Greetings folks! I managed to get thru the -10 cold snap here in SW Ohio without using the furnace. We have the largest Pacific Energy insert (see signature block), with SSliner. When it is usually relatively temperate, i.e., doesn't stay at 5 degrees or less all day, I usually burn down the wood as it goes, with the air intake down around 20-25% or so. But, I find that it is difficult to keep it stoked so that the exiting heat from the blower fan is 200-250F. Once the coals take over, it seems to drop to around 150-200, which cycles the blower.
(An insert like this doesn't allow ready access to the actual liner, so I have a grill thermometer probe wedged into the exiting air portal.) Fan turns on at around 205 or so, and off at around 160. We have a window/box fan in the hall which circulates the air around the "loop" inside the house which keeps the place heated. I also run a ceiling fan (downward) in the great room with the wood burner in it, to keep the heat from getting stuck in the vaulted ceiling there.
I've had it up around 330-350, but it is nearly impossible to sustain this temperature. But if it's REALLY cold out, as it has been this week, keeping the temp up, also results in a mountain of coals that burn WAY slower than the actual logs. (Normally, this isn't a big deal. But when it's this cold, the temperature of the air exiting the burner once the log burn is done, is nearly not sufficient to heat the house.
We've not needed the electric furnace at all, though.
We have the humidistat hooked up to the [electric/heat pump] blower, so that when the humidity drops to the set level, the blower (not the heat) turns on, to humidify the air. We use hot water for the humidifier hookup, not cold.
I can keep the humidity up to at least 38-40% that way.
So, the only problem I'd say we have is that when it's necessary to try to exhaust the max heat possible, we leave a lot of coals, which eventually do burn down, but not quickly enough as to ensure we have adequate room for additional logs.
Just wondering how this compares to other's experiences....
thanks!
(An insert like this doesn't allow ready access to the actual liner, so I have a grill thermometer probe wedged into the exiting air portal.) Fan turns on at around 205 or so, and off at around 160. We have a window/box fan in the hall which circulates the air around the "loop" inside the house which keeps the place heated. I also run a ceiling fan (downward) in the great room with the wood burner in it, to keep the heat from getting stuck in the vaulted ceiling there.
I've had it up around 330-350, but it is nearly impossible to sustain this temperature. But if it's REALLY cold out, as it has been this week, keeping the temp up, also results in a mountain of coals that burn WAY slower than the actual logs. (Normally, this isn't a big deal. But when it's this cold, the temperature of the air exiting the burner once the log burn is done, is nearly not sufficient to heat the house.
We've not needed the electric furnace at all, though.
We have the humidistat hooked up to the [electric/heat pump] blower, so that when the humidity drops to the set level, the blower (not the heat) turns on, to humidify the air. We use hot water for the humidifier hookup, not cold.
I can keep the humidity up to at least 38-40% that way.
So, the only problem I'd say we have is that when it's necessary to try to exhaust the max heat possible, we leave a lot of coals, which eventually do burn down, but not quickly enough as to ensure we have adequate room for additional logs.
Just wondering how this compares to other's experiences....
thanks!
