Will Rafter Insulation Keep the Cabin Warmer? Slim's Fixer Upper Part 26
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- Опубликовано: 2 июн 2024
- In my last cabin renovation of the year, I line the rafters and sides of the upper cabin with styrofoam insulation. How much of a difference did it make in a cold spell? See the results!
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NOTE FROM SLIM: Sorry folks, I made a mistake. The fire logs were rated 8-10 hours if YOU BURNED ALL 4 AT ONCE !!! I missed that. I will try again inn the future to see how well they work. As for the issue of the attic insulation, please let the experiment continue without harsh judgments. Rude angry comments are not allowed, so please tone down your ideas if you want to join in the discussion. Thanks! SP
Not bad there, even if wake up at night, 1 log means four hours. So, if you don't mind waking up in the middle of the night, that $10 log of 4 can last 16 hours if you put them in 1 by 1.
It maybe burn 1 log at a time 4 logs would then get you to 10 hours (Packaging instructionskind of confusing). This is based on your first test that was stated the on log burned about 3 hours. Jus a thought and another great video. I hope this make since this is my first text in Canadian 😂😂😂😂😂
I agree! Being rude is NOT acceptable! You can comment nicely, I do.
I would like a sneek preview of your travel plans for this winter and I all so concur that just use one log at a time I think that's the better way to go stay warm!
Thought so 😂
I lived in a log cabin with no insulation for 8 years growing up. The secret to a wood stove is to heat up the house warmer and compensate for the rate of heat loss. Heat the house to 74 and you should wake up to 50 degrees. It worked for us, and I lived in central Wisconsin, where there wax 2 solid weeks of-20 below at night. Hopefully this helps you to stay warmer.😊
Still in a cabin with only insulation and interior walls in the living room.
You're right.
I heat my woodcookstove to easily heat the house up past 80f. The living room to over 85f
I have an old stove pipe hole between the lr and bedrm in which I have a small fan that circulates enough warm air to bring the bedroom above freezing.
I agree, thermal loss and thermal mass are things to consider.
I agree, we insulate the outpost and part of the barn in Jefferson city, WI. Heated up to 78 and woke up to 45 but then my father made it my problem to further insulate and i got lazy lol.
We had no insulation and if we fell asleep we woke up to ice on everything that had water in it..even the pee pot was frozen.
Curtains on your windows would make a big difference , helping to keep the cold out and warmth in. Have a wonderful Chrismas season!
Very true.
Even old blankets will work in a pinch it's definitely make a noticeable difference
I think shutters would make a big difference just in the loft on that small window.
Thermal curtains are excellent.
Yes they do
I was one who commented on your vapour barrier in your previous video but I only meant to help by giving the suggestion of using something like chicken wire to allow moisture to escape. Thank you for explaining and you're right, if you're not continually heating the cabin it may not ever cause a problem. I also want you to know that I really enjoy your videos and your unique approach to solving problems as well as your ability to take "free" and natural materials and create amazing projects. All the best Slim and please know that I always have respect for you. Cheers
You were one of many. It was a general statement. Thanks! SP
One of the things I enjoy about your videos is the “can do” attitude you have. More of us need to think that way.
I had spray foam added to my garage/shop/loft last summer. It made a huge difference in keeping the areas cool, so much so that I barely used my ceiling fans, which I used to run all the time, and never needed my heat pump's A/C function at all. An added benefit was that all the bees and wasps couldn't find their way in any more. Looking forward to this winter to see how much a difference it makes. Note: It cost me $15,000 to have it professionally done, but, that's why I worked for 47 years and saved my money. I'm trying to spend it now on quality of life before inflation eats it all away.
PS As a model railroader, all those scraps of foam are like gold. We always seem to need more of it for scenery projects.
