Sub Zero Temps for a few days

[user 122190]

30 below, a few years ago, is the worst I've ever seen, and was completely unprepared for it. My latest attempt to ward off the bitter cold is extra heavy duty moving blankets. Over the large windows are now nails, and attached to the blankets are tarp clamps. I can hang or remove in minutes. I'm eager to see how this works.

The same blankets also folds neatly over for double thickness for the front door that is non insulated.

Last year I would put 2" thick foam core board in the window space. A PITA to insert and to remove and only for the most extreme low temps and with the blankets I should be in good shape for the very worst.

 

[Bigfoot907]

sounds like a larger more efficient stove would help?

 

[user 122190]

So would staying up at night and feeding the stove. I'm about 50% successful at waking up every 2 to 3 hours and feeding it. Better to keep the heat in and the cold out.

When it was 30 below outside, the stove had been running for days with as much wood in it as it would hold and it was barely warm to the touch.

 

[sirbuildalot]

So would staying up at night and feeding the stove. I'm about 50% successful at waking up every 2 to 3 hours and feeding it. Better to keep the heat in and the cold out.

When it was 30 below outside, the stove had been running for days with as much wood in it as it would hold and it was barely warm to the touch.

How large a bed of coals do you have? No matter the outside temp, the stove shouldn't be only warm. Open up the damper and let it roar few a few minutes. A cold flue pipe creates creosote and choking the fire too much creates smoke and not much heat.

My stove is an older smoke dragon, a Thermo Control that has a large loading door and holds several cubic feet of wood. I can load it and get a good 11 hours with enough coals to re-load and get going again with minimal effort.

 

[sirbuildalot]

My guess, you are burning hardwoods.

That is correct.


If a fully loaded stove only lasted me 2 or 3 hours I think I would buy a different stove or find longer burning wood

 

[TimberWolf530]

If you'd put glass windows in, you wouldn't have to hang the heavy blankets up in the winter. Good at keeping bugs out in the summer too.

Seriously, though, you should try that plastic window film. Tape it around the window trim. Cut the excess, and heat with a blowdryer. It may even work better than the blanket because it creates an air tight seal, so the dead space acts as an insulator. Plus, it will let light in. I've used it for years, and you definitely can tell a difference.

 

[user 122190]

I've heard of those, and remain skeptical of their effectiveness. And you hit the nail on the head. The downside to the foam core boards and/or the blankets is the cabin gets very dark. It's not something that lasts for days and weeks. With the tarp clamps installing or removing the blankets is now simple.

Seriously, though, you should try that plastic window film. Tape it around the window trim. Cut the excess, and heat with a blowdryer. It may even work better than the blanket because it creates an air tight seal, so the dead space acts as an insulator. Plus, it will let light in. I've used it for years, and you definitely can tell a difference.

 

[Bigfoot907]

Up here a catalytic wood stove is a wise investment, 12 hour burn time with high heat output but they are not cheap.

 

[sirbuildalot]

Looking at the big picture, I think the blankets are a temporary fix to a permanent problem. It may only get extremely cold for a few days per winter, but are you only running your stove on those few days? If you are running it all winter, and loading that often you must be going through a lot of wood. A newer stove that is more efficient would save you money and work in the long term. New energy efficient windows may also be worth investigating. The initial cost is hard to swallow, but it doesn't take long to make the money back.

 

[svk]

So would staying up at night and feeding the stove. I'm about 50% successful at waking up every 2 to 3 hours and feeding it. Better to keep the heat in and the cold out.

When it was 30 below outside, the stove had been running for days with as much wood in it as it would hold and it was barely warm to the touch.

There's something wrong there. The stove should be red hot (figuratively) if you are trying to maximize heat output.

 

[sirbuildalot]

Sometimes I leave my loading door open an inch or two after loading so it acts like a draft furnace. This works so effectively the stovepipe can turn cherry red in a matter of a few minutes if your not careful. I usually close the door and the damper after the flames really give the pipe a good tickling to burn off the creosote. Run it hot for sure. After doing this the stove throws so much heat that even on a -10 degree night the house is still in the 70's a floor above the stove. The basement where the stove is easily 85-90 degrees. For warmer days with highs in the 30's I can build up a bed of coals and load a piece or two every couple hours

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I'm guessing there is something going on, besides low outside temperature, if your stove is not heating up.

For a basis for comparison, we use a Vermont Casting Defiant FlexBurn catalytic stove. It holds 70 pounds of hardwood, and uses an 8" flue.

The operating instructions say to de-ash the stove when refueling, by raking the fine ash through the grate (the bottom of the stove) into the ash pan, and add fuel to a hot bed of coals. I have found this to be true.

