The thread title may be misleading... the weather here is nearly as trying as other parts of the country about now, and the stove is still fired every day.
But this year, after living for twenty five years without a thermostat, I bought myself a wall mount propane heater to provide (some) backup heat. Ironically, the heater is 'undersized' (at 30K BTU) and only running continuously can it come (even) close to meeting demand... even in milder (>20*) weather. So I use it almost exclusively to maintain indoor temps overnight to 50*... which is an unaccustomed luxury for me.
Anticipating use of the furnace as supplementary heat, I cut back my purchase of firewood last fall.
But last year's 'crop' of wood (from the same supplier I've used for years) wasn't as well seasoned as usual, and even though I had some drier wood left from the previous year, I'm afraid I burned 'stupid' for most of the season... failing to mix the two for best effect... and have nearly exhausted the greener wood.
Meanwhile, the stove I've burned in for the last twenty five years (and more) is showing its age. Twenty years ago, I rebuilt it and incorporated some modifications which substantially improved its efficiency, though not to the level of modern EPA stoves. Included were some baffles and an internal catalyst and - by and large - the stove burned pretty dam clean, seldom smoking once a good fire was established and the catalyst engaged.
The stove is still quite sound, but the modifications I made are pretty much in tatters now after twenty winters of use. Variously, the component parts are warped, broken, burnt and oxidized, etc.
My inclination at this point would be to (finally) break down and buy an EPA stove and drop it into place where the old stove sits now, but...
'This Old House' is in need of an 'Extreme Makeover'. Extreme enough that I'm contemplating moving into a trailer home or the (white elephant) garage I had built a couple of years ago, and abandoning the existing house to the elements.
Even if I choose to limp the house along for another few years, the foundation and floor joists immediately below the hearth are 'precarious' to the point that a heavier stove (as would likely be my choice) probably shouldn't be risked.
So... I'm thinking this _may_ be my last year burning wood... or at least the last for a year or more to come... until I figure out what manner of 'palace' I'll be inhabiting next.
Though I'd like to put the old stove through another round of rebuilding, refinements and a glass door with an airwash, I doubt that's likely at this point.
Anyone here know how to make a quick and dirty repair to a failing stone foundation?
Wherever I end up, I hope I might yet be able to spend a couple of seasons burning a stove with a 'window'... and a spectacular secondary show.
But 'you can't always get what you want'.
Peter B.
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But this year, after living for twenty five years without a thermostat, I bought myself a wall mount propane heater to provide (some) backup heat. Ironically, the heater is 'undersized' (at 30K BTU) and only running continuously can it come (even) close to meeting demand... even in milder (>20*) weather. So I use it almost exclusively to maintain indoor temps overnight to 50*... which is an unaccustomed luxury for me.
Anticipating use of the furnace as supplementary heat, I cut back my purchase of firewood last fall.
But last year's 'crop' of wood (from the same supplier I've used for years) wasn't as well seasoned as usual, and even though I had some drier wood left from the previous year, I'm afraid I burned 'stupid' for most of the season... failing to mix the two for best effect... and have nearly exhausted the greener wood.
Meanwhile, the stove I've burned in for the last twenty five years (and more) is showing its age. Twenty years ago, I rebuilt it and incorporated some modifications which substantially improved its efficiency, though not to the level of modern EPA stoves. Included were some baffles and an internal catalyst and - by and large - the stove burned pretty dam clean, seldom smoking once a good fire was established and the catalyst engaged.
The stove is still quite sound, but the modifications I made are pretty much in tatters now after twenty winters of use. Variously, the component parts are warped, broken, burnt and oxidized, etc.
My inclination at this point would be to (finally) break down and buy an EPA stove and drop it into place where the old stove sits now, but...
'This Old House' is in need of an 'Extreme Makeover'. Extreme enough that I'm contemplating moving into a trailer home or the (white elephant) garage I had built a couple of years ago, and abandoning the existing house to the elements.
Even if I choose to limp the house along for another few years, the foundation and floor joists immediately below the hearth are 'precarious' to the point that a heavier stove (as would likely be my choice) probably shouldn't be risked.
So... I'm thinking this _may_ be my last year burning wood... or at least the last for a year or more to come... until I figure out what manner of 'palace' I'll be inhabiting next.
Though I'd like to put the old stove through another round of rebuilding, refinements and a glass door with an airwash, I doubt that's likely at this point.
Anyone here know how to make a quick and dirty repair to a failing stone foundation?
Wherever I end up, I hope I might yet be able to spend a couple of seasons burning a stove with a 'window'... and a spectacular secondary show.
But 'you can't always get what you want'.
Peter B.
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