Home Page link

Heating for cottage, cabin

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Page 2 of 2       << first < 1 2 Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Heating for cottage, cabin Chris 03-01-2007
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by Paul Flansburg on March 1, 2007, 1:56 pm


> Hello,
>
> I have a small cottage (construction in progress) where living during
> the weekends; there is one room, 16' x 24' with a cathedral ceiling,
> 16' high at the top.
> Inside this, is an open (no walls) mezzanine (as bedroom) 16' x 12'.
> For heating I have installed a wood stove and a ceiling fan for air
> circulation.
> As a second option for heating (mainly during the night or when not
> in), I did install baseboards for heating this room with a total power
> of 4000 watts.
> The sizing formula for baseboards, I found from web, is:
> "Required power (in watts) for baseboards is calculated by multiplying
> the number of square feet in a given room by 10."
> Thus a 16 x 24 ft. room (380 sq. ft) will require 3,840 watts of power
> (380 x 10).
> I am using one programmable thermostat which supports 4000 watts.
> I am wondering if this is enough, considering there is a cathedral
> ceiling and living in areas where in winter is cold (Canada).
> If I have to add more heating elements, is it better to add portable
> heaters or another thermostat with new baseboards?
> How many watts should I add for heating elements?
>
> Thank you, Chris

My suggestion would be to go to this web site and pose your question
http://heatinghelp.com/

There are a lot of very good heating guys there.

-paul


Posted by mm on March 1, 2007, 2:26 pm



>
>I am using one programmable thermostat which supports 4000 watts.

No actual experience with anything unusual, but I"m surprised to hear
there would be a limit on the wattage suppported by a thermostat.
After all, all it does it turn on power to a relay. If the relay drew
too much power (which seems unlikey) one could use an acceptable
intermediate relay to provide power to all the other relays/

>I am wondering if this is enough, considering there is a cathedral
>ceiling and living in areas where in winter is cold (Canada).
>If I have to add more heating elements, is it better to add portable
>heaters or another thermostat with new baseboards?

ISTM, it seems to me, that two thermostats can be aproblem if they
aren't set to the same or almost the same temperaturee. At least it
would be a problem if you want to use both systems. If you by accident
set one to a higher temp, it will go on first and might keep the temp
at the other thermostat from ever getting cold enough to turn on.
That might be fully acceptable, but might not be if the first source
of heat costs more than the other, or other reason.

OTOH, if one thermostat is higher and so gets warmer air, it might run
all the time and keep the lower heat source from running, even if set
to the same temperature.

I don't know what is recoemmended.
>How many watts should I add for heating elements?
>
>Thank you, Chris


Posted by Goedjn on March 1, 2007, 2:51 pm



>No actual experience with anything unusual, but I"m surprised to hear
>there would be a limit on the wattage suppported by a thermostat.
>After all, all it does it turn on power to a relay. If the relay drew

That's not always true for electric heat. Some 240V electric heaters
pull line voltage through the thermostat.

>too much power (which seems unlikey) one could use an acceptable
>intermediate relay to provide power to all the other relays/
>




Posted by mm on March 1, 2007, 8:02 pm



>
>>No actual experience with anything unusual, but I"m surprised to hear
>>there would be a limit on the wattage suppported by a thermostat.
>>After all, all it does it turn on power to a relay. If the relay drew
>
>That's not always true for electric heat. Some 240V electric heaters
>pull line voltage through the thermostat.

240 volts up on the wall, or near my shoes, where I might touch it? I
guess I won't be taking apart any electric heat thermostats from now
on.

OK. Didn't know that. One could still use that line voltaghe to
power two other relays. Or to power 3995 watts worth of heat and a
relay to turn on the rest of the heat.

>>too much power (which seems unlikey) one could use an acceptable
>>intermediate relay to provide power to all the other relays/
>>
>
>


Posted by HerHusband on March 2, 2007, 10:54 am


> I'm surprised to hear there would be a limit on the wattage
> suppported by a thermostat. After all, all it does it turn
> on power to a relay.

There are two kinds of thermostats.

"Low Voltage", the most common type that typically run on 24vac and use a
relay to control the actual heater.

and

"Line Voltage", these connect between the electrical source (120V or 240V)
and the heater.

We have line voltage digital thermostats in our house, and the contacts are
limited to 22 amps.

I used 12/2 wire which can support 20 amps, but it has to be "derated" with
electrical heat. So, I kept my total load on each thermostat under 3840
watts (16 amps).

I could have used 10/2 wire to control more wattage with the thermostat,
but I prefer not to max out the circuit or thermostat, and I didn't need to
anyway. We have individual heaters in each room with separate thermostats,
on their own circuits. Most are 2250 watts or less, except for our
kitchen/dining area where I have 3750 watts.

Anthony

Page 2 of 2       << first < 1 2
Similar ThreadsPosted
Septic solution for cottage/cabin February 21, 2007, 1:46 pm
Heating Cottage Crawlspace - Pipes Freezing November 21, 2005, 10:50 am
heating a cottage for year round living February 12, 2008, 4:31 pm
winterizing a cabin September 27, 2008, 6:56 pm
Cabin steps question August 2, 2005, 12:35 pm
Building a cabin, info source? November 26, 2006, 10:31 am
Mice in My Boat Cabin Last Winter July 27, 2007, 11:39 am
Water heater capacity for occational use ski cabin April 13, 2006, 12:05 am
Mint Green: a wild and wicked approach to roofing a cabin August 11, 2007, 12:18 pm
winter use of cottage? October 16, 2005, 8:55 am

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap