Need to vent.....

[nyslowhand]

Call a heating contractor and appear/act as though you are interested in upgrading your furnace. They will typically do an "air Xfer" (name?) test, which involves a large fan sucking air out of the house and then being able to evaluate leakages. They'll want to look at existing furnace and try to sell you a new HE unit, don't bite or sign.

Like others have mentioned, suspects for heat leaks or cold air coming in are windows, doors, under-insulated walls or attic, heat runs in un/under insulated walls, etc. Then there's the heat delivery with possible leaking vent runs, nat'l gas of course. Hot water boiler systems with radiators have their own issues.

Here's something I always thought was bizarre about how the human brain works. In early AMs during summer time when temp is ~60deg, aren't you running around with shorts & a T-shirt. Now change the season to winter when you look out the window at the snow blowing, it's ~60deg in the house and your wearing 2/3 layers of clothing to keep warm. Whatz the difference???

FYI - A change of just 3 deg of thermostat settings up/down effects the monthly heating bill by ~10%. May be worth the additional ~$30/40 per month to keep everyone happy...!?! When I was working I had thermostat cycle 4X/day from 63deg to 69 deg depending on time of day, if I was home &/or my activity in the house. When I retired I left temp at 69deg 24/7 and did not see much difference in gas/elec bill.

[Nomad]

1 hour ago, nyslowhand said:

Here's something I always thought was bizarre about how the human brain works. In early AMs during summer time when temp is ~60deg, aren't you running around with shorts & a T-shirt. Now change the season to winter when you look out the window at the snow blowing, it's ~60deg in the house and your wearing 2/3 layers of clothing to keep warm. Whatz the difference??

I’m barefoot, in shorts and T shirt, most nights at home this time of year . But my brain never did work quite right .

[First-light]

12 hours ago, Steve D said:

I am convinced there is a limit. I changed out two thermostats on one zone and a zone valve with the same results. As long as the boiler is reaching operating temperature and it keeps circulating it is working like it is suppose to.

I even had a service guy come out and check everything out and he said it was working as supposed to . Problem with them is they won't shut off and run continuously because they hardly reach the set temperature. Hate to see the propane bill next month.

She called they are coming tonight. Your correct it is working fine. The wind is half of what it was yesterday and I can feel the house warmer. I'll report back. 

[sodfather]

Ours is set at 72 wife is from the south can’t win the argument not worth the headache 

[mlammerhirt]

Holy crap....72 all day?
What is your heat bill??

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

[Merlot]

Our home is left at a constant 69 degrees in winter. I never change the temp, so that not only the air temp is the same, but also the interior walls, furniture, floors, etc., do not cool down with thermostat variations. Better to just leave constant temperature...at least this works for us. 

Now, as mentioned earlier, if your R value for insulation is lower than it could be, adding insulation can help, depending on the home and the degree of difficulty of adding insul. 

[eaglemountainman]

It's that GD Donald Trump's fault!

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Another thing to really consider is the humidity level in your homes.  Ideally 40-50% in the winter heating months. May have to be a bit lower if you are prone to condensation on your windows. Moist air feels warmer at the same temp. Just like dry air feeling cooler at the same temp in the summer. 

[eaglemountainman]

57 minutes ago, sodfather said:

Ours is set at 72 wife is from the south can’t win the argument not worth the headache 

I feel your pain. Mine was raised on Long Island, like me, but has lived in Florida for the last 40 years. Her comfort zone is 78 - 85. Most of the year it sounds like I have a fire siren constantly blaring  in my head.

Edited January 22, 2019 by eaglemountainman

[dbHunterNY]

17 minutes ago, Culvercreek hunt club said:

Another thing to really consider is the humidity level in your homes.  Ideally 40-50% in the winter heating months. May have to be a bit lower if you are prone to condensation on your windows. Moist air feels warmer at the same temp. Just like dry air feeling cooler at the same temp in the summer. 

i work for an engineering firm and I'll vouch that this is definitely true.

[Jeremy K]

Ours is 70-72 while we're home ,62 when we're not . I have a small house so it cost nothing to maintain 70+ degrees . I'm always in shorts and t shirt around the house while the wife is bundled up like she's going out side to snow blow.

