Cool! The 3 of us are 3rd degree brown belts in the Moo do kwan branch of TKD and we learn some Hapkido moves at our school as well.
My daughter and I are also Orange belts in Judo.
What do I have ? Was it a decent deal, and can I install it like this?
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My daughter and I are also Orange belts in Judo.
D8Chumley
Minister of Fire
I was ready to test for my 1st dan last December but work got in the way.Then again in May this year but, work again. At almost 46 I'm gonna say it was a great experience, I wish I would have started younger like my sister (3rd dan) in Tang Soo Do. My wife and kids went also, but didn't make it as far as I had.
Per your guys' recommendations I actually smoke tested all the detectors with some burning sage and they all passed. We also got a second Co detector so now there is one downstairs outside of our bedroom in the open area where the furnace and stove is and upstairs above the stove in our daughters room.
I haven't had much luck finding dry wood so I got a taste of what it was like burning wet wood for a few days. My MM came in and told me it was 25-30% but there is more about that in the wood shed thread I posted.
The wood hampered my ability to really see how well this setup would work as is since it didn't burn well or hot (no surprise).
My Condar Medallion stovetop thermometer came in and I have 2 different guys bringing what they claim to be a Face cord of "dry" wood this week!
So I will be ready to test this thing out again.
If the weather stays like it is for another day or so I might have an opportunity to add another section of chimney like Cynergy recommended. Wouldn't this make the cold starts worse? Once it's going it seems to be going fine ( haven't been able to read temps yet).
I used the braces that were on the house it came off of and they had another piece I think above the roof and 2 more on the way up ( Bigger house) so I think it can handle another piece.
I cleaned it out real good to get rid of the nails in the ash from some pieces of pallet wood I used to help the wet wood burn and saw something I don't like.
At the lower back corners of the stove on the interior I noticed one side the mortar there is cracked and there is a chunk of it missing on the other side.
This is the first time I noticed it wasn't all cast Iron in there. Is this something simple like buy Furnace concrete and re coat the back corners?
I am going to call again tomorrow to see if I can get one of the 2 companies I found with licensed sweeps to come inspect this thing..
I assume they would have an opinion on how its set up and chimney height as well.
I haven't had much luck finding dry wood so I got a taste of what it was like burning wet wood for a few days. My MM came in and told me it was 25-30% but there is more about that in the wood shed thread I posted.
The wood hampered my ability to really see how well this setup would work as is since it didn't burn well or hot (no surprise).
My Condar Medallion stovetop thermometer came in and I have 2 different guys bringing what they claim to be a Face cord of "dry" wood this week!
So I will be ready to test this thing out again.
If the weather stays like it is for another day or so I might have an opportunity to add another section of chimney like Cynergy recommended. Wouldn't this make the cold starts worse? Once it's going it seems to be going fine ( haven't been able to read temps yet).
I used the braces that were on the house it came off of and they had another piece I think above the roof and 2 more on the way up ( Bigger house) so I think it can handle another piece.
I cleaned it out real good to get rid of the nails in the ash from some pieces of pallet wood I used to help the wet wood burn and saw something I don't like.
At the lower back corners of the stove on the interior I noticed one side the mortar there is cracked and there is a chunk of it missing on the other side.
This is the first time I noticed it wasn't all cast Iron in there. Is this something simple like buy Furnace concrete and re coat the back corners?
I am going to call again tomorrow to see if I can get one of the 2 companies I found with licensed sweeps to come inspect this thing..
I assume they would have an opinion on how its set up and chimney height as well.
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For fire starters I have been using a rolled up paper towel dipped in wax as a fire-starter and they work pretty dang good but I think I will order the 100ct box of Lightning nuggets. $33.27
They are similar to the super cedars but in a half egg shape and a bit cheaper I believe.
I figure by the time those run out I will save plenty of wood chips to put in little paper cups and pour wax over to use as a fire starter. This is probably the cheapest method.
My dad uses these but Idk If they are a good idea.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EZ-Fire-Fir...48623106?pt=US_Fireplaces&hash=item51b62b0302
I don't like using paper very much it is too hard to get the dang kindling going, I think I might try a hair dryer to get the draw going on the next cold start too since burning 3 or 4 pieces up there to get it going kind of sucks.
I did get the draft going real good and had no smoke in the house the last 2 cold starts!
I suppose I will be getting chimney cleaned a lot the first year or 2 with this damp wood, until I build a stock.
They are similar to the super cedars but in a half egg shape and a bit cheaper I believe.
I figure by the time those run out I will save plenty of wood chips to put in little paper cups and pour wax over to use as a fire starter. This is probably the cheapest method.
