, feeding the furnace etc. I like the concept but have never had the opportunity to heat with wood before. This practical application of self reliance resonates strongly with me on many levels that the amount of labor required equals the motivation to save money and being independant.
However, we have experienced something that I consider very strange so I wanted to come here to y'all whom I consider experts ask my question. When we moved in, we immediately set the thermostat on the electric heat pump system to warm the house and went about cleaning and wood gathering. That was months ago and we've managed to amass a wood pile that included oak, pine, hemlock, maple etc. Some of our wood is running about 21% moisture content on my moisture meter and we've burned through all that was below 20% MC.
Here's the thing: once we fired the Hardy, both my wife and I, separately from each other thought privately that the wood heat feels warmer. The is the strange thing because the Outside Wood Burner is using the same forced air fan system to deliver the heat and the same thermostat setting to regulate the temperature. We've discussed this concept of feeling warmer while the wood is burning and agreed between us, much to our surprise, that we both thought the wood heat "felt" warmer. Let me clarify that I'm not talking about how fast the heat is delivered or the identical thermostat setting but the sense of feeling warmer on your bare toes while sitting in front of the television.
This situation was the focus of discussion again this morning. Last evening I decided to "idle" the OWB and let the fire go out. We switched the heat pump on and turned the circuit breaker off for the OWB, expecting the the fire would go out and I could complete a major cleaning sometime in the next week or two. This morning, I was standing over a vent feeling the cool air on my feet being pumped into the house from the heat pump. While standing there looking out the window at the last vestiges of snow in shadow of the trees and the new frost on the ground from our over night temperature of 25°, I noticed that there was still smoke puffing from the exhaust stack of the Hardy. "WTF" I turned that thing off. Why was it still smoking? More importantly, how was it still smoking? I flipped the breaker back on, reset the thermostats to call for heat from the OWB and the smoke started rolling out of the stack in a big way! The fire was still burning and the air from the vent IMMEDIATELY felt much warmer on my feet. I went outside to check the fire box to find the bed of coals still smoldering and I stirred the remaining wood in the burn chamber and added another new piece of oak and AWAAAAAY she goes; burning in a big bright energetic flaming fire. I was amazed and the Hardy was ablazed.
So, we're back on the OWB but I wanted to ask, WHY does this "feel" warmer? Same fan, same thermostat setting, same ductwork...I just can't figure out why it would feel different.
However, we have experienced something that I consider very strange so I wanted to come here to y'all whom I consider experts ask my question. When we moved in, we immediately set the thermostat on the electric heat pump system to warm the house and went about cleaning and wood gathering. That was months ago and we've managed to amass a wood pile that included oak, pine, hemlock, maple etc. Some of our wood is running about 21% moisture content on my moisture meter and we've burned through all that was below 20% MC.
Here's the thing: once we fired the Hardy, both my wife and I, separately from each other thought privately that the wood heat feels warmer. The is the strange thing because the Outside Wood Burner is using the same forced air fan system to deliver the heat and the same thermostat setting to regulate the temperature. We've discussed this concept of feeling warmer while the wood is burning and agreed between us, much to our surprise, that we both thought the wood heat "felt" warmer. Let me clarify that I'm not talking about how fast the heat is delivered or the identical thermostat setting but the sense of feeling warmer on your bare toes while sitting in front of the television.
This situation was the focus of discussion again this morning. Last evening I decided to "idle" the OWB and let the fire go out. We switched the heat pump on and turned the circuit breaker off for the OWB, expecting the the fire would go out and I could complete a major cleaning sometime in the next week or two. This morning, I was standing over a vent feeling the cool air on my feet being pumped into the house from the heat pump. While standing there looking out the window at the last vestiges of snow in shadow of the trees and the new frost on the ground from our over night temperature of 25°, I noticed that there was still smoke puffing from the exhaust stack of the Hardy. "WTF" I turned that thing off. Why was it still smoking? More importantly, how was it still smoking? I flipped the breaker back on, reset the thermostats to call for heat from the OWB and the smoke started rolling out of the stack in a big way! The fire was still burning and the air from the vent IMMEDIATELY felt much warmer on my feet. I went outside to check the fire box to find the bed of coals still smoldering and I stirred the remaining wood in the burn chamber and added another new piece of oak and AWAAAAAY she goes; burning in a big bright energetic flaming fire. I was amazed and the Hardy was ablazed.
So, we're back on the OWB but I wanted to ask, WHY does this "feel" warmer? Same fan, same thermostat setting, same ductwork...I just can't figure out why it would feel different.
