Side benefit of the wood stove.

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babalu87

babalu87

New Member
Nov 23, 2005
1,440
middleborough, ma.
Besides the giant GFY to the oil industry, what are some of the bennies of the wood stove.

Yesterday was the rare all day burn at our house. Due to some great passive solar from many south facing windows it is rare that we burn 24/7 though we heat with wood 24/7. South facing windows do a great job of maintaining the temps on all but the coldest and windiest of days.

High in the low 20's and no sun so I pretty much had to burn all day.
Dutch oven cooking red beans and a ham bone, cowboy coffee pot putting out humidity and making hot water. Had one too many cups of green tea. I stunk!.......... BEFORE the beans, never knew that about green tea?

Woke up this AM and there were just enough coals to get it going again, I didnt load up for an overnight burn as the house was plenty warm and temps were supposed to slowly creep up to around 35 by sunrise.
72 felt a little chilly so I stoked it up and took a shower, now I have a chill!
Coffee on and I run down to get my work clothes out of the dryer.
Ooooh, they are cold so I hang a shirt and pants on the kiddie screen and minutes later they are just like they would be fresh out of the dryer, nice and toasty.
Packed for work, banked the stove down to a nice secondary burn and the living room is already at 74 , the wife should be happy when she wakes up :)
 
Nicely put. I particularly like the warming up of the kids coats & shoes, as the mudroom is COLD...
Had some orange peel on the stovetop last eve ...
 
There seems to be no end to the side benefits of a wood stove. My family routinely gathers around it. When people visit, they no longer stay in the kitchen, they head to the LR to be near the stove. It's like moths to a light. My kids will choose to read a book near the stove over TV at times, and they have told their friends that's how we heat our house. The friends at first are puzzled and think we're a bunch of wierdos or something, but then we find them sitting in front of it too. It goes on and on
 
Three posts and no one has mentioned that we ladies wear much less clothing around the house- that's one perk I truly hadn't counted on. Previous winters saw my skin all but disappear for 4 long cold months but now it's like summer weather in here!
 
Cearbhaill said:
Three posts and no one has mentioned that we ladies wear much less clothing around the house- that's one perk I truly hadn't counted on. Previous winters saw my skin all but disappear for 4 long cold months but now it's like summer weather in here!
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TTIUWP ;)

A not so great benefit of the stove.......... being at a friend house that is 68 degrees feels like an ice box!
 
Cearbhaill said:
Three posts and no one has mentioned that we ladies wear much less clothing around the house- that's one perk I truly hadn't counted on. Previous winters saw my skin all but disappear for 4 long cold months but now it's like summer weather in here!
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Yes. My wife isn't as bundled up any longer, and she comes into the basement to nurse the baby. She isn't as quick to get her clothes back on afterwards! :)
 
After just going through an ice storm over the weekend and having a power outage for 18 hrs, the benefit of my wood stove became very obvious. I was one of the few houses around the area that was nice and toasty warm. 72 degrees and loving it. Got the big old generator out to hook up the well for running water, and to keep the fridge running (ran the gen-set for 30 min at a time to allow the girls to cycle through the rest rooms and hand washing, etc). People were just amazed that a couple of logs could produce that much heat for that long.

They don't think I'm so nuts no more (all the neighbors are long time neighbors, by "nuts", they mean it in a good way, at least thats what they tell me). I live in the country, so we had a drive way full of cars (nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away).
 
Jags said:
After just going through an ice storm over the weekend and having a power outage for 18 hrs, the benefit of my wood stove became very obvious. I was one of the few houses around the area that was nice and toasty warm. ............................. I live in the country, so we had a drive way full of cars (nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away).
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....... and hopefully plenty of beer left over ;)
 
babalu87 said:
Jags said:
After just going through an ice storm over the weekend and having a power outage for 18 hrs, the benefit of my wood stove became very obvious. I was one of the few houses around the area that was nice and toasty warm. ............................. I live in the country, so we had a drive way full of cars (nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away).
Click to expand...

....... and hopefully plenty of beer left over ;)
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My beer fridge in an industrial, stainless steel, 7ft tall, three feet wide, three feet deep with a tapper in the side, monster. Two kegs in the bottom of the fridge with the MANY other varieties on the shelves above. Its located in the garage, so it stays plenty cold in this kind of weather. I always have beer left over. Whooo Hooooo ;-P
 
Now we're talking! I've got a four tap system in the basement, along with a keg on standby. 30 bottles of wine aging, couple cases of store bought beer, and about time to make another batch! I homebrew wine and beer. :) My beer fridge uses only around 30 watts of energy, so I can hook that up to the generator in a power outage. One of the few things I measured to make sure I have enough power!
 
Holy crap, and I thought I had a beer consumption issue. Not addicted mind you, I just really love drinking beer.
 
Every Thursday we have a meeting ;)

I need to get over there the next time he brews, the problem is my wife works Sundays and that is usually brew day.
 
Cearbhaill said:
Three posts and no one has mentioned that we ladies wear much less clothing around the house- that's one perk I truly hadn't counted on. Previous winters saw my skin all but disappear for 4 long cold months but now it's like summer weather in here!
Click to expand...

I've mentioned this very fact several times. We keep our home up around 80 degrees most of the time. I do like seeing some skin... Also love baking the people who come to visit but hate going away in the winter because then we have to bundle up.
 
Warren said:
My kids will choose to read a book near the stove over TV at times, and they have told their friends that's how we heat our house. The friends at first are puzzled and think we're a bunch of wierdos or something, but then we find them sitting in front of it too. It goes on and on
Click to expand...

Had a moment like that on Saturday. My daughter has a friend come over for the day and her parents drop her off and I'm in the yard moving wood from my piles to my stack by the side door. I think they must think that I'm crazy as they comment on all the firewood and if I'm really going to burn it all. Later, I hear my daughter's friend say when in the family room with the stove "it's really warm and comfortable here." EXACTLY is what I'm thinking!!!
 
ThePhotoHound said:
Dennis -

80 degrees? A little much for me. Our house is usually 70-72 unless it's really windy, then it's 68-70.
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I always thought it curious that when summer rolls around almost everyone likes it hot. For sure anything above 80 degrees. So if it feels so good it seems to me that 80 should feel really nice on a cold winter day. So we'll just keep the home fires burning and be in relative comfort in our home.

btw, windy and really cold makes the house stuggle to get to 80. Fortunately we live in the woods so most of the high winds get blocked.
 
Nothing but flat farmland around me. I was chasing trash cans around this morning before work. I can't believe I didn't loose any lids.

-SF
 
Backwoods Savage said:
ThePhotoHound said:
Dennis -

80 degrees? A little much for me. Our house is usually 70-72 unless it's really windy, then it's 68-70.
Click to expand...


I always thought it curious that when summer rolls around almost everyone likes it hot. For sure anything above 80 degrees. So if it feels so good it seems to me that 80 should feel really nice on a cold winter day. So we'll just keep the home fires burning and be in relative comfort in our home.

btw, windy and really cold makes the house stuggle to get to 80. Fortunately we live in the woods so most of the high winds get blocked.
Click to expand...

Funny-why is it that when I'm at home (forced air) 75 is stifling, but when I'm at the place in the mountains (2 woodstoves-see below) I'm keeping the place at 80?

~jd
 
Yes but he like to brew many varieties as opposed to big singel batches so he doesnt use it as often as he thought he would.

I have a little Jotul 602 that needs a crack welded up, it would be perfect for that basement.
 
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