Trial by... ice?

[Stubborn Dutchman]

It's -15 here right now. I just reloaded the stove but the oil burner has been churning and making me cringe. Until yesterday I hadn't burned more than a gallon of oil in three seasons! But I'm not complaining about the woodstove since it's located in the kitchen, the farthest away from the thermostat in this big old drafty farmhouse. Unfortunately I wasn't paying attention to the dropping temps yesterday and didn't have the kitchen faucet dripping so the pipes in the crawl space froze up. I doubt it will warm up enough today to get enough heat in the crawl space to unfreeze the plastic pipes. Hopefully tomorrow it will get warm enough to let the pipes defrost without breaking. I better check today and make sure I have enough pipe and fittings to make a repair though! Stupid me!

 

[Slow1]

Well, we did ok overnight... I guess. House fell 5* but my last load was at 11p and I was up at 7a (nice to have a snow day). So went 8hrs there. I have my fan running (floor fan set low pointed to stove) and I believe this helps get more heat from the stove. I loaded up the stove full and am running it hot - 500* surface and lots of flame in the box. Hall temp up 2* which is good for 2hrs.

My concern, however, is for my basement. Air temp on interior wall is reading low 40's. Walls (concrete above ground and uninsulated) that the sewer pipe is attached to is reading in the teens to low 20's with IR thermometer. Wondering if the sewer pipe could freeze up... Water line wall is under ground outside and reading low 40's. I don't think I could heat that wall with the sewer line at all realistically.

High today supposed to be 10, low tonight negative single digits - so about 10* colder than last night. If ever I am going to have a problem in the basement tonight will be the night eh? Ug. Any suggestions? I have a couple electric heaters and I could run the oil central heat but that doesn't blow much in the basement...

 

[HotCoals]

I doubt the sewer pipe would freeze..should be no water sitting in right?
Sounds like your stove did a good job last night. Cheers!

 

[Slow1]

I'm pushing the limits on my PH! 7 hour reloads using 22" beach splits and its still kind of cold upstairs (55F).

I'd like to know what those Rochester and Canadian houses are made out of so that I can heat my house with a candle too!

I was doing 5-6hrs between loads of oak - cut to 16" or so. I'm trying to push a load of the same through in 4hrs right now and that is hard. Stove temps are fine - I did get the andirons glowing deep red at one point though . Surface temp not going much over 550 though and sides reading about 500 - with the fan pointed to it that keeps it cooler on surfaces and really pushes heat to the house. Still I'm not sure I can make 4hrs, more like 5 most likely.

BTW, my air setting is just a bit more than a crack above fully closed - I get higher burn rates by shutting down a bit later; i.e. fully engulfed. I have a massive draft with these cold temps!

 

[cableman]

I didnt reload last night like i should have! Still had coals for a restart, the heat did kick on early morn! Got her back up and running just trying to get the stove top to 500 now, feel like i just keep throwing wood in.

 

[tsquini]

We got 22" of snow here. The nice part about it is is a lite as an angle fart so the shoveling is going fast. With the wind chill around -10 it is nice coming in the house with the stove going.

 

[jatoxico]

It's been -6 to -8 here all day. My long undies got noticeably stiff when I went out to refill the bird feeder. My lovely Heritage isn't up to this much cold even with high-BTU wood like beech and black birch., alas, so I'm having to help it out with the oil boiler/$$ burner in the basement. Tomorrow night will be even colder, then a "warm-up" to balmy 20 or so, then a worse deep freeze middle of next week. Sigh.

I usually let the oil take over sometime over night and to warm the house in the early am. Trying not to obsess about saving every gallon or getting PO'd every time the furnace goes on. When I'm home and stove is on the house is warm and the furnace is off. If I'm not home or sleeping and the furnace comes on, oh well.

Used 100 g in the last 5 weeks. This time a few years ago I used 200-250 g so I'm calling that a win. Used 575 g for 2013, used to be 800-900 and I was cold!

 

[Todd]

Sounds like a lot of us are really going to find out what our stoves are made of this year.

I've been burning 2 full loads hot during the day for about a 6-8 hour burn, then do a low and slow burn over night. My 1200 sq ft stays in the upper 70's during the day and usually drops to lower 70's overnight. My little gas stove keeps the chill off in the basement nicely.

