First fire of the season tonight!!

[cmonSTART]

So, I knew it was time to cave and get a fire going when my wife kicked on the thermostat for the oil burner today. I wasn't home when she did it, but when I did get home, I just KNEW it was on at some point. So, out came the wood rack and in came the wood. I cleaned up the stove and got a fire going. So far, so good. I have a lot of nice dry birch I'm working through for the shoulder season. Yee haw, here we go again!

 

[8nrider]

i came home afew weeks ago and the wife was burning birch in the fireplace at 5:30. luckily we have no thermastat, or im sure it would of been turned. i cant believe its that colder here in marlow. must be the wifes temperature tolerance levels

 

[Girl]

Me too! But we are going to sweat or tushes off tonight I think.
My chimney guy suggested I do a break in fire after getting it cleaned & throw in a creo sweep log, wait at least a week before burning.
Everyone is all happy & excited, hahaha.
The familiar pings & ticks made me happy too, lol

 

[btj1031]

Its getting tough to resist firing it up, but I must be strong....its gonna be a long winter!

 

[8nrider]

be strong j man the less u burn this year the less u cut next. but then again ITS FUN TO BURN

 

[cmonSTART]

be strong j man the less u burn this year the less u cut next. but then again ITS FUN TO BURN

Ha. Ya, that's exactly why I insist on putting it off as long as possible. But, being that my dear wife is pregnant, I cut her some slack.

 

[Girl]

Its getting tough to resist firing it up, but I must be strong....its gonna be a long winter!

I just wanted to get what was suggested out of the way.
Man, I am going to be itching after this!
I have a nice little supply of chunk to hold me over if I just can't help myself.
This year, probably the best quality wood & all my good size pieces of oak are seasoned perfect for the super cold nights to come.
Sorry, I am just really excited :exclaim:

 

[8nrider]

the fun to burn part. we have 2 fireplaces going as i type. my 10 year old daughter is becoming a very responsible burner. i dont think we will get the stove going for awhile. the fireplaces take the morning chill away from our old house and its a good way to burn some of the less desirable stove wood.

 

[Corey]

Congrats! I always look forward to the first fire of the season...well, not so much 'look forward' to it, but it's nice to know that if it is going to be cold and dreary there is a warm crackling fire in the stove. Though Sept 19th? Wow, that will make for a long burning season! I'm hoping to put mine off until late October, though it sure doesn't seem like the weather will cooperate this year....cold and wet already!

 

[Elfin]

What I am loving is the sound of it... beautiful silence other than the comforting pops and crackles of the wood and metal expansion!

After having a pellet stove for 6 seasons now, I was sure tired of the blower noise and the cranking noise while the pellets moved through the system. I think our pellet stove was noisier than most, but even the ones we have looked at in fireplace shops have a certain level of noisemaking to them.

Prior to the pellet stove, we had another woodstove but it didn't have a glass front... what a waste of a beautiful view! It sure kept us warm, though. As the Alderlea will now. I can't wait to cook on the thing! I bought an enameled Dutch Oven and am going to see just what this is capable of

 

[chad3]

Great point Elfin,
I love sitting in front of the fire and just watching it. The old Jotul 118 didn't have the window either and I didn't think that I was missing anything, would just sit there and love the warmth, till I bought the Oslo. Was a great addition a window is to the burner.
Chad

 

[8nrider]

im hoping in the next couple of weeks to parget the beehive oven thats with the big fireplace so we can bake some bread and pizza this fall . we tried it last fall but smoked the attic out. does anyone know of a good product for this?

 

[InTheRockies]

I agree that fires are mesmerizing to watch. The stove that was in this house when I bought it provided no view of the fire. I though I didn't miss the view of a fire that I had had in the fireplace in my house back east. Now I find myself sitting and staring at the glass door on the new stove when I've got a fire going. Guess I did miss those dancing flames. I see myself sitting in the great room a lot this winter.

 

[Elfin]

Yep, I'm certain I'll waste lots of time this winter just staring at those dancing flames

8nrider, you have a beehive oven! How amazing! I hope someone will know the answer to your question so you can put it to good use this year. There is nothing like baking on a hearth! I plan to try bread inside the dutch oven, but what I really want to do is build an outside wood-fired baking oven. One of these days, I will!

 

[chad3]

I use a coleman oven for their stoves on top of my stove. They are under 30 bucks from Wally World and are great. We've cooked everything from garlic to pies in it and for anything that needs a brown top they work pretty well. Oven doesn't get quite as hot as a normal one would, but if you put foil over the heat vents, it can get hotter. May be something you want to check out, I've been pretty pleased. My wife also uses it and she seems to like it as well.
Chad

 

[Elfin]

That's pretty cool, Chad! I'm glad to hear those work well. I really like to bake on a hearth but a camp stove sounds like a great alternative!

 

[chad3]

I'm thinking you understand me, but it is an oven that sits on top of the camp stove. I just took the same one and placed it on top of my wood stove. Its just a big tin box with a door on the front and a rack in it for putting stuff on.
Good alternative.
Chad