Am I over the top anal?

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goofy

New Member
Jan 10, 2009
17
MA
Would this be considered anal, even for you guys?

So, here is how the story goes:

This is the end of my second month with my new Woodstock Keystone (love it!). I lit a break in fire during the second week of November, and it hasn't been out since. I haven't even used a single stick of kindling this whole time, just regular rounds and splits. This has meant a lot of days with open windows. ;)

Today the weather man said it would be in mid fifties, so I decided it would be a perfect day to let it burn down, give it a good old inspection, vacuum it out and give the cat a little cleaning too. Everything looks great, cat is in pristine condition, and the chimney has zero signs of creosote.

Now, here's the anal part: Instead of letting it burn all the way down, I let it get down to a small bed of coals and shoveled those coals into my ash bucket. Set the bucket outside with the cover off. I then let the stove cool down to around 200 degrees and went ahead with my cleaning and inspection. After everything was spic-n-span, instead of lighting a new fire, I shoveled the coals from the ash bucket back into the stove, threw a few logs on (still no kindling) and away it went - flames before I even got the door closed. It's now back to regular operating temps.

So, does anyone else do something similar to keep the same fire going all season long, or I am just over the top?


PS. Hope everyone had a happy holiday
 
goofy said:
Would this be considered anal, even for you guys?

So, here is how the story goes:

This is the end of my second month with my new Woodstock Keystone (love it!). I lit a break in fire during the second week of November, and it hasn't been out since. I haven't even used a single stick of kindling this whole time, just regular rounds and splits. This has meant a lot of days with open windows. ;)

Today the weather man said it would be in mid fifties, so I decided it would be a perfect day to let it burn down, give it a good old inspection, vacuum it out and give the cat a little cleaning too. Everything looks great, cat is in pristine condition, and the chimney has zero signs of creosote.

Now, here's the anal part: Instead of letting it burn all the way down, I let it get down to a small bed of coals and shoveled those coals into my ash bucket. Set the bucket outside with the cover off. I then let the stove cool down to around 200 degrees and went ahead with my cleaning and inspection. After everything was spic-n-span, instead of lighting a new fire, I shoveled the coals from the ash bucket back into the stove, threw a few logs on (still no kindling) and away it went - flames before I even got the door closed. It's now back to regular operating temps.

So, does anyone else do something similar to keep the same fire going all season long, or I am just over the top?


PS. Hope everyone had a happy holiday
Click to expand...


When I had wood, I'd take the ash out shoveling the coals from one side then the other. With the fire never out for the whole winter. Plus you know how paper and sticks just make ash and no heat. Then just gum up the works.

So no your no anal your smart. :)
 
I've done the same thing so I guess I'm over the top anal too.
 
You aren't anal. You are just showing off. :lol:
 
It was great when I ran 2 stoves, I could always transfer hot coals from one to the other. My small cigar smoker stove would always be out in the morning and the fisher always had enough to go around!
 
Not, it's not anal. Now my Grandma used to wash off her paper plates and clip them to the clothes line to dry....... :)

Shari
 
Shari said:
Not, it's not anal. Now my Grandma used to wash off her paper plates and clip them to the clothes line to dry....... :)

Shari
Click to expand...

My paternal grandmother washes her gallon Ziplock bags with the dishes, turns them inside out, and let's them dry so can use them again later.
 
Pretty funny actually..... I think this should have been posted in the " You know you're a real woodburner when".... thread. Thats pretty hardcore....
 
I don't think it is about frugality and saving a match as much as it's about an eternal fire. Now tha caveman didn't invent matches and had not yet discovered flint so they had to rely on God for fire and then keep a fire going. Fast forward to the settlers, they had to import their matches so they kept a fire going or would get coals from a neighbor.

I have never removed and then returned coals to the stove but when I clean out ashes and clean the glass, I set the coals off to the one side and later move them to the doghouse for a bit of air.
 
Pagey said:
Shari said:
Not, it's not anal. Now my Grandma used to wash off her paper plates and clip them to the clothes line to dry....... :)

Shari
Click to expand...

My paternal grandmother washes her gallon Ziplock bags with the dishes, turns them inside out, and let's them dry so can use them again later.
Click to expand...


hmmmmm....... we have always washed out plastic bags & re-used..... something about slowing down waste production

and, yes, did become grandparent 10 months ago
 
Thanks guys... I'm feeling a little better now. :)

My wife definitely thinks I'm over the top.

My son said: "Dad, it's not the f***'n Olympic Torch!"

Got to love kids, they speak it as it is.
 
goofy said:
Would this be considered anal, even for you guys?

So, here is how the story goes:

This is the end of my second month with my new Woodstock Keystone (love it!). I lit a break in fire during the second week of November, and it hasn't been out since. I haven't even used a single stick of kindling this whole time, just regular rounds and splits. This has meant a lot of days with open windows. ;)

Today the weather man said it would be in mid fifties, so I decided it would be a perfect day to let it burn down, give it a good old inspection, vacuum it out and give the cat a little cleaning too. Everything looks great, cat is in pristine condition, and the chimney has zero signs of creosote.

Now, here's the anal part: Instead of letting it burn all the way down, I let it get down to a small bed of coals and shoveled those coals into my ash bucket. Set the bucket outside with the cover off. I then let the stove cool down to around 200 degrees and went ahead with my cleaning and inspection. After everything was spic-n-span, instead of lighting a new fire, I shoveled the coals from the ash bucket back into the stove, threw a few logs on (still no kindling) and away it went - flames before I even got the door closed. It's now back to regular operating temps.

So, does anyone else do something similar to keep the same fire going all season long, or I am just over the top?


PS. Hope everyone had a happy holiday
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan to me. I'll have to do that since I'd like to check some refractory cement in the stove. The weather needs to get above freezing first though. Gotta' have my heat :coolsmile:
 
Anal would have been using hyphens in the thread title "over-the-top"
 
Tell your kid he is right. It is not the Olympic Torch.

The Olympic Torch doesn't keep his butt warm in the cold months.

What you are doing sounds normal to me.
 
I think you are a pyro just like the rest of us. Not that that makes you a bad person ;-)

Seriously, I think you have a nice batch of dry wood and what the heck, it is easier and better than shoving the stove full of paper and kindling to get the thing burning again. You probably don't have to go so crazy with the cleaning as the stove is just going to fill up with ash again. Just get as much burnt ash out as you can and leave the coals in there. You really don't want burning coals in your ash bucket as they are venting into your living room. It's your stove and your house though, so run it any way you want.
 
I would almost do the same thing when I used to burn a Cat stove...the Encore. Id like the stove cool down to where I could take the back plate off, put the hot coals in the ash pan. When I was done, Id put the coals back in, throw some logs on and crack that magic ash pan door open....5 minutes to a new fire again.
 
Here's one vote for over the top anal . . . but that said . . . it's your stove and far be it for me to tell you how to run it.
 
I think it is easier to start from coals than from scratch... No, your not anal
 
Never heard of this one, but I'm impressed. I would just be careful scooping live coals.
 
No you're not anal. My deceased grandmother used to send her son (my uncle) to the neighbor's house with a metal pan to get a hot coal to restart their coal burner when it went out. It was common practice to trade hot coals back and forth. This was back in the '40's.
 
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