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Outdoor wood furnaces offer renewable, affordable heating

Posted on January 29, 2012 by admin

As energy prices rise and the full environmental impact of fossil fuel use comes into focus, more and more Canadians are looking to wood as a sustainable, affordable source of heat.

This makes sense given the landscape that surrounds many of us, and while firewood can be burned in a free-standing stove, a masonry heater or a basement furnace, outdoor wood furnaces are a little-known option that’s worth looking at.

Just before Christmas, I fired up an outdoor furnace I installed at my own place and it addresses the kind of energy issues that more and more Canadians are concerned about.

Outdoor wood furnaces look like a metal garden shed with a short chimney. Feed wood into the firebox behind a door on one end and the fire heats water in an insulated tank that’s also inside the structure. Pipe this hot water to a building through insulated underground pipes, extract the heat, then use it for space heating and hot water. This is the outdoor wood furnace proposition in a nutshell and it offers unique advantages.

By moving the fire outside, you sidestep the work of bringing firewood inside, the potential hazards of burning it there and the work of hauling ash back out. Canada is at the leading edge of this technology and, as I’m discovering for myself, this heating option offers a range of benefits.

Outdoor boilers make wood cutting and splitting more efficient, because the work can happen right next to the place where the wood will be burned. The best setups include a wood storage shelter near the furnace, creating an all- weather place to keep wood as dry as possible over winter. Some users even have their wood splitter permanently parked in the shelter. Splitting and stacking happens all in one place, minimizing the chore of handling wood.

The fireboxes on most wood boilers are larger than what you’ll find on even the largest indoor woodstoves. The smallest outdoor models can accommodate wood half a metre long, but many larger boilers burn wood twice that long. Bigger wood makes for much less cutting time and more efficient use of your wood splitter. The bigger your wood, the less time it takes to prepare it.

Heat output is another feature of outdoor wood boilers, and this offers another efficiency. Even the smallest models are capable of heating a fullsized home, with larger units capable of heating multiple buildings as well as heating domestic water, all from a single location. The work of tending one centrally located fire is safer and easier than maintaining two or three fires and makes it practical to handle more of your overall energy needs with wood.

Life so far with my outdoor furnace has been great, in part because of the design of the unit I chose to buy. I opted for a model made by a Canadian company called Portage & Main (portageandmainboilers. com; 800-561-0700). It features a clean-burning design that extracts more heat from a given amount of wood than other models. These units are built in a Hutterite colony in Manitoba, and the fit, finish and design impressed me more than the many other models I considered.

The unit I chose creates a process called wood gasification and the results I’ve seen are pretty surprising. Instead of letting smoke waft upwards through the chimney, the gases are directed downward, through burning coals in the bottom of the firebox and into a secondary chamber. Here the gases burn at close to 1,100 C, looking like a large, blue natural-gas flame. The result is performance that’s clean enough to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Phase 2 standards for wood-burning appliances, some of the toughest in North America.

Outdoor wood furnaces aren’t for everyone, but they do have a growing place in the rural and semi-rural Canadian heating scene. They make direct use of an energy resource that’s abundant and renewable across a large part of Canada, and the fact that wood is likely to stay that way may be the best benefit of all.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com

Winterize It!

Posted on January 22, 2012 by admin

Taking a few green, energy-saving steps in the colder months can lead to big savings all around.

Although we’ve been spared the monumental snowfalls of the previous couple of years so far, the 2011-12 winter in New Jersey is far from over. There is still plenty of time to perform these super easy green winterizing tips for your home.

The first thing I recommend is checking your house for drafts. Get down and check under doors especially. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, anywhere from 5 to 30 percent of your energy use can be wasted as a result of drafts. You can purchase an inexpensive draft guard or under-door weather strip from many retail home improvement or hardware stores. Or you can make one yourself with some material and sand, rice, or even kitty litter for filling. You can also use a rolled up towel for free if you don’t mind the aesthetics. For windows you can purchase inexpensive draft kits or weather stripping.

Drafts coming in under your doors aren’t the only thing that can zap your energy and increase your bill. What’s coming through them can hurt too. Simply installing a storm door can increase energy efficiency by as much as 45 percent by reducing air flow. The same can be said for storm windows. Purchasing energy efficient doors, windows and skylights may qualify for federal tax credits to offset the costs.

Keeping the cold air out is a great start, but controlling the environment inside your home can help, too. Be sure to replace or clean the filters frequently on your heater or furnace. Once a month is a good recommendation during heating season. You can also consider switching to a permanent filter, which not only adds up to less waste, but traps at least twice as much of many pollutants and debris. Electrostatic filters and HEPA filters are also typically better at controlling mold and bacteria.