When burning for four or five days without doing this, the fine ash builds up in the bottom of the stove 3"-4", and somehow effects the proper breathing, such that the stove does not heat up in catalytic mode. This is also true if the screen on the top of flue builds up with creosote restricting draw.

A third thing to consider is if the home is sealed real well, the flue draw can be negatively effected and an outside air supply to the stove may be needed. Not sure how -30* outside air supply effects heating. We have an outside air supply, but we do not get -30 in southwest MI. Maybe someone else can speak to that.

As to leaving an ash pan door open or leaving the door open a crack to add draft, I would recommend against that practice, as tempting as it is. When I start a new fire with the catalytic bypass door open, as by operating instructions, I set my phone timer for fifteen minutes. It is too easy to get distracted and forget to close it down at the proper time. Most of the time I reset my timer for another ten minutes, but there are times it gets to temp rather quickly.

 

[user 122190]

Success!!! Last night was colder then the night before, and the bedroom was warmer then before. My head is near the large window (now covered by a moving blanket), and usually I have to burrow deep into the blankets to keep warm. Last night, no so much.

 

[GVS]

30 below, a few years ago, is the worst I've ever seen, and was completely unprepared for it. My latest attempt to ward off the bitter cold is extra heavy duty moving blankets. Over the large windows are now nails, and attached to the blankets are tarp clamps. I can hang or remove in minutes. I'm eager to see how this works.

The same blankets also folds neatly over for double thickness for the front door that is non insulated.

Last year I would put 2" thick foam core board in the window space. A PITA to insert and to remove and only for the most extreme low temps and with the blankets I should be in good shape for the very worst.

View attachment 620012 View attachment 620013

Does your cabin have Thermo-Pane windows? If not it should have with temps.going much below freezing.Those blankets will sure help a lot as will foam core boards.The plastic film is a good idea also.As to your stove not throwing heat,try small splits to get the fire going and to build coals.You'll get more heat faster with small wood.It will burn much faster than big wood but your coal bed will build faster too.When you've got a good coal bed you can add the half rounds or even full rounds if the stove can handle them.Another thing to keep in mind ,since the cabin is log construction,is this:those logs become "cold soaked".It can take several hours to warm the inside surface of them,the room side that is,and until they warm up some,they're pushing cold into the house.All of the above will give you a toasty house.

 

[Jakers]

One thing you guys may not have considered is his elevation being in NW Montana. he may not have the available oxygen to make the fire super hot. or if hes only getting access to soft woods like Pine or Spruce, that can really shorten the burn time, when firing hard, to the point the stove never really catches up or builds coals.

 

[svk]

Success!!! Last night was colder then the night before, and the bedroom was warmer then before. My head is near the large window (now covered by a moving blanket), and usually I have to burrow deep into the blankets to keep warm. Last night, no so much.

Good, what did you do differently?

 

[Sandhill Crane]

One thing you guys may not have considered is his elevation being in NW Montana. he may not have the available oxygen to make the fire super hot. or if hes only getting access to soft woods like Pine or Spruce, that can really shorten the burn time, when firing hard, to the point the stove never really catches up or builds coals.

Not sure I understand.
You are right about not considering elevation; and about burn times of soft wood being shorter; but not sure about heat and building coals.
And I don't understand why water swirls in reverse when south of the equator.
Still lots to learn...

 

[user 122190]

One thing you guys may not have considered is his elevation being in NW Montana. he may not have the available oxygen to make the fire super hot. or if hes only getting access to soft woods like Pine or Spruce, that can really shorten the burn time, when firing hard, to the point the stove never really catches up or builds coals.

2700 feet. We have varieties of Pine, Fir and Tamarack for firewood. Damned if I can figure it out, but sometimes a fire last a long long time. But usually it is 2 to 3 hours, and it is a constant effort to keep it filled and a good bed of coals going. Other neighbors have similar experiences, and a larger capacity stove is not really an option as this one cranks out good heat, such that it gets to hot.

The suggestion that I find a different source of wood it ridiculous. We have what we have, and to have firewood brought in from a far, it would make more sense to go all propane. I've neighbors that do that, and in previous years it was quite expensive over the span of the winter.

 

[user 122190]

Hung the moving blanket over the window.

Oh and these are double paned windows. Make, brand, thermo or other, IDK.

Good, what did you do differently?

 

[bear1998]

Not sure I understand.
You are right about not considering elevation; and about burn times of soft wood being shorter; but not sure about heat and building coals.
And I don't understand why water swirls in reverse when south of the equator.
Still lots to learn...

Magnetic pole is opposite from tbe northern hemiphere....just sayin..