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When you say 'barn', I would assume that the structure is entirely uninsulated. On the inside can you see the studs? if they are exposed, that will greatly ease the process of installing insulation.
If you select to have a boiler, or not, is entirely your choice. I don't think the square footage of a structure is really a determining factor in having a boiler.
It's going to be gutted to the studs and the ceiling lowered so that will make insulating/sealing much easier. I'm also going to install the best pellet stove I can afford in the main room/kitchen (30'x40'). The bedrooms/bath (410 sq. feet total) is separated from the main room by a wall. One question I have...does a conventional heat pump/heat strip/ ducted HVAC system make sense for Maine? There's no basement so all the ductwork would have to be run overhead.
... One question I have...does a conventional heat pump/heat strip/ ducted HVAC system make sense for Maine?
I have lived in homes with ducted HVAC systems.
They seem to make the most sense when combined with a large Whole house A/C unit. The ducting can recirculate air throughout the house, and the ducting can be fed by either A/C compressor or a furnace. In that case, the primary issue shifts to how do you plan to wipe down the inside of the ducting. [We owned one house where the ducting was filled with cobwebs and mold]
I have seen Maine homes that have ductwork to circulate air, but they are only fed from a furnace.
The two homes that come most readily to my mind, both have a furnace in the basement, and the forced air ducting takes its input from directly above the furnace, and blows forced air throughout the house.
Something that is generally a lot more efficient is radiant heated floors. They run PEX tubing loops across the floor. It can be done above the floor, or it can be done below the floor. If done above the floor, it will usually raise the level of your floor by one inch.
My house has a radiant heated floor. It is a single big loop. Our primary woodstove heats water, and that heated water circulates through a thermal bank in the crawl space, which then circulates through the PEX loop, and evenly heats the entire floor of our house.
When your floor is heated, you feel warm. Even if the air in your house measures cool you will still feel warm so long gas your feet are kept warm.
If you are trying to keep the air mass warm, then sometimes when it is cold and windy, when you front door opens. You will notice that cold air blows in and sucks all our warm air outside. A front door being open for just a minute could be enough to suck out all the warmth that you had generated.
However I have witnessed the case where with a heated floor, it can be -20F and windy, but when the front door opens the house does not lose its warmth.
They seem to make the most sense when combined with a large Whole house A/C unit. The ducting can recirculate air throughout the house, and the ducting can be fed by either A/C compressor or a furnace. In that case, the primary issue shifts to how do you plan to wipe down the inside of the ducting. [We owned one house where the ducting was filled with cobwebs and mold]
I have seen Maine homes that have ductwork to circulate air, but they are only fed from a furnace.
The two homes that come most readily to my mind, both have a furnace in the basement, and the forced air ducting takes its input from directly above the furnace, and blows forced air throughout the house.
Something that is generally a lot more efficient is radiant heated floors. They run PEX tubing loops across the floor. It can be done above the floor, or it can be done below the floor. If done above the floor, it will usually raise the level of your floor by one inch.
My house has a radiant heated floor. It is a single big loop. Our primary woodstove heats water, and that heated water circulates through a thermal bank in the crawl space, which then circulates through the PEX loop, and evenly heats the entire floor of our house.
When your floor is heated, you feel warm. Even if the air in your house measures cool you will still feel warm so long gas your feet are kept warm.
If you are trying to keep the air mass warm, then sometimes when it is cold and windy, when you front door opens. You will notice that cold air blows in and sucks all our warm air outside. A front door being open for just a minute could be enough to suck out all the warmth that you had generated.
However I have witnessed the case where with a heated floor, it can be -20F and windy, but when the front door opens the house does not lose its warmth.
Thanks for the info-I hadn't even considered radiant heat. Seeing how a slab has to be poured and flooring installed, this would work if my budget allows. Other than a somewhat high initial installation cost, I've only heard good things about it.
Thanks for the info-I hadn't even considered radiant heat. Seeing how a slab has to be poured and flooring installed, this would work if my budget allows. Other than a somewhat high initial installation cost, I've only heard good things about it.
Radiant flooring can be installed on top of a cement slab, it will raise the finished floor about one inch.
If you knew that you were going to install a radiant floor, before the slab was poured there is a specific technique that they would do. To isolate the slab from diverting heat into the ground. But even if that is not done, it is still a huge benefit.
Starting from scratch (unlike the OP with the oil fired boiler) ...
absolutely go with a ducted forced WARM air system.
That's where they hide the comfort.
1) imo... As the primary heat source you really want natural gas. Everyone. Everywhere.
Fuel oil has been the long standing alternate if/when gas in not available in the boonies.
2) imo ... using standard AC equipment (NOT a heat pump) will serve you better over time.
hth
Starting from scratch (unlike the OP with the oil fired boiler) ...
absolutely go with a ducted forced WARM air system.
That's where they hide the comfort.
1) imo... As the primary heat source you really want natural gas. Everyone. Everywhere.
Fuel oil has been the long standing alternate if/when gas in not available in the boonies.
2) imo ... using standard AC equipment (NOT a heat pump
) will serve you better over time.
hth
There is a long pipeline [originally installed by the Air Force to pump jet fuel from Searsport to Loring] that was recently converted to pumping Natural gas from Loring down to Bangor. This pipeline crosses my farm.
Some of the municipalities around Bangor now have access to Canadian Natural gas.
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