Bricklaying Basics

When you build with bricks you're creating something that can be appreciated for generations. It's not uncommon to find structures in complete ruin except for the masonry such as a brick chimney or wall.

Bricklaying Basics

The reasons for do-it-yourself bricklaying vary, but the primary reason seems to be cost. Others include learning a valuable skill for starting a new business, or simply learning a new hobby. Planning a bricklaying project begins with gathering ideas and envisioning the end result. Don't overlook this step. Masonry is permanent so be cautious and remember you need to do it right - the results of your efforts will be on public display for a long, long time.

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Bricklaying Basics

As you begin your planning it's important to consider size and scale, location, material selection, drainage and appearance. Make deatiled drawings of the planned project so to eliminate design flaws and aid in estimating building costs.

Bricklaying Basics

Bricklaying Basics

Visit your local home improvement center or hardware store and collect samples of the material you have in mind and evaluate the way they blend with your existing landscaping. Depending on whether you plan on pouring a small slab or building a brick archway, estimate the dimensions of your project as accurately as possible. This eliminates extra shopping trips. Since your using brick the local brickyard is where you'll find the best supply of bricklayers material. They also carry the tools you are going to need.

Speaking of the tools, and to work effectively you are going to have to buy or rent some special purpose tools. I suggest that if this is a one-time project then by all means rent the tools. What follows is a suggested list of tools for doing brickwork:

Mortar hawk - for holding mortar

Wide pointing tool - for placing mortar on brick

Jointer - for finishing joints

Brick tongs - for carrying multiple bricks

Narrow tuck pointer - for placing mortar on bricks

Mason's trowel - for applying mortar

Masonry chisels - for splitting brick

Mason's hammers - for chipping brick

Maul - for driving stakes

Joint chisel - for removing dry mortar

Shop broom - for keeping the work area clean

Bucket and scrub brush

Stiff bristle brush - for removing loose material

Rubber mallet

Pipe clamp - for scoring large quantities of brick

Circular saw (with a masinry blade) - for cutting brick

Hammer drill with masonry bit

Wheelbarrow - for mixing mortar

Shovel

Cement - for mixing mortar

Particle mask, gloves and protective eyewear

A helpful hint is to build your project, if possible without using mortar. This allows you to see the finished project, make corrections along the way and decide if the end result is really what you wanted.

The last thing I'll cover is choosing, mixing and throwing the right mortar. Masonry mortar is a mixture of Portland cement, sand and water. Other ingredients include lime and gypsum to improve workability and control setup time. Believe it or not the strongest mortar mixture isn't always the best for the job. Gone thankfully are the days when do-it-yourselfers had to mix mortar fom scratch, often with disastrous results. These days mortar comes premixed in 50 - 100 lb bags. Today you simply select the correct mix for the job at hand.

Type N mortar is often called for because it offers a good blend of strength and durability. It's commonly used in non-load-bearing projects such as freestanding walls, BBQ grills and chimneys.

Type S mortar is a high strength mixture for exterior use in foundations, brick and block reatining walls, driveways, walks and patios,

Type M mortar is a very high strength mortar for load-bearing exterior stone walls.

There are other types mixes for special purpose but fo the sake of simplicity I left them out o this article.

Mixing mortar is simple these days. I dump one to two bags of mix into a large wheelbarrow, push it to one side and slowly add water until I get the right texture I want. If it's too thick , it will fall off the trowel in a heap and not in the smooth line you want. Add to much water and it's messy and weak. Just follow the manufacturers directions and you should be fine. If you've never mixed mortar before experiment in small batches until you find the mixture that works. Keep note of your mixture ratios to use later.

Don't mix mortar in large batches unless you are willing to use it all in one application. More than one do-it-yourslf bricklayer has ended up with a wheelbarrow filled with 200 lbs of dried mortar for this reason. It's best to mix mortar as needed. You can't foresee delays such as bad weather, running out of daylight or worse yet injuring yourself.

