I got a separate message saying this was intended for the list, so here it
is:
-----Original Message-----
From: epetrevich@relavis.com <epetrevich@relavis.com>
To: Phil Ethier <pethier@isd.net>
Date: Monday, December 11, 2000 9:06 AM
Subject: Re: DIY Natural Gas Appliances
>
>This is the reason I buy old homes. The new home I just moved into was
>build in the 1860's. But has been modernized everywhere. (electric, oil
>burner, insulation) (see my next post about insulation)
>The neat thing about this house, is that it has a functioning wood burning
>kitchen stove in the kitchen. It also has a wood burner that you can
>divert the oil burner. This way, the water is heating by the wood burning,
>then fed into the oil burner. Since it's hot already, the oil burner
>doesn't kick it. But, if the fire goes out, the oil burner worked normally.
>This burner pair does both, heat and hot water.
>
>There is also a very convenient "wood cellar" next to the burner. It holds
>about 2/3'th of a cord of wood.
>
>I'm currently adding a backup generator for electrical backup. This way, I
>can drop "off the grid" anytime! 8>) (well, except for the T1 line, but I
>haven't found a "wood burning T1 line" yet! 8>))
>
>Inch
>
>
>MailTo:epetrevich@relavis.com
>From: Randall Young <randallyoung@earthlink.net>
>
>>Vented natural gas heating stoves that use no electricity are readily
>>available commercially.
>
>Indeed. The Empire unit in my shop is rated for use in homes. It is
>30,000
>BTU. It can be ordered jetted either for propane or for natural gas. As
>it
>comes, it needs no batteries or electricity to run itself and its included
>thermostat. I joke that if we get a long-term electricity outage here, we
>can drain the water in the house and camp in 65-degree comfort in the shop.
>The heater is fully-vented, taking in its combustion air and exhausting its
>combustion byproducts via a concentric vent system through a 7.75-inch hole
>cut through the wall.
>
>I did add an optional 120V fan to mine, but it is not required for the unit
>to operate. It simply plugs into a wall outlet and has its own thermostat
>in contact with a part of the unit that gets hot after the gas flame kicks
>on.
>
>It was not the cheapest way to go, but it seems to be the most trouble-free
>and safest.
>
>>> So I started to look at the use of natural gas for
>>> heat, lighting, and cooking.
>
>In the Twin Cities, the coldest major-metropolitan area in the USA, it
>would
>cost about 5 times as much to heat with electricity as with natural gas.
>All-electric home heat is very rare here.
>
>Phil Ethier Saint Paul Minnesota USA
>1970 Lotus Europa, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1986 Suburban, 1962 Triumph TR4 CT2846L
>LOON, MAC pethier@isd.net http://www.mnautox.com/
>"It makes a nice noise when it goes faster"
>- 4-year-old Adam, upon seeing a bitmap of Grandma Susie's TR4.
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