 

[Slow1]

I'm trying not to obsess on the idea of using the central heat. But I really do want to know the limits of what I can do with this stove and today seems the best opportunity to do so. I fully expect that with the lows tonight I'll be burning some oil - may be a good thing as it should heat the basement a little bit.

Running around the basement with the IR thermometer serves as proof that I really need to spend some time/money on insulating that space even if we don't use it for more than storage.

 

[Slow1]

Sounds like a lot of us are really going to find out what our stoves are made of this year.
.

Certainly the case for me here today. I do rather hope that we get more "normal" temperatures here for the rest of the winter. At this rate of burning I'll be into next year's wood by March.

 

[begreen]

-25F right now. With the wind it is -44F. Sweet potatoes it is not warm.

Man chef, I do not envy you with those temps. This is a brutal cold front.

 

[chipsoflyin]

I was doing 5-6hrs between loads of oak - cut to 16" or so. I'm trying to push a load of the same through in 4hrs right now and that is hard. Stove temps are fine - I did get the andirons glowing deep red at one point though . Surface temp not going much over 550 though and sides reading about 500 - with the fan pointed to it that keeps it cooler on surfaces and really pushes heat to the house. Still I'm not sure I can make 4hrs, more like 5 most likely.

BTW, my air setting is just a bit more than a crack above fully closed - I get higher burn rates by shutting down a bit later; i.e. fully engulfed. I have a massive draft with these cold temps!

I can't imagine pushing a load of anything through that stove so quick. What are your pipe temps?

 

[rdust]

I broke down last night and closed my living room doors off which saves about 300 sq' of draftiness(3 outside walls) Woke up to -6/7 OAT, thermometer in the stove room was 80(it's close to the stove), t-stat for the furnace was 69*, my bedroom upstairs was 63*. These are the same temps I went to bed with which makes me pretty happy. I have to get the living room insulated better before next year, that room just eats the heat.

 

[basswidow]

Well, it's 38 in Atlanta and people are complaining. Supposed to be back in the 50's over the weekend.

Looks brutal up north - you all burn the good stuff and stay safe and warm. I'd sit by the stove and laugh at the wind!

 

[Slow1]

I can't imagine pushing a load of anything through that stove so quick. What are your pipe temps?

I don't have a probe in the pipe and I have double wall pipe. However, the temps aren't showing much higher than normal. The surface temp near the pipe outlet is running as high as 600 which I'm sure means the pipe temp is up too.

I am getting more heat from the stove by increasing air enough that there are lots of flames in the firebox - the sides of the stove are running close to 500* as well and that is a lot of heat into the room. I have no doubt this is less efficient than a lower burn, but I'm impressed by how well I can do these higher burns. I think I could go a little higher as I'm nowhere near 1/2 mark on the air (which the manual calls a high burn), but given the draft that may not mean a whole lot in terms of highest burn.

Current load I let burn hot (keeping 500+ on surface temp with full fire in the box). I loaded a bit after 7 and it is now 4.5hrs. I have now opened up the air more fully and have about 20% of the box with hot coals. Surface reading 400, side away from fan 470, 420 on the side with with fan blowing on it. Getting good heat still but I expect to reload in an hour.

So it is possible for me. Keep in mind though that I'm probably only really loading about 60-70% of the firebox as my wood is 16" vs the 22" that is possible to fit in. I don't have any wood of that size ready to burn.

 

[Swedishchef]

Man chef, I do not envy you with those temps. This is a brutal cold front.

Ha, thanks BG. I have never seen it that cold since living here. Needless to say I plugged in the cars this morning 2 hours before starting them.

However the good news is that it is starting to warm up. -15F tonight, -4F tomorrow night. Some rain on Monday. yuck!

Andrew

 

[fire_man]

So it is possible for me. Keep in mind though that I'm probably only really loading about 60-70% of the firebox as my wood is 16" vs the 22" that is possible to fit in. I don't have any wood of that size ready to burn.

