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A Farm of My Own:  Wood/Oil Furnace help?  |
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sweetproserpina
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
meg
Vinemount
Ontario
Canada
535 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 05 2007 : 10:45:35 AM
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Hi Ladies!
Well, we've finally moved out to the (step)grandparents pear orchard, and it's wonderful. Lots of work, but wonderful. I was wondering if anyone could help with a question...
Heating is with a combination oil/wood furnace. We have access to lots of wood so we'd like to use that, however, we're not quite sure how to go about it. I know we use the other thermostat to control the heat but - do we just start a fire in the box and then use the thermostat? Is there anything else we need to do before using it, or for maintaining it?
Our internet isn't getting hooked up until thursday, so I'll check back then, but any help would be great..
Now we just have to get a water sample to the lab... eek!
Thanks! I'll post pics of the new place soon!
"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world."
http://theprimroseway.blogspot.com/ |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Nov 07 2007 : 11:00:39 PM
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Gosh, we had an oil furnace when we first moved into this old house, and we now heat mostly with wood in a woodstove, but I've never used a wood furnace. It sounds really interesting, and I'll be waiting to read if anyone has used one before. And hey - congratulations on the new orchard home! It sounds lovely!!!
XOXO, Libbie
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4184 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4184 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2007 : 04:42:23 AM
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Meggie, we have an oil furance and a wood stove. But they are both on their own thermostat. First clean your chimney, and your stove pipe. Make sure both are in good condition. If you have a thermostat for your woodstove, then that means you have a blower that will blow air onto the fire to get it going more, when it calls for more heat. You can either set your therostat before or after starting the fire. Then start your fire, and enjoy the warmth of wood heat. Clean out the ashes often, and also the chimney and stove pipe. You should have a clean out at the bottom of your chimney, and you can hold a mirror in there to check what your flue looks like. Keep that cleaned out too. Safty is important. Maybe keep a bag of rock salt on hand just incase of a chimney fire. You dump that down the chimney if on fire, and should put it out. I guess, remember to turn down the thermostat if you are not using the woodstove, so the blower don't run all the time. That is what I do with our wood stove anyways. Ours is a newer one. Good luck
Michele |
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AFMom
True Blue Farmgirl
100 Posts
Erica
North Dakota
USA
100 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2007 : 04:43:34 AM
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Dear Meggie,
I currently have an oil furnace that is controlled by a thermostat. Growing up we heated our home with Coal and wood....all in the same furnace and did not have a thermostat to control the temp. I don't think it would be possible to control a wood furnace with a thermostat, because wood burns at different temps and speeds....and also needs to be watched to make sure enough wood is burning to keep a constant temp...as it burns down, wouldn't more wood need to be added to the fire to keep it going? I am just brainstorming here and really have no idea what today's current technology can accomplish..but that is how we did it "many, many" years ago.
We also had a wood burning fireplace in Va (last year) that we tried to use during very cold days and nights to supplement the heat pump in the house....but as we used the fireplace...the thermostat (which was in the same room as the fireplace) assumed the house was 75 degrees...but it was only in that room. The heat generated from the firplace fooled the thermostat into that reading, but the rest of the house was quite cold. The thermostat controlled the heat pump, and therefore didn't run when we had a fire going...thus creating a very cold house throughout....so we stopped using the fireplace. Hope that all makes sense...
Just thinking while typing....now I am interested in knowing if it is possible too. Good luck and congratulations on your new home...Warmly, Erica |
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2007 : 1:18:50 PM
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My husband's parents had a combination furnace like this. I asked DH about it, and he said it had two separate thermostats, you just turned down the oil one, turned up the fire thermostat, and started a fire. I would definitely make sure the chimney is cleaned, too. Could you contact the manufacturer of the furnace, or the oil company to find out for sure? Not something you want to take risks with!
Do let us know about the new place, now that you're in Ontario!
Lori
By the way, we heat with an outdoor wood furnace. It has piping through the ground, filled with water, which circulates into the house. Heats the hot water tank, too! Try to burn the best wood you can, to lessen the buildup in the chimney. |
Edited by - Canadian farmgirl on Nov 08 2007 1:21:17 PM |
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sweetproserpina
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
meg
Vinemount
Ontario
Canada
535 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2007 : 6:28:41 PM
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Thank you so much girls!
After much searching through decades of stuff in the furnace room we found the manual (phew!). Lori, from what it sounds like in the manual, your hubby is right, should be as easy as turning one down and the other up, starting a fire in the box and adding more wood a couple times a day. I know the chimney and furnace were cleaned out last year, and my grandfather didn't use wood at all last year, just the oil side. So it should be clean, I'll make sure the fella takes a good look before he starts it up tomorrow though. Not too soon either - we had snow today! Yipee!
"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world."
http://theprimroseway.blogspot.com/ |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Nov 08 2007 : 6:51:35 PM
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WOW, Meggie - snow already? I'm so glad that you've figured out the wood/oil stove thing. Let us know how it goes tomorrow - I'm guessing you'll just be cozy as can be...
XOXO, Libbie
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A Farm of My Own: Wood/Oil Furnace help? |
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Wood/Oil Furnace help?
