Heating My House - Options Thoughts Suggestions ?

[Nifty]

Thanks for all the replies!

If I have natural gas already piped into the house, would you still recommend propane over that? From what I understand propane is usually more expensive than natural gas, no?

I need to see if there is some kind of natural gas / wood burning combo... now that would be perfect!3

BTW, I'm totally digging these:

rocket stove mass heater (page by a SS member)
http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp

I especially like the second half of his video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bsUd5zLcLw&feature=player_embedded

I also love the thought of a "masonry heater" like these. Probably very expensive to build.

 

[big brown horse]

We have one of these: http://www.green-logic.net/ecainowostfa.html it sits on top of our wood burning fireplace/stove.

Not saying it is your answer, but it does help.

My sister and bil added on and put in a propane fire place...one word: SWEET!

 

[Nifty]

Those are pretty interesting! A bit more expensive than I'd expect for what it is, but looks cool.

I'd also be interested in something like this:
http://www.northlineexpress.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=5VZ-HR-6

 

[Mackay]

You either have a crummy wood stove or poor insulation.

First thing I would try is a wood stove fan that you can purchase and it sits right on top of the stove. The heat makes it spin so electricity is requried. It can made a big big difference.

do a search for wood stove fan and you will find it. It costs about $100

 

[savingdogs]

I agree with Mackay. Our wood stove is from the same era as yours and makes the house HOT and I mean HOT. We have to be careful not to make too big of a fire because we ROAST and have to open windows.

Without it, however, I'm terribly cold all the time in the winter, so we just have to roast. We use a system of fans to disperse the heat into the nooks and crannys of our house, which doesn't look particularly lovely but works. But my husband bought a series of small fans and mounted them to the walls in strategic places and we have a very large one right next to the stove, pushing the heat through the house.

But no one can even sit near the actual stove! How come yours isn't getting hot like that?

 

[Nifty]

The wood stove makes the family room super hot, but the heat just doesn't travel very well down the hall and into the bedrooms. We've found we almost need to make the family room uncomfortably hot to get the bedrooms warm enough to not be too cold. Fans on or around the fireplace just move heat around in the family room and don't seem to make much difference in getting the heat to the bedrooms.

Maybe we just continue what we've been doing... heating the family room (where we spend most of our time) with the wood stove and then take the chill off the bedrooms at night using electric radiators.

 

[savingdogs]

That is kind of how our house was before my husband put up his ugly little fan collection. I hope you find something better looking! And when the power went out we had to move into the living room......woodstoves just are not ideal, but we get our wood for free so that has its advantages.

Could you just put in a natural gas fireplace using the existing line? Those can be beautiful. My parents had one that looked like a real fireplace but turned on and off instantly.....made everything nice and toasty. It sounded like that was what you wanted to hear someone suggest, I just don't have any recent experience with those to know how much they cost to run.

 

[FarmerChick]

if you already have the natural gas piped in...I would definitely check into a small gas fireplace in the bedroom. They have those stand alone types now and it wouldn't cost as much as a new propane set up.

it stinks being chilly!

 

[SKR8PN]

Hey Nifty.........while thinking about your heating issues, I hit upon another solution.

I propose that you and your wife spend this winter in Ohio. I can guarantee that next spring, BOTH of you will think that 67 degrees feels pretty good!



OHIO TEMPERATURE CONVERSION CHART
(old but still funny)

@ +70 degrees
Texans turn on the heat and unpack the thermal underwear.
People in Ohio go swimming in the Rivers.

@ +60 degrees
North Carolinians try to turn on the heat.
People in Ohio plant gardens.

@ +50 degrees
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Ohio sunbathe.

@ +40 degrees
Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Ohio drive with the windows down.

@ +32 degrees
Distilled water freezes.
Lake Erie water gets thicker.

@ +20 degrees
Floridians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, and woolly hats.
People in Ohio throw on a flannel shirt.

@ +15 degrees
Philadelphia landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Ohio have the last cookout before it gets cold.

@ +10 degrees
People in Miami all die...
Buckeyes lick the flagpole.

@ -20 degrees
Californians fly away to Mexico.
People in Ohio get out their winter coats.

@ -40 degrees
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Ohio are selling cookies door to door.

@ -60 degrees
Polar bears begin to evacuate the Artic.
Ohio Boy Scouts postpone "Winter Survival" classes until it gets
cold enough.


@ -80 degrees
Mt. St. Helens freezes.
People in Ohio rent some videos.

@ -100 degrees
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Buckeyes get frustrated because they can't thaw the keg.

@ -297 degrees
Microbial life no longer survives on dairy products.
Cows in Ohio complain about farmers with cold hands.

@ -460 degrees
ALL atomic motion stops (absolute zero in the Kelvin scale).
People in Ohio start saying, "Cold 'nuff for ya?"


@ -500 degrees
Hell freezes over.
The Browns win the Super Bowl

 

[Wifezilla]

Nifty, I know what you mean about bad air circulation. Ours is terrible since our house is cut up in to small rooms.

I have resorted to running a microwavable heat pack over the sheets before jumping in to bed a time or two