I grew up in an old house that was a converted tobacco barn. We had a propane blower. Located in the middle of the house on the main floor. I went to bed with lots of blankets and a toque. Really cold up stairs. Mom would put our clothes in front of the blower so they were warm when we woke up. Anyway, I was used to temps closer to 55-60. Now in this place we are happy Around 62-67. Can't imagine 70 or above. Too hot.
People are cold
- Thread starter etiger2007
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Have lived in a variety of temperatures. As a child, I spent some pretty cold nights in rural Nebraska in houses without central heating. When I was a college student in Germany, my roommates and I had an untrustworthy (or at least so we thought) oil stove. Turned it off at night and could see my breath by the time I hit the sack.. Feather beds were a lifesaver. Now my wife and I keep our house at around 66 when we are home alone and 68 when my daughter-in-law and grandson are here. When the wood stove is running, we reach my preferred temperature - 70 to 74. Luxury!
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
I would burn it more, but I still work and my wife is not confident about managing the stove. Also, I have a 21 month old grandson who is here most days. He knows the difference between hot and cold, but is not sufficiently stable to avoid falling onto the stove.
Sprinter
Minister of Fire
I'm completely serious when I say that if I need more than a tank-top during the winter something has gone terribly wrong.Its interesting how subjective temperature preferences are. I know some folks actually like temps in the low 60s ... Id be wearing a coat. On the other hand many here talk about having their living room at 80... I would put on shorts and open a window. I like the house between 70-74 when I'm up an about... on the warmer end if I'm just sitting inactive. High 60s when sleeping is good. My wife likes it a bit warmer but if it gets over 75 suddenly she is too hot.
You will know you are in the groove with wood heat when it takes effort to keep the house under 70 i'd say
I'm sitting in the room with the 30 and the wall temps are 80 degrees.
Cross Cut Saw
Feeling the Heat
Those poor misguided souls. The best you can do for them is offer then a shoulder to cry on, and a house coat! 
The worst are the folks that claim to love it cold. They have brainwashed themselves. The poor dears. I have a father Inlaw like that. He claims he is most comfortable around 63... Of course he seems comfortable at 80 in the summer.
The worst are the folks that claim to love it cold. They have brainwashed themselves. The poor dears. I have a father Inlaw like that. He claims he is most comfortable around 63... Of course he seems comfortable at 80 in the summer.
Those poor misguided souls. The best you can do for them is offer then a shoulder to cry on, and a house coat!
The worst are the folks that claim to love it cold. They have brainwashed themselves. The poor dears. I have a father Inlaw like that. He claims he is most comfortable around 63... Of course he seems comfortable at 80 in the summer.
While there are those folks like that out there I am one of those who will want the A/C on when it gets over 75 so I'm quite serious when I say keeping the house at about 70-72 is about as warm as I can be comfortable with. When active 63 is great - if just sitting in the evening warmer is better.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
mook1302
New Member
- Nov 27, 2012
- 23
This is my second winter in our house... its an older 2000 sq ft ranch house that had oil heat but got switched over to a heat pump prior to us moving and everything else in the house is electric in the house plus we have a hut tub so i did not want to see that electric bill come every month last year lol... we went with a fireplace insert this year because we both felt like the heat pump ran a lot more than are liking last year and we had a mild winter last yr..I only burn nights and weekends and we are both pleased and so are my guests when they come now cause they dont have to wear their winter parkas around the house... i keep the fireplace room mid 70's degrees the kitchen in the mid 60's... im hoping to off set some of that cost this yr with the fireplace... Im off the week of xmas and its supposed to get colder so im pumped to see how well i can keep the house warm by burning 24/7 that week..
I am sitting in my computer room farthest away from the stove and staying toasty.
suprz
Member
We have a 14 month old grandson that lives with us, and we did what you are doing, but we wanted to use it during the day on weekends so we went out to lowes and got some black metal garden fencing and fenced the stove off so we can use it without any worry. The best thing is that during the summer months the fence comes apart and we can put it away till the cold comes back
Hearth Mistress
Minister of Fire
I usually work from home so I tend the fire all day. I had to go to the office for end of year meeting crap on Tuesday and since it was going to be 50 (yes, still that warm here in December) i didn't fuss with the stove as it was out from the overnight and I planned on being out all day.
We live in an old bank barn, stone, damp and cold so needless to say I LOVE the wood stove heat. However, without any heat at all the ambient temp is about 54 so the thermostat will eventually kick the oil furnace on. So, when I got home, I felt the damp chill but didn't realize it was that cold. As i was putting our dogs out the oil furnace kicked on and scared me as I have't heard it in a LONG time! I rushed downstairs and turned the thermostat down and immediately fired up the stove. in no time I was back in my "winter wood stove wardrobe" and it was a balmy 78 again
I only regret being in this house so long without a woodstove spending money fixing that @&$#%* furnace, dealing with frozen fuel lines and blowing out the lines with a bike pump, not to mention paying for all of the oil and STILL being cold all the time! Cold no more!
