Remember when Wednesday, was Photoday!? Winter is whizzing by. There's only one ton left.
- Thread starter TomY
- Start date
Interesting that you heat your house with it. Do you have a stove , or a central furnace that burns them? Is there an auto feed? How often do you need to refill a hopper? I'm not familiar with the use and am interested to learn about it.
Here in the NY metro area wood pellets are not common, as mos houses are heated with oil or gas.
Here in the NY metro area wood pellets are not common, as mos houses are heated with oil or gas.
I also figured that everyone, including me, was ready for unfrozen water photos. I have nothing.
We supplement our natural gas forced air with a wood stove. We usually get 3 cords, we are also down to 1.
I believe we start launching boats nine weeks from tomorrow? No ice on the basin, the bay or the lake right now. There have been years where we are sitting in the clubhouse the week before launch is supposed to start looking at the ice on the basin. Hard to predict but it always seems to go away in time.
Tomorrow is boat project day. The new Garmin chartplotter is mounted on the Navpod faceplate, sitting in my workshop. I hope to get that and the new Dometic frig/freezer wired in tomorrow.
We supplement our natural gas forced air with a wood stove. We usually get 3 cords, we are also down to 1.
I believe we start launching boats nine weeks from tomorrow? No ice on the basin, the bay or the lake right now. There have been years where we are sitting in the clubhouse the week before launch is supposed to start looking at the ice on the basin. Hard to predict but it always seems to go away in time.
Tomorrow is boat project day. The new Garmin chartplotter is mounted on the Navpod faceplate, sitting in my workshop. I hope to get that and the new Dometic frig/freezer wired in tomorrow.
In fact during the initial rebuild I installed radiant heat tubing in slab and floors(but abandoned the idea). Our house is half 1850 and half 2000 (but it looks all 1850 from the outside, I'm told).
I was never happy with the inefficiency of central heat in new houses I built. The inefficiency of delivering the energy to remote areas isn't efficient. All or nothing and then it seemed you needed a point source of heat if you wanted to feel warm on cold days.
We've had a pellet stove (not the best) since 2006 and have added an air source heat pump with two outlets (1 and 2nd floor). Those two sources of direct heat work very well together as the HP moves air(adding as much as 300% energy efficiency). I've installed a supplemental German electric wall heater in our large bathroom. That heater works on a timer so we use it when you need it, it shuts down. I'm installing 3 more of those in the future to function when needed. (It costs 15 cents for 20 minutes of heat - 100% efficient).
The house is designed (all new inside an 1850 shell) with a stairwell air shaft (3 floors) to move the air. That works pretty well keeping the third floor bedrooms cool for sleeping(which we prefer). It's an open plan downstairs to make heating easier and more efficient.
And the house is generally divided in half(with provisions to open it through out). We 'live' in the front half - three bedrooms on three floors - which is about 2000 sq. ft. The 'back house' is another 1000 sq. ft. but is designed not to be heated if we don't need it(it has it's own fossil heater). Right now, we rent that in the summer.
That's confusing enough! It's sort of an experiment. I predict fossil fuel will make central heating systems a little obsolete in the future(depending upon the building). Electricity will become more the norm as alternative producers evolve. My ideas are based as much on space design as heat source. So many houses are hard to make comfortable due to design.
The pellet stove takes an effort. It's just hopper type. I load 40 pound bags into the top. It takes cleaning(Old-new designs are better), but a lot less than a woodstove in day to day effort.
The cost of pellets has been stable for the nearly 10 years we've burned them. 3 tons= +-800.00.
I was never happy with the inefficiency of central heat in new houses I built. The inefficiency of delivering the energy to remote areas isn't efficient. All or nothing and then it seemed you needed a point source of heat if you wanted to feel warm on cold days.
We've had a pellet stove (not the best) since 2006 and have added an air source heat pump with two outlets (1 and 2nd floor). Those two sources of direct heat work very well together as the HP moves air(adding as much as 300% energy efficiency). I've installed a supplemental German electric wall heater in our large bathroom. That heater works on a timer so we use it when you need it, it shuts down. I'm installing 3 more of those in the future to function when needed. (It costs 15 cents for 20 minutes of heat - 100% efficient).
The house is designed (all new inside an 1850 shell) with a stairwell air shaft (3 floors) to move the air. That works pretty well keeping the third floor bedrooms cool for sleeping(which we prefer). It's an open plan downstairs to make heating easier and more efficient.
And the house is generally divided in half(with provisions to open it through out). We 'live' in the front half - three bedrooms on three floors - which is about 2000 sq. ft. The 'back house' is another 1000 sq. ft. but is designed not to be heated if we don't need it(it has it's own fossil heater). Right now, we rent that in the summer.
That's confusing enough! It's sort of an experiment. I predict fossil fuel will make central heating systems a little obsolete in the future(depending upon the building). Electricity will become more the norm as alternative producers evolve. My ideas are based as much on space design as heat source. So many houses are hard to make comfortable due to design.
The pellet stove takes an effort. It's just hopper type. I load 40 pound bags into the top. It takes cleaning(Old-new designs are better), but a lot less than a woodstove in day to day effort.
The cost of pellets has been stable for the nearly 10 years we've burned them. 3 tons= +-800.00.
A ton is 50 bags. A pallet is about 4'x4'x4'. Pellets and suppliers are plentiful - here, so I only buy a ton at a time. Plus my supplier drives the forklift to my house and loads a pallet at a time through my overhead doors. That's handy!
That sounds very eclectic, and the image of your room shows your decorating is also eclectic. Looks comfortable and homey. Nice.
... and $800 to heat a house in Maine for an entire winter is also quite economical. (BTW we're also getting a snow day here, expecting about a foot with occasional near-blizzard conditions. A nice day to work at home and sip hot drinks.)
... and $800 to heat a house in Maine for an entire winter is also quite economical. (BTW we're also getting a snow day here, expecting about a foot with occasional near-blizzard conditions. A nice day to work at home and sip hot drinks.)
It has been both snow free and warm here on the southern tip of MDI. We have only burned about 1/3 of a cord of wood in our stove and about 250 gallons of propane for our central heating/on demand water heating. The central heat is in-floor radiant (6 zones).
My name, not on in any cruising guide(not yet). A place we anchored for the night in 2014. I'm putting together an article on it for USHarbors.com Not a great anchorage but a beautiful remote spot if conditions are right. There's a river that runs through it at mid tide that's quite unique.
Thanks, guys! Amazing what a little color will do for a boat. Finally getting some actual sailing time with her now and she gets up to 7 and 8 knots without breaking a sweat and easily pops above that. Can't wait to ra--, umm, get alongside another boat while sailing and compare, you know, .....velocity..... that's it.
... a while back you posted a nice shot of dinner and a wine glass on the cockpit table on Christmas ... do you remember that ? Would you please post that shot again ? I'm trying to talk a friend into sailing this summer, never been on a boat and loves food ... that shot just might be convincing ! You could post it here or email me ... john at wintonmarsh dot com. Thanks Tom ... always love to see your photos ! Cheers, John