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SailinAway · 11-21-2022, 09:58 AM

I have reread this whole thread. If anyone is still interested, let's hone in on the fine points. Thank you for your patience with my questions.

So last night I turned on the furnace because the forecast was for 15 degrees. I opened two radiators upstairs. I didn't open the third radiator because it's on a wall next to an insulated 4-foot eave space, so not directly on an outside wall. That radiator has not been turned on in 20 years; in fact neither has the radiator in the main bedroom but I turned that one on because y'all put the fear of frozen pipes in me.

Initially the furnace didn't come on because it was too warm downstairs. The thermostat is 15' from the woodstove, across an open space. The temperature near the woodstove was probably 74 degrees, and 64 near the thermostat. The only way I could get the furnace to come on was to raise the thermostat to 65. I let it run for about 20 minutes, made sure all the radiators were warm, and turned the thermostat down to 55.

In the morning the temperature in the house was 54. The furnace came on briefly. Q1: I made a fire in the woodstove, so I don't expect the furnace to come on for the rest of the day, correct?

Q2: Or is the furnace going to come on periodically in response to the aquastat? Does that happen even if there's no call for heat?

What I still don't understand is how to coordinate the furnace and the woodstove so that oil is not wasted. My idea is to leave the furnace on all the time and set the thermostat to 55. At night put a final load of wood in the woodstove. That will only burn for two hours, at which point the furnace will protect the pipes for the rest of the night.

I will put a thermometer upstairs, but my perception is that it's about 55 to 60 up there with only the woodstove, when the furnace is turned off. That still has me wondering why I need the furnace at all, but you've convinced me that the room temperature doesn't necessarily guarantee that pipes on outside walls are protected.

Q3: If the woodstove is running all day and the furnace never comes on, how are the pipes protected?? At what exterior temperature might this be a problem?

Q4: When the furnace is running, does it provide heat to the cellar such that the pipes are protected down there? Given that the cellar is below grade, aren't the pipes protected anyway? Can pipes freeze on any floor, even if the basement is above 32?

Reminder: House is well insulated (done by NH weatherization program), all points of air entry in the cellar were filled with foam. I turn off the water to the two exterior faucets every fall and leave them open. It seems like the only thing more I could do would be to get someone to look at the pipes and where they're located to see if they're at risk of freezing and whether putting foam around them would help.

11-21-2022, 09:58 AM	#53
SailinAway Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2019 Posts: 991 Thanks: 256 Thanked 280 Times in 169 Posts	Back to our original topic, how to protect the pipes I have reread this whole thread. If anyone is still interested, let's hone in on the fine points. Thank you for your patience with my questions. So last night I turned on the furnace because the forecast was for 15 degrees. I opened two radiators upstairs. I didn't open the third radiator because it's on a wall next to an insulated 4-foot eave space, so not directly on an outside wall. That radiator has not been turned on in 20 years; in fact neither has the radiator in the main bedroom but I turned that one on because y'all put the fear of frozen pipes in me. Initially the furnace didn't come on because it was too warm downstairs. The thermostat is 15' from the woodstove, across an open space. The temperature near the woodstove was probably 74 degrees, and 64 near the thermostat. The only way I could get the furnace to come on was to raise the thermostat to 65. I let it run for about 20 minutes, made sure all the radiators were warm, and turned the thermostat down to 55. In the morning the temperature in the house was 54. The furnace came on briefly. Q1: I made a fire in the woodstove, so I don't expect the furnace to come on for the rest of the day, correct? Q2: Or is the furnace going to come on periodically in response to the aquastat? Does that happen even if there's no call for heat? What I still don't understand is how to coordinate the furnace and the woodstove so that oil is not wasted. My idea is to leave the furnace on all the time and set the thermostat to 55. At night put a final load of wood in the woodstove. That will only burn for two hours, at which point the furnace will protect the pipes for the rest of the night. I will put a thermometer upstairs, but my perception is that it's about 55 to 60 up there with only the woodstove, when the furnace is turned off. That still has me wondering why I need the furnace at all, but you've convinced me that the room temperature doesn't necessarily guarantee that pipes on outside walls are protected. Q3: If the woodstove is running all day and the furnace never comes on, how are the pipes protected?? At what exterior temperature might this be a problem? Q4: When the furnace is running, does it provide heat to the cellar such that the pipes are protected down there? Given that the cellar is below grade, aren't the pipes protected anyway? Can pipes freeze on any floor, even if the basement is above 32? Reminder: House is well insulated (done by NH weatherization program), all points of air entry in the cellar were filled with foam. I turn off the water to the two exterior faucets every fall and leave them open. It seems like the only thing more I could do would be to get someone to look at the pipes and where they're located to see if they're at risk of freezing and whether putting foam around them would help.