Keeping the Heat in, Even With a Sunroom.
- michaelanthony
- Member
- Posts: 4550
- Joined: Sat. Nov. 22, 2008 10:42 pm
- Location: millinocket,me.
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant 2310, gold marc box stove
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Gold Marc Independence
- Baseburners & Antiques: Home Sparkle 12
- Coal Size/Type: 'nut
- Other Heating: Fujitsu mini split, FHA oil furnace
OK, glass has minimal r-value, the argon gas between panes keep a positive pressure in order to block drafts, your double panes are probably old school and have zero tolorance against drafts and leaks. As previous stated new energy efficient crank-outs can give the same effect with a couple sky lights to top it off,no pun. intended. Now lets talk about that nice fire proof, rustic brick floor that is sitting on frozen dirt outside the home. A sheet of plastic and 1 inch foam and a floating floor would take care of the coolness from below. it looks like you might have room under the door for that. You still have a nice sunroom when done and a warm one at that. Like everything else, it usually means throughing money at it.
- Smokeyja
- Member
- Posts: 1997
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 21, 2011 6:57 pm
- Location: Richmond, VA.
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood #6 baseheater, Richmond Advance Range, WarmMorning 414a x2
- Coal Size/Type: Nut / Anthracite
- Other Heating: none
- Contact:
I would love to pick up a 100lbs WM or their 400 circulating stove but maybe if it was closer. I am trying to save my money for a trip to the stove hospital this summer.franco b wrote:You like the Warm Morning. If you don't mind the ride North there are a lot of them here and very reasonable. I mean for you to get a larger one. there is a 60 pound and a 100 pound one.
I really appreciate everyone's ideas. This is getting me motivated to do some work on the situation. It's not a dir need but annoying on a day like today, not to mention how long it takes to raise the temperature in the house by 10 degrees after coming home from work.
- ValterBorges
- Member
- Posts: 568
- Joined: Mon. Sep. 05, 2011 10:12 pm
- Location: Berlin, CT
R5 is pretty good considering double pane low-e is R3.6SMITTY wrote:Geeze - wonder if I could do every window in my house with those! An R5 is better than anything in this old dump!
Some other tips.
Cold-Climate Window Tips
You can use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months.
Remember, the plastic must be sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.
Install tight-fitting, insulating window shades on windows that feel drafty after weatherizing.
Close your curtains and shades at night; open them during the day.
Keep windows on the south side of your house clean to let in the winter sun.
Install exterior or interior storm windows; storm windows can reduce heat loss through the windows by 25% to 50%.
Storm windows should have weatherstripping at all moveable joints; be made of strong, durable materials; and have interlocking or overlapping joints.
Low-e storm windows save even more energy.
Repair and weatherize your current storm windows, if necessary.
I think that grizzly is correct with the separation wall like before. Also many good idea from the guys here.
Having that un- insulated floor is a really bad thing. Making that room warm in Winter would be very hard and expensive too ,except if having a small stove in it (also costly). If you read in my posts about the Golden Bride, you will see many similitudes in our house. Also the chimney is not the most beautiful one but it's at the back and having the room warm was more important than the look. My small living room is also north oriented. Got 6" insulation in the walls plus 1" semi-rigid outside panels, 15" on the ceiling, triple pane glasses plus one othe plain pane in front of these glasses, fix windows...and you know, before having the Bride in it, that place was colder than the rest of the house.
We almost never went in it during Winter but with the Bride we love to sit in and enjoy the warm heat from the stove.
And don't forget that windows have a low R value (about R2 or a little +, except the really new and very expensive ones).
Having that un- insulated floor is a really bad thing. Making that room warm in Winter would be very hard and expensive too ,except if having a small stove in it (also costly). If you read in my posts about the Golden Bride, you will see many similitudes in our house. Also the chimney is not the most beautiful one but it's at the back and having the room warm was more important than the look. My small living room is also north oriented. Got 6" insulation in the walls plus 1" semi-rigid outside panels, 15" on the ceiling, triple pane glasses plus one othe plain pane in front of these glasses, fix windows...and you know, before having the Bride in it, that place was colder than the rest of the house.
We almost never went in it during Winter but with the Bride we love to sit in and enjoy the warm heat from the stove.
And don't forget that windows have a low R value (about R2 or a little +, except the really new and very expensive ones).
Last edited by nortcan on Tue. Jan. 03, 2012 9:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Smokeyja
- Member
- Posts: 1997
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 21, 2011 6:57 pm
- Location: Richmond, VA.
