Who Else Sweats Profusely When Tending Their Handfired?

 
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mkline
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Post by mkline » Tue. Dec. 22, 2009 4:20 pm

As I sit here typing this while only wearing my underwear...oops too much information :shock: .

I don't know about anyone else but I have sweat pouring off of me when I tend my handfired stoves and sweat while watching tv.Not that I'm complaining because in all years past it was quite cold in here and my wife was always "freezing".This being my first year burning coal I bought 2 handfired stoves to make sure I wouldn't need my oil burner.Man I may have went a little overkill but I didn't want any pipes freezing at the other side of the house.I may have pipes melting instead.

Some people have problems with getting their homes above 70*,but I have problems getting mine under 90*,and that's when the outside temps are in the teens and colder with the wind.My front door is open all day until I go to bed around midnight and I have some windows cracked.People driving by must think I'm nuts for having my door open all the time.I even loaded my Kodiak Furnace Model with alot of fines for a cooler burn.The stoves aren't going through coal,I only put a bucket in them every 12 hrs and have alot to spare.The big Kodiak could easily go 24 hrs.I just have the draft barely open on both stoves.Baro dampers on both are set at .04 wc,all gaskets are new and sealing well.The house is an old 2 story farmhouse with 9' ceilings and 1500 sq ft.It's all good though considering the alternative.I'm still in disbelief with my wife saying it's too hot in the whole house :shock: :woot: :drool: :eek2: :cheers: :shots: :drunk: :dancing: .

Mike


 
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gitrdonecoal
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Post by gitrdonecoal » Tue. Dec. 22, 2009 4:25 pm

i always sweat in front of it when she is really cranking. eh, you running both at the same time? if you are, you try just running one to get it down below boiling point? do you really need two running at the same time?

 
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wlape3
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Post by wlape3 » Tue. Dec. 22, 2009 4:32 pm

I agree, try running only one at a time. When I ran my hand fed it only got hot when the temperatures outside flirted with 60 and 70.

 
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gitrdonecoal
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Post by gitrdonecoal » Tue. Dec. 22, 2009 5:59 pm

i ll give ya my situation, 119,00 BTU furnace, I have a 1000 sq ft rance. natually it heats the basement also, so really I heat 2000 sq ft, I also have duct work hooked up. I rarely turn on blower fans. outside is 15 degrees, inside is 74 and im in a thong. unfortunatly that looks like a whalrus flossing :sick:

 
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lowfog01
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Post by lowfog01 » Tue. Dec. 22, 2009 6:30 pm

Oh, man - I remember those days. The windows open 24/7 and us living in tank tops and shorts regardless of the outside temp just confirmed all that the neighbors had come to believe over the years about the sanity of our family. To my knowledge none of them know we burn coal. What I had to learn and what you have yet to learn is how to balance the air setting on your stoves and the outside temperature in order to achieve the inside temperature you want to achieve. It sounds like you have great heat distribution. Do you have a thermometer on the front of your stoves? Start by backing that temperature down, if you are running your stove at 400* close the air intake down little by little until you’re running at 300*. Does that still give you the inside temp you want? Remember coal responses slowly so this may take all day or even days to see what is the lowest stove temperature that will give you the just the heat you want and no more. On my Harman that's 200* and I with that I can maintain an average house temp of 72*. If the outside temp drops I have to up the air intake to maintain the balance. That's the art of using a hand fired coal stove. It took me 2 years not knowing what I was doing and 1 year on the forum to learn this.

Now my children have to "suffer" with the house at 72* while all their friends freeze at 68*. :D I just smile and remind them that while coal is cheap, it isn't free. It also doesn't go bad so what I don't use this year will last until next. Good Luck, Lisa

edited to correct spelling
Last edited by lowfog01 on Tue. Dec. 22, 2009 7:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

 
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jpete
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Post by jpete » Tue. Dec. 22, 2009 7:02 pm

My in laws seem to enjoy their house at a temperature that would make a polar bear say "Is it cold in here or is it just me?"

So the 72* temps I keep the house at cuts down on any visits. Another benefit to coal! ;)

 
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mkline
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Post by mkline » Tue. Dec. 22, 2009 8:47 pm

Yes I thought about only running 1 stove but I'm afraid the other side of the house my be too cold and I don't want to burst any pipes.Lisa,my stove temps are 350* on each stove.I guess I never really tried to run them much lower.When I got the big Kodiak I put in the firebox reducer and could easily run it at lower temps but it would burn very erratic because the air would go through the reducer too much.I also had to have the draft almost wide open to get it to burn.After taking out the reducer the stove really came to life.I have only had to have the draft sliders open to 1/8" to 5/16" for it to run 350*.I did close it off more a few hrs ago and it's down to 300* and starting to feel a bit cooler in here now.Temp at the front door of the house went from 100* to 93* so it's starting to get better.You know us guys...more is better :lol: .I guess I felt like I had to have the whole coal bed bright orange with alot of the blue ladies a dancin :D .I'll keep you guys posted on how it goes tonight.Maybe I might even need a sheet on the bed to cover up with and can turn off the fan.Thanks for the help.

Mike


 
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SMITTY
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Post by SMITTY » Tue. Dec. 22, 2009 8:57 pm

I wish I had that problem! :lol:

My stove is in an air current which comes from the addition (TV room), which has a completely sealed off (with a porous stone wall) crawl space under it. With my stove sides close to 600°, it won't get much above 74° in the basement when it's in the teens outside. Upstairs on the first floor, 65° is as hot as I'll see in winter. When it falls below zero, there's a struggle to maintain 60°.