We live in an old bank barn, stone, damp and cold so needless to say I LOVE the wood stove heat. However, without any heat at all the ambient temp is about 54 so the thermostat will eventually kick the oil furnace on. So, when I got home, I felt the damp chill but didn't realize it was that cold. As i was putting our dogs out the oil furnace kicked on and scared me as I have't heard it in a LONG time! I rushed downstairs and turned the thermostat down and immediately fired up the stove. in no time I was back in my "winter wood stove wardrobe" and it was a balmy 78 again
I only regret being in this house so long without a woodstove spending money fixing that @&$#%* furnace, dealing with frozen fuel lines and blowing out the lines with a bike pump, not to mention paying for all of the oil and STILL being cold all the time! Cold no more!
Before we got our insert, out propane company would fill the 250 gallon tank at least 4 times year. I was paying about $2,000.00 - $3,00.00 a year for my 12 sq. ft. house. Three years ago I got the insert and now we need one and a half or two fill-ups a year, so I am saving a minimum $1,000.00 - $1,500.00 a year. The limit switches never trip so the heat is constant without the 2 degrees swing from the heater starts.
Best part is that my wife suffers with Rheumatoid Arthritisand I can keep the house warmer so she won’t freeze and we can keep in the high high 70’s.
Since I paid the equipment used, the payback time has paid for it now and each year and I can use that money for other things.
Priceless
Best part is that my wife suffers with Rheumatoid Arthritisand I can keep the house warmer so she won’t freeze and we can keep in the high high 70’s.
Since I paid the equipment used, the payback time has paid for it now and each year and I can use that money for other things.
Priceless
We find we do keep the house a bit warmer than what folks use when heating with dino fuels or electric, but even if the house is at 66-68, and the stove is running, it doesn't feel as cold as it does if the baseboard heat were on at the same temps.
Sort of like 40 degrees outside feels cool when the temp is dropping, but 40 degrees doesn't feel so bad when the temp is on the rise. With the stove's constant output for hours, even if the place isn't 72 (which is about as warm as we like it, 74 and I screwed up somewhere) it still feels better than other forms of heat, well, other than radiant floor that is. Tough to beat that.
pen
Sort of like 40 degrees outside feels cool when the temp is dropping, but 40 degrees doesn't feel so bad when the temp is on the rise. With the stove's constant output for hours, even if the place isn't 72 (which is about as warm as we like it, 74 and I screwed up somewhere) it still feels better than other forms of heat, well, other than radiant floor that is. Tough to beat that.
pen
Even the furnace needs a little love every now and again
. When I still had the oil boiler, I'd let it stretch it's legs from time to time just to be sure it'd still be up to the task in the event we had to leave in the winter. Yea, that test costs money in oil, but I'd rather that than a surprise when I wasn't going to be able to deal with it and just plain needed it to work.Last time we needed it to work was last winter when we were going to be gone for 5 days. Sure as hell, it'd been a month since I'd fired it but was glad I ran it the week before we left as I found a vent that was leaking (hot water baseboard) and had the chance to replace it before we had a mess on our hands.
Got rid of it on it's 50th birthday this summer. I asked the installer of the heat pump / water heater if I could expect the same longevity out of these units; the look I received was priceless.
pen
Hearth Mistress
Minister of Fire
Funny, I got that same "look" when I had my guys out to do the bi-annual maintenance and when bring up replacing if, I asked if the new systems had the same life span. The furnace was installed in the late 70's and was re lined before we bought the house in 2003. We pulled the hot water off to an electric system to try to prolong it's life even more ( plus electric is cheap here) but still out of fear keep a maintenance contract on the old boy, just in case. In the dead on winter, pre stove, they would be out weekly. Now, i see them twice a year whether I need them or not. i like it that way MUCH better
If the butter isn't easy to spread in the morning, the house is too cold.
My wife hates being cold- stays hunched up and begins to ache without knowing why. We both grew up in Mass with older drafty houses with oil heat. Getting room to 68F was rare.
When we moved the house had a wood stove in the old fireplace of the central chimney. I would not have put a stove in a old fireplace, but I am glad it was there - and it will stay there. We started using the stove 24X7 (big pile of wood came with the house) and loved it. Keeps the down stairs 70-75 (or more) and upstairs (bedrooms) about 62-64F. Nice for sleeping.
It is also much easier for her to enjoy outside stuff in winter. If you know you can go inside and warm up later it is easier to accept being cold outside.
This summer we found out we had two walls with no insulation and had foam blown in and replaced the VC Encore with a Woodstock PH, and the winter has been mild so far, it is easy to get the temp up to 80. Which is bit much.
We were stove-less for few weeks while waiting for the PH, the kids were all missing the stove. I think it gave them more of an appreciation for the wood heat.
My wife hates being cold- stays hunched up and begins to ache without knowing why. We both grew up in Mass with older drafty houses with oil heat. Getting room to 68F was rare.
When we moved the house had a wood stove in the old fireplace of the central chimney. I would not have put a stove in a old fireplace, but I am glad it was there - and it will stay there. We started using the stove 24X7 (big pile of wood came with the house) and loved it. Keeps the down stairs 70-75 (or more) and upstairs (bedrooms) about 62-64F. Nice for sleeping.
It is also much easier for her to enjoy outside stuff in winter. If you know you can go inside and warm up later it is easier to accept being cold outside.
This summer we found out we had two walls with no insulation and had foam blown in and replaced the VC Encore with a Woodstock PH, and the winter has been mild so far, it is easy to get the temp up to 80. Which is bit much.
We were stove-less for few weeks while waiting for the PH, the kids were all missing the stove. I think it gave them more of an appreciation for the wood heat.
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