How'd you find Hearth.com, and what has it done for you?

[Bobbin]

Like so many I honestly don't remember how I stumbled on this site. And like Kathleen, the question remains as to why I'm still here (made me chuckle). What I thought was really cool was that there were others on this site who had Woodstocks! Whenever I'd shared shots of my living room on other forums (mostly interior design, professional forums) questions always arose about the stove and there were the usual comments about wood heat being "hard", dirty, etc., etc. but no one was really interested in the nuts and bolts of wood heat. And certainly no one had even heard of Woodstock stoves.

But here it's different. The focus is on the mechanics of stoves, flues, chimneys, and the ways to burn as cleanly and efficiently as possible to maximize your personal comfort while minimizing the amount of fuel required to achieve it. And that appealed to my yankee sensibilities. This site has also gotten me to think about fire in different ways; how to maintain one and keep the stove cookin' along without turning the house into a blast furnace or having to restart the fire from scratch every day. When I had trouble with backpuffing in my shop, you guys were very helpful by patiently explaining why it was happening... getting me to think about the problem in a different way, "driving the horizon" instead of one car length ahead for a poor analogy. And I always a get chuckle/smile from the funny stories about things going wrong, how to correct them, and how quickly others hop on a problem to help someone else out. At one time or another a "runaway" will probably occur or smoke is going to infiltrate a home and reading/thinking about replies is one way to "be prepared" when it happens to you.

I particularly love the pictures of installations and stove restorations; that appeals to my more artsy-fartsy side. But I like the latter most of all because it gives more understanding to how technology has improved on centuries old ideas, preserving little slices of history that are often very beautiful.

The good man teases me about this site a good deal. Last night he called over and casually asked, "have you checked the secondary burn tonight, sweetcheeks?". Lol.

 

[DAKSY]

Was sitting near my PC at work & nothing was happening on the V-twin Forum
in Dec 08 & the phone rang.
Customer had an issue with a gas stove that I was unfamiliar with.
I googled & there was the same issue cited , with a link to Hearth.com.
I read a couple of posts/replies, found my answer & called the customer back to
tell them what the fix was.
For the first couple of days, I "lurked."
Then somebody posted a question in the Gas Forum & I knew the answer!
That hooked me. I hadda join in & share my story..
"I'm Bob & I'm a alco..." oops... wrong place for that!
I was a poor soul, lost in cyberspace with nothing positive to
contribute to ANY forums before this one.
Thank you, Craig, for liberating the repairman inside me!

 

[dr.drew]

I googled it

 

[PapaDave]

Bobbin, I'm with you on the nuts and bolts aspect of this place. The very few folks I know who burn wood, don't really care a bunch about how they burn, just that the stove gives them heat.
I, on the other hand, like to know how and why things work. Details, they bring out the inner engineer or whatever, in me. Those details bore the living crap out of just about everyone I know. Here, not so much.
In that same vein, I like to build things, whether it's an omelette, or a computer, or a cabinet. I like the detail and mechanics of it all. Everyone else wants to go to the store and buy. Not me. I'll just figure out how to make it, thanks very much. This place enables me.
I get the "driving the horizon" analogy.

 

[agartner]

I found Hearth.com trying to find an operators manual for my Kent Sherwood. As I scrounged the Internet via the wonders of google, hearth.com kept on coming up time and time again. I started reading. A lot. Then I joined, and as I learned from hearth.com, I also posted to help others. Been here for about 3 years I think.

What have I learned. Wow...a lot. I'll throw in a few highlights.

"Cold air is like poo, it likes to roll downhill"
"Seasoned Cordwood for sale is likely not [seasoned]."
"Exterior Chimneys suck. But we gotta make do with what we got"
"Shoving stovepipe into your fireplace smoke chamber is a bad thing"
"Shoving flexpipe into the first chimney flue might be ok"
"Fully lining your chimney is a good thing"
"Chimney caps are a must. Without a chimney cap, a duck might fall into your stovepipe" (yes, there is a story there, but that's another episode)
"Splitting and stacking wood can be fun"
"With proper instructions, patience, and love, spouses ~can~ operate your woodstove"

There is much more that I've learned here, but that's enough for now...

 

[ckarotka]

I couldn't run the stove I had and found the forum looking for help. Well I got it! Since then it has cost me thousands of dollars, faster internet, a new stove, liner, tools, and provided me with entertainment at work.

It really opened my eyes on how to burn right and be a better friend to the environment.

HOW DID HEARTH EVER GET STARTED? By whom and why? I've never seen any posts about this.

 

[ckarotka]

I couldn't run the stove I had and found the forum looking for help. Well I got it! Since then it has cost me thousands of dollars, faster internet, a new stove, liner, tools, and provided me with entertainment at work.

It really opened my eyes on how to burn right and be a better friend to the environment.

HOW DID HEARTH EVER GET STARTED? By whom and why? I've never seen any posts about this.

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

Oh yeah, thanks to Charlie I saved $300 dollars on my stove!!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I found Hearth.com trying to find an operators manual for my Kent Sherwood. As I scrounged the Internet via the wonders of google, hearth.com kept on coming up time and time again. I started reading. A lot. Then I joined, and as I learned from hearth.com, I also posted to help others. Been here for about 3 years I think.

What have I learned. Wow...a lot. I'll throw in a few highlights.

"Cold air is like poo, it likes to roll downhill"
"Seasoned Cordwood for sale is likely not [seasoned]."
"Exterior Chimneys suck. But we gotta make do with what we got"
"Shoving stovepipe into your fireplace smoke chamber is a bad thing"
"Shoving flexpipe into the first chimney flue might be ok"
"Fully lining your chimney is a good thing"
"Chimney caps are a must. Without a chimney cap, a duck might fall into your stovepipe" (yes, there is a story there, but that's another episode)
"Splitting and stacking wood can be fun"
"With proper instructions, patience, and love, spouses ~can~ operate your woodstove"

There is much more that I've learned here, but that's enough for now...

I'd like to know more about that duck! hh:

 

[Lighting Up]

I was a wealthy successful businessman until I came across hearth.com. By accident one night while surfing the web I came across this site. I lurked for a few hours and then joined in the posting. Over time I became more and more addicted to reading posts and interacting with the forum members. The next thing you know I bought a wood stove. Then another. Then another. Then a pellet stove. Then came chainsaws, a log splitter and chimney liners and log carriers and wood racks and I became obsessed with gathering firewood. Before long I was spending more and more time on hearth.com and putting up firewood. My business started to suffer as well as my home life. My wife complained that all I wanted to do was hang out with "those wood guys". The kids started staying away from me because I was posting and reading and stopped bathing. They said I was "stinky". In short order my accountant informed me that all of my employees had quit, the bank account was empty and I would have to file for bankruptcy. It didn't matter to me all I wanted to know was what the progress of the cat vs. non-cat discussions were leading to. Was or was not EBT a answer for long burns? Were PE stoves really worth extra money over an Englander?

One afternoon I heard the door slam and a car drive off. On the table in the hall was a note from a lawyer telling me my wife had filed for divorce and was taking the kids with her. I cried for about ten minutes and then went to see if anybody had scored anymore free wood off of craigslist. Nobody had in a few days and that REALLY made me sad.

So the house has been foreclosed, I drink pretty much around the clock (or at least I will until the pawn shop stops taking my stuff) and hang out on hearth.com 20 hours a day. I get a couple of hours sleep along the way resting my head on the keyboard.

Now Craig has made me a moderator and life is looking up! I have stoves and hearth.com. Who needs all of that other crap in life.

I must admit I really miss his old Avatar of the little Guy...sometimes I thought he was telling the story even moving and talking.

For me goggling about stoves. May have to leave don't want to lose the business can't afford the wood then.
md

 

[ckarotka]

Oh yeah, thanks to Charlie I saved $300 dollars on my stove!!

Your welcome, but it goes beyond me. I wish I remembered who posted it first, maybe they will chime in, but I read post about the "deal" from someone here. It was about Lowes price matching a Farm and Fleet ad on a nc13.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

Stumbled backwards into Hearth.com when I tripped over my old,less-than-efficient,Dutchwest Large-Cat and abruptly purchased an EPA-insert like I was grabbing a candy bar while online at the supermarket. Only AFTER my purchase did I do some research on EPA stoves and how to run them. Thats when I found Hearth.com , and the real learnin' began. While I got lucky,and am very happy with my insert, it reminds me of my M.O. in life - jump first, THEN worry about how deep the water is!! :coolsmile:

 

[tfdchief]

I have burned wood for 35 years and when I stumbled onto this forum, I was so happy to find others who share my love for it, and share so much of their knowledge. I have figured out a lot on my own in 35 years, and was amazed at the new ideas and things I had never thought of when I started frequenting the forum. I think I found it looking for SS liner, since I burned my old stove for so many years just stuck in the fire place. I always wanted to direct connect it even though back when I bought it that was unheard of, never even mentioned in the manual as an option. Then after a long time on this forum and many ideas, and new products, I direct connected my old stove to a SS flue liner. Quite a difference. Thanks. I love it here.

 

[Mad Tom]

Found it by cruising the internet. Kept me from using my Oslo as a boat anchor.

 

[SlyFerret]

How did I find hearth.com?

My wife was laid off sometime around November of 2006. Money was real tight going into that winter, and we were looking for any way we could reduce our expenses.

Our house has a Majestic zero clearance fireplace in the family room on the lower level, and I was looking for information about the particular model that I have, and wood heat in general. I was hopeful that we could use the fireplace to supplement the propane furnace.

What has it done for me?

Honestly, this site changed my life. I'm not trying to be overly dramatic here, but it really is just that simple.

This forum was a fantastic resource for me as I researched my options. I came to understand that my fireplace wasn't going to be useful for any sort of meaningful heat, and I also made the decision not to install an insert into my Majestic ZC fireplace, but instead to install a free standing stove in the living room on the mid level of our house.

Beyond that, with the help of others here (and my father), I was able build a hearth, and install the stove and chimney myself. In hindsight, I really think that it was the best ~$1500 I ever spent, considering that the entire cost of the stove and installation was paid back to me in savings within one full season.

If it weren't for this site, I almost certainly would not have adopted the wood heat lifestyle. As we're entering the 3rd full season with the stove, I'm not sure I could imagine life without it.

-SF

 

[CodyWayne718]

1. I don't remember how I found it.

2. This site has given me a place to spend hours reading about how others stack wood when I should be out stacking wood or something. Oh, and it's good for learning about other things too. :D

Matt

+1 to all of that, but since we are here. I'd like to to give thanks to everyone on this site, for all the helpfull tips, facts, and opinions. I'm real glad that when someone has a question that is simple common sense no one on here is a smart a!! to them, I really appreciate that. This place has helped me learn to burn and save money, can't give thanks enough to be honest.

 

[rdust]

Not sure if this is the right forum, so if not my apologies. But as I read all the excellent advice, I wonder:
1. How each of you get into the forum, and
2. what, if anything, it has done for you?

1. It came up on a Google search. After going into some stove shops and my head spinning I decided to do some research and landed here. I'm on all kinds of forums that are helpful so I looked for "wood stove forum" and hearth.com was the top listed.

2. I decided on buying a stove in Feb of 2009. I quickly learned wood was number 1 so I had 5 or so cords of wood c/s/s by May of 2009(still wasn't good wood though but better then most first year burners), bought a splitter, saws and trailer for hauling wood. I then lurked around for a while and purchased a stove after reading/listening to everyone. This site was also great when it came to figuring out the chimney.

Now I have 3 years of wood c/s/s and just started working on my 2013/2014 wood, I probably have 2 cords of rounds collected to go toward that. I may start splitting those rounds tomorrow if I can find some time.

 

[JV_Thimble]

Nice post topic/question.

1. How each of you get into the forum:

Google helped me find it.

2. What, if anything, it has done for you?

Helped me get my project going the right direction - still a ways to go, and this site is still helping me. Learned a lot about wall penetrations, clearance to combustibles, and Class A pipe. Need to learn more about minimizing creosote buildup and lining chimneys, but am taking it one step at a time (At least until my stove is back up and running).

 

[DBoon]

I found Hearth.com when I was researching indoor wood boilers. I knew of the Wood Gun, but figured there had to be other options. I was trying to find something that could be used for oil and wood with one chimney. Never did find what I would consider a good solution, but I did get an idea to put a woodstove in my fireplace alcove.

Hearth.com gives me something to do during Fall and Winter Sundays while I am watching football. Seriously, it brought me up the curve a lot faster than I otherwise would have been once I got my Lopi Answer stove, and it has made me a big time PITA to my father-in-law so that he gets wood dried for his stove.

 

[corey21]

I found this site on Google.

 

[Dix]

I started out searching the net for hearth grates ;-P

I knew I wanted out of oil, and was doing my research. Hearth.com kept coming up every time I googled something. Took me a few times before I clicked the link, I kept telling myself an internet forum wasn't the answer, most of the forums I'm on/run are horse related, and it gets pretty cut throat >:-(


Then, I clicked, found the main articles, and then found the forums. Rick/Fossil was the first respondant to my first post. Most of the rest are a blur, atleast in the beginning. So much knowledge.

I still remember thinking (proudly I might add) that I had seasoned wood my first year. %-P

 

[Huskyforlife]

I found this forum doing a Google search. Simply put, it is awesome. I had never heard of Pacific Energy before, and getting one of their inserts was a direct result of reading here. Also, I did the whole install myself, to include full liner, with a fabricated block off plate, from reading here. Oh, and I thought this company called Fiskars just made sewing scissors and stuff, but I ordered their wood splitter online from what I read here and it is the best I have ever used.

So after suffering last year with t-stat set at 60 degrees and freezing and still sucking down the oil, this year we have enjoyed living room at high 70s to low 80s and the rest of the house mid-low 70s. I was able to scrounge nearly 5 cords of wood which if put against current heating oil prices means my stove install (factoring in tax credit) probably breaks even this year. Plus the ambiance of watching the flames is priceless. Needless to say there is no way we're going back to oil. Anyway, I'll continue to hang around here as it is the best place for wood burners I've found on the web.

 

[Wingman]

Having burned in my open fireplace the past 5 years, I wanted to know if I could use the cedar that I had just bucked. Somehow it lead me to this site and have been a regular reader of posts(with an occasional reply) ever since. I have since bought and installed a 13-nci with insulated liner and block off plate all of which I have done myself thanks to tutorials and other helpful posts. Great site!

 

[wildlandfirefighterswife]

Googled in desperate need of information and am receiving an EDUCATION

THANKS!!

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I got serious about wood last year and google Holtz Hauzens and found the site. The only unfortunate thing is that Craig deleted me some how. I had to restart this my post count this year. I have found the wood shed to be my favorite forum and I have gotten addicted to the site and the whole process. I bought a Bobcat, a new saw, new stove and 20 cords of wood split by hand it a year.