Polar Vortex Aftermath: How’d your stove do?

[Simonkenton]

— What’s your stove model?
Jotul Oslo

— How big is your house? How well insulated?
The main room is 500 sq. ft, with a loft and a 22 ft cathedral ceiling. Huge 7 foot by 4 foot door opening to a big 14 foot long hallway, and then on in to the main house. Lots of heat goes in to the main house, and lots of heat goes in to the 22 foot cathedral ceiling. Log cabin that I built, dovetail notches, well built tight logs fitting and chinking, R 40 foam in the ceiling.

— How bad was the vortex for you?
Got down to 12 degrees with 30 mph winds

— How’d your stove perform? What did you have to do differently?
Big Norwegian stove performed flawlessly. What we did differently? We hauled in more firewood.

 

[Woody Stover]

— What’s your stove model?
Woodstock Keystone catalytic.
— How big is your house? How well insulated?
About 1000 sq.ft. log home, main room and bedroom. Blown cellulose in attic, into 2x6 joists, so under R-20. No wall insulation, just a couple layers of wallboard equaling 1" over the logs. Logs not sealed well at the corners, so wind gets between and pulls heat from the wallboard. I would guess it's about like heating 1500 sq.ft. in an average house.
— How bad was the vortex for you?
Not as bad as for some, but it got down to zero with mid-20s sustained winds.
— How’d your stove perform? What did you have to do differently?
Stove did OK. We leave the bedroom door open only 6" or so, and that keeps the main room warmer. Fleece blankets and down comforter keeps us comfy for sleeping in low- to mid-60s.
This time, I didn't mind if it got down to 65 room temp at the lowest, so I didn't have to take extreme measures to keep up. I could have kept it at 68, running the stove a bit hotter. The stove will burn down coals while maintaining 350+ stove top and sides, and that will usually hold room temp pretty well.

 

[hedgeball]

Woodstock ideal steel in central missouri 2400 sq ft earth contact 10 yrs old well insulated. 15 hr burn times using hedge. -15* couple nights house never below 75* & heat pump hasn't ran since october. record cold here. Woodstock is a great stove & company.