My dad uses these but Idk If they are a good idea.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EZ-Fire-Fir...48623106?pt=US_Fireplaces&hash=item51b62b0302
I don't like using paper very much it is too hard to get the dang kindling going, I think I might try a hair dryer to get the draw going on the next cold start too since burning 3 or 4 pieces up there to get it going kind of sucks.
I did get the draft going real good and had no smoke in the house the last 2 cold starts!
I suppose I will be getting chimney cleaned a lot the first year or 2 with this damp wood, until I build a stock.
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I got an appointment for an inspection and cleaning from one of the local certified companies set for the day after christmas!
An inexpensive thing to do that will make a world of difference is air-sealing your basement. Go around exterior, under the edge of the siding, and add a bead of sealant where the plywood laps onto the concrete foundation.This will keep cold air from leaking into the basement under the bottom plate. Then go around from the inside and add insulation to the rim joists, where the floor joist bays sit on the foundation. Then look around the basement ceiling and seal all around all openings where pipes etc. penetrate the floor into the living spaces or chases above. And of course, do the obvious stuff like making sure any exterior door is weatherstipped, windows aren't leaking air, and any wall penetrations are sealed.
Well the inspection went great the guy offered me or my brother a job like 5 times he liked the installation so much .
He said he can't get his guys to do work that clean without him standing over them and he himself could not have done it any cleaner.
He was impressed I had paid such attention to the manual and the regulations. We used a level on everything and staggered all seams.
He measured and examined this thing inside and out and said it looks to have been virtually unused by the previous owner.
He said the cracking of that mortar was minimal and not a concern but years from now when it gets worse I could fix it easily on my own.
As far as adding to the chimney he said it wasn't necessary but it wouldn't hurt to add a bit to it to help the draw a bit.
He did say that the 4ft sections I have wouldn't be ideal as in his experience they would be longer than you would want.
I had cleaned out the stove and he looked up and down the chimney and saw it was virtually new still so he did not have much to do.
He knocked down the charge to like nothing since he did not have to do much and stayed for a bit and chatted with me about stoves and lit a fire in it for me. He seemed to be very impressed with it and said he wished they still carried jotul stoves.
He said we got an amazing deal for $800 installed as they would have charged like $5000 for a stove and installation like that.
He also said the left over parts I have are worth like $1600! I think we will use him to clean it at least once and then maybe I will take it from there.
He told me I could handle it and went over the process with me. Also he talked about the nice brush system he uses which was very helpful.
I got a sheet for the insurance company showing that it was thoroughly inspected and approved by a licensed sweep/ installer.
We have really been enjoying this thing and have found that when we keep it rolling along it will heat all the way upstairs surprisingly evenly to 74-75 degrees on an average snowy day here. Of course it gets real warm downstairs making it hard not to take naps when down there.
We are in the middle of the most severe cold weather we have had in a LONG time we got something like 12" of snow and have had temps as low as -4.
We have still been able to keep the upstairs above 70 and up to 73 during this with the basement real toasty.
Our propane furnace is set at 69 and it has gone for days without coming on this winter thanks to our new stove ! I do cycle it on in the morning sometimes after I wake up and throw some logs on the coals in the stove to help with getting the house comfy a bit faster.
It seems to take a bit for the heat to spread but once it has it is easy to maintain by throwing a few logs on every hour or so and some big loads have lasted quite a while with the air control eventually shut all the way down with some cool looking secondary burn going.
The fire starters we bought worked out great for us but since we are in full swing now we have only used like 3 since Cold starts are uncommon when your burning every day. I am beginning to get a picture of how much wood I will go through and it is kind of a lot.
The stove top thermometer is helping me get an idea of how this thing is running, when I get it up and going it is pretty easy to keep it in the 400 to 450 range and when I can get it shut down all the way with good flame and usually a full load it will cruise along at 500 for quite a while dropping to 400 or so around reload time.
One day when I was trying to get it to really put out heat I got it up to 600 ( recommended range in manual was 400-600) but I had to stay on top of it to get it there.I know I don't want it over 600 or in a runaway situation but it seems like I couldn't if I tried to.
We are looking into sealing the outside gap where the foundation meets the plywood and are insulating the joist pockets, walls and adding to the insulation in the attic as well.
I am officially a believer in how amazing a good wood stove can be.
He said he can't get his guys to do work that clean without him standing over them and he himself could not have done it any cleaner.
He was impressed I had paid such attention to the manual and the regulations. We used a level on everything and staggered all seams.
He measured and examined this thing inside and out and said it looks to have been virtually unused by the previous owner.
