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[etiger2007]

Hi Stella welcome to the forums.

 

[corey21]

Welcome nice install.

 

[Stella]

I know it well, enjoyed a pint or 2 in the Legh Arms next door.
The Crab and Lobster closed for a few years recently refurbished and open again, havent been yet but heard it's very good.
http://www.crab-n-lobster.com/

Billy.

Hi Billy, That is interesting, thanks for the link. Not what you might describe as cheap now that I am more used to taverna prices, I intend to visit a local restaurant if the rain lets up where quarter litre of wine is one euro and the most expensive main course is under 10 euros. Two courses and a half litre of wine usually come to around 12 euros here. Oh, and it is heated by a cute little traditional stove fed by the owner's son with olive logs in between feeding his customers. I shall raise my glass to you tonight.

 

[northwinds]

What a fun thread to wake up to on a Saturday morning! Burning olive firewood, pints of beer and ouzo.

 

[Billybonfire]

Thank you Stella, yes Crab and Lobster a little pricey, I prefer less fancy food myself.
Maybe I will give it a try on a special occasion.
Cheers to you too.

Billy.

 

[Woody Stover]

Welcome, Stella. Your stove and setup look great!
The last time I cleaned stove glass I used stove glass cleaner and a non-scratch scour pad that can be used on glass stove tops. It worked pretty well on some heavy build-up.
Since Dennis (aka Backwoods Savage) hasn't yet checked in, I'll preach on the benefits of dry wood. Dry wood is a pleasure to burn; Starts easily, burns cleanly, and puts out a lot of heat. Your glass will also stay a lot cleaner. Dennis would tell you to dry your wood by having it split and stacked, with the rows spaced apart so that the wind can blow through the wood, for at least two years. With some species of wood, or a tree that was dead for a while before cutting, you might have some reasonably dry wood after it's been split and stacked in the wind for a year. I joined the forums here a couple of years ago, got "dry-wood religion" and now I'm reaping the benefits.

 

[begreen]

Diane, if only! No, it is not possible I have no wood shed and the fierce winds lift everything. Actually once the stove is going, it burns beautifully even with rather wet wood. I have been relieved as I thought I would have a problem with smoke but so far so good. I did have to have a different cowl fitted on the top of the chimney to stop water coming down the pipe and dripping on the tiles which is what happened with the previous cowl shaped like a bird, now I have a smart silver hat thingy which twirls round in the wind. Sorry I am not very technically minded and indeed if I had discovered this forum before the stove was fitted, it is possible that I would never have taken the plunge! I had no idea there were such problems. I am not familiar with EPA here in this rural backwater it is up to you how you heat your house and a great many Greeks because of the economic crisis are turning back to old style stoves often with a cooking plate or oven. I often go to a village taverna in the mountains here where the garlic bread is prepared on such a stove.

You are most likely getting darkened glass due to the cooler fire that comes from burning damp wood. The wood you are burning is high oil content, so it will burn, but at a cooler temperature due to the water vapors coming off the wood. You'll want to watch the flue and have it inspected and cleaned at least once mid-heating season. If you are plagued with high winds, (meltemi, sirocco or gregos?), then consider having a permanent structure made in which to store your wood. It will make a world of difference in burning and convenience.

In the meantime, get a tarp with eyelets to cover the top of the wood pile and attach the tarp to stakes driven into the ground. You can use bungee cords to make it easier to quickly remove the tarp. For extra protection from the wind, weight the top of the tarp down with some rocks. Our tarps stay on through 50mph winds, though the wood we burn during the heating season is safely in a wood shed I built a few years ago.

 

[jatoxico]

Hi Stella,
Nice looking setup. Your glass situation will likely improve once you get the dry wood religion like many of us here have had to, myself included. I have used oven cleaner with great sucess when needed (Easy Off here in the states).

One thing from your pics, it looks like that curtain might be a little close?

Anyway welcome aboard, people here can really help you improve your stoves performance so you can get the most out of it.

 

[Wood Duck]

I keep enough wood to last a couple of days stacked inside so that it will be dry when I need it. Here in the eastern US we get a lot of winter rain but it doesn't have any long lasting efect on my firewood. The wood dries off in a day or so inside.

 

[Stella]

Yep, got wood on the balcony and on the porch hopefully drying slightly but we are still enjoying torrential rain. Very cosy inside the living room though, thank goodness. Olive wood dries particulary quickly compared to say pine, fortunately.

 

[Woody Stover]

Yep, got wood on the balcony and on the porch hopefully drying slightly but we are still enjoying torrential rain. Very cosy inside the living room though, thank goodness. Olive wood dries particulary quickly compared to say pine, fortunately.

Wow. If you think Pine is slow-drying, you certainly don't want any of this Red Oak that I am up to my neck in around here. Maybe it is a different kind of Pine there than I have had here. The Red Pine dries fairly quickly for me...

 

[Stella]

Someone wanted to see a pic of my wood yard, well here it is, including husband's saw horse, mostly olive and a little pine, cut by hand the logs are hidden away from prying eyes as wood is getting scarcer here in Greece and a desirable item.

 

[katwillny]

Welcome to the forum. Everyone is welcomed here.