I had a crawl space done. MAN what a difference
Closed cell prevents ALL moisture migration
The best part is that, if you use the right spray-foam, it will act as an additional structural member in your home. So that if you have the ability to plan ahead when building your home, you can mitigate some of the installation cost of the spray-insul. @@reidcrosby6241
I love you Slim. Thank-you for being you. Your are a good teacher. You are a gentleman. Such a rare person these days. Godspeed my friend.
Just wanna say you do a great job on your videos and I enjoy watching you combat problems with smart no nonsense thinking.
Watching Slim shovel snow from his deck and other places reminds me after living in Alaska for more than 50 years and finally moving south I don’t care if I never see a snowflake again. I’ve seen enough snow in my lifetime.
I admire the way you live.You help keep the rest of us from going insane.
Wow, the cabin has come so far since you first walked in. Your skill and resourcefulness are truly amazing. Also, really appreciate how much work you put into the videoing and editing. It is National Geographic quality.
Vapour barrier should always be on the living space side whether heated or cooled, to keep moisture out of the insulation. The "out" side should have a permeable membrane like Tyvek house wrap to let moisture vent out from the insulation. Love the content, keep it up Slim!
Very true.
It's to keep moisture out of the insulation.
Humans make moisture.
@@JamesHaitch yes, plus cooking, showers, laundry, etc.
Slim, you have an amazing ability to make something like installing insulation interesting!Nice relaxing video to start my day. Thanks
Slim! Read your stove manual about the catalyst function and keeping it in good working order. On mine there were significant scary warnings about burning anything that wasn’t wood. In addition, specific warnings about sawdust logs, pellets and other assorted logs. Your’s may be different, and I know you research all this stuff well. Good luck!
canwick hardwood logs are great id be worried more about burning so much softwood
We just try to make sure the wood is at least 2 years split and stacked before burning. You get heat by weight from wood, so more heat from hardwood than softwood. But our airtight stove burns either happily as long as it’s dry. You can speed up the dry time if it’s in the sun with some wind
Hi Slim. I'm glad the cabin is coming on well. I live just a few miles away from where the Original Ovaltine factory once stood in Kings Langley Hertfordshire England. Next to the factory still stands the original Ovaltine Egg farm that housed the chickens that supplied the eggs for the factory. The original factory has stood here since 1913 and consisted of just 13 people. As with all things it came to an end and when the factory closed it was quickly converted to luxury Apartments. Horlicks is another great Malt drink but I'm not sure if they sell that in your country. 👍
I did the exact same thing with the Computer Fan to drive heat around my camper and it worked....You may also want to try getting a couple of heater registers cut the size hole on each side of the walls and install the registers....you may find that the heat may just creep it way through the registers and go right into the bedroom. They also sell registers with fans built in.
Great video Slim. You have done a fine job remodeling that cabin from when you first purchased it. I really have enjoyed watching your progress. Possibly the 8 to 10 hour burn as advertised was for all 3 logs combined. Truth in advertising, sort of.
👍👍👍👍👍😀, That styrofoam insulation price is nuts for a few sheets.
I made new curtains for my older RV and used black out lining to keep the heat of the sun out in the summer. I was amazed at how well they kept the heat inside this last winter in zero temperatures in Tennessee in January.
LOL! Yes winter is here as I Iook out at the heavy snow falling in Northern Vermont!
Thank you for converting temperatures & currency for U.S. values. Makes understanding easier.
We live in the California Sierra north of Yosemite National Park, where most folks heat with wood and have full solar power for electricity and propane for cooking. Thankfully our place is well insulated, so we burn fewer cords of oak firewood.
On the issue of the insulation, we always insulate with the consideration that should we sell our place the new owners won't have to remove the sheetrock and do it for full time occupation. We always like sleeping in a cold bedroom.
Years ago, when we got home delivered newspapers we would save them, and come summer roll them up tight into a log, then soak in water, and set outside to dry. They would dry really tight and would burn for hours, and it was a good way to recycle the newspapers. 🙂
You must add skirting Slim. A lot of the cold comes in from the floor, as the freezing air circulates under the house. And it will keep the critters off, too.
