Thought this group might enjoy this essay...

[potentialburner]

...that I found while stumbling through the back alleys of the intertubes:

http://www.adn.com/article/20141220/total-absence-heat-fairbanks-alaska

 

[firefighterjake]

Reminds me a bit of the stories my sister used to tell me when she was living in Girdwood, Alaska . . . they had electric heat, but kept it off since the cabin had little to no insulation and would have cost them a small fortune to keep heated while they were away. She would drive back to their cabin from Anchorage (after stopping beside the spring on Turnagain Arm to get water) and come home to a completely frozen cabin. She would get a fire going and by bed time she said the cabin was pretty warm . . . until they woke up the next morning to a dead fire and the water in the dog food bowl frozen.

They bought a home in Wasilla a few years back. When I visited her I asked her what she liked most about the home -- the larger size, the garden space, being closer to work, running water, hot showers, etc. and without any hesitation she said she most liked coming home to a warm home. I must admit . . . I am surprised they haven't installed a woodstove yet though.

 

[Poindexter]

For our retirement cottage the wife and I want a plumbing system that can be drained. If we are leaving town in the winter we can just drain all the pipes, leave the heat _off_ while we are away, then refill the pipes after the house is warmed after we return.

 

[Warm_in_NH]

When I leave my house for a few days (usually a couple times a month) I have the propane heat maintain it at 50 in the main area. Bedrooms and closets are completely closed off and usually drop to about 35.

I got home Monday, it was 49 in the living room. Like the author says, everything was 49, nails, counter tops, floors, (I know this too cause I got a nifty new IR thermometer for x mas). Like the author, I stayed with the stove for the first 45 min or so, doing whatever I could to keep it as happy as it could be.

Still took until this morning (nearly 24 hours) to get the whole house comfy again.

 

[Seanm]

...that I found while stumbling through the back alleys of the intertubes:

http://www.adn.com/article/20141220/total-absence-heat-fairbanks-alaska

I enjoyed this thanks for posting!

 

[Huntindog1]

Some more reading on Alaska:

http://www.adn.com/article/20141227/christmas-brings-gift-65-wood-stoves-tyonek-residents

 

[begreen]

Hmm, as I read the essay I am thinking "why the hell don't you have some supplemental electric heaters?" And the -40F trip to the outhouse was where I stopped and said, yer frickin crazy. The idea of flesh sticking to the toilet seat and figuring out that problem was more than I ever will cope with. Gladly so.

 

[Quentin2]

Funny, I read this a week or so ago and had thought it would be a good post for this forum but I had read the paper version and was too lazy to find it on Internet. Nice find, nothing gets by you guys. The best is jack londons
"To light a fire" I think it's called. If that doesn't make you appreciate fire nothing will.

If you don't have plumbing in a cabin it doesn't make sense to supplement while your away with electricity. Electric heat at that demand is very expensive, I think they flew in from somewhere if I remember. I guess they could have some electric heaters for emergencies and maybe they do.

As for the outhouse problem, standard procedure is to keep a styrofoam or blue board chunk of insulation cut out like a toilet seat that you keep inside where it's warm and only bring it out when you have to go. The foam insulation actually does pretty well when it's left outside as well, or maybe it just warms quickly.

 

[Poindexter]

And the -40F trip to the outhouse was where I stopped and said, yer frickin crazy. The idea of flesh sticking to the toilet seat and figuring out that problem was more than I ever will cope with. Gladly so.

I have indoor plumbing myself. However, if you are visiting someone and see a rough toilet seat shape cut from a 1-2 inch thick piece of blue foam, and its hanging on the wall near the wood stove, well, you wanna take that with you on your trip to the outhouse.

EDIT: I see Quentin posted before I reloaded the page...

 

[begreen]

I'd still have electric heaters for when I needed to warm the place up quickly or when I might get sick. No need to leave them on continuously if no indoor plumbing. But for sure, I'd also have indoor plumbing and damn good insulation.