drafty house

foxglove

Hi,

Our big, old house is very drafty. It is heated by a gas boiler, but parts of the house are very cold and our costs are high. (Our old plumbers call it a high mass system. Read: high cost.) As such, I'm considering a stove, either as an insert (wood or gas) into an existing unlined fireplace or a stove in our kitchen, which is the coldest part of the house but where the old chimney is in a bad spot (and probably also not lined.)



I'm reluctant to do the insert since it will change the aesthetics of our historic home and it's in a tight spot if it were the kind that sticks out, which is the most efficient, no? Plus, the cost of a liner would be high. So I'm considering something for our odd-shaped kitchen but do not understand how the direct vent works or how this would look from the outside. Similar to a dryer vent? Our home is in a historic district and, due to its location, every side of the house is "historic" and therefore we are bound by the opinions of the historical commission. Fortunately, it would the back of the house, but exterior aesthetics are still an issue.



Any suggestions as to what would be best to heat up our kitchen? I like the idea of gas b/c I can turn it on and off when needed or not needed. And any ideas as to cost? We live in upstate NY and I have found no professionals on this site in my area.



Thanks.

joel_19

drafts

first high Mass=low cost. high Mass systems with big radiators can be very efficent.



next get someone to come to your house and test it with a blower door and infared camera to find the source of the leaks and fix it!.

forget about the stove unless you are cutting free wood if your paying for it why bother??? At 175-$200 a cord ngas is cheaper anyhow. just tighten up the house.

google Comfort Institute to find a contractor

The Steam Whisperer (Formerly Boilerpro)

Cutting costs

Joel is right....High Mass systems typically are low operating cost, high comfort systems and are the preferred system worldwide for home heating.    A review of the home by an expert will probably reveal many areas for improvement to the envelope that do not require historically inappropriate changes. For instance, properly weatherstripping your historic windows will make them nearly as tight as new, and reinstalling historic wood storm windows will make them nearly or more efficient than most new windows.   Also, a review of the heating system by a boiler system expert will probably find a number of other issues and lead to possible solutions to your comfort problems and high operating costs.

High mass hot water and steam systems typically are the most efficient and effective winter comfort systems available.  As an example, we heat our 3,000 sq ft historic wood frame home for about $800.00 per year with natural gas with most cast iron radiators and a 95% efficient boiler.



Boilerpro

Jamie Hall

Lots to do

First off, let me mention that I am the building superintendent for a large "cottage", now a museum -- so there is an element of "been there, done that"!



You don't mention whether your heating system is steam or hot water.  In either case, the fact that it is high mass is not relevant to the efficiency, although high mass systems are, in some ways, easier to manage and do a superb job of maintaining even heat.  If it is steam, please give us some particulars of the system; it is quite likely that it can be adjusted and improved and save a good bit of money in heating bills right there.  At very very little cost, I might add.



On the matter of draughts.  Quite.  First thing to do, if you haven't done it, is to repair any double hung windows.  This is not hard to do, although it can be a bit tedious.  The objective here is to make sure that they move smoothly, but that they are reasonably tight in their frames.  Do NOT replace them with modern windows; first place, they aren't historically accurate, even the best of them, and second place they won't save enough heat to be worth the cost.  Once the windows themselves are in reasonably good shape, put storm windows on.  Replacement wooden storms are the best, although a bit cumbersome.  If your historic district will allow them (the National Park Service does, for registered structures), metal triple track windows on the outside also work well, properly installed.  Next thing, after the windows, is the doors -- weatherstripping and adjusting them and, again, storm doors.



Those two steps will help a lot.  The next question is insulation.  If the roof or attic is exposed, insulate it heavily, but be sure that whatever insulation you put in has (or in the case of some foam in place products, is) a proper vapour barrier on the warm side, and that the vapour barrier is really continuous.  Otherwise, you will have condensation problems which can be devastating to the structure.  Walls are more problematic, and depend a lot on the date of construction and if and how you can gain access to the wall cavities.  I do not recommend either poured or blown particle type insulation, as you can't get a vapour barrier with it.  Foamed in place insulation often is a vapour barrier as well, but there is a real risk of damage to old plaster as the foam expands.  In some cases this is tolerable (for instance, if you have wallpaper, any damage can be repaired without difficulty) but in others, such as existing plaster to be saved, it may not be.  In really older houses, it can be difficult, too, to find and fill all the wall cavities, as older post and beam type construction has braces in the walls in unusual locations sometimes.  An infrared camera can help here, after insulation is placed, to find gaps.



You should pay particular attention to the joint between the sills and the foundation, and seal (expanding foam) any gaps that you can find or feel.



Make sure all your chimney flues have dampers which work and are used.  While you are gazing at the chimneys, unlined chimneys can be hazardous.  A really good sweep can help you here, as it is not axiomatic that a chimney must be lined -- a chimney with double brick, in good shape, is probably fine without; a single brick chimney is really dangerous and must be lined.



I could go on -- but that is enough for now.



Do send us information about the heating system, to see if we can help improve its operation and efficiency.