Ilene Richardson on thu 21 nov 02
Wow! Everyone from all over the world has had suggestions that are
great. I have spent over $300 on insulation and we are currently
working on getting that all up and its getting warmer as we do it. We
also put in a ceiling fan which really made a difference in getting the
heat off the ceiling and bringing it down to me.
I don't think I'll go the way of kerosene because of it being a fuel
and it needing to have fresh air coming in all the time to counteract
the waste products and carbon monoxide dangers. THe wood stove is too
much and it won't stay on all night. Currently there is an oil filled
closed radiator which is working fairly well, not quite warm enough,
keeping it at 50 to 60 degrees. I'm sure its cosing me $$$$$ to run
that. I was curious what other types of efficient heat people were
using in their studios.
Ilene
Ilene Richardson on thu 21 nov 02
I forgot to mention, I'm in Maryland, eastern shore. All types of
heating are available to me.
Ilene
Paul Herman on thu 21 nov 02
Greetings all,
My studio has always been heated with wood, by an old Ashley Automatic
woodstove that I bought for $5.00. The shop also has windows to the
south, taking advantage of sunshine when it's available.
However, a few years ago I finally got my radiant floor heat hooked up
and running, and what a difference. It's good to be able to walk
barefoot a little in the winter.I can set my bag of clay on top of a
pipe and in a few hours or the next day it's so nice and warm.
I can't imagine a gentler heat for the studio.
When I built the shop in 1983 I cast a loop of 1 1/2" plastic pipe into
the floor slab. It took me a few years to get the water hooked up and
flowing, as I am the kind of guy who has many projects on the burner at
once. The heat source is geothermal water, 20 GPM at roughly 100F. I
realize that everyone doesn't live on a hot spot, but radiant floor heat
systems are very nice. Pots dry nice and evenly with no drafts. If you
are designing a studio, or getting ready to pour a new floor, its worth
considering, IMHO.
I still use the Ashley on really cold grey days, to the tune of 1/2 cord
a year. All that wood the geothermal saves me (and more) gets tossed
into the woodkiln.
Stay warm,
Paul Herman
Great Basin Pottery
423-725 Scott Road
Doyle, California 96109 US
potter@psln.com
----------
>From: Ilene Richardson
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: studio heat
>Date: Thu, Nov 21, 2002, 6:14 AM
>
> I was curious what other types of efficient heat people were
> using in their studios.
>
> Ilene
primalmommy on thu 21 nov 02
I have two sources: for classes, or when I'll be out there all day, I
use a little pot-bellied wood stove in the
corner. I have cement board behind it and every time I hammer a pot i
cement the bits to the wall behind the
stove; one day it will be a tile mosaic.
The problem, though, is how to keep glazes and wax resist and such from
freezing. I bought one of those
electric radiators -- I needed something that wasn't going to blow air
or keep dust circulating. It's not cheap to
run (electricity is $pendy here) but set on its lowest heat w/ the
thermostat all the way down, it can sit in the
glaze bucket corner of the studio and seems to do the job. I also turn
it up a bit when I have students there,
since the wood stove is like the old country schoolhouse: hot in one
end, cool inthe other. I have a ceiling fan
but again, don't want to stir up dust.
Yours, Kelly in Ohio... embarrassed to death that I put CAPITAL LETTERS
in my parody moderator's post...
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Janet Kaiser on fri 22 nov 02
Sorry, I have not been following the thread, Ilene, but several points came
to mind as I read your response. All depend on your climate and humidity
levels, but briefly:
1. Liquid fuels such as lpg, gas and paraffin (kerosene) create gallons of
moisture as a byproduct.
2. Moisture =3D Humidity. And humid air takes a lot more energy to heat
than dry air.
So to be MOST efficient, you must not only lag/insulate, but keep the
atmosphere as DRY as possible and avoid all sources of extra moisture. If
you have a "liquid" fuel pumping more moisture into the air, you need a
de-humidifier at the very least.