If you add skirting, line the pieces with reflectix, it makes a big difference.
To avoid damages to your canoe, turn it keel up for the duration of the winter. Also, consider insulating the ceiling joist, which are part of the heated envelope, and not the roof decking in the crawl space. Roof decking can contribute to condensation and mould.
Morning Slim from Minnesota
Mornin Minnie!
Good morning, Slim!
Morning Tom!
Hi Slim, good job on your renos and cleanup 🤜🏻🤛🏼
If ever you get your hands on a few oak logs, reserve those for the night, best stove heat I've ever had.
Cabin looks nice, Slim! Things are really coming together in the little cabin. I know you're loving that woodstove.
Every single time you show the front door of the cabin, I am in awe that it's the same place. It's so attractive now. Good idea to insulate, even though it's not meant for full time residence. The inside is certainly prettier too - especially with that view. Let's face it, with a lovely view, the inside will always play 2nd fiddle, yet the place gets nicer all the time.
Always beautiful videos, can't miss your notification while being busy! Thank you Sir,
Judging by the flames it appears that your damper is wide open. You need to dampen the air intake to slow down the burning process, both intake and exhaust. All the heat being generated it going up your flue.If you stoke up the firebox with enough good quality wood (not pine) and dampen the stove properly it will keep you warm as toast for most of the night.
Agree it often looks like hes burning incorrectly but then again you should not burn softwood and expect much heat and a clean chimney
Shocked on the cost of the insulation sheets! Good idea with the dryer hose. Thanks, love that wood burning stove!!
Who would’ve thought watching Slim shovel his deck would be more entertaining than anything on tv
I find it interesting that you consider your cabin to be a summertime cabin for you. Since you are such a winter time camper, I would think that your cabin would be right up your alley all year long. It getting down to 40 degrees F is nothing compared to camping in your trailer. Maybe just change out your sleeping bag to your colder temp bag. Love your cabin.
Wow I love watching your shows and now I get to watch it first haha posted 8 seconds ago
Sweet home man... Nice work... Your are one Man army.... Christmas decoration anything special... Please hang on the Xmas star in your home outside... But power supply just problem... But your battery in power to Xmas star... Super man 👌👍
Try a heavy coat of car wax on your solar panels. Keeps frost from sticking. Clear plastic also works well.
Rain X is best
Learn from my grandma, frame a 12 x 12 room , kitchen with the stove as heat and put in a swinging door, house was 50, kitchen was 80, we slept on the kitchen floor in snowstorms
Really filling and shutting that stove down before going to bed is key.
12/12/2023 9:04PM EST. I stacked 2” x 8” x
16” concrete paving blocks up both sides of my stove. Definitely keeps my place much warmer for an for an extended period of time after the fire goes out during the late night hours. Once the blocks get hot they retain the heat a lot longer the the metal of the stove.
I recalled a couple things. 1). Pine cones are high in creosote, & best for outdoor campfires (they spark a lot, though). It builds up in pipes & chimneys to cause many flue fires. 2). In old schools there would be a glass window (forgot name) above a door. Rising heat would travel through it, when open, & ceiling fan was on (to down-push the hotter air). Hope this is helpful. Ty & love the cabin!
Those are transom windows.
Glass window was called a transom : )
a transome?
The word you forgot is transom. Very common in pre-WWII buildings and made for nice ventilation. Terrible for privacy though since everything could be heard in the hallway.
I think it's called a transom window/passage.
At 11:58 in the video looking past you, there is a beautiful looking area. As a woodworker, you have gotten my respect I’m not a computer person. If there was an email you could send me without everybody else seeing it I would send you pictures of my truck, that I will be moving into here in the US. I would someday really like to meet you, and at 59 years old, i’m just a regular guy if that matters lol lol lol
When not travelling in our RV we live in an off grid cabin heated with a woodstove similiar to yours. Regulating wood heat and having it last is an art. For long lasting overnight warmth a single log, natural or manufactured, will not cut it. Trick is to load your stove with several pieces and dampen it down right away. It will smolder and burn slowly, not getting too hot, leaving a nice bed of coals in the morning.
