Maybe this should be a new topic, but here goes anyway:
Is there anyone in the States that knows if stoves like these are available anywhere West of Scotland?
2 Likes
http://woodboilers.com/about
This is the store I bought my Tarm from in NH I think it is about the same. You should be able to find a wood gasification boiler pretty easy these days the codes require them in a lot of places. I would get the built in oil backup if I was doing it again then use the oil to get the boiler up to 160 from room temperature when you start it cold in the fall. It would be money well spent. That is the only problem I even had with that boiler.
And for some entertainment:
http://cookstoves.net/articles/cookstove-basics/intensifire-clean-burning-tech-improve-stove/
1 Like
That is a cool way to modify an old stove. I have not seen something like that before.
1 Like
Be interesting to build a stove around it.
This year I’m learning the difference of wood stove optimization and firewood optimization.
We were doing good when the temperatures were 10-40F. After the stove was up to temperature, one 3" split log with coals per hour kept the house at 75-80 F. From -10 to +10F it takes 2 split logs per hour. At these temps, I discovered I could feel tiny drafts around the windows or around electrical outlets. Fortunately I haven’t got around to trim out the doors and windows, so I was able to apply silicon sealant after I removed the frost. At -20 to -30F, that is when I need to wear a tee-shirt, a heavy flannel shirt, an insulated flannel shirt and a Carhartt coat so I can write my name in the snow, it takes 3 split logs per hour to offset heat loss from the house.
I was doing good on my wood supply until these last 2 weeks. I’m already through a third of what I projected the January stack of wood would be, This morning when it was -30F, I could see a steady stream of steam coming out both sides of my dormer window and frosting the eve above it. Yes, I did use a 6 mil plastic for a moisture barrier inside the house. Thankfully last fall I brought an extra cord of Poplar near the house to supplement ‘just in case’. I’m wondering if the expanding foam I used the vinyl windows and the rough opening has contracted to allow air to escape? I also wonder if sealing the house up too good would not be good because we only live in a 400 sqft house?
6 Likes
Sealing and insulation are the keys to cold weather comfort, nothing worse than cool drafts, or warming up the great outdoors at minus 30.
I have never seen the expanding foam contract. I like to seal all edges of poly, (particularly to the subfloor), window and door rough framing, and overlaps with acoustic seal. Installing receptacle boxes I wrap them in a 16" square of poly, then pull it through the vapour barrier once in place, then seal it with acoustic seal. If done carefully the structure becomes so tight it’s difficult to slam a door shut, and a wood stove needs a ducted air supply to breathe properly ( probably not a bad practice anyways, as otherwise air will be pulled through every defect in the vapour barrier to supply chimney draft).
4 Likes
Sometimes bill in tight houses you must supply make up air to the stove. Add a small fresh air supply near the stove to give it easy access to air. Mine even has a 4 inch duct port to feed it in. It sounds like the stove is depressurizing the house and pulling in air from every crack. At low burn your stove was fine and not pulling more then naturally leaked in. Cold air delivered close to the stove will expand and push air out those small cracks making for a more cozy home.
Stay warm, David
8 Likes
To answer your question yes you can make a house too tight not only for the wood stove but for you to be healthy. I don’t know the limits but they make a heat exchanger unit for modern homes that are super insulated to exchange heat from the out going air with the incoming air to insure you get enough fresh air to keep the house from becoming stuffy and sick. When I was a kid late 80s early 90s sick building where a very real problem here people had tightened up every building around during the 70s and after about 15 years there where all kinds of mold and mildew issues because too much moisture was trapped in the buildings. Some leaks are a good thing a extra cord of wood is cheaper then a doctor’s visit for respiratory infections.
4 Likes
The wood stove can take the place of a heat recovery ventilator as long as you provide the fresh air. All new homes here require an hrv. Mine runs 15 minutes on heat exchange 45 on recycle. It does a good job of balancing the air temps over the three floors as well. I don’t think bill needs one based on his posts but fresh air near the stove will reduce the draft feelings significantly.
4 Likes
I would aim for bringing a fresh air duct right to the intake of the stove, it seems the building breathes pretty good for the comfort of occupants. With that in mind I aim to locate the wood stove in a corner or along an outside wall, short duct out of the way.
2 Likes
I think he is on piers so a simple air vent with a screen and loover at the floor might do.
4 Likes
Good point, vent straight up. A double skinned floor is a good design, like a hollow core door great strength, no way for critters to get in.
I would still expect stack effect to make for cold air at the floor with just an open vent.
1 Like
That is bills call I don’t know if his stove has an air intake or not.
2 Likes
Probably not. But I would aim to rig something up, metal duct and foil tape.
1 Like
I have always seen intake air ducted into a bucket to act as a cold air trap.
1 Like
I think that should work if it isn’t very cold.
The 1 1/2" plastic delivery tube from my dug well is in a 6" flex irrigation pipe. Both are single length pieces. The large one is 2’ above the water level in my well. The smaller one elbows down to the footvalve. They both exit behind my wood stove. The larger one supplies me with outside air for the woodstove. It works great and if I have to, I can pull out the small tube from my lower level room.
4 Likes
Hi Katie,
I had the same type stove the first few years here. It wasn’t too bad, I was living in the cellar for 2 years as I built up. Went through a lot of wood with the pot belly and in deep winter really couldn’t leave the house for long without a neighbor tending the fire.
You say, “the house is up on concrete pillars with a wood floor”. I’m presuming the below floor level is closed in down to ground level. 1. Is the house floor insulated?, 2. Are the crawl space walls insulated? Insulation also keeps heat out. It may be advantageous to do so.
In winter you may be able to direct the excess heat to the crawl space via a fan through closable ducts in the floor. This excess heat could be directed through heat sinks (piles of stones, masonry,etc.) via perforated 4" x 8’ drain pipe, the last one blocked to force the air up through the stones.
Same thing in summer. Dump the summer heat into the crawl space to cool (somewhat) the upper living level. This may not work as well as the winter dumping, but it’s worth a try.
Just a few random “Mother Earth News” thoughts.
Pepe
2 Likes
Always remember that a woodstove will never be better than it’s balance of woodstove to chimney.
I have with difficulty ran excellent, excellent wood stoves with very crappy too large of cinder block COLD chimneys. Only worked with never go to flow low burning and using super dry wood.
A mediocre “iron-box” wood stove with a superior 5-6" (150-200 mm) INSULATED at least 10-12 foot (4 meter) high chimney, WITHOUT any 90’s, 45’s or Tee’s in it is easy to operate. Has wood use flexibly.
And no stove that you cannot actual put out the visible open flame combustion by air-in shutting off will ever be wood-use efficient. It cannot. If you cannot match the flow/heat production to the stove ability to shed-out/heat-transfer you are a runaway process. Swinging wildly from too much; to too little.
All secondary burn pathways, catalytic converters take back seat to these basic needs.
Regards
tree-farmer for fuels Steve unruh
8 Likes