Need Replacement Glass for your Woodstove?

Applied Energy Systems, the US distributor for ROBAX high temperature (1400 degree!) glass ceramic, has placed an informative site on HearthNet. Find out about this amazing "glass" which can take more heat than iron or steel. Custom replacements can be ordered for your stove ir fireplace. Visit http://hearth.com/robax

Ice Storm reaffirms value of Hearth Products as backup heating source

Most of you have heard of the ice storm and power outages in the Northeast and Canada. The news articles and stories cannot begin to explain the true extent of the damage and suffering. Here's some quotes from people in our industry that live in the area.

"Never in my lifetime have I witnessed devastation equal to what I have seen here in the past week. It would be impossible for me to adequately describe the scope of the destruction the landscape has suffered during this ice storm. I honestly can say that not one tree has escaped without some sort of damage. Power lines have fallen like domino's, phone lines are out all over, houses have been flooded with the lack of power to operate sump pumps, and tonight the temperature is dropping low enough to freeze the water lines in peoples unheated homes."

"He was seeing the devastation first hand. He was telling me about people running out of firewood and burning (trying) the wood off of the fallen trees. The south shore of Montreal has been equated to Bosnia. One of our employees has a house in the area and is not expecting to have his electricity back for a few weeks. Electric transmission towers, not just the local distribution lines, were crushed."

"After five days of seeming never ending ice rain (accumulating up to 1 1/2 inches of ice on trees and powerlines), the clouds finally broke up late Friday evening and on Saturday morning I was able to set off for home in Toronto. I drove through a devastated landscape of shattered trees, downed powerlines and cold and damaged houses, feeling helpless and saddened by what I was witnessing."

Sort of brings it all quite close to home. Some of our industry members with stores in the affected areas report a surge in business as people try to warm their homes. Customers were heard saying "Never again, I want a heating system that will operate without electrical power." This situation seems to have changed the way people are viewing alternative heating systems.

Some fireplace industry members are contributing fuel and appliances to help those in the affected area. Others are helping with information on how to properly use woodstoves and fireplaces in power failures. We have posted an article at http://hearth.com/emergency.html which details some of the precautions that should be taken.

Best Bets - Other sites of interest.

The reviews below are brought to you by HearthLink, which is the YAHOO of Hearth Sites. They have put together an extensive collection of Fireplace and Stove related links at http://www.hearthlink.com. The archives of their "Best Bets" can be found at http://www.hearthlink.com/best

============================================================ http://webconcept.com.au/4sure/wood.html 4Sure Firewood sells firewood in Australia. This is quite a way to go to purchase firewood in the USA, but this site is worth a visit. See how they do it down under. See what kind of wood is popular there and what unit of measurement they sell it in and why. I found this to be a very interesting site. It is easy to read and understand and navigation is very simple. Don't forget to give 4Sure a visit. ============================================================ Magic Sweep Corp.  http://www.magic-sweep.com   At Magic Sweep's web site you will find the on-line book "The Homeowner's Guide To Chimney's And Woodstoves" written by Jim Brewer and Ashley Eldridge. You will find topics that cover what you need to know, and more, to enjoy using your fireplace or woodstove properly and safely. There is also a Trouble Shooting Guide that covers the most common problem associated with woodburning, a smoking fireplace.  Everything is quick and easy to read.  Navigation through the book is very easy. If you are new to woodburning or experienced but have a few questions, spend some time at this site. ============================================================

Best of Q and A's at HearthNet

Our Q and A database now has over 700 questions. We've also added a new feature where you can browse hand-picked "top 100" questions. Simply check the proper box at http://chi.hearth.com and you'll be on your way.

Q: Hi - Ran across your site on the web and thought I'd ask if you supply (or know someone that does) coal grates. I have a stove designed for wood that I would like to put a grate in to burn coal. Any help appreciated.

A: It is difficult, if not impossible, to convert an existing woodstove to burn coal properly. The design of the two types are completely different. Better off burning wood in a wood stove, and coal in a coal stove.

Q: My manufacturer's specs say I can burn any solid fuels (in my woodstove) and mentions 'presto' logs. Are these the same as duraflame logs for fireplaces. I noticed it is not generally recommended by the makers of duraflame logs.

A: Duraflames and most other decorative logs have wax in them and should not be used in a closed woodstove. Some "fake" logs are made without wax additives, and these would be OK to burn..however, these logs seem to hard to find - especially on the east coast. Best bet, and cheapest too, is to use good old wood.

Q: I've given the concept of vent-free gas-log combustion some thought and have concluded that, except for an oxygen depletion sensor and a host of government regulations, the technology is not all that different from the time honored, but frowned upon, practice of operating your gas fired oven as a supplemental heat source...The input is the same...natural gas or liquified propane gas and household air, and the output is the same...heat, carbon dioxide and water vapor. I'm interested in your thoughts on this subject.

A: It is pretty much the same, except for the amount of hours that they are used. We get warnings on the radio around here saying not to use your range and oven in this fashion. The vent-free logs that are 30,000+ BTU are also much larger than most range burners. In addition, they are tuned a bit cleaner since they don't have to fake a yellow flickering flame. So, you are correct...a lot of CO2, Water Vapor and heat..if everything is working good. Also, small amounts of other pollutants are released, but these are within "acceptable" limits.

Lastly, the usual short note on how to unsubscribe to this list. There should be an "unsubscribe" link at the top of this message. If you have your email program set up correctly then simply clicking this link and sending the email should un-sub you. Or, you can simply send a message to: requests@chi.hearth.com with the words: unsubscribe hearthnews in the subject line. The request to un-sub must be sent from the EXACT same email address that you used to subscribe. If all else fails, simply email me and I'll try to remove you manually.