Oh it feels sooooo good.....

About the first time this season that I can let the big dog Eat

I hear ya LOL
We have VC Encore that has been burning for last 2 months straight up here in NJ. Even though mild compared to last year, my wife lost her job so she like to be warm in family room where stove is. When ever we have visitors, they like to hog up the real estate that is near the stove. It going down to 14 Tuesday night so we will be all smiles

...and if a dead locust falls down along your road you can grab it and are still ahead of the game

30 now, going down to about 20 tonight, mid 20s tomorrow and 9f tomorrow night....the real testing has begum. Everybody enjoy the heat!

20's tonight, way lower tomorrow night.


We're good. Been home an hour, got the coal bed going in the PE. Just loaded some 2 YO oak for a shot of heat with the air 1/2 down and at 500F and nicely rising (like a good loaf of bread )


Dixette was off today, so I'm not even going inside, it's warm in my part of the downstairs *insert thumbs up here*


The first time this year working them hard for us as well. It's nice to have a practice run, but it isn't like last year, which is fine by me!

let the big dogs eat. good one!

BrotherBart said:

cptoneleg said:

About the first time this season that I can let the big dog Eat

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Yeah with a high in the twenties tomorrow and 70 percent cloud cover mine is gonna be at the dish all day and night. Looked at the pipe yesterday and saw a soot accumulation. Said the heck with it. That stuff will be over on my neighbors roof, two hundred yards away, tomorrow night.

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It's a good time for it. Cold temps. some wind, and a hotly firing stove makes for a clean cap.

The Dixette brushed mine off 2 weeks, took off the cap, looked down, and put the cap back on. I'm a happy camper.

Right on!! Let the Big Dog Eat!! 20 here already and its only 9:13pm

My prayers are answered, finally winter in Fl and enjoying my new stove, bring it on

Weatherman calling for 2 deg tonite with a "real feel" of about -7. Back up to just under freezing by Wed., so no biggie.
The old Ashley is at 600 right now on 2 splits of oak and a split of Spruce. Probably won't last more than an hour, maybe 2, then I'll load up for the night.
Mom called this afternoon and we talked of the weather. She said it was 26 (downriver Detroit area) and cold. She about died when I told her our expected low. I got a chuckle out of that.
House is at 70, and it'll be down in the low-mid 60's by morning, but I know how to fix it. :coolsmile:

Finally able to get our stove off idle today too. Been running 100% wood heat since late September but today was the first to let her do what it's trained for. We've had cold NW winds 20-35 for two days without getting above freezing, forecast tonight is 15F. Guessing I've gone through about 60 pounds today, mix of: hard maple, pine, cedar, mulberry and ash all well seasoned with clean glass to prove it. Sure been nice to be home today! Also split about a cord worth of my recent black locust windfall.

Loco Gringo said:

When its in the teens outside and your stove is pulling such a good draft and the house is warm as hell. All the while you see the propane trucks going on by and your power meter is just barely moving. The feeling is compounded by the fact that should the strong winds topple one of the many dead locust trees lining your road you will still be warm and able to heat food and water. This really is a good feeling isnt it?

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Yep
Don't get much better than that

BrotherBart said:

An hour into reload the 30 is cruising at 625 saying "Go sleep under that sheet dude. And I will see you at feeding time tomorrow.".

Just supposed to get to the mid twenties so it is gonna be kinda warm in the joint tonight. Practicing for tomorrow night. But a high of 30 and low of 14 tomorrow here in the tropics of Virginia where we don't have real winters.

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I moved from up there just across the river about 20 years ago and you get more 'real winter' than we do here in NC. Tonight and tomorrow will be the coldest day of the winter so far 20/36 and I been waiting on it. I've been running 12 hour cycles with pine/gum/poplar and I'm using the same tonight to see how it goes. Getting ready to load up for the night and let the Big Buck do i'ts thing. Gonna let the Big Cat eat. ;-)

I'm with ya Loco. Nothing feels better than being self sufficient in one of the basic human needs. Warmth is certainly one of them and another is the reason I like gardening and canning so much.

Got up this morning to got to work, 67 upstairs, 69 downstairs 20 outside, just loaded stove, wife and kids should be toasty warm when they get up.

Loco Gringo said:

When its in the teens outside and your stove is pulling such a good draft that your temps are at 600, secondaries have been firing for hours, and the house is warm as hell. All the while you see the propane trucks going on by and your power meter is just barely moving. The feeling is compounded by the fact that should the strong winds topple one of the many dead locust trees lining your road you will still be warm and able to heat food and water. This really is a good feeling isnt it? Yall have a warm and restful night.

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JonP said:

...and if a dead locust falls down along your road you can grab it and are still ahead of the game

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There's this wonderful feeling knowing how much money you can keep in your sock drawer by heating with wood.
I'm giving this Quad a run for it's money and it feels great so far. I know my gas bill would have been over 500 clams this month and I wouldn't have been this warm.

Last two days I've had the inside garage door open to the house as I was working on my wife's car, the heat came down the hallway and kept the chill out of there too!

Yea it sure makes building up the wood supply enjoyable. I like the term "split seasoned wood = solar batteries".

Excavator, since wifey is home... you can count on the wood to always be staged and the house warm when you come home LOL

woodmiser - Yes wifey is doing great job feeding the stove. She wants to get back to work as she is or was full time RN and that hurts us right now in these slow times.
The role of stove keeper really helps us in the cold. Out gas bill last month was 58. and the neighbors with same houses are between 300 and 400. OMG !!
As excavating contractor I might not have much work right now, but I have the tools to keep stove working

Wife also helps us split

Yea my budget plan for this year was up to $415 a month.... all year, for LP. you figure the 500 gal tank gets filled about 4 times a year with around 300-350 gal. At $3.50 a gal it's just way too much.
I'm pissed at Amerigas. They owe me a $415 refund but they won't cough it up. Been trying to get it for 6 months. I bought the tank off of them so they tried to charge me $150 contract cancellation fee. I said.. nu uh.. I never cancelled the contract. So they took that off. Now if they don't give it up, I'm gonna have them fill the tank when it's down and then sit on the bill for six months... see how they like that.