Styrofoam SM, although a HUGE improvement over nothing, does not present a large R value compared to fiberglass or roxul insulation, so the expectations need to be realistic. The good news is, woodstove performance can easily and cheaply compensate for lower R value insulation!....added bonus is it keeps the snow from building up on your roof! Lol
Great video, enjoy cabin life!
40.9 F Inside? Yeah. time to throw another log on the fire! Brisk. And, 8.4 F outside (assuming maybe at 4 AM it was down to 0 F. The fact that the cabin kept or bottomed out at 40 F (with the stove basically out of fuel), over-all the cabin had enough R-Value that it did not lose 100% of the heat battle. Totally agree. If you put on more wood, willing to bet, the cabin would maintain in the high 50 F or better. And, kinda agree with some comments, Windows are a huge loss of heat (replacing all windows with modern windows) can help decrease heat loss substantially. Also, love the idea of sleeping in the loft.
Thanks, Slim....I always look forward to your videos.
Have to say...that cabin is looking great
Love your cabin. You’ve done a most excellent job with your renovations.
He saved it, if it was not for him it would have most likely feel apart.
It's good the addition foundation has a chance to settle.
Mr. Potatohead, I never comment on your videos, although I watch all of them and have since the beginning of your channel!! I enjoy all of them…. Doesn’t matter if your working on the cabin, truck, camper, or if your camping! You manage to make your videos quite interesting!! I’m wondering what your background was prior to retirement?? You’re very talented, seems like you can do anything! I have two favorite channel’s, yours and “ Diyfferent”. You remind me of Doug from “ Diyfferent”. He can also do anything!! Yes, that is the correct spelling of their channel!! Your cabin is coming along nicely! A cozy little retreat for you!! ❤❤❤ Blessings to you!!
I also watch Dyfferent lol 😊
They both really are alike. Their thought process is different than most. And ideas are always surprising.
Morning Slim! Thanks for giving us a great way to kick off a Monday!
Cabin looks "Beautiful" and very Cozy ! Thank you for all your post. A great escape from our reality .We need this. Thanks !
Awe I’m going to miss the renovation videos! But looking forward to your travels. I love how simplistic you are, always satisfied without much.
Hey, Slim! I really like the fireside chat format. Very relaxing to watch.
Good video Slim, and the more insulation the better, also the vapor barrier "ALWAYS" goes on the warm side and yours is correct. If you can get some good seasoned hardwood your heating issue would be cured, I also have a cabin and it will stay warm all night burning hard maple, oak or beech.
Nice video Slim! I sure wish that I could shovel my deck as fast as I saw you do yours!! 😂
WOW,You,ve Done so Much to Improve Your Place on the Water,Little by little Coming out NICE!!!!!!
The computer fan idea for heat sounds awesome. I love computer fans.
Cabin is looking great Slim!
hopefully make small space upstairs for a twin-size mattress, to sleep up in the rising warmth. All very well done!!!!!
Good morning slim
Good Morning Jason!
Clever idea about the dryer hose/computer fan heater! I’ll look forward to seeing it!! Merry Christmas from Fort Wayne🎄🌲🎄
Venting hot air from stove into other areas is good idea, my parents house has this built into the ceiling, but the stove is a different kind, some sort of two chambers, one for fireplace and the back chamber for heat extraction with an opening for a pipe duct fitted with fans.
I confess for a second I half expected to see you slide down the hill in the canoe ;-)
Slim is so handy love his little projects
We flew over NE Canada on our way back from Scotland. It is all frozen up there! Take care!
Definitely window curtains they say you lose 70% of your heat through exposed glass ( that may not be accurate) but it would be interesting to test it on your channel and find out maybe like a Mythbursters segment cheers
Tony from Sydney Australia footnote : it was 42 deg Celsius here yesterday.
