Home Heating in Maine (Hallowell: floor, assess, electric bill)

[msina]

Forest you have some of the most ingenious ideas! I Nominate you "Duct Tape King". I think you could build a house with some chicken wire and Duct Tape!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by msina

Forest you have some of the most ingenious ideas! I Nominate you "Duct Tape King". I think you could build a house with some chicken wire and Duct Tape!

I have spent time living underwater with duct-tape covering holes in our hull keeping the water out. However I honesty attempt to use duct tape very little. I do not consider it to be very professional. IMHO.

As for chicken wire, I can do amazing things with chicken wire.

I once worked in the Forestiere Gardens in Fresno [while attending college], we used chicken wire and expanded metal mesh / lathe to hold up the tunnel walls before applying cement. The gardens are a historical landmark, an underground citrus orchard in the middle of a desert. Originally built 1900-1930.

I have also played with making cement with woodpulp and peat in it, to make lightweight planters. A bit of chicken wire in them gives strength, and allows them to stand rather tall. I would like to play with making such waterproof one day, as such construction methods would make a nice lightweight boat. Remember our nation once produced concrete ships for the US Navy [Frigates, Destroyers, and Cutters].

I think very highly of chicken wire, and all of the things that can be done with chicken wire.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

forest beekeeper reports:
"I have been studying Sphagnum Moss and it's growth habits.

I have also been transplanting Sphagnum Moss around on my land, to encourage it to grow better."

Old timers used it to caulk between the logs in their cabins. It lasts a very long time and when packed densely it doesn't leak air. Mice are not interested in it. To caulk between logs it works best when it is what I would describe as "half damp". That way it is not wringing wet and will not break up when tamped hard into the nook between logs.

[Submariner]

Sphagnum Moss is a fairly good insulation, and it is very absorbent.

It was used inside bandaging during WWI and WWII, and then made the shift to being a stuffing for menstrual pads.

It is not a good habitat for germs so it was thought to be a nearly sterile dressing. Unfortunately it harbors a fungi which thrives in human blood and epidermis.

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I have a two-barrel [two 55-gallon drums] stove. Rated at 200KBtu

The kits are available on-line through 'NorthernTool' for about $50. I got the drums free. I lined the bottom drum with refractory cement so it will take hotter than 3,000F.

Our upper barrel was first modified to be a secondary combustion chamber, introducing preheated air into the hot gases coming off from the primary combustion. This raises the combustion efficiency a lot.

Then I further modified it by wrapping the upper drum with copper tubing and circulating water through that. To supply our thermal-bank with hot water. The thermal bank supplies our radiant floor system [as one of three sources of heat: propane, and electric are the other two].


We burn wood, peat, coal, cardboard, wood chips, saw dust, newspaper logs, most anything.

I have photos, if anyone would care to see them.

"If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy"

Forest, I would be interested in seeing your stove set up.

I used to have a single barrel stove in the shop. I made it with a friend who is a welder. It simply had a grate to hold wood off the bottom, a hinged door cut and fabricated from one end and a damper in the stove pipe. I tried burning coal and shavings with no success.
I'm mostly interested in the secondary combustion chamber and thermal bank. Also is there any modifications necessary to be able to burn coal, wood chips and saw dust?
Thanks for your help.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by bignhfamily

Forest, I would be interested in seeing your stove set up.

Keep in mind that a 2D photo adds 3 tonnes of junk to any 3D household scene.

[Submariner]

Two heavy iron grates inside, both are about 10 inch by 14 inch, can hold any fuel up off the bottom and allow air flow up through the fuel.

The upper drum has two black iron pipes [seen with caps threaded on], both are two foot long so they can pre-heat intake air and release that air in the middle of the secondary chamber.

[Jim Palmacci]

I am looking for the phone number for Tom insulation faom board store and his address of the store. Could you help me. Talk you Jim from Bangor

[GarlicGuy]

My brother just redid his floors and installed radiant heat and is waiting for Honeywell to come out with a new style of thermal heat pump. An outfit out of Gardiner set him up with plans etc. NRTradiant.com
My winter project is to redo our kitchen and have them design my floor layout for radiant heat but continue using my outdoor wood boiler as my hot water supply. Don't contact them until they finish my project!!

[fdow]

We had a Hallowell Acadia system installed last fall and have seen our monthly electric bill go from $150 to $2000! And the unit will not keep our house warm when the temperature outside is below zero. As far as I'm concerned, I have a $16,000 lawn ornament, and I certainly would not recommend this system to anyone.