He said the cracking of that mortar was minimal and not a concern but years from now when it gets worse I could fix it easily on my own.
As far as adding to the chimney he said it wasn't necessary but it wouldn't hurt to add a bit to it to help the draw a bit.
He did say that the 4ft sections I have wouldn't be ideal as in his experience they would be longer than you would want.
I had cleaned out the stove and he looked up and down the chimney and saw it was virtually new still so he did not have much to do.
He knocked down the charge to like nothing since he did not have to do much and stayed for a bit and chatted with me about stoves and lit a fire in it for me. He seemed to be very impressed with it and said he wished they still carried jotul stoves.
He said we got an amazing deal for $800 installed as they would have charged like $5000 for a stove and installation like that.
He also said the left over parts I have are worth like $1600! I think we will use him to clean it at least once and then maybe I will take it from there.
He told me I could handle it and went over the process with me. Also he talked about the nice brush system he uses which was very helpful.
I got a sheet for the insurance company showing that it was thoroughly inspected and approved by a licensed sweep/ installer.
We have really been enjoying this thing and have found that when we keep it rolling along it will heat all the way upstairs surprisingly evenly to 74-75 degrees on an average snowy day here. Of course it gets real warm downstairs making it hard not to take naps when down there.
We are in the middle of the most severe cold weather we have had in a LONG time we got something like 12" of snow and have had temps as low as -4.
We have still been able to keep the upstairs above 70 and up to 73 during this with the basement real toasty.
Our propane furnace is set at 69 and it has gone for days without coming on this winter thanks to our new stove ! I do cycle it on in the morning sometimes after I wake up and throw some logs on the coals in the stove to help with getting the house comfy a bit faster.
It seems to take a bit for the heat to spread but once it has it is easy to maintain by throwing a few logs on every hour or so and some big loads have lasted quite a while with the air control eventually shut all the way down with some cool looking secondary burn going.
The fire starters we bought worked out great for us but since we are in full swing now we have only used like 3 since Cold starts are uncommon when your burning every day. I am beginning to get a picture of how much wood I will go through and it is kind of a lot.
The stove top thermometer is helping me get an idea of how this thing is running, when I get it up and going it is pretty easy to keep it in the 400 to 450 range and when I can get it shut down all the way with good flame and usually a full load it will cruise along at 500 for quite a while dropping to 400 or so around reload time.
One day when I was trying to get it to really put out heat I got it up to 600 ( recommended range in manual was 400-600) but I had to stay on top of it to get it there.I know I don't want it over 600 or in a runaway situation but it seems like I couldn't if I tried to.
We are looking into sealing the outside gap where the foundation meets the plywood and are insulating the joist pockets, walls and adding to the insulation in the attic as well.
I am officially a believer in how amazing a good wood stove can be.
HotCoals
Minister of Fire
Really not much else to show for now he was mainly commenting on how level and straight everything was and that the seams were staggered.
It was done to code and by the Pdf. I found of the manual for the stove and I was able to point all that out to him and ask intelligent questions thanks to this site. We plan on doing a stone face on the walls behind it and tiling the floor under it to mark the safe distance to combustibles (with a margin for error) and making the room to the right of the stove a carpeted living room. I will definitely post pics when I start doing the stone and tile ( I used to do that for a living)
Am I just Lazy or would it be cool to have a temp sensor that beeped when it got under 400 degrees, does something like that exist?
It was done to code and by the Pdf. I found of the manual for the stove and I was able to point all that out to him and ask intelligent questions thanks to this site. We plan on doing a stone face on the walls behind it and tiling the floor under it to mark the safe distance to combustibles (with a margin for error) and making the room to the right of the stove a carpeted living room. I will definitely post pics when I start doing the stone and tile ( I used to do that for a living)
Am I just Lazy or would it be cool to have a temp sensor that beeped when it got under 400 degrees, does something like that exist?
wenger7446
Feeling the Heat
This still pretty much applies except that I have a batch of not so dry wood now and we are only getting it up to around 69-72 all the way upstairs. (16 degrees out) We have turned the furnace down to 65 due to the propane prices since there is a shortage. It gets a bit colder in the morning but I got used to that pretty quick, The heat does fluctuate a bit more if I don't stay on keeping the stove going.
There is one room at the far corner upstairs that is significantly colder but it is my office that I don't spend a lot of time in and it is where attic access is. I started keeping that door closed and it seems easier to keep the rest of the house warm at the cost of the office getting even colder.
I was considering finding an efficient electric heater just for my daughters room and the office and putting them on a thermostat plug set at whatever the current setting for the propane is at the time. or so for spot heating. I figure dividing my heating between the 3 options favoring the wood heat will give us the best deal to heat or home and prevent some of the fluctuation if we only relied on one or two of the options.