You're really good at cutting those irregular shapes to size.
Awesome work Slim, Remember no matter what all the internet know it alls say, in the end it is your cabin and your money so do what you want and let all them go pound sand!!!
A nice bed of coals with some substantial sized hardwood logs and you might really notice a difference in overnight heating.
The built up bed of hot coals will keep the stove radiating heat and keep the seasoned hardwood burning.
Eucalyptus is good as well but probably requires more frequent pipe cleaning.
Fruit wood burns nice and hot as well. Sometimes it can be found offered free from orchardmen.
It's important also to play with the stove settings; air intake and flue dampener.
The least amount of air being allowed into the firebox via the intake, the longer your wood will last burning.
Adjusting the damper down will help adjust it in this respect, as well. Be sure to leave the damper open enough so as to allow enough smoke to exit up the chimney and not in your room.
It's a fine little dance but can make your wood burn substantially longer.
Another consideration with air intake/exhaust control is the chunk of wood you've put in hoping to make it last as long as possible. It's size, type, amount it's seasoned, even if they're is enough coals to keep it burning (sometimes 2 pieces of wood will burn better as you know).
A little practice and it'll be 2nd nature.
Wouldn't sealing any cold airflow from outside the rafters with plastic sheeting next to the insulation also make a temperature difference in your favor?
I've insulated the ceiling here in my cabin. Also below the floor.
Doing the roof in foam sheets sounds good. Probably last forever compared to rolls.
Such an inside mess tho.
I haven't figured out how to wrangle the mess doing it outside on the deck or backyard.
Cheers!
HEY! Good morning Slim and thumbs UP!!
Good morning!
!
Building code requires r30 in a vaulted ceiling and r21 in a vertical wall. It would help.
And the vapor barrier should be on the side with the conditioned (heated) space. Itkeeps moisture from breathing and perspiration as well as cooking from absorbing into the insulation.
It’s probably more than that in the ceiling where he is. I live in Alaska and most people here have more the R-40. I have R-59 and R-40 walls. I use Acoustic Seal where my ceiling and walls vapor barrier come together to seal them together. If he had run a small bead of foam around the edges on the wall before he put the foam in it would have sealed the edges some.
Some people stuff all the edges and gaps when possible with --wool to create a thicker barrier.
Idk but I live in Northern BC rural small town, gets about -25c with a few feet of snow, this year considerably milder, just a dusting of snow so far. My house is 75 years old, tar flat roof with a slight angle, no attic. Not sure what the insulation is, maybe rockwool (or newspaper) and I don't see a moisture barrier (don't think they used plastic back then), no mold.
The outside has 1 1/2" board and baton, tar paper covering slat boards and inside covered in 3/4 " plywood (they never plastered it), its thick enough (insulating). The plywood alone is worth more than the house, lol. All the wood was milled on site. Huge beams (basement). Well built, all original (except flooring, bathroom, plumbing, electrical).
Anyhow, house stays warm in winter (natural gas heat) pipes never freeze, cool in summer and it can get hot. South facing. Originally it had an oil furnace and a wood/coal ccok stove (the brick chimney is now covered.
Wood stoves, fireplaces double the insurance cost! Can't be bothered cutting wood or fetching it in the cold.
Slim has done a great job, love his cabin!
He address that in the video why he put it on the outside as he don't live there only in the summer
Hey there slim Im tuning in from Scotland , great video hope you have a good Xmas 😊
Hey Slim I've been watching for a couple of years and LOVE your videos! I'm an RV-er like you, solo, and love to adventure like you do. I live in the Washington DC area now but grew up in the countryside south of Fredericton New Brunswick. Your move to NB got me even more interested it your videos! We heated our house with a wood fired forced air furnace. It's an odd beast I haven't seen in any other house. We used to heat the house to 80-ish degrees and put a couple of BIG (in diameter) logs onto a hot bed of a mature fire before going to bed. BIG was important. Temp would fall by AM, but still reasonable and the fire would always be revivable with no effort. Try experimenting with the number, size and amount of moisture in those last 'logs' you put on the fire.
