TEjedi said:Ok, the stove is only lit in cold weather. I am assuming that the porch room does not have a connection to the household heating system. Assuming these, I feel safe saying that the studs, drywall, air behind the walls, furniture ect... Have all reached thermal equalibrium as a system. Lighting a fire rapidly heats the room air. That heat is then transferred to all the surrounding matter through the usually channels. All the materials that are in contact with the air are going to warm at different rates. The studs are connected to another wall, the outside one. If the air temp outside is cold enough, I'd think under 50f, then the studs simply take longer to warm. Wood is a great insulator, but it also contains water and retains the ability to absorb it even in the afterlife. This could skew the woods heat capacity. The wooden studs absorb the heat that the drywall (at the point of contact) is absorbing. Depending on the conditions, it is plausible that the studs could take a significant amount of time to heat, and until they reach equalibrium they will continue to act like moisture magnets.
Well, I didn't think it made a diff, but ... while not "smokers", they are ... very "frequent flyers".sophiecentaur said:I still wonder whether what you are seeing is actually just 'soot'. I think it's more likely to include tar (sticky) - like you get with cigarette smoke.
sophiecentaur said:Deja vue. See Post 6 etc..
TEjedi said:Sorry Sophie, I was just trying to expand on your intial thoughts with a few additional factors that may better explain the process and still keep it comprehensible. I am still new to the forum and don't quite have a mastery of its general features, like the quote button I plainly see today but somehow missed last night, and apologize for not attributing it to you first.