Heating Our Cabin

[big rockpile]

We are thinking about selling out and moving to our Cabin once we get it finished.

Now as far as heating it we thought about wood,but we would have to worry about hauling it,or buying it.Then worry about where to put the ashes.Plus getting to where can't handle all this lifting and such.

So we are wanting to keep warm plus get a Fake Fireplace.Propane or Electric? We're leaning towards Electric.

big rockpile

[dragonfly1113]

Electric heat usually runs pretty high doesnt it? I dont know what the difference in how much propane verses electric would cost but I have always heard that electric is higher. We let some people stay in our shop (its like a small unfinished apt) it is 24X24 and they used one of those little electric heaters and it ran our electric bill up $170 more each month. I heat the house with wood.

[Bearfootfarm]

Propane would be cheaper, more efficient, and it works when the power is out.

[agmantoo]

Rockpile, do some research on PTAC and look for heatpump versions. Simple installation and cheap to purchase and fairly efficient and if you power costs are reasonable affordable to use.

[roadless]

Have you considered a pellet stove, it is easy to install, burns clean and the pellets come in 40lb bags.

[Ruby]

Just remember if you go with electric, make sure you have a backup propane heater for when there's a power outage.

[mpillow]

Rinnai propane heater...

[freeinalaska]

If not wood I would go with a Toyo or Monitor oil heater. They seem to be among the more efficient heating oil buring solutions. If you are keen on the fireplace sort of asthetic I have recently seen some oil drip stoves with glass fronts and that fireplace glow who claim efficiency better that any electric or propane solution. I will see if I can dig up the make.

[DocM]

Pellet stoves require electricity.

Fake propane fireplaces and many stoves also require electricity for the lighting mechanism.

I'd go propane, but I'd be sure to get one that will operate sans electricity.

[insanity]

As the old saying goes don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Id go with a wood stove or fireplace as a second source of heat, or for those extra cold nights. With maybe one or two ventless wall propane heater for main heat. MIL has a couple that work really well.And Lowes sells the for like $135 for 45K BTUs. The gas logs also work well though.
But id be sure and price the electric in your area first. I'm pretty sure our electric is high here. But since gas prices have gone up so much lately i think it may be the cheaper of the two now. Did some checking into going gas at an old house I'm looking into buying. And i sure was shocked at the price for a tank full. After asking around to see how much fuel others where burning here i just cant see it being cheaper.
As for a heat pump you couldn't run me fast enough to give me one. The cold air blowing threw them freezes me to death! We have an electric furnace (hot air!) in a 16x80 trailer right now. And our light bill is much higher in the summer running the AC, than winter. Highest bill last winter was $130. My grandmothers heat pump bill ran $85 = same time. But her house is also at least 300sq ft smaller.

How high will the gas prices go in the next few years? I wouldn't want to be relying on it solely.
Nor would i wood. Considering you'd have to pay for it (and i here its pretty high in some areas.) As for lugging it around my granny was 90 before she went to a home. I just had to keep splitting it smaller and smaller as she aged though she often protested. Sticks should be 20 inches long and the size of a telephone pole round to make her happy.
Oh and i haven't seen the electric fire places yet. Id assume they are forced air of some type? IF not i wouldn't think to hard on it. Look at the above post about the portable heaters. Wall heaters are the same way. The only thing that will get warm is the bearings in that little wheel in the light meter.
Id be leaning toward forced air electric furnace if i was thinking about a central unit. And air circulation no matter what the heat source. My grandfather rigged up some duck work and a blower in the attic over his wood stove to push the heated air threw the house.And that worked really well.
My dream is of a forced air wood furnace.

[fantasymaker]

propane with a wood stove backup and electricity for the times when the bones just acke a bit?

[SolarGary]

Hi,

If you have a good site for it, you might also consider solar heating as a supplement to your main heating (wood, propane, ...).

Simple solar space heating can have a payback of as little as one year.
Some ideas here:
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects...ce_Heating.htm
and,
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects...solarhomes.htm

Another consideration for electricity is that most of it is generated in coal fired power plants. The greenhouse gas emissions from a coal fired power plant for a given amount of electric home heat are about 4 times greater than what you will produce using an efficient propane or gas furnace to produce the same amount of heat. Coal fired power plants are approaching 50% of the total greenhouse gas emissions for the US, so its kind of a big deal.


Gary

[Westwood]

David, run this all past Tina and see what she thinks.

[seedspreader]

Originally Posted by Westwood

David, run this all past Tina and see what she thinks.

The best advice on this thread so far. Otherwise it may not matter how warm the cabin is because you may be in the doghouse.

[Westwood]

Tina wires, plumbs, builds, mechanic's and works 80 hours a week to keep the household together. David hunts and draws a check. David found Jesus and set about to preach to the rest of us who never lost Jesus. Tina can be tough as nails and David faints when he accidentally cuts himself. I've met David and Tina. We like Tina. She loves David. So we like David too.

[big rockpile]

Originally Posted by Westwood

Tina wires, plumbs, builds, mechanic's and works 80 hours a week to keep the household together. David hunts and draws a check. David found Jesus and set about to preach to the rest of us who never lost Jesus. Tina can be tough as nails and David faints when he accidentally cuts himself. I've met David and Tina. We like Tina. She loves David. So we like David too.

Ok all true!

big rockpile

[poorboy]

"Plus getting to where can't handle all this lifting and such."


Iffin ya canna no longer handle da wood, maybe ye needs ta move into the seneeor citzums housing anna sends me the doubly bbl.muzzyloader fer caretakin...

[idahodave]

Main heat vented Rinnai, port elect for any cold spots, and a Honda inverter gen for power outages.

[big rockpile]

Originally Posted by poorboy

anna sends me the doubly bbl.muzzyloader fer caretakin...

When you pry my Cold Dead fingers from around it!


big rockpile

[poorboy]

Hank Hill!!!
Propane :baby04: