Frequent Questions--"Please Read Before You Post" Announcement and Topics

[Renovation]

Hi,

I've noticed that certain questions and answers come up over and over, and am wondering if the moderators and users would like to put up an announcement/sticky message to give some basic answers--in the message, and/or links.

It occurs to me that these repeated questions might actually be a good thing, for it gives people a chance to introduce themselves, and starts conversations. Or general answers may do more harm than good. Also, the moderators may not want that. Comments?

If folks think it is a good thing, what topics do you think it should include?

Here are some ideas:

What are the most important things I need to consider when buying a stove? (Top consideration--seasoned wood?)

Which stove should I buy? (I'd suggest telling how to decide, not specific recommendations?)

What's the difference between a catalyst and non-cat stove, and how do I decide which is right for me?

How big of a stove do I need--in other words, how do I size my stove for my house and climate?

How much money will I save by heating with wood?

What's the difference between an EPA stove and an exempt one, and why would I want one?

Why is my stove burning poorly?

Does my chimney have enough draft, and how can I improve it?

How hot should my stove be, and how should I measure it?

How do I start a fire?

How should I reload, and when?

Any other topics you'd like to see?

As I said, the owners here may not want this, and it may be a good thing to *not* have these answers so that new people introduce themselves and get answers tailored to them, but it might save folks, new and old, some time. It's just an idea. Have a great one.

 

[begreen]

I think a lot of people come first to the forums and are not aware of or easily find the articles section which addresses a lot of these questions. The wiki area is even more obscure to them.

 

[Renovation]

I think a lot of people come first to the forums and are not aware of or easily find the articles section which addresses a lot of these questions. The wiki area is even more obscure to them.

Agreed, and the info is scattered around. You mentioned Wiki to me, and I didn't even know there was one here. That's why I'm thinking it might help to have an intro post addressing the most frequent questions, and either answering them, linking to the relevant article, or telling how to research it.

Oh, a couple more FAQs:

"What sort of chimney do I need?"

"How do I make sure I'm not going to set my floor and walls on fire?"

 

[CarbonNeutral]

"Are there people in this forum willing to justify my dangerous idea, even though I know it's dangerous, but I just don't want to spend the time/expense to get it right"

Yes, it's the first day back at work after a long weekend off.....

 

[Highbeam]

"Are there people in this forum willing to justify my dangerous idea, even though I know it's dangerous, but I just don't want to spend the time/expense to get it right"

Yes, it's the first day back at work after a long weekend off.....

I'm with you, we call that answer shopping and soon enough some hooligan with rocks for brains will invent some way to justify it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Deleted

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Jake recently posted and answered those questions. I believe it got moved to WIKI.

I doubt FAQ would be even read by most. They will still come on the forum and ask....and that I believe is good. No matter how often a question is asked, it still bears repeating the answer and I also believe the person asking the question is more apt to believe someone posting fresh vs. reading some bland FAQ sheet. Besides, I have found that 99% of the FAQ sheets are absolutely worthless. It seems every one I go to is a waste of time. In theory it should work. In practice, it sucks.

 

[CarbonNeutral]

Jake recently posted and answered those questions. I believe it got moved to WIKI.

I doubt FAQ would be even read by most. They will still come on the forum and ask....and that I believe is good. No matter how often a question is asked, it still bears repeating the answer and I also believe the person asking the question is more apt to believe someone posting fresh vs. reading some bland FAQ sheet. Besides, I have found that 99% of the FAQ sheets are absolutely worthless. It seems every one I go to is a waste of time. In theory it should work. In practice, it sucks.

Agreed - most of what we answer is out there anyway on the Google, but people (including me) will come here first.

Also: "Will burning pine cause thermonuclear war?"

 

[JV_Thimble]

Overall tenor of the forum is pretty open and friendly, even to silly, repeated, and newbie questions. That probably encourages participation. And even bad idea posts are handled well, with specific reasons why something shouldn't be done. If the tone here were more negative towards repeat questions, then FAQs or the Wiki become much more essential. Not a bad idea to have FAQs/wiki if easy to maintain, but the way this site seems to work, it's probably not essential.

 

[nola mike]

I like the idea. I certainly like having some idea of what I'm talking about before I ask a question; information also helps to frame a more intelligent question. While most of the answers to those questions are around, they are very difficult to find on this site. I think having answers to commonly asked questions as a sticky would be great.

 

[PJF1313]

Jake recently posted and answered those questions. I believe it got moved to WIKI.

I doubt FAQ would be even read by most. They will still come on the forum and ask....and that I believe is good. No matter how often a question is asked, it still bears repeating the answer and I also believe the person asking the question is more apt to believe someone posting fresh vs. reading some bland FAQ sheet. Besides, I have found that 99% of the FAQ sheets are absolutely worthless. It seems every one I go to is a waste of time. In theory it should work. In practice, it sucks.

Agreed - most of what we answer is out there anyway on the Google, but people (including me) will come here first.

Also: "Will burning pine cause thermonuclear war?"

Craig -

Did you power-up the WOPR again ?

 

[BrotherBart]

Also: "Will burning pine cause thermonuclear war?"

Craig -

Did you power-up the WOPR again ?

Greetings Dr. Falken. Would you like to burn some pine?

 

[katwillny]

I have noticed that even if the question has already been asked and answered, there are numerous new answers to that same question. I think if anything it gets people talking again which is one of the reasons for this site. Unless moderators and webmasters are concerned about traffic and "space" I dont see an issue with people talking. Its great to read answers, but its even better to get "your" question answered. IMHO but I can be wrong.

 

[CarbonNeutral]

Greetings Dr. Falken. Would you like to burn some pine?

Strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about just putting the oil furnace on?

 

[SolarAndWood]

I've noticed that certain questions and answers come up over and over

I, like just about every one else here, came and asked those same questions. Thankfully, many thoughtful contributors took the time to steer my ignorant self in the right direction.

 

[katwillny]

I've noticed that certain questions and answers come up over and over

I, like just about every one else here, came and asked those same questions. Thankfully, many thoughtful contributors took the time to steer my ignorant self in the right direction.

Ditto. September 13, 2009, found this site. I can honestly say that I am in this site on most days.

 

[PJF1313]

Also: "Will burning pine cause thermonuclear war?"

Craig -

Did you power-up the WOPR again ?

Greetings Dr. Falken. Would you like to burn some pine?

How about a game of Pinus taeda Incendo (or in my case, on the sand bar, Pinus rigida Incendo)








































There is NO winner !

 

[Renovation]

Also: "Will burning pine cause thermonuclear war?"

Craig -

Did you power-up the WOPR again ?

Greetings Dr. Falken. Would you like to burn some pine?

"Curious game, this "trolling". The only way to win is not to play."

This exchange alone makes my original post worth it, lol.

It sounds to me like folks enjoy answering the questions, and of course they'd probably come up anyway. Out of curiosity (after all my name *is* George) I'll nose around the wiki, and see if I can find the answers someone mentioned. I looked, but missed them.

 

[Heem]

When forums start taking this 'FAQ' route - that's the end of the friendly atmosphere. I've been on forums for every different little hobby and interest that I have, and most to all of them have just become that EVERY question is met with a RUDE answer of "DID YOU SEARCH!?!" "HEY IDIOT WE ANSWERED THIS QUESTION ONE TIME 10 YEARS AGO" etc..

The biggest thing I like about this forum is that we DON'T mind repeating ourselves. Something new and/or funny comes up every time a topic is rehashed.

This is a friendly, fun place. Let's not ruin it with FAQs

 

[webbie]

It's like another habit I find some people have - using the phone!

I have friends and even some family who will NOT use email...even for casual conversation! Sure, it's easier and not time-sensitive, but these people tend to sit around and handle 100 phones a day...

by the same token, a person with basic internet and search engine experience could use the site search here - which is a google search on just Hearth.com:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/sitesearch/

and find just anything they need. But the forums are like the local bar or like the bleachers at a sports game. Here you will find pretty much the same conversations....or one heard before, going on at all times.

"Hey, it's cold outside". "Wow, a lot of snow is heading out way"........

It's a social thing...I think!

 

[firefighterjake]

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Jake's_Woodburning_FAQ/

Truthfully . . . it took me a bit to find this . . . it might work well as a sticky . . . then again many folks tend to go right past the stickys . . . or at least I know I often do . . .

 

[Slow1]

I (gasp) frequent another forum where I have been a moderator and admin. The thing about frequently asked (and answered) questions is that while they are seen/read/answered often by those who troll/live on the forums for a good part of their lives, generally speaking for the person asking the question it is the first time that they have asked so it is very new to them. Thus, when people answer with the respect and dignity of a new question (as done here) it helps to create a friendly and inclusive atmosphere that welcomes new members to open up join in the conversations.

Having information organized in Wiki and other formats as well is great - some folks don't like to post questions. It is all about serving the desires/needs of a variable population.

I happen to like this style where folks can ask the same questions that have been asked many times before. Then again, I'm one of those lazy sorts who would rather just ask the question than search out for the already answered threads