Pellet heads!! What's up today?

Ive been misunderstanding what the local forecasters were saying. For some reason, I understood the troposphere to be the 2nd layer, but looking it up, that is the lowest layer. Could have been that they explained it just fine and it had to do with I was also reading while listening to the news.

 

High yesterday was 30* (at 2am), low was -8 (about 7pm - didn't look before I turned in for the night). Actually impressed that it has only reached -14 so far. It's been 4-5 years since my area has seen that low of a temp, but we've had warm winters and negative teens used to be fairly routine for a couple of weeks in the dead of winter.

I put the P43 at #1 feed rate and have it chasing the thermostat (the way the thermostat is set up, it messes with the way the stove functions if I put it in manual or constant burn). That keeps it about 73* in the living room and in the high 60's for the rest of the house. In the evening, when the temp dropped to 72* in the living room, instead of turning up the feed rate for the stove, I set the boiler thermostat for 73* so it would run off and on thru the night, but at least the pellet stove takes most of the load.

The wind was so bad it was bowing in my garage door, making the temp in there fall from 44* real quick. So I ran the new boiler a couple of times to circulate water in the FHW pipes. I also threw some insulation above the overhead door. When I found that it would just blow out, I laid a couple of 2x4 on top to hold it in place.

This morning the garage was down to 33* (wind has either died back some or changed direction enough not to mess with the overhead door), so I opened up the basement door and let the P61a do some heating of that too.

For whatever reason, my thermguard isn't working, which is what I would normally cycle the boiler with. I took the cover off and it "looks" as if the wires are still attached. I didn't want to tear it apart and check and just screw everything up and have no boiler during the cold snap (which would be how these things normally work for me). Next week, once the garage is keeping a higher temp, I'll trouble shoot. Eh, maybe the thermguard itself developed an issue.

 

The P68 has been firing on high since lighting it around 5:30 pm yesterday helping the boiler that has been going full time as well.

This weather reveals the house insulation shortfalls as it still felt chilly on the first floor even though thermostat shows 68 degrees (normal for me). As the stove is in the basement, that in itself lends to extra time to get the heat upstairs along with having to warm the cement.

The front door which is the side that is taking the wind is letting cold in but with no storm door and a glass pane that is not unexpected. In normal winter cold its fine but in this, it cant hold up to the bitter blast.

House was making some big noises at times as the cold winds beat against it but overall, I cant complain as its been comfortable enough inside.

 

Did not I say r60 in the attic meanwhile hunt down the drafts and fill the oil tank

 

-14 deg F here as well but by tomorrow afternoon it can be 50 deg F warmer

Only in New England. Dont like the weather, wait a minute

 

A cold mamma results in

 

-14 when I got up at 7. P43 ran full blast all night, 69 downstairs when I got up. used 2 bags of doug firs yesterday, easily 2 more today.

Accidentally turned off the downstairs bathroom faucet I had left trickling before I went to bed and ended up having to use a hairdryer for 5 min to unfreeze the water inlet pipe from the well this morning.

Heard trees popping from frozen sap when I went out to feed the birds this morning. Bluebirds made quick work of emptying the mealworm basket, may have to give them more later on.

sam

 

I won't disagree with you but I'll bet there are some who would.

 

Well ya got your castle now re-point it (seal it up)and it.

 

When I turned in at 1am, the temp was -9. The Accentra was cranking and it kept the living room at 68. 1 1/2 bags in 24. Funny, the stove never ran so well. Window stayed crystal clear and much less ash. I'm going to leave the settings as they are and let the thermostat do its thing.

About midnight the lights went out. They came back 10 seconds later. Just long enough to wonder if my generator in the motorhome would start at -9. Thankfully I never had to find out!

It's 13 out now

 

A coworker lost power at 2am and it came back hours later. Thankfully not his first rodeo and just had to fire up the generator. Much different situation at these temperatures.

 

High yesterday was 10*. Not as windy as Friday but still, at those temps, the garage was getting down towards freezing. So opened the basement door every couple of hours until the temp was at 38* or so then shut it up again. Had lots of sun and later in the afternoon the garage seemed to be keeping mid 30's. Just in case, before I turned in for the night I did a last heat up until it hit 41*. This morning the garage is still at 37*

Still had the main floor pellet stove set at a low burn with the boiler set to make up any drop. What a PITA - need to get the thermgaurd figured out. - I used way too much brain power getting the temps balanced out between the P43 and the boiler. But, at the same time, I wasn't one of the many people that were on the town FB page looking for someone to come thaw out pipes (or who lost water altogether, so probably had a main freeze).

This morning's low was 12, so temp started rising before midnight. Right now it is 18 and supposed to be headed for 30. Pretty soon I should be able to give the P43 a break and place it back on thermostat control.

 

May not be a classy fix, but hang up a quilt or blanket over the door. You can just use two nails so it can be swept out of the way if you need to open it. Had to do that at a couple of apartments way back when.

 

My front door area currently has some towels at the base with books on them to keep the cats from flinging them. Should be able to remove today.

 

Up to a balmy 37 here presently. Quite a change from the single digits we have been having for the last 2 weeks. Time to clean the stove today and empty the ash pan and install a clean burn pot and agitator. I have 2 pots and agitators for each. One in the stoves and the other soaking in water so the hard carbon flakes off. Still have a couple skids of pellets in the barn and 3 skids of corn. I see I'm going to have to replace part of the 4" venting, it's rusting out from the nitric in the corn.

Our cats like to sleep on top of the stove in the greatroom (and leave hair everywhere.

 

I like the cold actually. Kills the bugs and allows me to use much less pesticide on my hayfields. Inputs today have become extremely expensive.