Ian Graham

Glenn Herbert wrote:Heating rooms distant from the heater location could be tricky, and we can only advise usefully with a floor plan of some sort and/or good pictures.

I'd like to do that tho it feels like leaning on you'all quite a bit.
As for  no wood floor under a RMH that sets me back, not even with a sheetmetal barrier like I have under my woodstove?

Very useful and compelling presentation on ECOEI ie source  based energy cost comparison with RMH.
Some questions that resulted for me...
1. what was the climate zone and  therefore heating degree days of  the test site in case study? (that yielded 3KBTU/yr energy demand for heating.)
2. What costs were included in the poplar coppice wood fuel source? labour to cut/harvest/stack?
3. how could the super hot fuel gas be used to heat hot water or  drive a small steam generator? Is that really good idea for generating electricity off grid?  Hot water could be piped to radiators in a house with rooms divided by walls and doors, even on different floors.

thomas rubino wrote:Hi Eugene;
The size of the fuel load itself is immaterial to the volume of heat output. (A batchbox does not have to be fully loaded each time)

I read  that in a way that is doubtful, ie fuel quantity is not relevant  to total output of heat.

Where i am here in ON we have an escarpment about 300ft high that rims west end Lake Ontario and runs  north to Tobermory. It divides Hamilton into a Dfa adn Dfb divide being cooler up top and westward. In USDA CZ that 6b/6a and in CCA 7a/6b

When I moved to this farmstead in 2007 with 100 yr old brick house I was eager for a 'Kachel Ofen', masonry heater, as I has seen in Germany. But the mass likely was about 2 ton on a floor with crawl space under. Not easy to reinforce. That stopped me. question #1. btw, I'm 72.
Now reading here over Xmas holidays 2025 I see options. I would replace a woodburning stove "Bakers Choice" (cost C$3500 new today). I bought that stove planning on using for cooking/canning but rarely do. It throws a nice radiant heat but uses 150 cu ft wood a year. Wood here in ON costs C$300/50 cf picked up.

#2 Space to heat is 340 sf main room/kitchen 10ft ceilings. Total area on floor is 1460 ft connected by 5 ft wide hall. will main room be too hot?
I have NG furnace in basement, oversized, set at 15dC in winter  (60dF)Would likely keep, tho prefer to swap out for heat pump. Have 10Kw solar array with 20kwh battery.

#3 how much weight can 2x12" roughcut joists on 2 ft centers under wood floor carry? Masonry foundation walls are within 5 ft on two sides and 2 ft on other. Weight of stove on footprint 4x5ft (likely Shorty style)? Is only crawl space under that part of house so not easy to reinforce with posts. Wall behind current stove and RMH site is 8ft btw door openings.

Question #4 stopping me is how to heat the rooms not adjacent to mainroom, ie 3 bedrooms 270 sf and living room 240 sf? All have one exterior walls brick/plaster lathe construction.

#5 replacing cookstove with RMH means losing backup cooking appliance if lose power, How to build with a cooktop/oven/hot watertank?

r ransom wrote:Desktop view, looks like this
(More or less, I have pie at the time of writing, so slight difference)

mine looks like this, I see the reply button but on the long threads it is impossibly far away from the post I want to reply TO.
Now I want to paste the screen grab but it's not a simple 'paste' ctrlV
I use a snip tool called ClipMate which saves all Ctrl C  to a file, I had  to convert to a jpg and save on HD in order to paste in here.

Jay Angler wrote:Ian, in the subject line you wrote this: "How to get REPLY button on each post"

In your "post" you wrote: "None of my screens (am logged in) have a  "obvious" way to post a replys? "

So in "permies speak",  a post is each small contribution a member writes, and you are correct, each contribution doesn't have it's own button and it's own chain of comments the way a program like Youtube has.

However, if you want to comment specifically on someone's post, that is what the "Quote" button is for.  On desktop, it's in the row of buttons like the Thumbs up, and the Report! (please press and leave a brief comment if you see spam or nastiness, and staff will come along with their electronic brooms and tidy it up.)


That's  the easiest, still can't locate a reply button but it would  help if someone could  tell  me if that is an  option that can be switched on/off by me or an admin.
am not on mobile btw

None of my screens (am logged in) have a  "obvious" way to post a replys? what  gives/

I give this book 10 out of 10 acorns. It has stood the test of time; Peter was already writing as tho climate megacrisis is a current reality. which it was but few people saw it. It covers the ground of designing a homestead, as he says from .5 to 20 acres. I myself followed this pattern language in preparing my 20 acre homestead, Old 99 Farm, Dundas ON Canada.
I have not found anyone else with Peter's approach, what I call paint by numbers permaculture. After reviewing the background, principles and a design checklist, he describes about 70 elements that should be considered in one's design, depending on one's vision and goals. These can be played with dynamically in how they relate to each other, spatially and functionally. In the end, the designer is not likely to miss any major options for functions or elements.