If it ain't one thing, it's the motherfucking other...

[stfu&gbtw]

So, since the siding/sheathing/etc project, I'm getting a whole lot less makeup air in the house. Right now, I'm just opening a window when we light the stove, or when any of the CO detectors reads anything other than zero. Anyone have a better solution? I've looked at some air/heat exchangers, but they all seem to do basically the same thing. Might retain a little more heat, but they all draw electricity 24/7. I've also looked at an outside air kit for the stove, and a forced exhaust with a thermocouple on the water heater. There's a lot of opinion out there that the outside air kit on the stove does more harm than good when it gets really cold out. Not really sure any of the above are so much better than cracking a window that they're worth the money and effort involved. My opinion of that may change when it's -25. Anyone have any experience with this?

[snoqpass]

You should ask a baker

[jamesp]

Umm you're a dumb fk for air sealing a house with a gas or wood stove that doesn't have a fresh air supply?

[ill-advised strategy]

that house of yours sure is a lemon isn't it

[Vt-Freeheel]

Have a blower door test done to see how tight your house really is. A2A exchanger can be set up with a humidistat, set cycle and or a timer switch for set intervals.

Get a canary today.

[philth]

Dumb question but what's makeup air?

[stfu&gbtw]

that house of yours sure is a lemon isn't it

I don't know about being a lemon. I never had the expectation that making a house work in this environment was going to be easy. The house leaked like a sieve with all the wind damage that had occurred over the years, and now it doesn't. Ever house needs to be engineered for these issues and the house is pretty different today than it was when we bought it. And being off the grid eliminates some of the options that might exist otherwise, for the difficulty and expense associated with providing a lot of round the clock electricity, during the winter especially. OTG technology has improved a lot since the house was built, so we've been upgrading systems, and as the thread title alludes to, sometimes improving something creates an issue somewhere else. We'll get there eventually.

Philth - makeup air is the air that needs to enter the house to make up for the air that leaves, through combustion, forced ventilation, natural pressure equalization, etc. All houses need this, in order to allow combustion gasses, moisture, etc to escape and allow fresh air to enter. My house used to let a lot of air in through gaps in the walls. I just sealed most of those by resheathing and residing the house, and now I need to create a way of letting more air in, hopefully while introducing as little cold as possible.

[stfu&gbtw]

Have a blower door test done to see how tight your house really is. A2A exchanger can be set up with a humidistat, set cycle and or a timer switch for set intervals.

Get a canary today.

We have several CO/Propane/Smoke detectors with digital readouts. Sort of like a canary exept I don't have to feed them or clean up their poop.

I agree we probably need to get an hvac guy up here.

[iceman]

Modern makeup air units are super efficient and cheap to run and it's unhealthy to not have airflow in your house, you can definitely make a house too tight these days. A blower-door test will tell you what size it needs to be. Get the hvac guy.

[Hugh Conway]

woah. I'd thought your ability to suck so hard so often would fix the problem. better call HBM

[philth]

Philth - makeup air is the air that needs to enter the house to make up for the air that leaves, through combustion, forced ventilation, natural pressure equalization, etc. All houses need this, in order to allow combustion gasses, moisture, etc to escape and allow fresh air to enter. My house used to let a lot of air in through gaps in the walls. I just sealed most of those by resheathing and residing the house, and now I need to create a way of letting more air in, hopefully while introducing as little cold as possible.

Ahhh yup thanks. So living in a 150 yr old restored farmhouse I know what that is. When I fire up the Jotul it comes in under front door and through the hood above the range. We actually have to cover the stove vent with cardboard.

[brice618]

Being off the grid means you should make some super cool DIY reheat system for supply air coming through a vent of some sort or another. I'm thinking some kind of Swedish hot tub design where when you start the stove it passively circulates hot water through a coil mounted in a thermostat controlled damper. Couldn't be that hard, right?

[SB]

i'd tell him to eat out more often.

Mexican with extra beans.

[stfu&gbtw]

Being off the grid means you should make some super cool DIY reheat system for supply air coming through a vent of some sort or another. I'm thinking some kind of Swedish hot tub design where when you start the stove it passively circulates hot water through a coil mounted in a thermostat controlled damper. Couldn't be that hard, right?

That's an interesting idea. Maybe I could use a fixed copper or aluminum duct to the outside air intake on the stove and coil a hot water tube around it to warm the duct... The water could be on closed system. If I heat the water with the stove, since the stove is creating the draft, it might just sort of feed itself... I agree, it doesn't sound that hard. Would probably take a weekend to set up and I'd spend the winter getting it dialed in... No idea whether drawing -25 air through a 200 duct for as short a time as it would be would make a big difference or not. But the outside air intake on the stove addresses my greatest air draw.

[krp8128]

That's an interesting idea. Maybe I could use a fixed copper or aluminum duct to the outside air intake on the stove and coil a hot water tube around it to warm the duct... The water could be on closed system. If I heat the water with the stove, since the stove is creating the draft, it might just sort of feed itself... I agree, it doesn't sound that hard. Would probably take a weekend to set up and I'd spend the winter getting it dialed in... No idea whether drawing -25 air through a 200 duct for as short a time as it would be would make a big difference or not. But the outside air intake on the stove addresses my greatest air draw.

Small amount of water+ alcohol (lowers boiling point!) in a closed loop on a heater, what could go wrong here?

[stfu&gbtw]

Small amount of water+ alcohol (lowers boiling point!) in a closed loop on a heater, what could go wrong here?

I'm pretty sure a solution of mostly water and alcohol is not flammable. You can't light whiskey that's 40% alcohol. But you're right that the system would need some sort of relief.

Edit: I could probably work something out with coiled flexi duct and the copper tubing to increase the warming effect. But the mkre I think about it, the more this is falling into the catagory of "things I will try if opening the window becomes unacceptable".

[jamesp]

Small amount of water+ alcohol (lowers boiling point!) in a closed loop on a heater, what could go wrong here?

I'm pretty sure a solution of mostly water and alcohol is not flammable. You can't light whiskey that's 40% alcohol.

woosh

[TBS]

^^^ Dude, STFU is an IT Professional - he doesn't need to understand anything about, like, chemistry and shit. Or the use of chain saws...

[stfu&gbtw]

^^^ Dude, STFU is an IT Professional - he doesn't need to understand anything about, like, chemistry and shit. Or the use of chain saws...

'Sup there teleboobs! Still on my jock, huh? Bummer... So what percentage of alcohol in a water/alcohol solution is needed for it to be flammable? Isn't ethanol/water flammable at 40%

[krp8128]

'Sup there teleboobs! Still on my jock, huh? Bummer... So what percentage of alcohol in a water/alcohol solution is needed for it to be flammable? Isn't ethanol/water flammable at 40%

You are totally missing the point. Alchohol and water mixture lowers the freezing point (that's why you want to mix it I assume?) as well as the BOILING point. Liquids under pressure also have a reduced boiling point.

When you boil or heat water in a closed loop, it can rapidly expand and explode.

[stfu&gbtw]

You are totally missing the point. Alchohol and water mixture lowers the freezing point (that's why you want to mix it I assume?) as well as the BOILING point. Liquids under pressure also have a reduced boiling point.

When you boil or heat water in a closed loop, it can rapidly expand and explode.

Did you miss the post where I mentioned relief?

[stfu&gbtw]

^^^ Dude, STFU is an IT Professional - he doesn't need to understand anything about, like, chemistry and shit. Or the use of chain saws...

It's a little quiet over there... You guys weren't really getting all hype to explain that water (and just about every single other thing in the known universe) expands when you heat it up were you? I just had to save this post here teleboobs, 'cause it's a peach hon'... Is that what passes for "chemistry" with the lumberjack set? And here, I thought it'd be when you guys get a fresh bottle and somebody in the tent starts feelin' a little friskey. So, uh, whatchootalkin'boutwiilis?

[that dude who did that thing]

Since your post the other day I've been wondering just what it is you're a professional at. Finally figured it out: asshole.

[stfu&gbtw]

Since your post the other day I've been wondering just what it is you're a professional at. Finally figured it out: asshole.

Professional? That barely scratches the surface. I am a gifted asshole, thank you very much.

[stfu&gbtw]

does it accept a plug?

Try teleboobs... He might be up for some chemistry.