Northern weather

[Seaboard Air Line Fan]

It's snowing harder now than at 0800 when I swept the back porch. Looks like 2" have come down since.

Just saw 4 folks and their dog walking down the street...must be looking for that cat!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

It's snowing harder now than at 0800 when I swept the back porch. Looks like 2" have come down since.

Just saw 4 folks and their dog walking down the street...must be looking for that cat!

In search of lunch............

[healey36]

1/2-inch here, tops. Lights are already flickering and the wind is just starting to pick up a bit. Gonna split some firewood just in case...

[Rufus T. Firefly]

1/2-inch here, tops. Lights are already flickering and the wind is just starting to pick up a bit. Gonna split some firewood just in case...

I brought in enough wood for maybe 1/2 a day yesterday. Probably should have split the last of the one pile yesterday, but I succumbed to a severe fit of cold weather induced laziness.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

1/2-inch here, tops. Lights are already flickering and the wind is just starting to pick up a bit. Gonna split some firewood just in case...

I brought in enough wood for maybe 1/2 a day yesterday. Probably should have split the last of the one pile yesterday, but I succumbed to a severe fit of cold weather induced laziness.

Is all that wood chopping done for its picturesque qualities, or is it done for practical must-have reasons? If so, what is the advantage to not having central heating?

For example. I was told, when we first started using the fireplace in our family room, that 90 o/o of its heat goes right up the chimney AND that the draft upward of it causes heat from all the other rooms in the house to head for and travel through the fireplace and up and out the chimney, too. Not a very attractive concept , to me; thus, we rarely use the fireplace, unless we are in a very romantic and picturesque mood. Also, once the fire has been set, we cannot just walk away and go to bed, which we did a couple times, and quickly found out that once the fire is out, the cold from outside comes roaring down the chimney into the whole house, until I crouch down and close the damper (or whatever the damthing is called.)

So, I guess my question is, if you will permit, why do all that chopping? How about turning a thermostat on, as maximum effort? Eh? Huh?

[v8vega]

Wow how do you dust all that stuff?

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Wow how do you dust all that stuff?

My wife enjoys taking care of that task for the non-Holiday décor, though I dust the larger, tall frames for the artworks.
The Christmas decorations are not up long enough to gather dust, that I have noticed.

[robert.]

He that cuts his own wood is twice warmed. Wood burning stoves are a lot better the fireplaces. Maybe Rufus has a cast iron wood stove.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

1/2-inch here, tops. Lights are already flickering and the wind is just starting to pick up a bit. Gonna split some firewood just in case...

I brought in enough wood for maybe 1/2 a day yesterday. Probably should have split the last of the one pile yesterday, but I succumbed to a severe fit of cold weather induced laziness.

Is all that wood chopping done for its picturesque qualities, or is it done for practical must-have reasons? If so, what is the advantage to not having central heating?

Well, it is a practical way of disposing of trees taken down and limbs removed, etc. that also provides heat. It's also good exercise from which one derives a tangible product that benefits one at a later date.

Whenever did I ever state a lack of central heating? We find that on a extremely cold evening (or entire day) that being able to sit and enjoy the heat from the fireplace to be rather pleasant and very warming. This seems particularly so on those wet days of winter rain that seems to drain right into one's bones.

For example. I was told, when we first started using the fireplace in our family room, that 90 o/o of its heat goes right up the chimney AND that the draft upward of it causes heat from all the other rooms in the house to head for and travel through the fireplace and up and out the chimney, too. Not a very attractive concept , to me; thus, we rarely use the fireplace, unless we are in a very romantic and picturesque mood.

You were told? An insert with doors reduces all that greatly and slows the fire so that you get the full benefit of the fireplace. I have just simple glass doors here in VA while in PA I have a larger fireplace with an insert and extension out onto the hearth made of sheet steel - part made by my grandfather and part replaced by me.

Also, once the fire has been set, we cannot just walk away and go to bed, which we did a couple times, and quickly found out that once the fire is out, the cold from outside comes roaring down the chimney into the whole house, until I crouch down and close the damper (or whatever the damthing is called.)

Read above regarding an insert with doors. It's not a problem if done properly - one at my place in PA has been in use over 50 years.

You reach in and touch the damper after a fire, you're going to the ER for major burn.

So, I guess my question is, if you will permit, why do all that chopping? How about turning a thermostat on, as maximum effort? Eh? Huh?

