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Heating while no one is home?

K

klhandler

New member
Hello all,
I was wondering what the recommendation was for heating while no one is home. My husband and I are away from home an average of 50 hours per week. We live in upstate NY and need to make sure any plumbing we install will not freeze. A wood stove will be great while we are home, but what can we use to safely heat while we are gone? I know juicy maters suggests radiant heat flooring, but we want to build a platform/deck, so we won't be on concrete slab. Any thoughts from people yurt dwelling year round?
Thanks!
 
Excellent, thanks Jafo. I have only lived in conventional homes so I worry about propane heaters spontaneously combusting while we sleep. (I might be slightly paranoid) :D
Are they safe? I read someone that some heaters release CO into the home? Are those the butane ones?
 
If vented properly, they are no more risky than an oil furnace (same applies to oil furnaces).

Also, you wouldn't be using these all that often. Your wood stove will keep the house pretty warm for a long time. Of course, you could look at a new wood stove, like a Blaze King KING wood stove that boast a 40 hour burn time. :) Even if that is half true, it would be good enough for you guys.
 
The piping/slab of a radiant floor heating system can definitely be installed on top a conventionally framed wood floor system that is designed for the extra load. I'm a pro carpenter and have seen it many times. Radiantant is very expensive in comparison to conventional forced air/ woodstove/ propane/ other. However I can tell you the heat radiating from that slab is unmatchable for comfort. If you have the cash it is totally worth the expense.
 
There is also a metal plate that is screwed to the under side of the wood flooring and it has groves where the plastic pipe is driven into and then insulated under neath not as good as a slab but it works.
 
It depends on how well-insulated you are. I heat with wood and leave for work 8-10 hours each day. If I shut the stove down before I leave for work the yurt is fairly reasonable when I get home (45 degrees or so most days). On the ten hour days it's a little colder but if you have a good bed of coals then it's pretty easy to heat it back up.

We've already seen -20 this year in my neck of upstate NY. On those extremely cold days I won't hesitate to leave a backup kerosene burner running on low while I'm away. I've heard from multiple sources that they are actually a pretty safe. I've only had to do this a few days this winter.

My yurt is temporary though so plumbing and radiant slab flooring aren't worth the time and money.

One problem I do have with this system: If I'm away for a day or two, or even spend the night away from home I come home to a frigid space the next day.
 
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I'm sure the Kerosuns etc. must be reasonably safe while occupants are away, or they likely would be out of business due to lawsuits. The common residential propane/natural gas forced air heating furnaces regularly cycle on during the day with occupants away with no issues, and those flames in the box are HUGE.
 
Bob Rowlands said:
The piping/slab of a radiant floor heating system can definitely be installed on top a conventionally framed wood floor system that is designed for the extra load. I'm a pro carpenter and have seen it many times. Radiantant is very expensive in comparison to conventional forced air/ woodstove/ propane/ other. However I can tell you the heat radiating from that slab is unmatchable for comfort. If you have the cash it is totally worth the expense.
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Thanks Bob. I did not realize that is an option. Extra cash is one thing we are pretty low on. If propane heaters are safe to be left alone all day, I might consider that as the best option for us. Or, as Jafo mentioned, a larger, longer burning stove.
 
Jafo said:
Where you from in upstate NY? I am near Boonville..
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We are in Rensselaer County, but hope to get up to Washington County. The rural atmosphere lends to more relaxed building codes. There are some yurts up in the town we are looking to buy land in, and they said they've had no trouble from the town. As long as the platform was not cemented into the ground, it would be temporary. They lived there a few years with no one bothering them. Fingers crossed the town overlooks us too!
 
I too currently heat with wood, alot of wood. I'm looking at a corn stove to adress the same issue. But, we also grow our own corn. making it much more economical. A couple passes with the combine and thats our heat for the year! Aprox 5 ton. It will also burn wheat and rye grains. Just an option.
Stay warm
 
If you are just worried about pipes feezing and you have electricity, a space heater (800-1500 watts) could potentially keep a small area warm enough. Otherwise there are tape heaters/water pipe heaters (20-150 watts) that would keep just the pipes from freezing.

Other than that, I'm really surprised people haven't tried to pair small masonry heaters/thermal mass rockets with the radiant insulation that many yurts come with. The yurts have minimal thermal mass compared to traditional buildings, fires burn better/cleaner at the higher temps ceramics allow. Masonry/rocket heaters would fit perfectly there: high thermal mass in the heater continues to radiate the heat gained from small, hot burning fires for many hours afterwards. Only drawback is typical high cost of masonry heaters (but simple, small sizes can be ~$3k; or go DIY for thermal rocket heaters) and heavy weight on the platform (easily acheivable with a little design work).
 
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