Problem with free standing wood stoves

[Coldfront]

The modern expectations of what constitutes a properly heated home (high, constant, even temperatures) are not the same as they were when Victorian homes were built, nor are the insulation or heating systems. Victorian-era homes were really the first to have heating systems at all, but they were not as effective as modern systems and expectations were not the same either. Later in the 20th century it didn't matter how well insulated or sealed a structure was, because you could just throw unlimited amounts of energy into it and heat it anyway.

Trying to make a solid construction structure well insulated without major alterations is tough. We have not bothered with our (even older) home - it is decently sealed and there is insulation in the attics, but we have tried to adjust our expectations of what is really needed in regard to heat. So some rooms are hotter and some rooms are colder, and it varies over time. If you are cold you can always put on something warmer, and usually move to a warmer room. Adjusting expectations is a heck of a lot cheaper.

Just think about those who lived in stone castles with only huge fire places. We want it 70° and we want it now!

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I realize that but it's not really a stove issue. The biggest stove in the world will still not heat a house well if the house is basically full of holes letting heat out and cold air in.

Easier said than done, it is about a 100 year old farm house. I am working on better insulation and windows. That is why I burn wood.

 

[Del_]

Just think about those who lived in stone castles with only huge fire places. We want it 70° and we want it now!

My castle isn't stone but my four chimneys and fireplaces are, three of them circa 1850!

Something that hasn't been discussed is the partitioning of sections of the house using clear 4 mil plastic. We've two people here and have almost 3,500 sq. ft. of living space. The space I'm sitting in is about 45ft x long with half of it being 15ft wide and the other half 30ft wide. That's a fairly big space. I've hung 4 mil clear plastic that isolates 4 windows, a fireplace and an outside door from out kitchen/living room/Den/Computer room. Temperature difference between the two spaces runs as much as 20°F and we still can see the rest of the room and get excellent lighting from those windows. This gives a nice rise in temperature in our main living area where our freestanding Jotul F600CB kicks out the btu's.

 

[Chris-PA]

I realize that but it's not really a stove issue. The biggest stove in the world will still not heat a house well if the house is basically full of holes letting heat out and cold air in.

Sealing and insulation are two different things, and in general they were decently sealed when the doors and windows were new. One of the points I've been trying to make is that they did not really try to heat these structures in the sense we have now - no doubt the fireplace raised the temperature in the house, but the fireplace was a radiant heater intended to heat you directly, as well as the immediate vicinity. Your clothes also kept you warm.

 

[Del_]

Sealing and insulation are two different things, and in general they were decently sealed when the doors and windows were new. One of the points I've been trying to make is that they did not really try to heat these structures in the sense we have now - no doubt the fireplace raised the temperature in the house, but the fireplace was a radiant heater intended to heat you directly, as well as the immediate vicinity. Your clothes also kept you warm.

That's an important point.

My Grandmother(b.1904,d.1997) told me when she was a child they would go to bed with a glass of water on the nightstand. In the winter upon waking often the glass of water on the night stand would have some ice in it. No electricity or indoor plumbing, either.

 

[Coldfront]

My 2 upstairs bedrooms in this old house do not have any heating ducts what so ever. They were totally heated by the warm air raising up the big opening at the stair well. They still stay fairly warm as long as you leave the bedroom doors open. For when it really gets cold I have installed electric base board heaters only turned on when needed.

 

[sb47]

Easier said than done, it is about a 100 year old farm house. I am working on better insulation and windows. That is why I burn wood.

100 year old house. There is your problem rite there.

 

[Coldfront]

100 year old house. There is your problem rite there.

And it will probably still be stand in another 100 years, while most newer houses will be total junk.

 

[Chris-PA]

And it will probably still be stand in another 100 years, while most newer houses will be total junk.

100yo is a newer house!

 

[svk]

100yo is a newer house!

Especially out east where you guys are. When I lived in eastern upstate NY I knew a couple of people with really old homes approaching or over 200 years. Smaller with lower ceilings to conserve heat was the name of the game. Very neat places for sure.

 

[zogger]

That's an important point.

My Grandmother(b.1904,d.1997) told me when she was a child they would go to bed with a glass of water on the nightstand. In the winter upon waking often the glass of water on the night stand would have some ice in it. No electricity or indoor plumbing, either.

In my cabin in Maine I put my drinking/cooking water in a thermos at night, just in case. The perpetual pot of stew and kettle kept unfrozen on the stove though...

I also heated bricks on top of the stove, wrapped them in towels and shoved them down by my feet in the bed at night.

You wind up doing all sorts of interesting things to keep your reality from freezing solid.

Including burning anything down to pencil size, any species, scrounged however.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

That's an important point.

My Grandmother(b.1904,d.1997) told me when she was a child they would go to bed with a glass of water on the nightstand. In the winter upon waking often the glass of water on the night stand would have some ice in it. No electricity or indoor plumbing, either.

My pepere told us back when he was a kid they would have to shovel snow off the floor in the bedroom. It would blow in from the window when it was windy. Also he said a few times he had gotten stuck in bed because his breath and drool had frozen the blanket to the mattress.

 

[svk]

Times have definitely changed. Nowadays people freak out if you get a mouse in the house. People used to have rats in their house.

The town where I grew up in used to have 100% steam heat. It was so cheap that people heated their uninsulated garages. Insulation in a house? What for!

 

[Wannabe123]

Glad I don't have you guys' problems. I let the hair on my nuts and wool socks keep me warm .

I was lucky to have 63 degrees average in my house growing up. We used to have a snowman in each room to hold our coats for us. Once the glacier in the attic shelved and dropped straight onto the woodstove and polar bears were sliding in and out of the kitchen until we stabbed em with icicles and roasted em. And all we had to burn was birch bark, pine pitch and used toilet paper (also birch bark).

Seriously though, old houses vary greatly in their heat retaining abilities. I have had the pleasure of working on many really old houses and the construction quality was all over the place, as were the "improvements" done over the years. All heating is a compromise unfortunately, but some of these tips about insulation tricks and using creativity to circulate air around the house are pretty neat.

 

[svk]

Anyone seen brush ape lately?....

 

[sunfish]

Problem with free standing wood stoves

I've never had a problem with them?

 

[Wannabe123]

Problem with free standing wood stoves

I've never had a problem with them?

They don't have casters so you can roll them around with you wherever you need the most heat. That's my beef.

 

[sunfish]

They don't have casters so you can roll them around with you wherever you need the most heat. That's my beef.

I've never felt the need to do that?

 

[Wannabe123]

Good exercise if nothing else.

 

[sunfish]

They don't have casters so you can roll them around with you wherever you need the most heat. That's my beef.

I'm usually moving away from the stove, as my wife likes it warmer in the house than I do.

Also nice that the bed room is cooler an stuff...