Watching a professional bricklayer at work is an impressive sight. I remember as a small child living with my grandparents and watching their new home being built. The mortar practically flew off the workers trowels and the walls seemed to rise out of the ground in minutes. "Mortar throwing" is an acquired skill that takes years to master, but you can use the basic techniques successfully with just a little practice.

Throwing mortar is a quick, smooth technique. Load the trowel with mortar (how much depends on you comfort level), then position the trowel a few inches above the starting point. In one motion, begin turning your wrist over and quickly move the trowel across the surface to spread mortar consistently. Ideally you want ot end up with a line of mortar about 2 1/2 " wide and about 2 ' long.

These are the very basics. There are numerous books and how-to videos on countless masonry projects. Just remember to plan accordingly, take your time and above all ... be safe.

Bricklaying Basics

Chuck Lunsford is a successful Webmaster and publisher of do it yourself B.B.Q. plans. You can additional home improvements on his website.

Chimney Pipe

Heat Pump Prices - How to Get the Best Heat Pump and Save Money Too!

If you're thinking about buying a heat pump but don't know what type to get, what brand or how much they cost here's a few things you may want to know. Whether you want to use it for heating or cooling or both you want to get the best heat pump price and the best heat and air conditioning model for you.

Heat Pump Prices - How to Get the Best Heat Pump and Save Money Too!

Heat Pump Prices - How to Get the Best Heat Pump and Save Money Too!

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Heat Pump Prices - How to Get the Best Heat Pump and Save Money Too!

Heat Pump Prices - How to Get the Best Heat Pump and Save Money Too!

You can save a lot of money if you choose a heating/air conditioning pump with less power. You want to check the size of the BTU's (British Thermal Units). The 10,000, 12000, 13,000 and 14,000 BTU models are the heatpumps you'll see most commonly.

There are two general types - air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps. Ground source pumps require a laying of pipe under the ground and are much more expensive than air source. Plan on spending at least ,000 or so including installation and other costs associated with it.

There may be future maintenance costs also, so keep this in mind.

Most commonly people will opt for the air source heat pumps. These cost a lot less than ground source pumps and generally people buy them and place them in a window or buy a free standing mobile or portable unit they can easily move from room to room. A central heating and cooling system using a heat pump to try to heat or cool the whole house will cost between 00 and 00 depending on whether you need to install ductwork if it's not already in place. Even with central air you may still need a smaller unit for a garage or bedroom.

If cost is more important to you than perfect heating or cooling capacity, then look to the lower end BTU units. If you have just a small area to heat or cool or require little air conditioning then these units will be a better buy for your money.

The smaller a/c heating unit prices can start from 0. If you stick to the name brands like Amana, Honeywell, Sears, Carrier and Trane, you may pay more but you'll get a good unit with less likelihood that it will need repairs, troubleshooting or maintenance. However there are many lesser known brands that people are quite happy with. You can always start with a smaller unit and see how that works and move up from there if you can't decide. But you want to know your prices so you can compare.

Heat Pump Prices - How to Get the Best Heat Pump and Save Money Too!

Chimney Cleaning of Woodburning and Multifuel Stoves

Although woodburning stoves are highly efficient machines nominally 70 to 80% compared with an open fire with an efficiency of 20-to25%, cleaning of the chimney or stainless steel insulated flue still remains an important issue. In theory a good woodburning stove with the correct air supply and a highly efficient burning chamber should produce little or no smoke if burning only good seasoned wood. Having said this, bear in mind there may be smoke when the fire is initially lit which causes soot deposits and this may continue until the woodburning stove chamber reaches it optimum burning temperature. Leaving the woodburning stove in slumber mode (starved of air ) for long periods will also increase sooting of the chimney. Under these conditions the flue gas temperature falls, condensation occurs and deposits on the chimney liners or steel flue lining takes place. Have your local registered chimney sweep clean your chimney prior to the installation of the woodburning stove. It is always advisable that you inquire from your chosen chimney sweep initially that he has knowledge and experience of cleaning chimneys connected to a woodburning stove.

