Friday, November 2, 2012

Wood Heat

The chimney is smokin. This was immediately after starting the stove. Once the fire gets going good, there really is not much noticeable smoke at all.
The stove and pipe and all, right before lighting it. Thought it might be wise to get a before picture, you know, just in case there ended up being no after picture. If ya know what I mean.
Well it all seems to be working pretty good so far. My furnace has'nt kicked on all day, since this thing has been going. Seriously, bring on the cold, I can't wait. This wood stove came with a blower attached, but I really can't see me using it much. I purchased one of those eco fans, and it seems to work just fine.
One thing I have always wondered about, is if I could cook supper on one of these. Not sure if it is the smartest thing to do or not, but the answer is yes, I can cook supper on it. I did the broccoli in the microwave for 2 minutes though. Very nice supper. Fried potatoes, onions and garlic and a cheese burger with onions, dill pickles, cheddar cheese and ketchup, and the steamed broccoli. Life is good.
My ceiling fan. The house is pretty cozy right now. A couple hours ago I put in a rather large piece of wood and turned the air down. It is still keeping the whole house pretty much maybe a tiny bit too hot. The temp outside is -2Celcius. This stove is going to be nice when that -40 stuff comes. But then, who knows, maybe it will give me trouble trying to get a good draft started up the chimney, being so long and outside the house. Today it started up pretty nice.
Traction don't seem to mind the new heat system at all, so far.


Disclaimer--IMPORTANT


This is a personal blog, mainly for my own use. I am building a house with my own two hands, but I am learning alot of things as I go. I do not claim to know what I am doing, or if anything I do is even close to being done correctly or safely. So please, if you are planning on using any of my ideas or methods for your own use, please get professional advice before actually following through with your actions. I will not be held responsible for any injuries or damages of any kind caused by information or comments from this blog.

20 comments:

  1. Great milestone dude...long way from that little jobshack office that you used to visit when you had your place in town. Been watching you for a few years. Enjoy that firebox.!

    Bigfoot in TX

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    1. I did come a long way Bigfoot although I have been pretty slow about it. Gotta correct ya on one thing though, I did'nt just visit that little job shack, that was my fulltime home for the last three years. I periodically visited my place in town, to either maintain, repair or collect the rent.

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  2. Congrats - isn't it lovely when a plan comes together.

    Suggestion - if you're going to use the top of the stove for cooking, perhaps layer a sheet of aluminium foil over the surface and the base of the chimney (as high as the fat splatters)? That way you could just replace the foil when it's dirty / oily, thereby preventing an indoor fire...

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    1. Soundse like a good plan Dani. I probably won't be cooking on it all that much though. Except for maybe some long term simmering or crock pot type goodies occasionally maybe. It's just a little too far from the kitchen and too much up and down the stairs.

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  3. Really impressed with your place Mark. The meal too... :)
    You've got it made!

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    1. Thanks Jeanie, the supper was pretty darned tastey, if I do say so myself. I'm actually quite impressed with how it's coming together so far. I know it's weird, but I can hardly wait for the real cold weather.

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  4. Cool! Glad to see you were finally able to fire it up! One thing, though. Some of those stoves come w/a blower so that the stove doesn't get hot... used as a cooling system. Does your stove come with the option of using the fan or not? We had one similar to this and it was made clear to us we had to have the fan on at all times, otherwise, the stove could get too hot and basically melt. Lots of good that stove did us when the power went out... since we were hooked up to the grid. It was a lesson I'll never forget!! We made sure when we put a stove in this house, there were no cords / blowers attached. lol Love the eco fan. We've seen those at several Amish shops... and they seem to work well! Here's to stayin' cozy!! :)

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    1. Clink! To staying cozy Lynnanne. The stove did come with the blower, but no, it does'nt need to be on. It does'nt say anything like that in the manual anyway. I thought maybe the fan could be a good option, just incase it helped move warm air around the house, but so far the stove seems to bring the upper levels to a nice temp with the eco fan by itself. Sometimes a little too warm if I'm not careful. Had to open some windows in here a couple times. I love the way this stove works, burning real dry wood, and it will last for a long time before having to add more all the time. So far so good, but I could really use some colder weather now.

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    2. Bite your tongue, dude! It's chilly here, but I'm not totally ready for the super cold stuff. But...we are getting some pretty good birds here in the state, from up north. Looks like it's gonna be a good birdwatchin' year! You set any feeders out?

      We have our woodburner going here, and have some of the same issues you mention -- getting a bit too warm at times. I'd like to have a fan like that. Maybe one of these days I'll get back north for a bit and pick one up.

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    3. Lynnanne, my tongue has been bitten. We had a little burst of -20 Celcius, which was cold enough to test it, so I'm good now. The wood stove can keep up pretty easily in that weather. It can warm up now if it wants. I did'nt set any feeders out yet. I still see birds around though. And the squirrels.

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    4. we had a burst of white stuff today. SNOW. ugh. wasn't ready for that cold snap after yesterday's temps in the 60s. i've stayed in all day in the room with the woodburner. nice and toasty here. already looking forward to spring. :)

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    5. We been getting a fair bit of snow too Lynnanne. It's fairly here lately, but it's kinda good for keeping my foods cold I guess. It sure is nice having a woodburner.

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  5. It all looks great Mark! Glad to see you're moved in full-time! I know what a happy feeling that is, even if the house isn't totally finished.

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  6. Thanks Annie. Ya, still got lots to do, but feeling this nice wood heat in the colder temps of today, the house is feeling pretty homey.

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  7. Our woodstove is an older model without fans. But it keeps our cabin nice and warm in the winter. Except for the two downstairs bedrooms (and our new bathroom) the rest is basically all one room (including the loft). It has a medium sized fire box, so won't last all night. But since our cold nights are usually just slightly below zero, we don't bother getting up to restart it until morning. I have done quite a bit of cooking on the stovetop, and even the firebox. There's nothing like a hot baked potato. I wrap it in foil and put it on the ledge just inside the door. Turn it a few times, and depending on how hot the fire is, within 45 minutes you have a great addition to the meal. Here are a few other things http://powellriverbooks.blogspot.com/search?q=woodstove+cooking - Margy

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    1. Hey Margy, good to hear from you again. My stove usually has some coals in it in the morning, but the eco fan is usually barely turning or not turning at all(stove not very hot), but the house itself seems to hold the warmth pretty good until I stoke the fire up in the morning again. I never thought of cooking right inside the stove. lol. Margy, you are a genious, and I just might have to try out some of your wood stove techniques.

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  8. The winter season is near and to make full use of your patio during this season, you might wish to get a patio heater.

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    1. Frances, thanks, but being frugal like I am, I think I'll concentrate more on heating the inside of the house for now.

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  9. Love your blog. Wrote you a long detailed comment which I can't seem to post, not properly accounted/profiled somewhere. Ah, now this shows up. Lovely. Thank you for the inspiration.

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    1. You're welcome Karen. Thanks for your comment. When I can give someone inspiration, it makes me feel good about keeping a blog.

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