People think that "airing" just lets in the cold, but in fact, it lets out
the moisture and helps keep heating costs down. And it is always better to
open all doors and windows for a quick 5 minute blast of fresh air, than to
leave a window ajar all day (or night).
Certainly an oil-filled heater will be costing you a lot of money,
especially if it is old, but "enclosed systems" prevent adding moisture to
the atmosphere and are "clean".
If you have a fireplace or stove, but are not using it because it will not
burn through the night, then why not buy some coal or coke for that time?
You can "bank it up" with dust and other rubbish such as potato peelings
for the night... Always assuming you are allowed to burn such fuels where
you live/work!
The Rolls-Royce solution to energy-efficient heating, would be solar
panels... Although the initial cost is high, they would at the very least
provide the back-ground heat (free) that your oil heater is providing and
you could "top up" requirements with other energy-saving equipment such as
those "space heaters" I have heard about on Clayart.
Sincerely
Janet Kaiser - Sorry that "Nikom" is no longer with us... He would have had
all sorts of good answers. Look in the archives! I am sure there are some
there!
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********
>Wow! Everyone from all over the world has had suggestions that are
>great. I have spent over $300 on insulation and we are currently
>working on getting that all up and its getting warmer as we do it. We
>also put in a ceiling fan which really made a difference in getting the
>heat off the ceiling and bringing it down to me.
>
> I don't think I'll go the way of kerosene because of it being a fuel
>and it needing to have fresh air coming in all the time to counteract
>the waste products and carbon monoxide dangers. THe wood stove is too
>much and it won't stay on all night. Currently there is an oil filled
>closed radiator which is working fairly well, not quite warm enough,
>keeping it at 50 to 60 degrees. I'm sure its cosing me $$$$$ to run
>that. I was curious what other types of efficient heat people were
>using in their studios.
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art =95 Capel Celfyddyd
8 Marine Crescent, Criccieth LL52 0EA, Wales, UK
Tel: 01766-523570 URL: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
Ann Geiger on fri 22 nov 02
I heat my studio with a small vent free propane gas heater. Studio is
well insulated 22 x 7 feet with 5 windows and a door to the outside.
The room off the studio which is unheated is generally as warm or warmer
as the rest of the house.
When it is really cold outside, like below zero in Fahrenheit degrees,
there is condensation on the windows but I think if I installed a little
fan in the doorway to the next room that would probably take care of it.
Or if I would get the nerve up to drill the hole through the wall for
the kiln vent instead of putting the pipe through the window when I fire
the kiln, that might help too.
In any case, it is a really cheap solution, the heater was $125.00 plus
$100.00 to install the gas pipe and, because I am 'using gas for heat' I
get a big discount on the cost of gas.
Annie Geiger in Fly Creek where it is wet but not too cold and the sound
of rifle fire resounds. I just saw mosquitoes buzzing around the window
Potter Wagoner on sun 24 nov 02
We use a masonry stove and is wonderful. Years ago I would pile bricks
around an iron stove and the pile would stay warm a long time after the
stove went out. The stove we use now is made of soap stone and has long
channels through it that let the heat absorb into the stone. One of the
main benefits is that the fuel is burned at high temp so there is little
smoke or soot build up and it is very efficient. After a hot burn for
two hours or so we let it go out and seal off the air intake and it
keeps a large studio (1500sq ft.) warm until we burn it the next day. It
makes a wonderful heat and does not "fry" the air since the outside of
the stove stays well below 250 degrees. It weighs a ton so that can be a
limitation, but we have saved so much in wood that in five years it has
paid for itself. I like to put my hands and shoulders on it for therapy
and our cats love to sleep on it at night. Ours was made by the Tulikuvi
Co. , but there are others out there.
I burn about three to four five gallon buckets a wood split small to
heat when we are below freezing.
Potter Wagoner
....almost done raking leaves and bringing in the pots and sculptures
that can't freeze with water in them.
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