tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post4581982984594684746..comments2024-02-23T01:30:06.101-08:00Comments on Early Warning: Makanda Inn VisitStuart Stanifordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07182839827506265860noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-50254413285745641052012-02-15T21:42:39.290-08:002012-02-15T21:42:39.290-08:00Indeed that masonry chimney is meant to act as the...Indeed that masonry chimney is meant to act as thermal mass, but, just from the picture, seeing how the firebox is offset from the chimney itself, I'm pretty sure that's a contra-flow masonry heater.<br /><br />http://mha-net.org/<br /><br />My family's MA house has a Tulikivi masonry heater and I love it. To me, it makes wood heat practical in that I don't have to tend a fire all day. Instead, I light a fire at night, for an hour or two burn time, it stays hot all night. In colder weather I light another in the morning, but often not.<br /><br />I'm still playing around with that home energy modeling software mentioned a few blog entries back. In that program, I cut my Maine house's oil usage from over 1150 gallons to about 100 by inserting the new windows, basement insulation, and redone wall interiors (I'm gutting the whole thing anyways as it's fairly messy inside), and that in a 9300 annual degree day climate too. That software also has many heat options to pick from, including masonry heaters. By insulating heavily, the program tells me I can cut my furnace output, and hence masonry heater size, from over 63K BTU, to only 13,500 BTU. Indeed, I'll be removing the oil furnace, as even the smallest central furnaces will be too big for this house. In fact, most wood stoves will be too big for this house. The masonry heater, on the other hand, can have a smaller fire built in it, and then heat the house for hours, all without fuss.<br /><br />Some of the old timers in northern New England, by the way, put mulch hay bales or straw bales all around their foundations in the fall to keep out the cold. Putting an R-10 foam layer for the top 2 feet around the outside of my foundation and putting an R-20 layer over the full interior basement walls, cuts my house's heat energy requirements by about 40 percent according to this modeling software.Stephen B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00746137367376861899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-85258529129299098932012-02-15T11:28:48.809-08:002012-02-15T11:28:48.809-08:00I have been thinking about building a straw bale w...I have been thinking about building a straw bale work shop... I was thinking about framing, but am now thinking about post and beam.<br /><br />Is that cement or plaster in the picture of the bench in your room?A Quaker in a Strange Landhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15425198389944137571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235419263414453422.post-29194028221089244772012-02-15T08:06:08.589-08:002012-02-15T08:06:08.589-08:00Beautiful building - thanks for the links also to ...Beautiful building - thanks for the links also to product manufacturers.Laurenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10975493849986519152noreply@blogger.com