Hi! thanks for the vid :)
If I can politely do a recommendation, you should cap your joists. Its a practice used for decks but since they'll be out for the winter, it cant hurt and is fairly cheap ;)
Slim I’m always amazed by the free or discounted materials you get. You started with fixer upper and made it into a beautiful Cabin! Thanks 🌲🏚️🌲
Great video, Slim! See you next week ❤
Where are you that I'll see you next week? I'm in the Southwest US, but this video is several months old! SP
@@SlimPotatohead oh my bad 😂
of course in the summer the attic will be hot. when we are talking about the warm side we refer to the heated side of the building. just trying to save you issues down the road.
I'm really enjoying these cabin videos. You present things well. Bob Villa would be jealous.
45 years in construction clean as you go scraps in a g-- can with bag liner time saver wish I had a place like that
Enjoyed! Thanks Slim.
Just remember heat rises to the top .. 🤔 .. Merry Christmas and have a blessed new year
Love that series. Cheers Slim!
Considering how little you fueled the stove, the result seems quite good. The whole inner of the cabin has to get up from that initial -6C, what is essentially a freezer. I would tried an initial good „warm up“
Slim, come down to Arizona for the winter. It's cold at night but really nice during the day - 65 to 75 degrees F during the day!
If I would have known that you were going to show snow on the video, I would have started watching when my coffee was hot!
One trick I learned on clearing frozen windshields - I would guess that it would also work on solar panels - is to use a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water. It's basically 50% rubbing alcohol, spray it on and let it sit for a minute or so and then it should be melting the snow or ice. I am not sure if that's recommended for solar panels, though.
My stepdad had a house at the beach in Oregon; two story, bought it when the contractor was mostly done building it and had him add an addition on it (two story with loft). There was a wood stove in the house and he had the contractor install a HVAC duct pipe, had a thermostat at the top with a fan, that drew the warm air down once it hit mid-60's degrees up there, and blow it out just above floor level on the ground floor. It was a pretty good system for heating the house through the winter; they only used it occasionally when they wanted to escape the city; more in the summer when (to use my mom's term) "God's air conditioner" was running (=fog at the beach) and it was hot in the city. They did keep the house around 50 degrees or so through the colder months when not there.
Great way to start the week! Thanks Slim!
I think some interlocking boxcar wood would look great on that ceiling. And may help a MINOR amount with heat. Of course, that is more time and money. Considering a 30 degree temp differential, I would say this is worthwhile. I grew up with a woodstove, and my dad was very particular about the cords of wood we bought for the reasons you are experiencing. It had to be the right hardwood and seasoned just right. Otherwise someone would have to wake up in the night to add more. On the coldest of nights, this was still inevitable.
U have done a beautiful job on ur cabin. I luv it!!! Its a good thing u can do the work urself. Its always great to be able to do things urself.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I was thinking about messaging you this morning that I think a video needs to to uploaded. And here you are. Awesome. Stay warm
Good to see you again my friend. I love the look of your cabinet faces. Stay warm and see you next time.
Betty Bear
I have a feeling that the burn time for those logs was for the whole package!
Either way, solid bust what was claimed on the wrapper!
See you next time Slim!
Cabin is looking great!!
great stuff Slim thanks
Awesome content as always.Thanks for sharing and taking us along
I'm jealous. We just keep getting rain. Rather have snow.
Thanks for the video Slim, stay warm!
Enjoying the progress! Merry Christmas Slim.
thanks slim merry christmas and a happy new year!!!!
The cabinets are beautiful ❤
Like you said you aren't using it much in the winter but you might consider a backup propane or pellet stove heater, those could be set to turn on when it gets below 55 or 60 so that you don't wake up to a frozen cabin. Love the videos.