Maybe she's coming around...

I think she's coming around. Once she feels that toasty wood heat, you should be able to get away with stacking huge quantities of firewood in what's left of your yard.

Bster13 said:

Me: we paid $1700 in natural gas from sept to sept

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Wow.
We have an 83% efficient gas steam boiler and an oooooooooold house and the most Ive ever spent in a year is about a grand on gas (of which maybe $700 was heat) supplementing about 30% with wood.

So you definitely have a case to burn more wood there!

As far as the wife coming around - know that you are not alone. I fight the same issues. My better half has never liked the stove, if the gas is on and the house is 68, she is cold. If I light up and get the living room to 80, she goes over to the bedroom that is now 72 and again claims of being cold.

But in the summer if I set the AC thermostat over 72 she is hot.


Sometimes ya just cant win.

We just filled our propane tank a few weeks back and spent $419 for 178 gallons of propane. We had last filled the tank nearly two years ago, so that's only around $210 a year. We use propane for our hot water heater and cooking. We have a central heating system that burns propane, but we only light it off a couple times a year to check the system. All our heating is with our two wood stoves. So, I know we get a big savings every year.

Maybe?

The last two years with mild winters and insulation work I only burned around 500-600 therm for heat (plus 1-2 cord wood). Our base rate for gas was like 75 cents, or about 1.10 with all taxes and delivery charges.

Bster13 said:

gotta work on distributing heat though, that will be touch.

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Once you start burning 24/7 the heat will distribute better.

blow the cold air toward the stove, a fan sitting in the doorway does the trick, but nothing beats the radiant heat off the stove

Once the cold sets in, just keep that puppy burning 24/7, she will get so used to it, that if you slack or go back to gas, she will have something new to bioch about.
Spoil her with the heat from the wood, and she will be putty in your hands.
Of course creating a whole new monster. Don't run out of wood!

Bster... just saw that you were from Norwalk. Know any of the crew over at Cedar Point Yacht Club?

My wife was slow coming around to the whole wood thing, and used to get real upset when I'd spend too much time processing wood, rather than working on one of the dozen different renovation projects on our list. I found the best thing to do is just reserve all wood stove activity for when she's not paying attention, and quietly just make it happen, under the radar. The house is warm, she's happy, and surely coming around on the whole wood heat thing.

Actually, the woodstove was the Wifes idea....of course, so was me doing the work.

What's the construction? Framed? Masonry? Framed with masonry facade?

Beer Belly... my wife also wanted the stove, but as always, didn't consider the work involved. She goes thru life assuming the yard just stays mowed by itself, and the firewood just appears, already split and stacked.

Bster13 said:

My living room has two doorways so I've got a fan in each blowing cold air into the room plus the blower, but it starts to sound like a wind tunnel. I really hope once I start to burn 24/7 I can turn down the fans and the blower on the insert a bit as the house gets saturated with heat. What will be counteracting that will be the cost outside temperatures.

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I found that getting a couple of those really tiny (4 in.) desk fans and putting them on the floor in the far ends of the house pointed back toward the stove room actually provides enough draft to circulate the warm air pretty evenly and they are pretty quiet.

slayer7 said:

I found that getting a couple of those really tiny (4 in.) desk fans and putting them on the floor in the far ends of the house pointed back toward the stove room actually provides enough draft to circulate the warm air pretty evenly and they are pretty quiet.

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That's a good idea, I'm going to try that, would be low elec. usage too.

I bought two of these last year to circulate air around the first floor. They are almost silent on low and dont take up much space.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QR6VXW/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Joful said:

What's the construction? Framed? Masonry? Framed with masonry facade?

Beer Belly... my wife also wanted the stove, but as always, didn't consider the work involved. She goes thru life assuming the yard just stays mowed by itself, and the firewood just appears, already split and stacked.

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Ha. My better half says "but you like mowing and splitting, its fun for you so it doesn't count as 'work' "

jharkin said:

Ha. My better half says "but you like mowing and splitting, its fun for you so it doesn't count as 'work' "

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OH man! Story of my life right there

My wife is great with stuff like getting a new wood stove. All I had to do last year was mention that I was thinking of replacing our old smoke dragon slammer install insert with a new one and she was all for it. A few years ago when I said I was thinking of getting a motorcycle she said, "Go for it, you only live once!" Then when I got tired of the motorcycle and said, "I'm thinking of trading my car in for a 350 Z sports car she said, "If you think you'd enjoy a car like that you should do it." I've been retired since I was 36 and my wife, who is a few years younger than me, still works 30 hours a week. However, she works because she enjoys her job and isn't a home body like I am. She was all for the new 7 ton electric wood splitter I bought a few weeks ago.

Pretty. Chicks like pretty. Just sayin'.

jharkin said:

Ha. My better half says "but you like mowing and splitting, its fun for you so it doesn't count as 'work' "

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To which I would reply, "that's because I can't hear you with the mower/splitter running." She laughs, thinking I'm joking.

I think we better delete this thread before our wives find this site. I'll be sleeping in the woodshed!