stove for uninsulated cottage in mid-coastal Maine

[Bub381]

Yeah this place had a central fireplace with the BIG pile of rock etc in the cellar to support it.Can't say horse hair plaster was used as insulation but it did provide a barrier for the warm air to mix with the cold to supply some sort of comfort.Like a double paned window.Can't think of the word for this and yes an old cookstove in the kitchen(other end of the house).

 

[Backwoods Savage]

The first house I bought basically had no insulation. It was nice and warm....right next to the stoves.

 

[RAPhomme]

Along those lines, in connection with the idea of uninsulated heating spaces, I've wondered about the backpacking stoves that are used for heat. Like the ones made by Kifaru for use in their tipis: (broken link removed to http://www.kifaru.net/tipi_6man.html). Is this unrelated to the question of heating a house simply because of the size of the space?

I guess silnylon makes a decent "insulator," since people report using these in the dead of winter. Is it known to retain heat especially well--better than wood siding? But then when you're in a tipi, you're "close to the stove" wherever you are!

 

[firefighterjake]

@Bub381: this whole question has made me more curious about how they used to heat their houses in these cold spots. I guess "horse hair plaster" is one answer. Mud, brick, stone, and snow might be others. And I guess smaller houses, lots of fires, and higher tolerance for discomfort are part of it too.

As you no doubt have figured out . . . insulating the place is the key. Attempting to heat the place with a woodstove without insulating just doesn't make a lot of sense.

As for the old days . . . as Dennis says it was warm next to the stove . . . and in some homes there were multiple stoves . . . oftentimes on the same flue (which is not allowed these days). In addition you will notice that oftentimes older homes are smaller -- both in the footprint and in room size and ceiling height . . . lots of doors to compartmentalize things so you could heat up your main living area and keep what heat you generated in a small area. Bedrooms were often pretty cool -- soapstone bed warmers or bed warmers using hot coals could be used to heat up the bed in some cases.

 

[Milton Findley]

I once owned what was called a Sears Precut, a kit house from Sears. It was nicely done, but the wall insulation was newspaper, in our house, German language news papers. Horse hair plaster as well. Once I insulated the attic, it was a very warm place to live.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Milt, there weren't too many of those houses around but they did sell a few.

Jake, that first house we had was no bigger than our present house. It was a cold thing in winter. We did put insulation in the attic and that did help a lot. We even tore out a wall between kitchen and dining room to keep the kitchen a bit warmer and wouldn't you know, the bathroom was off the kitchen....on the NW corner of the house. We changed that for sure so entry was from another room and heat could get in there somewhat.

 

[mikefrommaine]

If you don't want to lose the rustic interior feel you could consider insulating from the exterior with rigid foam. You would have to replace the siding and maybe have to add overhangs on the roof. But it might be less disruptive to the interior and maybe less costly if you are do for painting or new siding.

 

[RAPhomme]

That's a good point about the exterior insulation--in the little looking around online I've done, that seems a standard treatment for some "older" houses (usually much older than this). The only question I would have is about the longevity of any such fix. The house as it is, just pine boards, has held up remarkably well: almost no deterioration at all in 40+ years. I imagine that's attributable to the permeability of the wood, its breathing, etc. I'd want anything I lay on top to preserve as much of that as possible. I think some fiberboards are supposed to be properly breathable. More good options to look into.

 

[Bub381]

You are right about the breathing of wood.That's why some of those old western towns are still standing.Find an old wooden structure laid down real tight to the ground and then 1 that has a couple feet clearance.It's like a stored car,air underneath keeps the moisture at bay.I'm no specialist or carpenter but i know some things.lol WISH I KNEW A HECK OF ALOT MORE. :roll:

 

[RAPhomme]

Here's one interesting reference re: exterior insulation, moisture levels in walls, etc. http://cchrc.org/docs/snapshots/snapshot07-003remote.pdf. This is from the Cold Climate Housing Research Center in Alaska, which I saw referenced in another thread. Conclusion seems to be that exterior insulation with exterior vapor barrier does better job of a) keeping the dew point outside the wall, so moisture doesn't condense within the wall, and b) making a more complete insulating seal, with fewer "bridges" between inside and outside due to framing studs, etc.

 

[turbocruiser]

Edit: I deleted this text as it was information about insulation and not about stoves. Sorry for straying from OP's question.

 

[begreen]

Not that insulating is a bad idea at all, but maybe it's time to take the insulation dialog into a new thread in the green room? The OP's query was about the stove.

 

[Bub381]

Might find alot of knowledge in there also.

 

[Mainely Saws]

I have a seasonal camp on Pleasant pond in midcoast Maine that I heat with a woodstove . For me the determining factor in how long we stay into the Fall season is when it gets cold enough to freeze my outside water lines coming from the pond . I have a simple electric heater in the bathroom & I have been insulating rooms as I can . I removed the old drywall & insulated with fiberglass batts & then went over top of that with 1/2" thick rigid foam insulation & taped the seams . Over that I put up 3/4 knotty pine . It has made quite a difference in the comfort of the rooms both during cold & hot weather .
At the moment I have an antique Wood & Bishop parlor stove for heat . I know I can get longer burn times while using less wood with a new wood stove but I just can't seem to part with the looks of the parlor stove .

 

[Bub381]

Wouldn't i like to see 1 of these company's come out with that old parlor stove with these new setups.That would be a nice addition to any house.

 

[Mainely Saws]

I'd be real interested in that !

 

[firecracker_77]

I am a tax accountant, and the residential energy credit is meant for principal residence only. I would add the cost of the stove and the installation as a 27.5 year asset and depreciate it or you could just expense it in the year of acquisition and report on Schedule E of your 1040 with the rest of the rental income and expenses. I have a rental office with a Hearthstone Heritage, and I just expensed it as it wasn't worth messing with depreciation on such a relatively low amount.

 

[Jack768]

Thoughts:

1. Insulate.

2. Install something like a Jotul Oslo, VC 2-in-1 Encore.