 
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lowfog01
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Post by lowfog01 » Tue. Dec. 22, 2009 10:43 pm

mkline wrote:I did close it off more a few hrs ago and it's down to 300* and starting to feel a bit cooler in here now.Temp at the front door of the house went from 100* to 93* so it's starting to get better.You know us guys...
Mike
One of the hardest things I had to learn was to trust the fire was actually burning. That's because sometimes it looks really dead - I mean I can't see any red embers peeking through the coal or anything much less Blue Dancing Ladies. That's were the stove thermometer comes in. If it says its 200* I know the fire is just fine. I also have room thermometers that tell me if the room temp is dropping and I need to adjust the fire.

Do you keep a log of any kind? I've found that to be very helpful as a reference. Like tonight, they are calling for an overnight temp of 16* so by checking my log I know the last time it was that cold I ran the stove at 1 1/4 turns. I had to refer to last year's spread sheet because this is the coldest it’s been all year. That setting kept us toasty then and I'd expect it will tonight, too. It gives me some place to start. Once you get the hang of balancing all the temperatures you'll be surprised how easy it is to maintain the warmth of your house and burn less coal. Like I said, my kids think they are suffering at 72*. :) But I’m burning about a ½ ton less of coal then I was in years past. Good luck, Lisa

 
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Freddy
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Post by Freddy » Wed. Dec. 23, 2009 4:35 am

I'll tell ya....that Lisa....she's got it. Listen to her and you'll be using less coal and be comfy as you like.....of course, if you like 93* and sweating through the tightie whities....why'd you write? Heeheeee! All part of the learning curve.

 
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whistlenut
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Post by whistlenut » Wed. Dec. 23, 2009 6:49 am

I'm gonna get some stock in whomever makes Depends!!! Everyplace I install a boiler, the inhabitants are always 'wetting' themselves from too much excitement! ....72 degrees is ok after a couple of weeks....it's OK to bump it up to 80 every now and then....testing the limits so to speak....like a new "Ride"....gotta test it out...cars, planes.bikes...whatever.....tiger

PS: It isn't just for the Hand fired set, we are all in this together, boys and girls!

....Scott and family are really on my mind right now.....A beautiful sunrise here...
and that may be a sign of hope for a better day.....for all of them.
Last edited by whistlenut on Wed. Dec. 23, 2009 7:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

 
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gitrdonecoal
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Post by gitrdonecoal » Wed. Dec. 23, 2009 7:08 am

mkline wrote:Yes I thought about only running 1 stove but I'm afraid the other side of the house my be too cold and I don't want to burst any pipes.

Mike
you said that the square footage of your house is 1500, farm house. probably lack of insulation, I ve seen many with none. what is the length and width of your house?

 
9mmruger
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Post by 9mmruger » Wed. Dec. 23, 2009 7:42 am

I have 1500 sq ft and my 1 stove keeps it nice and cozy at 72 - 74 degrees. My wife loves it. Bedrooms are 65 to 67 degrees, perfect for sleeping. I sit in my boxer jammies in the evening and never get cold. This is my first year burning coal, it won't be my last God willing.

 
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mkline
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Post by mkline » Wed. Dec. 23, 2009 12:52 pm

Here's a crude drawing of the 1st floor layout,and it's not to scale.It was down to 10* early this morning and it was 84* in here.Both stoves running at 300*.I basically cut room temp by around 10*, so I can back it down a touch more.Lisa,good idea about the log,I'll do that.I still have the baseboard registers full of water so I don't want them to freeze,especially upstairs.Yes I could drain them but would rather not incase we have to go away for a few days.
Smitty,yeah I read about your struggles.My house is pretty drafty too but not quite as bad as yours.I also have a cellar that the spring runs under for our drinking water.You can lift up a small cement slab and dip out the water if you want to.Needless to say the 1st floor is pretty damp feeling.Freddy,yes 93* is a bit excessive,but like I said before it's better than the alternative,which would be too cold and having to run that damn oil funace.Anyway here's the drawing and thanks everyone.
IMG_9930 copy.jpg

1st floor layout

.JPG | 158.4KB | IMG_9930 copy.jpg
Mike

 
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gitrdonecoal
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Post by gitrdonecoal » Wed. Dec. 23, 2009 1:23 pm

mkline wrote:Here's a crude drawing of the 1st floor layout,and it's not to scale.It was down to 10* early this morning and it was 84* in here.Both stoves running at 300*.I basically cut room temp by around 10*, so I can back it down a touch more.Lisa,good idea about the log,I'll do that.I still have the baseboard registers full of water so I don't want them to freeze,especially upstairs.Yes I could drain them but would rather not incase we have to go away for a few days.
Smitty,yeah I read about your struggles.My house is pretty drafty too but not quite as bad as yours.I also have a cellar that the spring runs under for our drinking water.You can lift up a small cement slab and dip out the water if you want to.Needless to say the 1st floor is pretty damp feeling.Freddy,yes 93* is a bit excessive,but like I said before it's better than the alternative,which would be too cold and having to run that damn oil funace.Anyway here's the drawing and thanks everyone.
IMG_9930 copy.jpg
Mike
man, I would think you could get away with one stove. im a contractor, and that much dry heat (84 to 93 degrees) can be bad for your house. I can understand that you don't want your pipes to freeze. but think, freezing point is 32 degrees. and in a drafty house, it could freeze slightly higher than 32 with a constant drafty wall. do you really think that your house will get that cold? my suggestion is to cut it back to one stove and just use the other for back up when it gets 40 below out. my ranch (great attic insulation, so so wall insulation, junk windows, drafty basement) is in the middle of a field and catches all sorts of wind. wind chill is 0 right now, got my 119,000 BTU furnace idling, and house is comfy 70.


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