The easiest way to control your energy put-out indoors? Turn down your heat when leaving your home. For every degree you lower your thermostat during heating season, you can save up to 3 percent of your heating bill. And who wants to pay for energy that no one is using? I always recommend a programmable thermostat, if you don’t already have one, as the easiest way to control home heating costs.

Don’t forget to make the most of the heat of the sun. Keep windows and blinds up and open during the day to warm your home naturally. Be sure to close them in the evening or in rooms that don’t get much sunlight to better insulate the room from cold air and drafts.

Did you know you can run ceiling fans in reverse (clockwise) to produce a warming effect by sending warm air near the ceiling back down into the room?

And what about winterizing your vehicle? Be sure to check your air filter, tires, fluid levels, and windshield wipers throughout the cold weather season. Operating your car efficiently saves you money and, in many cases, reduces emissions.

When we finally do get that long-awaited snowstorm, be ready. Use a de-icer on your sidewalk or driveway made from magnesium chloride instead of sodium chloride or calcium chloride. It’s safer, does less damage to surfaces like concrete and melts ice at a lower temperature. If you can, use electric snow removal products rather than gasoline-powered ones. While electric products do consume energy, they do not emit greenhouse gases. Or better yet, as I’ve said before, use a good old fashioned shovel—if you’re in physical condition for it or can utilize older children or neighbors for labor.

It’s very easy to make sure that this winter you stay green, and keep your hard-earned money from flying right out of those cold, drafty windows.

http://gloucestertownship.patch.com/

Natural Gas Furnace a good choice

Posted on January 22, 2012 by admin

Because of the effective makes use of as well as user-friendly capabilities, interest in natural gas furnace has grown. Individuals these days often employ this furnace extensively for his or her household heating system performs.

The surroundings helpful feature throughout natural gas emitters is that it yields significantly less garden greenhouse gas release compared to various other gas or perhaps traditional energy heaters. In comparison with electrical gas furnaces, natural gas heating elements are really successful to reduce the amount of skin tightening and generation.

Since natural gas is safe and also reliable, it doesn’t create virtually any ecological problems. The actual odor free along with clear options that come with the natural gas tend to be highly positive and possesses improved the actual need for natural gas furnace consumers. Furthermore, the actual gas is actually non-toxic and it hardly produces just about any health issues on the inhabitants in the condominiums.

Using a natural gas furnace you not simply build a better and clean setting but also preserve fees. In order to use a economical heating system remedy at your residence, you can pick the natural gas furnace that is reasonable for a good low budget household.

However in earlier times, natural gas heaters had been a bit high-priced, it is currently accessible in cost reasonably priced for individuals owned by various amounts of economic standing. The natural gas heaters are specifically built to supply greatest heating system impact together with various price ranges. The person can come up the particular natural gas heaters from the a variety of types, which can be available at diverse price and efficiency.

If you’re not conscious of different top features of gas heaters, with the help of a fantastic tech, you can choose the furnace for sale in various configuration, size, and kinds. Remember that the entire process of natural gas heaters is very simple and easy efficient. Applying this furnace, the consumer may not have to be able to rely on some other harmful unwanted gas for you to warmth their structures.

Many people are uninformed concerning the important factors that must be cared for prior to putting in a new furnace. The environment imparted coming from a natural gas furnace is around 25 diplomas warmer compared to air introduced through electric powered heating elements. Even though deciding on a natural gas furnace it’s necessary to generate a sensible and informed selection. This can help you to get greater comfort and ease and also leads to cost benefits. Assess as well as understand your house needs along with features before buying a gas furnace. The high effectiveness gas emitters made available from distinct businesses in many cases are seen to be extremely expensive. NatWhere because natural gas furnaces remain offered at very reasonable prices. A lot of the downtown urban centers have noticed the multi-faceted makes use of regarding natural gas heaters and so they take advantage of this system to save lots of his or her atmosphere kind toxic unwanted gas. Get yourself a natural gas furnace for your household and also support produce a far better surroundings surrounding you.

http://www.vagi.org/

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Morrow Energy Efficiency Tips: HVAC Upgrades

Posted on January 22, 2012 by admin

Before you decide which upgrades will make your Morrow home more efficient, it would be best to get a home energy audit. You can do this yourself with a few simple tests, or you can hire a professional auditor. The auditor will use advanced equipment and techniques, such as blower doors and infrared cameras, to detect air leaks and places that need more insulation.

When your home is properly insulated and sealed, here are some upgrades you’ll want to think about to make your home more efficient.

