Forget those heavy, bulky air conditioners in the windows!
It can be challenging to install central air conditioning in a log home--especially if the home is already built and occupied! After years of lugging a heavy, bulky air conditioner into our bedroom, last year we purchased an Amana portable air conditioner and we love it! You still need to run a vent hose through a window, but the air conditioner itself (which also serves as a dehumidifier or fan) is self-standing on casters, and so much easier to use!
We currently have a beautiful Vermont Castings wood stove with built-in fan and catalytic converter. We love it!
100% recycled Eco-Logs are made in Canada. They provide great warmth. Made of compressed sawdust, they are of uniform size, and very clean--no dirt, bark or bugs!
These Bio-Bricks are also made of compressed sawdust, and made in Connecticut. One advantage over Eco-Logs: they don't roll around inside the wood stove!
One of the most important aspects of HVAC is "heat!"
In 2009, our "oldie but goodie," French-made Marquis wood stove finally gave up the ghost, so we went shopping for a new wood stove for the first time. Over the decades, we've depended heavily on wood, not only for that cozy ambiance but also because our back-up heat is electric!
We ended up purchasing a new Avalon cast iron stove. It had the features we were looking for--plus a built-in fan that really helped to keep the heat downstairs in our living room, dining room and kitchen! However, after five years (just after the warranty expired), we unintentionally overheated the stove and cracked it! Ugh! After getting two professional opinions from wood stove companies, we groaned and coughed up the money for a new wood stove. We ended uup getting a Vermont Castings stove and we love it. BUT, this time we purchased a stove thermometer and we carefully monitor the temperature so we don't repeat our past mistake!
You might ask, why didn't we buy a wood pellet stove? If you have a pellet stove, you need electricity--so in a power outage, you can't use the wood stove. Plus, we didn't want to be one step removed from the fuel source. There's plenty of wood on our lot and from local firms.
Now that we're getting older, the hassle of using 100% cordwood was increasing. You know the drill. The trips outside to the woodpile in the freezing cold and ice. The dirt and the bugs that get inside when you lug the wood up to the woodstove.
So, based on the recommendation of one of Dawn's brothers, we decided to experiment. We blend using cordwood with Bio-Bricks made of 100% recycled compressed sawdust. They are clean (no bugs and dirt), may be stored inside (in our basement), are a uniform size and weight, easy to light. They create a nice bed of coals, upon which we place our cordwood. Just be careful, Bio-Bricks burn hotter than cordwood, so you have to read the owner's manual of your woodstove to make sure you don't overheat your wood stove. Cost-wise, Bio-Bricks cost more than cut and split seasoned hardwood, but the advantages are well worth the slight premium. If you would like to know where we purchased our Bio-Bricks, just call or email us.
However, we realize now, in retrospect, that burning eco-logs or bio-bricks contributed to the overheating of our Avalon stove! Another hard lesson learned. Don't burn these products exclusively! Now we use just one bio-brick per file to help to build a bed of coals for the regular cord wood.
We just installed all new, double-pane Low E windows, fiberglass exterior doors, and new storm doors and the house is tighter than ever! We invested in high quality building materials, not cheap junk you often find at big box stores. We're convinced the investment will pay off nicely for years to come. It pays to do it right the first time!
Another "hot" topic is the Fire/Burglar Alarm System
A friend of mine has operated a fire/burglar alarm business in Tolland County for 20+ years. He has installed alarm systems in log homes in Coventry and Willimantic, as well as similar post-and-beam commercial structures in Vernon and Ellington.
He reports that it is virtually impossible to hardwire a complete alarm system because of the logs. However, in recent years, there have been dramatic improvements in wireless technology.
A typical log home fire/burglar alarm system, he says, now consists of a mix of wireless and wired apparatus. All components--from doors and windows to motion detectors, CO2 and smoke detectors, can be programmed to report in to the control module regularly. In the trade, it's called "supervision of lines." Backup batteries now last about five years. Wireless transmitters are small and non-intrusive from an interior design standpoint.
Based on his experience and awareness of industry trends, the probability of a burglary or fire is not greater in a log home than in a traditional home. While sheetrock is fire-retardant, this feature is offset by the density of the logs. He recommends that owners should have a heat detector placed near the woodstove.
When asked about the practicality of installing motion detectors (given log homeowners' penchant for pets such as cats and dogs), he says there are motion detectors that are immune up to 40 lbs. for just that purpose.
Since log homeowners often enjoy a quiet lifestyle in the woods, and have long driveways, I asked him about motion detectors along a driveway so the owner is alerted to pedestrians or vehicles coming up the driveway. He said that's very possible by mounting a remote, battery-powered motion detector on a tree or utility pole that sends a wireless signal to the master alarm system control inside the house. You just have to know the range of the signal, and make sure the motion detector is installed within this range.
If you would like contact information for this alarm company, please call or email us today.
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Interested in talking to us? Drew Crandall may be reached at his business: KEEP IN TOUCH,* 30 Lafayette Square, Suite 118 * Vernon, CT 06066 860.871.6500 email dcrandall@KeepTouch.com