Edited January 22, 2019 by Jeremy K

[wolc123]

There is nothing like a woodstove, for taking the bite (financial and physical) out of the cold weather, while you are inside the house.   We have a centrally located, air-tight, woodstove in the main living area of our 2000 sq foot, L-shaped ranch.  Using the air vent control on that, we keep the main living area at about 78 degrees, and the bedrooms at 68, so long as the outside temperature is below about 35 degrees.   When it gets warmer outside, I don't bother with the woodstove, and just let the two gas furnaces in the basement cover the heat load (the thermostats are always set at 68 in the heating season).   The net result is: The colder the winter, the lower our heating bill.  I do not include the cost of the wood, since I have never had to pay for that.   I enjoy making it, especially since building a saw platform last year, which has eliminated all the lower back pain  I feel sorry for the folks who live up north and can't curl up with their wife in front a warm fire when it is so cold outside.  Not quite as sorry as I feel for those who have to endure the heat all summer long down below the Mason-Dixon line however.        

[First-light]

On 1/21/2019 at 7:04 PM, landtracdeerhunter said:

Sounds to me like your married. 

You wouldn't believe me if I told you.........

[landtracdeerhunter]

12 hours ago, wolc123 said:

There is nothing like a woodstove, for taking the bite (financial and physical) out of the cold weather, while you are inside the house.   We have a centrally located, air-tight, woodstove in the main living area of our 2000 sq foot, L-shaped ranch.  Using the air vent control on that, we keep the main living area at about 78 degrees, and the bedrooms at 68, so long as the outside temperature is below about 35 degrees.   When it gets warmer outside, I don't bother with the woodstove, and just let the two gas furnaces in the basement cover the heat load (the thermostats are always set at 68 in the heating season).   The net result is: The colder the winter, the lower our heating bill.  I do not include the cost of the wood, since I have never had to pay for that.   I enjoy making it, especially since building a saw platform last year, which has eliminated all the lower back pain  I feel sorry for the folks who live up north and can't curl up with their wife in front a warm fire when it is so cold outside.  Not quite as sorry as I feel for those who have to endure the heat all summer long down below the Mason-Dixon line however.        

Could you supply a picture of that back pain elimination tool please? 

Edited January 23, 2019 by landtracdeerhunter

[bhunterED]

You could always get a bigger boiler. If it constantly runs it may be working like it should but that doesn't mean its efficient, plus if it is constantly kicking on and off it's short cycling which isn't the best for it either. You could put in a vent free fireplace instead of a larger boiler to help offset the demand on the boiler also. I first would have a test for heat loss done though before doing a new boiler or fireplace. Good luck.

[Five Seasons]

On 1/22/2019 at 6:50 AM, First-light said:

She called they are coming tonight. Your correct it is working fine. The wind is half of what it was yesterday and I can feel the house warmer. I'll report back. 

that even further solidifies an insulation issue. The cold air is getting in and displacing your heat. 

[Five Seasons]

On 1/22/2019 at 6:31 PM, wolc123 said:

There is nothing like a woodstove, for taking the bite (financial and physical) out of the cold weather, while you are inside the house.   

I will agree with you on the bite part, but have had a few conversations with wood burners over the last few years and I'm not sure you're saving as much as you think. I grew up in a home that did nothing but burn wood. It's a lot of work but there is nothing like a wood fire, and why I still burn them on the weekends. However, even if you remove the sweat equity (which isn't free, your time is money), the cost of a face cord x how many cords you burn a season can sometimes equal the normal ~$200 a month gas bill. And yes, all our homes are different. The cost to heat a 1300ft2 home is not the same as my 2400ft2, but that also means your gas bill wouldn't be $200 either. Things like insulation and where you're setting your temp at all factor in. 

In the end, you're saving money burning wood, but there's a lot of extra that goes into it.

PS did i mention i love how the wood stove takes the bite out? And some wine with the old lady on a friday night? lol.