Chimney Cleaning of Woodburning and Multifuel Stoves

Chimney Cleaning of Woodburning and Multifuel Stoves

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Chimney Cleaning of Woodburning and Multifuel Stoves

Chimney Cleaning of Woodburning and Multifuel Stoves

Try the guild of master sweeps to locate a registered sweep in your area. Recommendations are that you normally have the chimney cleaned again half way through the burning season, which is about 3 months if the woodburning stove has been used regularly. Check then with the chimney sweep after the first clean on the amount of deposits that where removed from the chimney. Should these deposits be negligible which can be the case if only seasoned wood was used in the woodburning stove, your chimney sweep will recommend his next date for a visit providing the seasoned wood is being continually burned in the same way. In our showroom we used lovely seasoned beech acquired from a re-forestation farm in North England. It was burnt daily in a contemporary steel convector stove approved to Din+ standards. Three months later after continual daily burning for approximately 8 hours a day we had the stainless steel attached flue cleaned. The steel liner was amazingly clean and the chimney sweep advised that another clean would not be necessary for at least another six months.

Woodburning stoves fitted with a top exit flue

Woodburning stoves can normally be cleaned through the door of the stove providing a stove exit pipe has been fitted on the top outlet of the woodburning stove. The baffle plate will need to be firstly removed to give a clear access to the stovetop exit. This is a plate which straddles the upper part of the internal stove chamber and is either freely fitted or held in place with a couple of bolts. This procedure is not normally possible if a central heating wrapround boiler has been fitted into the stove, as part of the boiler becomes the baffle plate. The woodburning stove should then be cleaned in the same way a woodburning stove fitted with a back exit flue pipe is cleaned. This is normally carried out via a soot door either mounted on the vertical exit steel flue pipe or through an internal or external soot door mounted on the chimney breast where feasible.

Woodburning stoves fitted with a rear exit flue.

Ensure, prior to the fitting of a woodburning stove where a back exit flue 90 degree bend is required that your qualified fitter also provides a soot excess door. This can be fitted on the internal or external wall of the chimney breast for easy cleaning purposes and also ensure that the rear stove exit 90 degree bend is fitted with a door for debris removal. This also applies to an external insulated stainless steel flue where sections of the flue are purchased with flue cleaning access doors. Many customers with an internal chimney breast opt for the soot door to be fitted on the chimney breast in the roof space. The chimney sweep can then clean upwards and downwards, pushing the debris into the back bend of the woodburning stove The door on the back bend is then opened and the debris sucked out, as well as being sucked out of the woodburning stove chamber. A backbend, more commonly called a 90-degree bend, can also be purchased as a 90 Degree T piece. I think these are great as the chimney sweep removes the T cap at the unused end, attaches a debris collection bag and then cleans the flue via the soot door as described above. The stove fitter will be well aware of this product.

On a final and very important note if you are using a multifuel stove it is recommended that the chimney be cleaned at the same regularity as if you where using an open fire. The reason for this is that unlike woodburning stoves, multifuel stoves are left constantly burning for days on end and are used a lot to burn fossil fuels. The result of this is a much dirtier chimney as they are left in slumber mode during the night. This results in a drop in temperature in the burning chamber and chimney leading to more pollution due to non-combusted gases. Please consult your registered chimney sweep on this issue,

11th June 2009

Chimney Cleaning of Woodburning and Multifuel Stoves

Having a Wood Burning Stove Fitted - What Happened to Me When I Had to Replace My Old Parkray Boiler

First things first, the house or cottage in which we live was built in the late 19th century mainly of stone construction, for farm workers to live in close to their work on the farm ( normally called a tied cottage) and had been occupied by a family working on the farm prior to our move into the property in 1987, since when a certain amount of modernisation had been done by ourselves over the years, new bathroom, showers and kitchen etc.