High-Efficiency Furnaces & Heat Pumps

If you have an old single-stage furnace, it is time to upgrade. These furnaces were designed to run on two settings—either off or on, and when they are on, they run at full speed. Not only do they lose heat this way, but they also take longer to warm up your home. The new two-speed and multispeed models run at lower speeds to maintain a constant temperature. You can also buy ones with variable-speed blowers that operate on various speeds, which are the most efficient. Heat pumps are a good option if you need both heat and A/C in your home. While most heat pumps are manufactured to be efficient by design, the newer models are the most efficient way to heat and cool your home. If you have a heat pump older than 15 years, talk to an HVAC technician about a heat pump replacement.

Water-Saving Toilets & Low-flow Plumbing Fixtures

Duel flush, or water-saving toilets are an excellent choice for an upgrade if you want to save water. These toilets use less water overall, and you have the option of using more or less water each time you flush. Installing low flow faucets and fixtures can also provide up to 60% in utility savings. Low flow plumbing fixtures reduce the flow rate for each fixture or application, which reduces the overall amount water used in the home. These are a good option if you’ve installed a tankless water heating system. Your tankless water heaters will be more efficient if the sum of the flow rate total for every fixture in the home is lower.

http://www.omegaheatingandair.com/

Older homes more susceptible to electrical fires

Posted on January 15, 2012 by admin

MIDDLETOWN — When it comes to older homes, especially when the electrical system hasn’t been updated since the 1940s or 1950s, city officials say be careful about how much power is used.

Too much can easily overload the electrical system.

The dangers of taxing a home’s electrical system were demonstrated on Jan. 5 during a house fire on Minnesota Avenue that caused upwards of $40,000 in damages and displaced a mother and her three children. Fire Marshal Bob Hess said it’s been determined to be an electrical fire.

Hess said along with a television and other major appliances being plugged into extension cords, there were six space heaters turned on — two of which were plugged into extension cords.

“I can’t say the space heaters alone caused, but to pull that much amperage … an electrical system cannot handle that in older homes that were built in the 1940s and ’50s,” Hess said of the home built in 1948. “They’re not designed to heat whole homes and run on a 24-hour basis.”

Hess said the family had several space heaters because the home’s furnace stopped working.

While the space heaters were not the sole cause for that fire, they are dangerous if not used properly.

Three people were killed on Christmas Eve in Columbus when a space heater on a mattress caught it on fire. On Jan. 4, an elderly Miami, Fla., had plugged a space heater into an outlet with too many plugs and caught her house on fire.

Only four or five fires a year in Middletown are electrical fires, Hess said, but there could be any number of homeowners who are using space heaters improperly or overloading their home’s electrical system. In the southeastern part of the city, many homes were built between the 1920s and 1950s, and it is likely they have out-of-date wiring, city officials said. Hess said the older wiring is more susceptible for electrical overloads.

John Hall, who authored a report for the Washington, D.C.-based National Fire Protection Agency in November, said mistakes happen when it comes to using space heaters because people don’t operate them properly.

“We’re not trying to steer away people from space heating,” Hall said. “They just need to know what they are doing so they don’t fall into one of the well-known traps.”

Heating devices — which includes space heaters, furnaces and chimneys — are the number two cause of fire incidents nationally, he said. They also ranked second in Ohio from 2006 to 2010, according to the Ohio Division of State Fire Marshal.

Ohio Division of State Fire Marshal spokesman Shane Carthill said he can’t categorically say in space heater-related fires they were the primary source of heat in homes that sustained electrical fires, but said, “I do believe … they are certainly being used often.”

This time of year is when the heating-related fires happen, Carthill said.

“Most of the time, unfortunately these fires are preventable,” he said. “These types of fires are typically due to human error or accident.”

http://www.middletownjournal.com/

Simple do it yourself home repairs can save money

Posted on January 15, 2012 by admin

Isom Hill is a heat-and-air technician with an interesting analogy.

“Just think of an A/C system like the human body that inhales and exhales,” he said.

“For instance, there are many different environments we breathe in, and we have hairs – or filters – that clean the air we breathe,” he explained. Dirty filters can lead to numerous air conditioning failures.

A dirty filter in a home’s cooling cycle can lead to freeze up due to poor air flow. Likewise, in the heating cycle, a dirty filter can cause your furnace to overheat due to the lack of air flow.

“There is a high percentage of calls that could be prevented by a routine filter change,” said Hill, who was one of two local handymen who offered us tips on simple home maintenance that may prevent you from having to spend a ton of money.

Changing filters is “the equivalent of brushing your teeth,” said Tony Cooper, owner of Cooper’s Home Repair. “Preventative maintenance is so much cheaper than repairs because who knows what you’re going to run into.”