[landtracdeerhunter]

On 1/22/2019 at 8:16 PM, First-light said:

You wouldn't believe me if I told you.........

Somethng telling me; I don't want to go there, LOL.

[wolc123]

19 minutes ago, Belo said:

I will agree with you on the bite part, but have had a few conversations with wood burners over the last few years and I'm not sure you're saving as much as you think. I grew up in a home that did nothing but burn wood. It's a lot of work but there is nothing like a wood fire, and why I still burn them on the weekends. However, even if you remove the sweat equity (which isn't free, your time is money), the cost of a face cord x how many cords you burn a season can sometimes equal the normal ~$200 a month gas bill. And yes, all our homes are different. The cost to heat a 1300ft2 home is not the same as my 2400ft2, but that also means your gas bill wouldn't be $200 either. Things like insulation and where you're setting your temp at all factor in. 

In the end, you're saving money burning wood, but there's a lot of extra that goes into it.

PS did i mention i love how the wood stove takes the bite out? And some wine with the old lady on a friday night? lol.

The big financial savings comes from the free wood (it litteraly grows on trees).  If you do not have that on your property, then I agree there would not be much savings.  As I mentioned on my earlier post, I enjoy the "work" involved and the little bit of gas and diesel fuel required for chainsaw, splitter and loader/skidder tractors are insignificant relative to the cost savings provided by all that "free" wood.      

[First-light]

Guy just left. Said crawl spaces could be better insulated. There are two rooms that were built of a crawl space. Also said baseboard in those rooms could be upgraded. Rest of the house he would like to see the radiators cleaned 1 time a year. Said on super cold days get the furnace heating the house before cold sets in. Said its easier for the furnace to keep up. Thats it I didn't get involved. 

[The_Real_TCIII]

On 1/21/2019 at 2:53 PM, First-light said:

I just got bitched out that I'm not keeping an eye on our heat. It is 14 degrees outside with 40 mph winds. The thermostats are set on 68. 

Three zones. 1 zone it wont get hotter than 61. Main zone is at 65. Third zone is at 64. Am I wrong to say no matter how hard the burner works there is a limit to

what the temperature will reach in the house? Heat at all radiators, I give up!......

Turn it up higher and it gets warmer faster, according to all the ladies in my house

[BizCT]

68-70 in my 3 zones. I like to wear boxers and nothing else whether it’s summer or winter.


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[Five Seasons]

On 1/25/2019 at 9:34 AM, wolc123 said:

The big financial savings comes from the free wood (it litteraly grows on trees).  If you do not have that on your property, then I agree there would not be much savings.  As I mentioned on my earlier post, I enjoy the "work" involved and the little bit of gas and diesel fuel required for chainsaw, splitter and loader/skidder tractors are insignificant relative to the cost savings provided by all that "free" wood.      

my bad. If you're cutting and splitting your own wood off your property then yes. I was referring to those who purchase the massive amount of wood required to heat their home all winter with just wood.

[nyslowhand]

Know around my neck of the woods (rural area) the going rate for a FC of wood is ~$75 and most of the time that's for p/u & not delivered. Do know several people who heat mainly via firewood purchase loads of logs dumped in their driveway or yard. Cheaper means of buying firewood, but not for everyone as you still need a decent chainsaw, access to a wood splitter and dealing with the clean-up aftermath.

Know a few years ago I'd come across a BTU comparison of heating with different fuels; ie: gas, oil, elec, coal, wood, pellets. Gotta be one out there with current fuel prices included.

[XGX7PM]

21 minutes ago, nyslowhand said:

Know around my neck of the woods (rural area) the going rate for a FC of wood is ~$75 and most of the time that's for p/u & not delivered. Do know several people who heat mainly via firewood purchase loads of logs dumped in their driveway or yard. Cheaper means of buying firewood, but not for everyone as you still need a decent chainsaw, access to a wood splitter and dealing with the clean-up aftermath.

Know a few years ago I'd come across a BTU comparison of heating with different fuels; ie: gas, oil, elec, coal, wood, pellets. Gotta be one out there with current fuel prices included.

https://www.pelletheat.org/compare-fuel-costs