Having a Wood Burning Stove Fitted - What Happened to Me When I Had to Replace My Old Parkray Boiler

Having a Wood Burning Stove Fitted - What Happened to Me When I Had to Replace My Old Parkray Boiler

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Having a Wood Burning Stove Fitted - What Happened to Me When I Had to Replace My Old Parkray Boiler

Having a Wood Burning Stove Fitted - What Happened to Me When I Had to Replace My Old Parkray Boiler

At the end of July this year we had the chimney sweep in to clean the soot from our two chimneys.

The one that had been used non stop over last winter as our main heating was the worst as it had a Parkray multi fuel heater fitted into the wall with a surround of tiles and tiled hearth; this fire had been there since before we moved in and although pretty ugly had given good service over the years by heating four radiators and the hot water in the winter.

We had it fuelled by anthracite eggs or ovals, which gave plenty of heat but this fuel is getting very expensive, it also comes with certain ecological issues attached being a fossil fuel, which spoils our carbon footprint. We had occasionally burnt wood in it but it was not an ideal wood burning stove due to the grate being built for a coal based fuel.

"BAD NEWS" said the sweep when he had finished the job, "your back boiler is leaking into the grate and there is a lot of wet in the bottom of the grate".

So, we had to bite the bullet and replace the fire with a new one of some sort, we had looked at all the different options over the years and decided against oil because we have access to plenty of wood from the farm. Also most of the modern systems depend on having electricity to ignite and control their burners, and because we are subject to power cuts in the winter, just when one is most vulnerable to the cold; it was important for us that we had a system that will work on its own, we wanted it to continue to heat the water and the radiators upstairs by convection to keep the house warm until the power supply returns.

Off we went to StoveTec in Hereford UK to look at what was available to us and just how much it would cost, we looked at all the models in the showroom and chose a Hunter multi fuel with internal boiler (Hunter are a part of the Parkray Group apparently), with single door with one clear pain of glass in the front, which I liked because it had none of the fiddly bits just clean lines and simple design.

Steve the owner of StoveTec then arranged to come out to do a site survey on the next Wednesday; whereupon the measurements for the base and the layout of all the pipe work was checked, and the chimney stack was inspected from the garden.

The quote, which was very reasonable and included the fitting of a new stainless steel chimney liner, was accepted and it was arranged for the men to start work the next week.

The team duly arrived and proceeded to start with the removal of the original fireplace, in preparation, I had already turned off the water and drained the system with the garden hose prior to their arrival.

As with all building workers, we made sure that copious amounts of tea, instant coffee and biscuits were available throughout the day in large mugs with a good quality tea bag per mug with various spoon-fulls of sugar and whole milk according to taste, which after the first day we learnt off by heart.

The removal of the old fire place created a large amount of dust and noise from the hammer drill and chisel, and a large quantity of waste rubble and a pile of bricks that I decided to save for any small garden project which may require a few bricks, a barbecue comes to mind, which is not a high priority for us but may come in handy in the future .

Once the old tiled hearth and surround had been broken up, the feed pipes to the boiler were now exposed enough to be able to get a hack saw in to cut the pipes and free up the stove for removal. It was very heavy and had to be manoeuvred onto a sack trolley to be wheeled out of the house and lifted in to the truck for scrap.

It was then that we were able to see what we thought was the full extent of the space available at the back of the fire, we could see a large amount of brick and stone infill, for what we thought must have been the original cast iron black grate; complete with an oven on the side, which looked so pretty in pictures but were extremely difficult to get the oven up to temperature and were dirty as the fire was open and not enclosed; but they normally had a trivet to hang or place a pan or kettle over the fire for cooking soups and stews.

But No, they had to remove two more courses of brick before the final aperture was revealed in all its glory, it really made the room look so much bigger, once all the rubble had been removed and a bit of tidy up had been done.