You should change your air filter each month, Cooper said. He’s forgetful, so he makes sure that whenever he pays his mortgage, he changes the filter.

And cheaper filters are fine, he said. The more expensive ones may last longer, but they clog up faster, reducing air flow.

Here are some other handy tips Cooper offered:

Garbage disposals. Once every three months, empty a cup of ice into your garbage disposal and turn it on. This sharpens the blades, keeping the disposal running well and the blades really sharp.

Caulking. Proper window caulking can prevent water from deteriorating a home’s exterior. (For great tips on caulking, check out the U.S. Department of Energy’s website, tulsaworld.com/usdecaulkingtips

Heaters. If yours is more than 10 years old, have a certified technician come in at least once a year and service your A/C and heater. They’ll check the heat exchanger, which can crack and allow carbon monoxide in through the house. So servicing your A/C can prolong its life and protect yours, he said.

Plumbing. If you have floor drains in your garage or in a bar sink you rarely use, put enough water in there to open the P trap, which drains waste water and seals off vapors coming from sewage. If you haven’t run water down the drain in a while, gases can build up behind it, leading to an unpleasant smell.

Popular Mechanics provides tips on basic plumbing dos, don’ts

First, a disclaimer: We are by NO means suggesting you be your own plumber.

But if you’d care to trouble-shoot some simple stuff and don’t think you know your way around all those pipes and what not, Popular Mechanics’ website has an awesome list of tips.

Here are a few:

Know where your pipes are. Pounding nails and driving screws is all well and good, until you puncture a copper or plastic supply or drain.

What to do: Buy a stud sensor that also detects pipes and wirings. You can also look around in the attic or the basement (if it’s unfinished) to get a sense of where pipes are hiding. Finally, if the wall will be covered by whatever you’re building or installing, you can always carefully cut a test hatch to find plumbing lurking in the walls.

Don’t over-tighten. If tight is good, really tight must be better. Right? Wrong.

What to do: Given what I just said about the hit-or-miss quality of many plumbing components today, you’d think that a generous application of wrench torque is called for. Not so. A clean, properly cut and fitted joint that’s been sealed just doesn’t need to be massively tightened. In many cases, after bringing the parts together firmly hand-tight or using a wrench, often all it takes is another half a turn. In fact, brass–copper gas fittings are particularly vulnerable to wrench damage from over-tightening, while steel pipe is more forgiving.

Leak test. Always. It should be obvious: Make a thorough leak inspection before closing up and moving on.

What to do: When you’ve installed a new valve component (or the valve itself), aggressively open and close the valve, as well as running hot and cold water through it. Do the same when checking drains. Run water down a drain and fill up a sink or tub and then drain it to check for leaks. Check gas lines with a soapy water and detergent solution or spend a few dollars for an 8-ounce bottle of bubble-creating leak detector sold on the Web or at a plumbing supply house. The advantage of this material, as opposed to dish detergent, is that it creates larger, more brightly visible bubbles than detergent does.

Be kind to your septic system. The guys at Popular Mechanics are asked this question all the time: “Should I use an additive to improve the performance of my septic system and reduce the need to pump the septic tank?” An additive can be almost anything from sugar or enzymes to a dead chicken (we’re not kidding about the chicken – we get that one plenty).

What to do: Don’t bother with additives, especially the chicken. A properly designed, built and maintained septic system will last for decades and trying to reduce pumping intervals will more likely lead to a clogged leaching field as solids, not clear effluent, flows out of the septic tank and into the leaching field. A septic-tank-pumping company can advise you on how often the tank needs to be pumped. It will depend on the tank’s size and how many people live in the home. Likewise, avoid excessive use of chlorine bleach or caustic chemicals that can kill off beneficial digestive bacteria in the septic tank.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/

Braintree Home Renovators Offer Winterizing Tips

Posted on January 15, 2012 by admin

The below tips are from Kristen Ford-Hernandez, owner with her husband Joe of Premiere Pros, which offers “a full range of services in home renovations and improvements, from initial design and color consultation, through to the finest detail and cleanup when the job is completed.”

Winterizing your home is a necessity that comes every year and it’s been estimated that approximately 50 percent of most household utility bills goes towards heating and cooling your house. It is better to be prepared for the cold weather and save money on heating your house.