One - that costs about 5-10% increase in your bill per degree raised. Two -- ever lose power in the Winter during a snowstorm? I have and a fire in the fireplace while waiting for the power to be restored in useful. What do you do then? Rely on a generator? For how many days?

[MurphOnMillerAve]

We did have the electricity go out, for a time, once. We used the fireplace for the whole outage, and it seemed to take care of the whole house, especially since we have an open-floor arrangement, for the most part. At least, the pipes of the baseboard heating system did not freeze and break/leak. That was the same winter I learned about staying with the fireplace until its fire was completely exhausted and only ashes; then, I closed the damper, once the electricity was returned, using a couple potholders and pliers.

We had removed the coffee table from in front of the fireplace and put our two sleeping bags there for the whole night and loved every minute of the experience, there.

[healey36]

A wood stove, properly vented and fired, can you run you right out of the house for the heat generated. Newer models tend to be highly efficient, although the older versions are not far behind. The only downside (IMHO) is the dryness of the heat...soon the gaps in your floorboards start to open up and none of the doors will stay closed properly.

I, like Rufus, use an old fireplace with a good glass-doored enclosure and a cast-iron fire-back. While a substantial amount of heat probably does go up the chimney, a goodly amount radiates back into the room as well. Nothing takes the edge off a cold damp evening like sitting in front of a fire.

Now, I do have central-heating. I have both a heat-pump (I won't elaborate on the vagaries of that contraption other than to say it's relatively inexpensive to run, until the outdoor temp falls below twenty-five degrees or so) and an oil-fired boiler with radiators. Neither of these operate in the event of a power outage.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

A wood stove, properly vented and fired, can you run you right out of the house for the heat generated. Newer models tend to be highly efficient, although the older versions are not far behind. The only downside (IMHO) is the dryness of the heat...soon the gaps in your floorboards start to open up and none of the doors will stay closed properly.

Indeed, it can get too hot, but most also install some sort of fan unit. I might consider that in the future.

Regarding the floor - not seen that and hope not to - I installed the floor..........

I, like Rufus, use an old fireplace with a good glass-doored enclosure and a cast-iron fire-back. While a substantial amount of heat probably does go up the chimney, a goodly amount radiates back into the room as well. Nothing takes the edge off a cold damp evening like sitting in front of a fire.

I only wish I had that cast-iron fire-back, but the brick gets plenty hot and holds for quite a while.

[Seaboard Air Line Fan]

My aunt Louise and uncle David lived on a farm near Roanoke Rapids NC, they had a cast iron wood burning stove they used for cooking and heating. That thing would make you sweat but it sure smelled good, and the cooking wasn’t bad either.

What I wouldn’t give some some of their “Chicken Muddle” (Brunswick Stew) right now.

[healey36]

Regarding the floor - not seen that and hope not to - I installed the floor..........

I haven't seen the problem here, but then I'm not burning a wood-stove. I would presume that if the planking is properly cured when installed gapping of the floors would be minimal regardless of humidity.

I only wish I had that cast-iron fire-back, but the brick gets plenty hot and holds for quite a while.

They turn up around here occasionally. Most people don't know what they are when they see them. A few years back it was all the rage to use them decoratively behind the range in the kitchen but I think that has fallen out of fashion. I'll watch for one for you. The one I have I bought from Plow & Hearth using a gift certificate I think my wife won playing bingo. It works but it's kinda small. I use the back side of the grate to keep it standing.

[Mitch]

We haven't fired the fireplace yet this year. We have hot water heat with Amish electric heaters for the rooms if needed. The fireplace has a grate in it built out of tubes, with a flat register connected that sits on the floor, under glass doors, and a blower that blows through the tubes and out the register. The grating lasted 3 years before burning through, and then it just filled the living room with smoke. But one thing I found out about that theory of 90% of the heat goin' up the stack is that it ain't true. Even when the blower/grate was working, when you opened those glass doors you could immediately feel more intense heat. And as far as suckin' the heat out of the house, I leave the little ash door completely out, so the fireplace is drawing air out of the basement cleanout. And the linkage on the damper has been broke for 20 years, so I just leave it wide open. When we want to retire for the night, the chain mesh and doors are closed and we go to bed. No problem. You put a fire in there with seasoned oak, cherry, and especially black locust, and when those bricks turn white, that baby is crankin' the maximum.