12 Year old home with no permanent heat

[Scott R Marshall]

Is the house designed for passive solar heat?

Walter,


I am assuming you mean does the home have southern exposure. It does but there are some rooms within the home which would have limited exposure to direct sunlight including both bathrooms, 2 of the 3 bedrooms and the kitchen. Is the solar gain from what is southerly exposed sufficient? I don't know other than to say that some rooms were markedly colder.

 

[Walter Kirk]

The type of passive solar design I'm asking about would consist of a southern exposure plus some kind of mass ( concrete, stone or water) to absorb the heat and reflect it later. Normally this type of design would include a greenhouse style space on the southern exposure.

 

[Oh No Not Him]

Has the property been lived in for the past twelve years? If so, maybe the pellet stove is adequate? I appraised an older farmhouse, circa 1890 in ND once with a kerosene stove in the LR as the only heat source, the property was a 2 story with vents between floors which allowed the heat to rise to the second story. It was a VA loan so I called and was informed that if the heat source worked for the past 100+ years it was good enough for them.

Check with the city/county to see if there is anything in their code on central heat, if not maybe the pellet stove is enough?

I think VA stance is enough heat to keep areas with plumbing at least 50 degrees.

 

[CANative]

FHA requires central heat in all but parts of south Florida.

I don't think that is an accurate statement.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

I don't think that is an accurate statement.

me neither. As I recall, they require that the house have a properly vented thermostatically controlled heat source and that could be a space heater... but not a portable space heater. I see the fire trucks stopping at my neighbors as I write... 2nd fire in last few years... He has a wood stove with the flue stuck thru a window.., still living in the house after setting the attic on fire because of the unlined brick flue. He was warned to fix the flue years before the first fire... no surprise. Hope no one gets hurt but he is an idiot.