Mark C. Posted December 30, 2022 Report Share Posted December 30, 2022 (edited) We had a xmas pair of chipmunks around the kiln for a spell this year.They liked the warmth of the chimney area where I have lots of English dry pressed shelves stacked up from long ago Edited December 30, 2022 by Mark C. Rae Reich, Dale pots, kswan and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted December 31, 2022 Report Share Posted December 31, 2022 is that space big enough for me? temp here went down to one, 1, degree F a few days ago. Chilly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 We had a -3 here on Saturday.. . . my car battery froze, and had to be replaced. . . . .brrr! Hate the extreme colds! best, Pres Bill Kielb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 (edited) -10 to -12 f depending on the thermometer read last Friday. Went to one site and observed decent newly installed heat pump performance, had many others work as designed. 20+ mph wind - very cold! Very impressive results! Edited January 1, 2023 by Bill Kielb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted January 1, 2023 Report Share Posted January 1, 2023 (edited) Heat pumps are much better than they were just a few years ago. It can be cheaper to move heat than "create" it via exothermic chemical reaction(s), much cheaper. The units and their installation, however, more expensive than furnaces...Germans Turn to Heat Pumps to Replace Gas Furnaces - The New York Times (nytimes.com)A Heat Pump Might Be Right for Your Home—Here’s What to Know | Reviews by Wirecutter (nytimes.com) Our son's home has two heat pumps. They keep up with the heat ok, and, as we learned over our Xmas visit, they heat the home effectively as well. Our next home will have one in the Studio. If the home comes with a gas fired furnace, it will be replaced, eventually ...with a heat pump. Bein' curious (and soon moving to a colder clime), just read that a fully charged car battery is good (enough to prevent freezing) to about -76°F, so maybe your battery was depleted Pres? Edited January 2, 2023 by Hulk qualify "good" - per Kelly's observation Bill Kielb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 8 hours ago, Hulk said: Heat pumps are much better than they were just a few years ago. It can be cheaper to move heat than "create" it via exothermic chemical reaction(s), much cheaper. Yes, many electrification programs out there. A regular baseboard heater - about 100% efficient turning electric into heat. Heat pumps rated cop 3-4, 300% - 400% effective at using electricity to move heat from outdoors to indoors. They now perform full rated capacity to -5 or less and continue to provide at reduced performance even in lower temps.definitely much better than just a few years ago. Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly in AK Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 (edited) @Hulk, I can only attest to the complexities of starting a vehicle at -30° F. Sometimes batteries do not perform as the label leads you to believe. Usually the rest of the car isn’t cooperating either! Also have to mention, no visible monks, but some squirrelly little hoarders here. Any pot left in the open will be mysteriously filled with spruce cones by late fall. And there are the not so secret critics. Magpies that disassemble any areas packed with ceramic fiber. They like to strew it all about, not happy with the neatness of my work. Edited January 2, 2023 by Kelly in AK Additional content Hulk, Bill Kielb and kswan 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kswan Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 Chip and Dale! We have a heat pump. I didn't know anything about them until we bought our house 12 years ago and it had one. The output doesn't get as warm as a gas furnace. I used to sit by a vent and read as a kid when we had a gas furnace. I called it the fireplace. Good times. I made the mistake of storing bird seed in the garage. Then I kept finding mice putting stashes of bird seed all around in the basement where my studio is. I'd open a drawer, look in a box, uncover a corner and there would be millet and sunflower seeds. I even found stashes in the kitchen around the stove. They found a little hole to get in there and were saving seed in the casserole dishes. Meanwhile the cat is just sleeping away oblivious to the work he needs to do. Sigh. oldlady, Mark C., Kelly in AK and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 I believe that the big problem was the rough first start and then a few short errands that did not allow the battery to recharge from the first start. Live and learn, but the car is a 2019, and the battery had not needed changing.. . . nor anything else! best, Pres Bill Kielb, Hulk and Kelly in AK 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted January 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 (edited) I put in 2 mini splits since 2019 -one in our kitchen dining room (12 foot ceilings) and one in the master bedroom. They are heat pumps with outside compressors on cement pads.They heat or cool. We have gotten hotter in summer and now use the cool funtion now and then as well as thge heat fuction in the winter. These are mini splits are easy to install and am thinking about one in studio-they are pretty cheap as well. They are the most efficient heat and cooling there is so far.Mine are Mr Cool units both under 2k to by. The install is easy if you are handy We also have a 98% efficient whole house natural gas heater (small heated closests as well) I upgraded units in 2015 from 82% to 98% We also have a mini pellet stove in living room which we use a lot during winter (nov-april) A pallet of chips last 2-3 years Edited January 3, 2023 by Mark C. Hulk, Bill Kielb and Pres 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted January 2, 2023 Report Share Posted January 2, 2023 @Hulk car batteries will have lower cold cranking amps as they age, so they get harder to start in the cold. The brand and rating of the battery will also matter. 5+ years for one is pretty average in the northern climes. I love the idea of a heat pump, but the air exchange ones don’t provide enough heat below freezing, even the ones with the snazzy defrost settings. I’d need a geothermal one because of the amount of time we spend below -15 C (5F) in a year. Retrofitting a vertical closed system heat sink is $$$$, assuming you can fit a large enough drilling truck into your back yard somehow. We simply don’t need air conditioning in the summer. Good insulation and a cross draft in the evening cools everything off just fine. Pres and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 (edited) @HulkHere is one of the better battery math I have seen for those interested. https://www.mathscinotes.com/2013/02/battery-freezing-math/ From an old perspective it’s always been indirectly the result of percentage charge and directly result of cell solution strength. Batteries that sit idle yet remain connected often discharge slightly due to a minor draw from the connected load which can cause difficulties for someone not using the vehicle for days, weeks, months. @Callie Beller Diesel There is hope, we installed just under 100 heat pumps this year (single family and multi), all had full output to -5f/ -20c. The new stuff definitely works. I was out on our cold day two weeks ago as well as reviewing several monitored sites just to see how well. No super special defrost actually, and the defrost is part of the equipment seasonal rating. Air source heat pumps have become my favorite actually as we can add a decent filter, electric auxiliary heat and configure as supplemental, backup, or both. It really all depends on your fuel costs to currently heat with fossil fuels these days. The hyperheat or cold weather units perform well down to -5f or better and continue to perform at reduced output for reduced temperature these days. Picture is of the heat pump I saw, -8 at the time, strong winds 20+ mph - interesting experience measuring colder air being discharged. Edited January 3, 2023 by Bill Kielb Pres and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 Car batteries will discharge right across the top as well - the type that get a film of yuck that is - periodic cleaning can help. Putting the one or two amp charge on for forty-eight hours once a month can make a difference for those who drive lots of short hops. Bill Kielb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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