I don't NEED the electric heaters though and don't know what we would have done had we not have gotten this in this year. Between the intense cold and propane shortage this year I would be in trouble without this stove.
wenger7446
Feeling the Heat
Glad to hear. Start to get next (and the following) years wood lined up. It will make a big difference next winter.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
Wireless remote BBQ thermometer. You can program high or low temps for alarm. I have a (2) probe Maverick ET-732, works good. There are similar products available marketed specifically for monitoring wood stoves, sold by various wood burning products vendors.
Awesome I will have to look into this !
Yea that's what I am looking forward to, If I stay on it it will run at 4-500 on the stove top (usually around 4-450). When I had the wood that was a bit dryer I got it up to 600 one time. I know 4-600 Is the range I want to stay in but I couldn't over fire if I wanted to at present and keeping it at 500-550 seems like it would be ideal and put off a bit more heat than I am getting this year. I am hoping that is the range I will get when I have nice seasoned wood in a year or 2.
Unfortunately yes, I am planning on doing a stone fascia that I was going to do directly on the wall. If I need to insulate in between the wall and the stone veneer I will. It would require me to move the stove out from the wall a touch I only left about 1 1/2" extra distance off the back of the stove for the stone when we installed it.
Things seem to be a bit easier this year with drier wood.
I need to stop being lazy and get started collecting for next year. Before I started burning into my current supply I had no room to store more wood really. Unless I clear more room for wood storage I can only keep a yeas in a advance. Even if I do the only direction to clear on my property in down a steep loose hill. We have had one Jeep go down one time and I had to winch it back up lol. Maybe I can make some kind of wood cart to winch up the hill to move wood.
I have gotten a bit lazier on keeping up with the stove and have been loading at as low as 200 degrees, which seems to keep it in the 200-450 range. I think if i was checking on it more I would be getting a hotter more efficient burn with more secondary burn. I am considering grabbing one of these to keep me on top of it. http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=292. When I visit my parents and use their insert in the living room it is easy to keep up because you are right there. Ours being all the way in the basement makes it harder to stay on top of but we can keep it around 70 degrees upstairs. It would be cool to move the heat better, it's gotta be like 80 downstairs lol.
I still want to insulate the basement so I am not losing so much to the slab walls but $ is super tight these days so it wont happen. We had plans to move the living room down there but the $ to finish the basement just isn't there. I still think it was installed in the best place for us though. There really wasn't anywhere else to put it and it heats the basement thoroughly, up the stairs and across the house except the 2 farthest rooms. One of those is my daughters so we added a thermostat controlled electric heater. The other is my office so it doesn't matter.
My daughters room is actually right above the stove, I am thinking of cutting a simple hole in the floor to add a register for heat to rise up, or cold to fall down as the case may be.
Haven't had it cleaned this year yet, I am going to do some searching on here to figure out if I want to start cleaning it myself. I will probably do that and have them come every few years.
I need to stop being lazy and get started collecting for next year. Before I started burning into my current supply I had no room to store more wood really. Unless I clear more room for wood storage I can only keep a yeas in a advance. Even if I do the only direction to clear on my property in down a steep loose hill. We have had one Jeep go down one time and I had to winch it back up lol. Maybe I can make some kind of wood cart to winch up the hill to move wood.
I have gotten a bit lazier on keeping up with the stove and have been loading at as low as 200 degrees, which seems to keep it in the 200-450 range. I think if i was checking on it more I would be getting a hotter more efficient burn with more secondary burn. I am considering grabbing one of these to keep me on top of it. http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=292. When I visit my parents and use their insert in the living room it is easy to keep up because you are right there. Ours being all the way in the basement makes it harder to stay on top of but we can keep it around 70 degrees upstairs. It would be cool to move the heat better, it's gotta be like 80 downstairs lol.
I still want to insulate the basement so I am not losing so much to the slab walls but $ is super tight these days so it wont happen. We had plans to move the living room down there but the $ to finish the basement just isn't there. I still think it was installed in the best place for us though. There really wasn't anywhere else to put it and it heats the basement thoroughly, up the stairs and across the house except the 2 farthest rooms. One of those is my daughters so we added a thermostat controlled electric heater. The other is my office so it doesn't matter.
My daughters room is actually right above the stove, I am thinking of cutting a simple hole in the floor to add a register for heat to rise up, or cold to fall down as the case may be.
Haven't had it cleaned this year yet, I am going to do some searching on here to figure out if I want to start cleaning it myself. I will probably do that and have them come every few years.
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