Inspect your furnace and heating system. Have a professional ensure that your heating system is running efficiently and safely. Systems based on gas and oil could potentially release dangerous levels of carbon monoxide that can result in death.
Find and fix air leaks. Worn or damaged weather-stripping can cause heat to escape. Locate sources of air leaks around doors and windows, install new weather-stripping, caulk around windows and where plumbing/ducting creates a path to the outside. Don’t forget to caulk around the exterior electrical outlets as well.
Inspect your windows. Windows let light in but also provide a path for the greatest loss of heat from your home. If your windows are older you can install storm windows over single-pane glass or heavy plastic on the inside. This will prevent heat from escaping. You may also want to invest in a set of insulated drapes.
Clean the eaves trough and gutters. Leaves and dirt may have collected through the autumn months. This can cause water to build up which can form ice dams in winter. This can result in serious water damage to your roof and shingles if left unattended before the freezing temperatures arrive.
Close the fireplace flue. If you have a fireplace keep in mind the chimneys are designed to suck air upwards. This can carry large amounts of heat out of your house quickly. Ensure the flue is closed when the fireplace is not in use and seal those that will not be used in the winter months.
Wrap your pipes near exterior walls. Pipes near exterior walls or those in crawl spaces have the highest risk of freezing during those cold winter months. Wrapping those pipes with insulation provides added protection and can prevent major damage should the pipes freeze and burst throughout the winter months.

Winterizing your home is a necessity and while it can help minimize troubles through those frost filled nights, it is always recommended to be prepared for the unexpected. Invest in an emergency kit capable of providing you with water, food, candles, batteries and flashlights to get you through several nights should there be a power outage. Ensure you have a supply of salt and sand on hand, as well as a shovel and a backup heating source. Being prepared and taking the necessary steps at winterizing your home can save not only money, but unnecessary risks.

http://braintree.patch.com/

Prepare furnace for fall

Posted on September 25, 2011 by admin

Pratt, Kan. —

Recent cooler temperatures have prompted families to turn on or at least think about turning on their furnaces.

Fall starts on Friday and as homeowners and apartment renters start warming up their dwelling places they need to make a few preparations before moving that thermostat from cool to heat.

Before the heat is turned on, the furnace should be inspected either by the occupant or by a professional to assure that nothing has happened that would effect the operation of the unit, said Pratt Fire Chief David Kramer.

The excessive summer heat means air conditioning units have been run a lot this summer and that has drawn a lot of dust and material into the furnace unit, Kramer said.

“It always a good idea to inspect and clean the unit,” Kramer said.

The unit should be carefully inspected for proper operation, necessary lubrication should be done and filters should be changed.

Besides the furnace, the vents for the ductwork also need to be inspected. Sometimes people put items in front of vents and that can effect airflow as well as create a heat hazard.

Homes with fireplaces also need to do a thorough inspection and cleaning before lighting the fire.

The firebox and chimney need to be cleaned out at least once a year and if the fireplace is used regularly during the heating season it should be done at least once a season, Kramer said.

Cleaning the firebox makes the fireplace burn cleaner and more efficiently. The chimney should also be cleaned to help reduce accumulations of creosote that can actually catch fire, Kramer said.

Either the homeowner or a chimney sweep can get the fireplace ready for operation.

A brush assembly with an extension pole works well to get the reach into the fireplace. If the roof is accessible, a chain can also be used to break up accumulated material inside the fireplace but it is better to use a brush on a telescoping pole.

The spark arrester and the flue also need to be inspected to make sure they are clean and in good working order.

Keeping the fireplace clean and in good working order also reduces the danger of the build up of poisonous gasses.

“A fire place is a source of carbon monoxide,” Kramer said.

Chimney sweeps are available in the Hutchinson area.

Once the fireplace is ready, the wood should be dry and not green. Green wood can pop and snap and cause sparks to come out of the fireplace and onto the floor, carpet or people.

Also keep all combustibles away from the fireplace. Fireplaces get extremely hot and items can catch fire if they are too close to the fireplace.

Ashes need to be cleaned up as soon as they begin to accumulate. They should be placed in a metal container and left for an extended period of time to allow the ashes to cool.

When the ashes are dumped out they should be watered down just to make sure they couldn’t reignite and start a fire.

“Ashes stay hot for a long time,” Kramer said. “We’ve had numerous issues from discarded fireplace ashes and embers.”

Homeowners need to be particularly careful because the extreme heat has made lots of potential fuel even with the recent rain.

Some homes use space heaters and care should be taken with those as well. Be careful about using extension cords and remember to keep combustibles away from the units.

Don’t leave space heaters, fireplaces or kerosene heaters unattended especially with children in the home.

They get extremely hot and it is easy for a child to get burned. And never place a rug or any item on top of the extension cord.

Some city residents may want to burn their leaves instead of bagging them and hauling them off. Fires can easily get out of control and the city fire department has had increasing numbers of yard fires from leaf burning over the last two years.

http://www.ftleavenworthlamp.com/