Meanwhile the men had placed the climbing frame and ladders up onto the roof and around the chimney stack so that the new stainless steel liner could be lowered into the chimney stack, once it was in place a plate was cemented in and a new chimney pot and cowl fitted to top out the flu.

Where the liner came down into the fireplace it was fitted into an enamelled stove pipe via a socket fitting on the end of the cut flu liner, and then into the socket on top of the new Hunter Stove.

Before the new stove can be placed into position there had to be a new base fitted on the floor of the cavity, we finally decided on large pieces of slate, which is more in keeping with an old cottage than the polished granite that we thought about first, this is fixed in place on the floor of the base level with a coat of cement and tapped level.

The next job was to fit a metal plate to the inside of the fire place above the new stove, where the new flu came through a hole cut in the middle to block out the rest of the chimney and stop any of the soot from the old fire falling down into the room in the future; this was sealed around all the edges to finish the lower part of the chimney off (this was later sprayed with black enamel paint).

With the hot water pipes connected to the boiler (the out flow hot to the top, and the inflow connected to the bottom on the opposite side of the boiler cold), the water was then turned back on and the system filled to check for leaks and and test under pressure with the pump running.

Then it was all systems go for ignition to see how it all worked with a fire burning in the grate. It was simply amazing just how fast the boiler heated up and hot water started to move up the pipes to the hot water cistern. It is now a week since we have had it up and running and we have now got the hang of it managing to keep it in over night with the aid of some very dry seasoned oak blocks.

There is no doubt in my mind that the main thing with running a wood burning stove is to have dry seasoned wood at all times otherwise it will not burn correctly and it willl not get hot enough, plus it will clog up the chimney with tar and get the glass front of the door all covered in a dirty black coating of soot and tar. I always think that if the wood burns slowly down like a cigarette glowing across its length the stove is working correctly and that the wood is dry.

The best types of wood to burn locally around us is oak or ash if you can get it, but I also have access to plenty of willow, which is OK if very dry, I occasionally get a bit of pine, which burns very fast and noisily spitting and popping away in the grate.

I can thoroughly recommend our wood burning stove and I look forward to many years of warm winters by the fire in the future.

Having a Wood Burning Stove Fitted - What Happened to Me When I Had to Replace My Old Parkray Boiler

Homemade Wood Stove - How to Make a Homemade Wood Stove

You know what's the best part about D.I.Y. guides? The fact that you can construct anything by yourself in turn saving so much on what you would have to spend so much on a normal basis. It's pretty amazing what you can build by yourself nowadays with the help of these D.I.Y. Guides. This time, I'll show you how to make your very own homemade wood stove without needing to break that bank account for too much.

Homemade Wood Stove - How to Make a Homemade Wood Stove

Homemade Wood Stove - How to Make a Homemade Wood Stove

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Homemade Wood Stove - How to Make a Homemade Wood Stove

Homemade Wood Stove - How to Make a Homemade Wood Stove

Back then, building your own homemade wood stove meant finding an unused 50 gallon drum a starting from there, but times have changed and innovation has kicked in. Nowadays, using an unused discarded water heater has the capability to hold 3-50 gallons of water. The first step to finding the ideal electric water heater is by finding one without any damage and rust in the heater. Remove the steel wrap around the heater to check for corrosion and rust and remember that this step is very important due for health related concerns and should not be skipped. Next turn the heater on to its side to weld on the metal legs as this will keep the heater up.

The next step will involve making holes to the heater. So make sure to be careful as not to hurt yourself. Make a cut around the upside portion of the heater and weld it back upside down. It is this portion where you should make a few holes because this will aid in the circulation of heat during cooking. Make another hole in the back of the heater as an outlet which will allow the smoke to be taken outside your house via a metal pipe, add a lever here to make sure you can control the intake of air.

Build a grill to cook your food on by cutting vertical strips on the upside portion which you welded back to the stove. Once you're done with this step, you're pretty much done, but you can also add some ventilation pipes to your new "stove" and connecting them to your chimney (if any).

