Poor neighbors!
This windstorm had an unusual wind direction, lots of trees fell.
I need to thaw my chicken waterer with hot water every morning.
Power has been gone for two days.
Finally got the power back after 3 days.
Inside house is 46 degrees F (8 degrees C) after 2 hours.
54F after 4 hours!
Anybody knows if a gas fireplace with fake logs would retain more of the heat in the house, than one with a bare flame?
To first order, I would expect more radiative heat, and less heat escaping in the updraft.
Fortunately my gas water heater works fine when electric power is out.
@viking Guh! Fell sorry for you and your family. Power outages during winter storms are the worst.
Thanks!
We were lucky we could stay with some friends that have a generator.
Good synergy, I have a 4WD SUV with studded tires, so I could make the resupply trips to get gas for the generator.
@viking I heard about this only from a caller on another show I watch. Glad you finally have power! Caller described it as apocalyptic ice storm.. old people suffering... pray
It was just cold (for Oregon), with 15 degrees for a few days, right after a wind storm.
The ice is coming now, it is about 29 degrees, but the roads are so cold that we get freezing rain.
So I am hoping the freezing rain doesn't weigh down so many trees that we get more power outages.
@viking I don't have any proof one way or another but my dad has one with fake logs in his basement (where I sleep when I visit) and even in the winter, I turn it off as soon as I can because it will keep the room warm all night. If I don't turn it off early enough, I'm laying there sweating all night.
@viking Your instinct is correct. The ceramic logs help retain and radiate heat better than just a bare flame.
@squeakyfrog @viking I've lived in houses with both and the gas fireplace with ceramic logs is way more efficient. The updraft on a regular fireplace steals a lot of the heat.
Curve ball, my in-laws have a fireplace that is some cross between a fireplace and a wood burning stove that has ducting built around it and THAT is efficient. A few logs and the house is super toasty.
Bear flames retain the most heat, but always have a fire extinguisher handy for safety purposes.