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood #6 baseheater, Richmond Advance Range, WarmMorning 414a x2
- Coal Size/Type: Nut / Anthracite
- Other Heating: none
- Contact:
From why I gather the sun room was added in the past 10 years. How old is oldschool? The brick is almost 2' into the ground and in VA that's below the freeze line . I'd rather not cover the brick, it's nice work.michaelanthony wrote:OK, glass has minimal r-value, the argon gas between panes keep a positive pressure in order to block drafts, your double panes are probably old school and have zero tolorance against drafts and leaks. As previous stated new energy efficient crank-outs can give the same effect with a couple sky lights to top it off,no pun. intended. Now lets talk about that nice fire proof, rustic brick floor that is sitting on frozen dirt outside the home. A sheet of plastic and 1 inch foam and a floating floor would take care of the coolness from below. it looks like you might have room under the door for that. You still have a nice sunroom when done and a warm one at that. Like everything else, it usually means throughing money at it.
Here is the double pain, it looks like there is .5" in between the two pains.
Last edited by Smokeyja on Tue. Jan. 03, 2012 9:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It could probably be possible to insulate the brick floor from the outside, from top to the bottom, that would help to keep the cold outside of the brick floor.Smokeyja wrote:From why I gather the sun room was added in the past 10 years. How old is oldschool? The brick is almost 2' into the ground and in VA that's below the freeze line . I'd rather not cover the brick, it's nice work.michaelanthony wrote:OK, glass has minimal r-value, the argon gas between panes keep a positive pressure in order to block drafts, your double panes are probably old school and have zero tolorance against drafts and leaks. As previous stated new energy efficient crank-outs can give the same effect with a couple sky lights to top it off,no pun. intended. Now lets talk about that nice fire proof, rustic brick floor that is sitting on frozen dirt outside the home. A sheet of plastic and 1 inch foam and a floating floor would take care of the coolness from below. it looks like you might have room under the door for that. You still have a nice sunroom when done and a warm one at that. Like everything else, it usually means throughing money at it.
- SMITTY
- Member
- Posts: 12520
- Joined: Sun. Dec. 11, 2005 12:43 pm
- Location: West-Central Mass
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 Highboy
- Coal Size/Type: Rice / Blaschak anthracite
- Other Heating: Oil fired Burnham boiler
We already have plastic .... but I keep having to repair it after the many cat fights ...ValterBorges wrote: ....... You can use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. ........
Attachments
- Smokeyja
- Member
- Posts: 1997
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 21, 2011 6:57 pm
- Location: Richmond, VA.
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood #6 baseheater, Richmond Advance Range, WarmMorning 414a x2
- Coal Size/Type: Nut / Anthracite
- Other Heating: none
- Contact:
nortcan wrote:What is the size of that sunroom? Is that stove in a working condition?
7' 2"x 15' 6" that stove is in working condition and I plan on putting it in the kitchen soon.
It's the cannon heater I restored that I've posted on here before.
The windows also have Reynolds written on them.
Which looks like they were made by this company
http://reynoldswindows.net/
- Smokeyja
- Member
- Posts: 1997
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 21, 2011 6:57 pm
- Location: Richmond, VA.
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood #6 baseheater, Richmond Advance Range, WarmMorning 414a x2
- Coal Size/Type: Nut / Anthracite
- Other Heating: none
- Contact:
I am still waiting to see pics of you basement. I read you story about the water issue and I saw the pic of the cats by the stove and it looked like you had a stone basement/cellar? I love old houses. The part of my house the sunroom is attached to it from the 19th century. I have no basement to my house though.SMITTY wrote:Man ... that's nicer than any part of my place. I see why you want to keep it.
Also I have no vapor barrier underneath the house, just hardwood floors on oldschool subflooring (large boards). Would a vapor barrier do anything for me?
Last edited by Smokeyja on Tue. Jan. 03, 2012 9:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Zipwall product would be a quick way to isolate the room.
Longer term you could put in a slider wall or french door wall. A three panel slider or two sets of french doors could isolate the room and still leave in a lot of light. Sliders and french doors don't have to be inefficient and leak air, we have been very happy with the Andersen french door and the Andersen slider that we have with respect to air leaks.
Longer term you could put in a slider wall or french door wall. A three panel slider or two sets of french doors could isolate the room and still leave in a lot of light. Sliders and french doors don't have to be inefficient and leak air, we have been very happy with the Andersen french door and the Andersen slider that we have with respect to air leaks.
- SMITTY
- Member
- Posts: 12520
- Joined: Sun. Dec. 11, 2005 12:43 pm
- Location: West-Central Mass
- Stoker Coal Boiler: EFM 520 Highboy
- Coal Size/Type: Rice / Blaschak anthracite
- Other Heating: Oil fired Burnham boiler
Ask & ye shall receive!Smokeyja wrote:I am still waiting to see pics of you basement. ......
- Chuck_Steak
- Member
- Posts: 386
- Joined: Wed. Jan. 06, 2010 9:03 pm
- Location: New Hampster
- Coal Size/Type: mostly nut, sometimes stove, Santa brand
Listen to Dad.......Smokeyja wrote: So it seems this is just the nature of lots of glass just like my father told me.
Dan