It's pretty amazing how people come up with their own ways to build and construct things and how many of us follow to find out that these innovations really do work. After following this guide on how to make a homemade wood stove, you can casually invite friends and family over because you've cooked dinner on your new homemade wood stove a.k.a. a discarded electric water heater. Interesting isn't it?

Homemade Wood Stove - How to Make a Homemade Wood Stove

Heating Water for Domestic Hot Water or to Heat Your Home

Water is heated for two purposes in residential applications. The first is to heat water for domestic use. Such a cleaning, washing, cooking, showers and bathing. The second is to heat water to be a medium for carrying that heat to a room then releasing the heat into that room to keep us warm.

Heating Water for Domestic Hot Water or to Heat Your Home

Heating Water for Domestic Hot Water or to Heat Your Home

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Heating Water for Domestic Hot Water or to Heat Your Home

Heating Water for Domestic Hot Water or to Heat Your Home

Water heater| hot water tanks

Heating water for domestic use is done with hot water tanks, tankless water heaters, or indirect water heaters.

Tankless water heaters

Tankless water heaters are becoming more common in North America, although these have been used in other parts of the world for years. This kind of water heater does not have any water in a tank. If you do not have a tank then you will not have to continually keep that water heated as the water will always cool even when not in use. The cooling process is caused by heat from the water warming the air in the flue, then the hot air rises and is displaced by cooler air which is in turn heated by the hot water (convection heat just like baseboard heating). This air will flow up the flue and spill out into the room. Also the water in the tank will cool as heat conducts through the tank and into the room. This cooling process is called standby loss and because of this process your water heater is at best 55% efficient.

Tankless water heaters are more efficient than hot water tanks because of the heating process. A hot water heater will heat the bottom of the tank and the center of the tank, with most of the energy leaving the tank up the flue. Where as a tankless water heater heats a coil of pipes inside of a heat exchanger similar to that of a boiler. This heat exchanger is made up of small tubes that heat up very fast.

A tankless water heater will also modulate the burner. So if you need only a small demand the tankless heater will only give you a small flame. And if you need a larger demand a tankless water heater will give you a larger flame.

Hot Water Tanks

Hot water tanks are the most common form in North America to heat your domestic water. These tanks have been around for a very long time and have not changed much until recently. Most homes use a 40 to 50 US gallon water heater. Between high energy costs and pollution many people are switching to better ways to heat there water.

A hot water heater requires a chimney for the flue gases to flow to the outside (except power vent and direct vent water heaters, these can be piped out the wall). Water heaters also have an anode rod to protect the tank, a dip tube to allow the cold water to flow to the bottom of the tank, a gas valve, burner and a relief valve. NEVER plug a relief valve. This is the largest cause of water heater explosions. Water when heated to boiling changes to steam. When this happens the water expands 1700 times and with no where to go the tank has to blow up. Usually the bottom is what bursts and the water heater becomes a rocket shooting through the roof in a two story building.

For more info got Hot water tanks:

Indirect water heaters--An indirect water heater uses a boiler to heat the water that flows through the inside of a coil of pipe which in turns heats the domestic water through conduction. These are very efficient, have a fast response time and out last a standard water heater more than three to one. The response time is very quick giving you more than enough hot water. In my opinion these are the best water heaters on the market. The biggest problem is that you need a boiler to heat the water therefore the cost can be high compared to a normal water heater. If you are renovating and going to install hot water heating of any sort, such as a fan coil instead of a high efficient furnace, then this is the way to go

Water heating | Heating your home

Heating water to heat your home is best done with a boiler. The reason I say this is that a boiler is meant to heat water in an efficient manner, while your water heat is not. A standard water heater has an efficiency of 65% to 70% including standby losses. A standard boiler runs at about 80%. The boilers I install have an efficiency rating of between 85% and 98% depending on the system and time of year. So you could use a water heater to heat your home (check with local codes), but the lifespan is much less and your heating bill will be much greater. Not worth the 00 to 00 difference between the two. (my opinion). You could use a tankless water heater, but you will need two or three if you are heating your domestic water as well. Still compared with a condensing boiler you are only saving less than 00

