The heat here is from the floor, and consists of water running through pipes embedded in the concrete floor you are standing on. This means a couple of things:
- It can take a few hours to feel a difference if you change the thermostat- be patient, the whole concrete slab has to catch up!
- You are likely to be more comfortable at a lower house temperature than at home- the floor being the warmest part will radiate heat upward making you feel more comfortable at 66-72 degrees.
- A big part of the heat in the house comes from passive solar radiation through the windows, so keeping the blinds open in the living room and office during a clear day will make the house nice and toasty, and it will stay that way well into the night.
- On really cold nights, the fireplace can make the living room much more comfortable
- use a about two of the firestarter squares under a couple pieces of kindling layed against a larger log and you will have a good fire in no time
- Please don't burn anything other than the fire starters and the logs provided, since it could clog up the chimney and become a hazard.
- If the flames start to get high enough to go up the chimney, you can turn down the air using the slider above the stove door- toward the left is less air.