Needless to say, our ancestors did not worry too much about their heating wooden houses. Large fireplaces had no problems warming up the one or two rooms in which they lived. Of course, now that log homes are family-sized, people often feel 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.
Almost all log homes are built with at least a chimney. Initially, we thought that our beautiful stone in soapstone wood stove would heat the whole house, and we would use our heat-forced air propane as a backup. Unfortunately, we were all wrong. Because we have a cathedral ceiling with a large loft, the heat of the stove goes directly upstairs, which takes two ceiling fans to circulate the warm air. We expected this, but we also thought the heat would expand sideways into the rest of the space open floor (dining room and kitchen). Not on your life! Even sitting on the couch about 15 feet from the stove, I need a blanket. They are cold uncomfortable in the kitchen. I think if we had a normal roof, the heat may have gone where we expected, but the volume of the cathedral ceiling threw away our calculations. In addition, the soapstone stove is designed to run 24/7, and because we both work for a living, the stove will not be fired until the evening. This wood-burning stove must be heated slowly with the risk of breaking the stone, so for the moment is really cooking we are ready to go to bed.
Old-style fireplaces traditionally sucked all the hot air out of the room, but modern designs are more efficient at heat recirculation. The most energy efficient fireplace is built in the center of the house, so that the heat stack is not lost to the outside. external batteries can create back drafts if the fire goes out, a new, more difficult to focus the light. If you are planning more fireplaces, putting two of them back-to-back (opposite connecting rooms) it will give you the opportunity to build a fireplace with two chimneys. Or you could put a chimney above the furnace, allowing once again two flues in the chimney. A direct-vent fireplace will eliminate the chimney, but you will have to figure out how to hide the hole in the outer wall. Or, if you use a wood-burning oven, you can run the pipe through the wall and up the outside, building a box around the pipe to simulate a chimney. Depending on the look you want, you can decide to leave the pipe inside the room and send it through the roof. This will give more heat.
It 'a good idea to consider your heating and cooling requirements early in the design phase. Although the wooden houses are naturally low energy consumption, it is not wise to skimp on your system. You may be able to heat the whole house with a huge fireplace or wood stove, but the City will probably have to meet minimum standards before issuing a building permit. In addition, you must consider the resale value. I know of one person who tried to sell a million dollars to craft log home without a furnace, and as you might suspect, the buyer has not arrived. The house was listed as finite, and the installation of the heating system after the fact is too daunting task. A similar problem exists when you try to exit without central air conditioning. Yes, log houses remain cooler in summer, but those "dog days" of August may give you a perfectly miserable night's sleep, and a potential buyer probably will not be as tolerant as the original owner. In fact, our mortgage company would not consider granting a construction loan if you are not equipped with central air conditioning.
If you want to save channeling space, you can use the heat forced air, with the same channeling of air conditioner service. Propane or oil are usually the fuel of choice in rural areas. If your interior wall space is limited, there are companies that specialize in small, high-pressure duct systems that fit in tight corners; these systems usually require a much higher initial installation cost. When using traditional channeling, you want to keep the corners to a minimum, so that helps to design the first floor walls that comfortably carry the air up to the second floor. An open floor plan offers a challenge, because you need to keep in mind that the rooms upstairs need to be heated in some way, and you will need both the supply and return openings to create an efficient air flow. If you want to use the full log interior walls, you will have to find another way to run the ductwork, electrical, and plumbing. We made this mistake, and there are no vents return enough air in our bedroom. The air is stuffy in summer, even with the windows open.
Where the openings to go? Since all of our exterior walls are filled with logs, many of our mouths were placed in the floor. If the interior walls are drywall or male-female, you can put the vents where they normally go. One thing I wish we had done was go over the plan with the contractor HVAC, because he put the vents in places I found most uncomfortable. Sometimes it can be helped, and sometimes you can not.
If you do not mind-energy and prefers to leave the thermostat at a minimum, is that the south-facing side of the house of logs tends to be warmer than the northern exposure. Because the sun tends to sink closer to the horizon in a winter afternoon, it is advantageous to arrange your large windows facing south; During the summer, the sun will cross above the roof, so you do not overheat your home. However, it is possible that the north side of the house - that you will not 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, underfloor heating spreads the heat evenly throughout the house, eliminating the blues of the north-south. With radiant floor heating, you must maintain constant thermostat all the time; the system was not designed to be turned down when you go to work. Furthermore, it is possible to use the boiler to heat the hot water, as well, eliminating the need for a hot water heater. On the other hand, you will still need to install ductwork for air conditioning.
Overall, the same considerations apply as in the regular construction. We thought we could get with one heating zone and cooling, but in retrospect, the two areas we would have solved a lot of problems. In the long run, it's cheaper to do it properly in the first place. Retrofitting a log home is not going to be a breeze!
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