Breaking in the new stove

[VCBurner]

I emailed the installer last night to explain the situation and ask if they could deliver the stove a few days earlier. He emailed me back today to let me know he sent some guys over to Lowe’s to pick it up and they brought it back to their shop to break it in. I’m thrilled!! I didn’t think they’d want to provide that extra service because I didn’t buy a stove from them. Plus I can just imagine my little englander among the Rais stoves. Like a little Hyundai at a Mercedes dealership. Thanks again for the heads up.

I don't know you K, but good things happen to good people. It must have been good karma, or what you get back for having lots of cold winter days in your drafty house with the thermostat down low. Good for you, good to know there are still people out there who are willing to help someone out.

Edit: let's see how many times I can say the word good in one paragraph!! :lol:

 

[BrotherBart]

So you think he might put in my new bathroom sink while he's here? :coolsmirk: All signs point to no. I think I graduated high school the year he was born.

Cindy Crawford was born the year I graduated from high school but I wouldn't install her sink. :-S

 

[Battenkiller]

Agreed, but this particular 40yo amazon *loves* my 9yo son to the exclusion of all others, especially me.

Funny how birds just make up their minds like that. My wife loves birds and they all seem to love her. Even nasty ones that she gets warned about just warm up to her. After she got her Masters degrees, I got her a little maroon-bellied conure for a grad present. The bird absolutely fell in love with me and wanted nothing to do with her. I was devastated and she was heartbroken. I just stopped handling the bird ("Dickens"), and after several weeks he eventually came around. Now he's decided he doesn't like me so much anymore. Maybe he feels neglected. Which is kinda sad, 'cause he's a real nice, sweet bird, but a sacrifice I was willing to make.

Good luck with your new stove, and get those little guys to a friend's house for a week.

 

[bboulier]

I am confused by the technology and economics of the break-in period. In advance, let me note that we did not have much trouble with our Jotul 550 insert. The second and third burns were acrid and a bit annoying, but, thanks to the warnings of this group, we had opened the window to minimize problems.

I would assume that there are paints having far fewer problems than the ones used by stove manufacturers. Why aren't they used? My grill and smoker reach quite high temperatures, but I did not not noticed odor problems on initial use. (To be fair, they are outside instead of in a closed environment, where smells are more observable.)

Usually, markets allocate cost saving measures to those who can do them more cheaply I would have guessed that manufacturers could pre-heat the stoves at relatively low cost to eliminate break-in problems (e.g., differential expansion rates of steel and cast iron). Who can can do the break-in at lower cost (taking into account the annoyance factor of the consumer and losses of beloved parrots): the consumer or the producer? Do manufacturers have lower costs of break-in than consumers or not? And why or why not?

Bryan

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

Edit: let's see how many times I can say the word good in one paragraph!! :lol:

It's all good!

Cindy Crawford was born the year I graduated from high school but I wouldn't install her sink.

Oh, I'm definitely out of luck then.


Interesting questions Bryan

 

[begreen]

Don't let him kid you. When BB graduated high school they had just invented indoor plumbing.

 

[Bobbin]

Kathleen, I am still smiling about the installer's willingness to "break in" the stove for you. What a nice gesture and what smart "business"! going the extra mile for a customer is the surest way to guarantee a good reference. And yeah, great questions Bryan!

I love the shot of your kid and the bird... unusual that a child has made a lasting connection with a bird (often they're too abrupt and rough wth them). Definitely a tribute to your love of birds and your commitment to your son. Larry used to love to dine with us... the key to harmony was to make sure his tail feathers never passed over the dinner plate...

 

[firefighterjake]

Great news on your stove, and an EXCELLENT question!!

We had Larry (Bird) for nearly 20 yrs.. He was a normal grey cockatiel and he was fully flighted. There is nothing more special than a bird that loves and trusts you, is there?

Agreed, but this particular 40yo amazon *loves* my 9yo son to the exclusion of all others, especially me. Loves to play star wars and hot wheels. Tells him she loves him. Calls me a cracker.
The dusky pionus is my baby. I have not owned a cockatiel, but I know they are fabulous birds.
Attaching a pic of the bird and her boy having eggs for breakfast.

Update on the "situation." I bought the stove from Lowe's but the install was being done by a local shop that sells some fab stoves. They were going to pick up the stove from Lowe's on the day of the install. I would have picked it up myself but,despite my fierce independent streak and my naturally ornery disposition, I still would not be able to get that stove out of my truck by myself. Hard to admit, but the facts.

I emailed the installer last night to explain the situation and ask if they could deliver the stove a few days earlier. He emailed me back today to let me know he sent some guys over to Lowe's to pick it up and they brought it back to their shop to break it in. I'm thrilled!! I didn't think they'd want to provide that extra service because I didn't buy a stove from them. Plus I can just imagine my little englander among the Rais stoves. Like a little Hyundai at a Mercedes dealership. Thanks again for the heads up.