Heating Water for Domestic Hot Water or to Heat Your Home

Heating and Cooling Your Log Home

Needless to say, our forefathers didn't worry too much about heating their log cabins. Big fireplaces had no problem warming up the one or two rooms they lived in. Of course now that log homes are family-sized, people often have the impression that there is something different about how they are heated, and the good news is that a standard system will work as well in a log home as a traditional structure.

Heating and Cooling Your Log Home

Heating and Cooling Your Log Home

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Heating and Cooling Your Log Home

Heating and Cooling Your Log Home

Almost all log homes are built with at least one fireplace. Initially, we thought that our beautiful soapstone woodstove would heat the whole house, and we would use our forced-air Propane heat as a backup. Alas, we were all wrong. Because we have a cathedral ceiling with a big loft, the heat from the stove goes directly upstairs, requiring two ceiling fans to recirculate the warm air. We expected this, but we also thought the heat would expand sideways into the rest of the open floor space (dining room and kitchen). Not on your life! Even sitting on the couch about 15 feet from the stove, I need a Coverlet. I'm uncomfortably chilly in the kitchen. I think that if we had a regular ceiling, the heat might have gone where we expected it, but the volume of the cathedral ceiling threw off our calculations. Also, the soapstone stove is designed to be run 24/7, and because we both work for a living, the stove doesn't get fired up until the evening. This woodstove needs to be heated up slowly at the risk of cracking the stone, so by the time it's really cooking we're ready for bed.

Old-fashioned fireplaces traditionally sucked all the warm air out of the room, but modern designs are more efficient at recirculating the heat. The most energy-efficient fireplace is built in the center of the house, so the stack heat is not lost to the outside. Outside stacks can create back drafts if the fire is extinguished, making a new fire more difficult to light. If you are planning multiple fireplaces, putting two of them back-to-back (facing adjoining rooms) will give you the opportunity to build one chimney with two flues. Or you could put a fireplace above your furnace, again allowing two flues in the same chimney. A direct-vent fireplace will eliminate the chimney, but you'll have to figure out how to hide the vent on the outside wall. Or, if you use a wood-stove, you could run the pipe through the wall and straight up the outside, building a box around the pipe to simulate a chimney. Depending on the look you want, you may want to leave the pipe inside the room and send it through the roof. This will give more heat.

It's a good idea to consider your heating and air-conditioning needs early in the design phase. Although log homes are Naturally energy-efficient, it's not wise to skimp on your system. You may be able to heat your whole house with a huge fireplace or wood stove, but the township will probably have minimum standards to meet before they issue a building permit. Also, you need to consider resale value. I know of one person who tried to sell a million-dollar handcrafted log home without a furnace, and as you might suspect, the buyer never came along. The house was listed as unfinished, and installing the heating system after the fact was too daunting a task. A similar problem exists if you try to get away without central air conditioning. Yes, log homes do stay cooler in the summer, but those "dog days" of August can give you a perfectly miserable night's sleep, and a potential buyer will probably not be as tolerant as the original owner. Indeed, our mortgage company would not consider granting a construction loan if we didn't include central air conditioning.

If you want to preserve ductwork space, you can use forced air heat, with the same ductwork serving the air conditioner. Propane or oil are usually the fuels of choice in rural areas. If your interior wall space is limited, there are companies that specialize in very small, high-pressure duct systems that fit into tight angles; these systems usually require a much higher initial installation cost. When using traditional ductwork, you want to keep the angles at a minimum, so it helps to design first floor walls that will conveniently carry the air straight up to the second floor. An open floor plan offers a challenge, because you must bear in mind that the upstairs rooms need to be heated somehow, and you will need both supply and return vents to create an efficient air flow. If you want to use full log interior walls, you'll have to find another way to run the ductwork, electric, and plumbing. We made that mistake, and there are not enough return vents in our bedroom. The air is stuffy in the summer time, even with the windows open.

Where do the vents go? Since all our exterior walls are full log, many of our vents were placed in the floor. If your interior walls are sheetrock or tongue-and-groove, you can put the vents where they normally go. One thing I wish we had done was go over the plan with the HVAC contractor, because he put the vents in places I found most inconvenient. Some times it can be helped, and some times it can't.

If you are energy-minded and prefer to leave your thermostat at a minimum, you will find that the southern-facing side of the log home tends to be warmer than the northern exposure. Because the sun tends to sink closer to the horizon on a winter afternoon, it's advantageous to arrange your large windows facing south; during the summer, the sun will cross over the roof, so it won't overheat your house. However, you may find that the northern side of your house - which won't get direct sun at all - could be noticeably cooler. The best solution is to install radiant-floor heating (if you can afford it). Although this system requires a boiler instead of a furnace, the in-floor heating spreads the warmth evenly throughout your home, eliminating the northern-facing blues. With radiant-floor heating, you need to keep the thermostat steady all the time; the system is not designed to be turned down when you go to work. Additionally, you can use the boiler to heat your hot water as well, eliminating the need for a hot-water heater. On the other hand, you will still need to install ductwork for the air conditioning.

Overall, the same considerations apply as in regular construction. We thought we could get by with only one zone of heating and cooling, but in retrospect, two zones would have solved a lot of problems. In the long run, it's cheaper to do it correctly in the first place. Retrofitting a log home is not going to be a breeze!

Heating and Cooling Your Log Home

The Joys of a Fireplace

Owning a fireplace is a wonderful opportunity. There's nothing warmer and cozier than sitting in front of a warm fireplace watching the orange flames. Unfortunately, fireplaces take work and regular maintenance. If you've been having problems with the fireplace smoking, you may have some work ahead of you. You definitely should not continue to use it until you take care of the smoking problem. Smoke such as this is not only bad for your health, but will also stain your walls and clothes.

The Joys of a Fireplace

The Joys of a Fireplace

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The Joys of a Fireplace

The Joys of a Fireplace

The chimney should be the first thing you look at. Start by opening up the damper and stoking the chimney. Burn some newspaper of safe material in the fireplace to the get the warm air in the chimney to push the cold air out. When cold air pushes warm air down is when you'll have smoke in your home. Always make sure you use seasoned wood and not green wood, which can cause chimney fires. Get your firewood before fireplace season begins and store it in a firewood storage box to dry out. The smaller the logs you use, the quicker they'll dry and better they'll burn.

Sometimes, you may have to open a window in your home to get the fireplace to light. You need a certain amount of circulation to get the fire going. You may want to begin using bricks to build up your fireplace grate to a higher level. You need air circulation underneath the wood to make it start and the grate may provide the extra circulation.

Often larger fireplaces have problems because their chimney is smaller than the open-hearth part. The size should be balanced with the size of the stove. You may also get a shield to catch any smoke before it circulates in the room. Smoke will also fill up the room if there's not enough air in the room, do turn down the furnace.

Make sure the pipes are always kept clean as this is a major cause of smoke as well as chimney fires. The pipes on the outside can often get plugged from bird nests or other debris. Make sure your pipes are always in good shape as well. Regular maintenance should be done on your chimney and pipes every year before fireplace season begins. The build-up of creosote can damage your fireplace pipes and cause a fire. Hire a professional to come and clean your pipes each year. This is a relatively cheap expense, especially in light of the benefits.

Your fireplace should be a pleasure and not a worry. The important thing is to keep it clean and well maintained and you'll get many good years of service and comfort. There is nothing you'll enjoy more in the spring and fall than sitting in front of a warm crackling fire in the fireplace.

The Joys of a Fireplace