This explains why I can't push wood thru the stove any faster than about 7 hours. I am loading huge 22" Beech splits. I notice the firebox stone near the bottom of the door hinders me from getting in the quoted 22" capacity. I'm tempted to remove it because its loose anyway.

 

[rideau]

Go ahead and remove it, Tony. My came loose almost immediately I got the stove. Ordered stove cement from Woodstock, but asked if it was OK that it was loose meanwhile. Was told they just put that in there for extra mass, since there was room for it. It serves no function. So, mine was removed and has never gone back in. As we speak it sits on the stove top, to the right of the pipe, storing BTU's there instead of in the firebox. Sticks out a few inches toward the loading door side, but is in the back and I never bump it.

 

[rideau]

Loaded at 6:15 AM, 14 to 15 inch lengths, about 3/4 load high (as much as I could get in, given the size of my splits). Went to 500 with air closed, after three hours slowly dropped to 400, then over next period to slightly over 300. I have just reloaded. About 8 hours. Tons of coals left...a LOT...would have burned for hours had I opened the air, but I want real heat today.

 

[toddnic]

Loaded at 6:15 AM, 14 to 15 inch lengths, about 3/4 load high (as much as I could get in, given the size of my splits). Went to 500 with air closed, after three hours slowly dropped to 400, then over next period to slightly over 300. I have just reloaded. About 8 hours. Tons of coals left...a LOT...would have burned for hours had I opened the air, but I want real heat today.

Yeah, I loaded the stove at 7:30 AM (a few small splits) and at 9:00 AM (filled it up) this morning and it is still at around 450 degrees. I'm burning some really dry red oak. My overnight load went from 10:00 PM to 7:30 AM and there were a lot of coals left over. It definitely is interesting when you are burning to maintain significant heat versus letting the stove cool down to around 300 degrees before reloading. My stove hasn't been less than 350 in over 24 hours. They say that we are going to see the subzero temps in the early morning hours on Monday.

 

[rideau]

My sister (whose kitchen pipes are frozen) just told me that it is colder in Ottawa than in Antarctica.

Also, we had the coldest December since they started recording temperatures in the 1880's.

So much for the comments that we just don't know what a normal winter is (the wisdom of the generation older than me). Though 1946 WAS a cold winter.

 

[Hardrockmaple]

My sister (whose kitchen pipes are frozen) just told me that it is colder in Ottawa than in Antarctica.

Also, we had the coldest December since they started recording temperatures in the 1880's.

So much for the comments that we just don't know what a normal winter is (the wisdom of the generation older than me). Though 1946 WAS a cold winter.

ahhh, .........it's always colder in Ottawa. Coldest bloody place I've ever visited and I've worked outside in northern Alberta for a few winters. brrrr....

 

[Swedishchef]

My sister (whose kitchen pipes are frozen) just told me that it is colder in Ottawa than in Antarctica.

Also, we had the coldest December since they started recording temperatures in the 1880's.

So much for the comments that we just don't know what a normal winter is (the wisdom of the generation older than me). Though 1946 WAS a cold winter.

You weren't around in 1946?

Ottawa and Montreal are cold....DAMN cold in the winter. And VERY HOT/HUMID in the summer.

I am certain we also had one of the coldest since records have been kept....

A

 

[Slow1]

So, it was 13* outside and I brought in 6 buckets of wood after clearing the snow. Warmed me up mighty good - I was down to an unzipped light jacket and still managed to break a sweat.

House is good and warm though, managed to raise the temp back to where it was last night - I can't complain. I think this stove can in fact keep us warm as long as we're willing to feed it. At a rated peak output of 80K BTU/hr I would hope so! I wonder how close to that I've managed to get (I suppose someone more clever than I could calculate this )

 

[HotCoals]

So, it was 13* outside and I brought in 6 buckets of wood after clearing the snow. Warmed me up mighty good - I was down to an unzipped light jacket and still managed to break a sweat.

House is good and warm though, managed to raise the temp back to where it was last night - I can't complain. I think this stove can in fact keep us warm as long as we're willing to feed it. At a rated peak output of 80K BTU/hr I would hope so! I wonder how close to that I've managed to get (I suppose someone more clever than I could calculate this )

How many pounds of wood did you burn in a 24 hour period?