Random thoughts . . . does anyone else beside me see the irony of K's son having eggs for breakast with the bird nearby?

Wow . . . top marks to the installer and stove shop . . . when you see service like this remember them . . . for other products . . . to make recommendations to family and friends . . . and if and when you upgrade to a fancier stove perhaps . . . if nothing else, a short thank you letter means a whole lot to folks when they go above and beyond what is expected . . . yes, they are getting paid to do a job . . . but it sounds like theyv'e gone the extra step.

Birds . . . someday I wouldn't mind having a bird since my wife had a bird when she was a teen . . . but with four cats in the house I think it may be wise to wait until the kitties go to the Great Catnip Field in the Sky before buying any birds.

 

[Bobbin]

It's indeed ironic that birds love eggs. Larry loved hard boiled egg.

Birds and cats are a fine mix IF you are willing to be vigilent. Our birds were always fully flighted (wings never clipped). We allowed them out of the cage only when we knew the cats were outdoors or we were confident of their whereabouts. Some cats are cool with birds, but it's important to understand that cats are apex preditors and they're hard-wired to lock the radar on movement. They are hunters and a bird, any bird, is an attractant. This goes for dogs, too!

We've always had cats (minimum of 1 up to 5) and have had at least one dog at that time, too. If you're willing to shoulder the burden of "roll call" before allowing your birds cage-free time, you'll be fine. But there is always the risk.

I can't imagine a life without cats. Having a bird was tantamount to "gravy on everything". Birds are fabulous, but require special attention and a lot of work.

 

[firefighterjake]

It's indeed ironic that birds love eggs. Larry loved hard boiled egg.

Birds and cats are a fine mix IF you are willing to be vigilent. Our birds were always fully flighted (wings never clipped). We allowed them out of the cage only when we knew the cats were outdoors or we were confident of their whereabouts. Some cats are cool with birds, but it's important to understand that cats are apex preditors and they're hard-wired to lock the radar on movement. They are hunters and a bird, any bird, is an attractant. This goes for dogs, too!

We've always had cats (minimum of 1 up to 5) and have had at least one dog at that time, too. If you're willing to shoulder the burden of "roll call" before allowing your birds cage-free time, you'll be fine. But there is always the risk.

I can't imagine a life without cats. Having a bird was tantamount to "gravy on everything". Birds are fabulous, but require special attention and a lot of work.

Well not to derail this thread too much more, but . . .

When they go free range flying do they poop all over the place or are birds trained to do their business in one place? I know my wife said her bird seemed pretty smart.

 

[Bobbin]

Birds have no voluntary control over their evactuatory fuctions. You cannot "house break" them. Urine and solids are combined into one elimination, it's a "one shot deal". Morning eliminations are major league, so watch out.

Yeah, they basically -hit wherever and whenever the urge strikes them. But since they quickly establish favorite "roosts" you pretty much know where the -hit will land. Tip: let the droppings dry before attempting to clean them up. Dried droppings are a breeze... wet ones smear and are more difficult.

Glad you asked?

 

[Battenkiller]

Birds have no voluntary control over their evactuatory fuctions. You cannot "house break" them.

I'm not sure that's entirely true.

My wife gets our conure to go before taking him out of the cage. In the beginning, she'd just hold him inside the doorway and say, "Do poop." Eventually he would, then she'd say, "Good bird, Dickens" and take him out and nuzzle him. After a while, she'd say to do poop and he'd try even if he didn't have to. Before long, he'd sit on her shoulder and then walk down her arm when he had to go. She'd hold him on her finger over a paper towel and say, "Do poop" and he'd go right on the paper towel.

Housebroken, no, but maybe "shoulder broken" is possible.

 

[Bobbin]

Don't confuse voluntary control with situational control. If you know when your bird is most likely to eliminate you have some "control" over it. But the bird has no ability to control elimination on its own.

 

[Battenkiller]

I don't know anything about avian physiology, but Dickens definitely has at least partial control in that he at least knows what we want him to do and he attempts to do it. My wife will open the cage and say, "Do poop", and he will lift his tail up, and 9 times out of 10 he'll poop inside the cage right then. He knows he's not getting out until he does, so he'll keep trying even if he can't go right away. Then when he's on her shoulder, he'll rarely poop on her, but almost always goes down her arm to where she's holding the paper towel. He always goes in the same two places in his cage, too, so he has a least enough control to scoot over to those spots on his perches before he lets loose.

 

[karri0n]

Don't confuse voluntary control with situational control. If you know when your bird is most likely to eliminate you have some "control" over it. But the bird has no ability to control elimination on its own.

I think they have control AND accuracy at high velocity!

Park a 2010 Mercedes Next to a '81 F150 with rusted out fenders for a week in a mall parking lot, and record which of these have more seagull bombs at the end of the week, then tell me they have no control :lol: