All around good day

[lowroadacres]

With a reasonably warm and sunny day today and due to us being on the road for hockey until late afternoon I let the stove go after last night's final loading cycle.

This afternoon when we arrived home I got up on the roof with the brush and rods to give the chimney a quick cleaning.

First good news is due to burning some of the best wood we have ever had there was a ridiculously small amount of powder to shovel out of the stove after the scrub.

The bonus came when I found enough coals in the ash to start the stove without matches or a lighter.

I think that means we have only used matches/lighter on the stove 3 times since October. On one of those times I was too impatient to blow on the kindling on those last few tiny coals.

We still have lots of shoulder season and maybe even a blizzard or two left but the winter has been mild and we still have a reasonable amount of wood left.

Time to get cutting again.

 

[BrotherBart]

Sounds like the plan is working.

And you didn't melt the brush in those coals. A good thing.

 

[bogydave]

Yep, Good wood is dry wood !!
Lots of good benefits

Makes you feel pretty good about your whole system.
Get lots of wood, next winter may be **** "Winter "****

 

[lowroadacres]

There wasn't very many coals and they were buried nicely in the ashes. As well my brush doesn't quite go all the way to the stove but we run clean and hot enough that we have found that the pipe from the stove to the chimney stays very clean.

And given that we are still using a non-epa stove the baffle is a simple plate and there are no ceramics or burn tubes to work around. Hopefully we are able to make that change to a larger capacity EPA stove soon.

 

[SmokeyCity]

There wasn't very many coals and they were buried nicely in the ashes. As well my brush doesn't quite go all the way to the stove but we run clean and hot enough that we have found that the pipe from the stove to the chimney stays very clean.

And given that we are still using a non-epa stove the baffle is a simple plate and there are no ceramics or burn tubes to work around. Hopefully we are able to make that change to a larger capacity EPA stove soon.

New Stove in your near future ?

Be sure to ask Brother Bart for a recommendation .. ( hee hee )

 

[lowroadacres]

New stove will likely be a ways away unless a deal of a lifetime comes along new or used.

There are far more pressing issues right now including finishing out our basement, completing stucco on our foundation, completing one deck and starting another...

And that does not factor in feeding 4 kids, fueling their sports/music/work dreams including one away at college.

If anyone anywhere near Manitoba wants to unload a stove or an insert on our yard I will store it for them for as long as is needed.

In the meantime our little Jasper Drolet takes the edge off of our heating bill and affords us some protection in the event of a power outage.