Neighbor feeling the chill

[rottiman]

I hear you guys. People look at me like I'm cracked too, the other day as a guy was picking up a little campfire wood, his words were " you're too ambitious". My reply was "nope, just don't like to be cold, & I like chimney fires even less". Needless to say, the conversation ended there. Oh well. A C

In general, thats the problem with our society here in North America and that goes well beyond cutting firewood. The times are tough and are probably gonna get tougher, but alot of the problem lies with a withering work ethic and a "whats the goverment gonna due for me or give to me" attitude. I am glad I lived in the era I did and wouldn't wanna be a 20 year old facing what is about to come if they soon don't wake up and smarten up. There. the rant is over and I feel soooo much better. Think I'll head on down to the shed and check on my cords.

 

[MeLikeUmFire]

I'm waiting to hear the firetrucks pull into my neighbors...i cant see their house thru all the smoke. On another note I called a wood supplier...seasoned to them was 3 weeks after cutting down a live tree

 

[MeLikeUmFire]

I'm waiting to hear the firetrucks pull into my neighbors...i cant see their house thru all the smoke. They burn unseasoned wood. They just cut down some live trees...have a feeling they are going into the heatalator this winter. No liner. On another note I called a wood supplier...seasoned to them was 3 weeks after cutting down a live tree

 

[MeLikeUmFire]

I'm waiting to hear the firetrucks pull into my neighbors...i cant see their house thru all the smoke. They burn unseasoned wood. They just cut down some live trees...have a feeling they are going into the heatalator this winter. No liner. On another note I called a wood supplier...seasoned to them was 3 weeks after cutting down a live tree

 

[jatoxico]

I find peoples luck (mine included) is generally proprtional to their effort.

Very often there's a good reason the "why does this always happen to me" crowd is in the shape they're in.

 

[MeLikeUmFire]

Sorry bout triple posting...i guess now quadruple posting...didnt realize there was a page two

 

[weatherguy]

I'm waiting to hear the firetrucks pull into my neighbors...i cant see their house thru all the smoke. They burn unseasoned wood. They just cut down some live trees...have a feeling they are going into the heatalator this winter. No liner. On another note I called a wood supplier...seasoned to them was 3 weeks after cutting down a live tree

I called a wood supplier in my area in the spring because he had a good price on seasoned wood, his idea of seasoned was cutting the tree down last year and leaving in log length and not splitting it until the week I called him. I guess its a vague definition.

 

[laynes69]

I was approached three other day by a co-worker that also burns wood. They have a old smoke dragon stove and are having problems getting wood. I have expressed many times firewood that is split and stacked needs to season a year or more. She asked if my BIL had any more wood, which I replied if he did it would be green. She replied that's okay, we have a large dead maple that hasn't been removed yet we can burn. Our burns are longer and cleaner, and we use less wood to heat our home than they do considering our home is much bigger. The homes that I see with large stacks of firewood and chimney liners produce no smoke. T
It's very easy to tell who is burning clean and safe. Year after year I see there same repeat offenders judging from the creosote running of their chimneys and the billowing smoke. Since I have went to a EPA certified furnace, my habits have changed and my eyes have opened.

 

[bigdaddybry]

One of my neighbors thinks I'm nuts burning "that dry wood". He likes it as wet as possible 'cause it burns nice and slow. I just kinda shrug, I know there's no way to change his mind.

 

[red oak]

One of my neighbors thinks I'm nuts burning "that dry wood". He likes it as wet as possible 'cause it burns nice and slow. I just kinda shrug, I know there's no way to change his mind.

I have a friend who likes to "hear the sizzle" when he throws wood in the stove.

 

[Thistle]

One of my neighbors thinks I'm nuts burning "that dry wood". He likes it as wet as possible 'cause it burns nice and slow. I just kinda shrug, I know there's no way to change his mind.

I have a friend who likes to "hear the sizzle" when he throws wood in the stove.

I wonder if he likes to also hear his smoke alarm going off & the fire engine speeding down his street.

 

[Woody Stover]

I used to burn wet Oak and had a ton of creosote. I had pipe all the way to the top of the masonry chimney. I knew it was time to brush the liner when the draft would drop so low that I had a hard time keeping smoke from pouring into the room when I opened the stove door. I would clean the chimney once a season, twice in the last few years (had to pull the stove to do it, which I don't with my new setup.) The elbow would be a third to half way closed off. Usually got 2-3 gallons of flakes out of there. The only upside of operating like this is that you become very good at avoiding chimney fires in poor operating conditions. :lol:

 

[red oak]

I happened to be there when my friend who likes to hear the sizzle was cleaning his stovepipe. It was PACKED full of creosote. He said he cleans it once a year (like I do). So in one season he produced more creosote than I have in 11! Far more! Honestly reading this thread makes me wonder why I don't hear about more chimney fires. I encouraged my friend to check his pipe and chimney at least once a month. He started to do that last year so that's at least something!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Some folks just seem to think chimney fires are normal. Just think about all the talk about burning a really hot fire every day to "clean out the chimney."

 

[jimbom]

Thanks to the forum and those willing to share their knowledge. It has been a great help to us. What began as a search for information to keep us warm during winter power outages has become an obsession. A good obsession for clean safe local source heat for our home. It is wonderful how people come together to help each other using the internet. Thanks again to those more knowledgeable.

 

[Stump_Branch]

As the wife and i are busy moving our wood supply over from the seasoning area, full of sun and wind, to pallets near the door closest to the stove. A few houses up i hear a saw running. I figure wood preptime for them...and joke with the wife about cutting firewood now. After 3 plus hours i hear/see the tree fall. All that time, they were felling the thing...not only is bad enough to burn wet wood but these folks shouldnt have been around a standing tree. A wonder no one got hurt. You could hear them getting the saw pinched and full throttle to bog down..

"i remember my first chainsaw"

 

[certified106]

Some folks just seem to think chimney fires are normal. Just think about all the talk about burning a really hot fire every day to "clean out the chimney."

LOL I have a guy at work that has an induced chimney fire every Saturday morning. When he gets up he stuffs the stove full of cardboard lights it up and leaves the door open so the flames shoot up the chimney and as much as I have argued with him he sees nothing wrong with it. Some people just don't get it or get it and just don't give a rip!

 

[firefighterjake]

I've given up on trying to "preach the word" about burning seasoned wood and burning hot enough . . . I cannot tell you how many posts I was reading on Facebook this past weekend about folks splitting up and hauling in their firewood for this coming Fall and Winter . . . I suspect at some point I may be reading some future post about a chimney fire. When you try to tell them how to prevent the creosote build up by burning at the proper temps and with seasoned wood they just roll their eyes and think you're some wood burning nut case who simply has an obsession with cutting wood and stacking it around your property for years at a time.

 

[Stump_Branch]

The outdoor firecomplex. Throw wet wood in a bonfire, it burns, the smoke i suspect is expected and ignored. Ill assume because folks seeing it burn in that arrangment, large fire, can feel the heat etc. They figure its gionh to work well as a smaller fire inside a stove.

 

[MasterMech]

Nothing wrong with waiting for colder weather to process wood. So long as you're cutting next year's or further out.

 

[maplewood]

Am about 4 yrs ahead now - 13-14 cords roughly.:coolsmirk:

...I'm not tooting my own horn, but I burn more than that in a year. ;-)

But to the theme of this thread: For decades I cut in the spring and summer, and burned in the fall. At least I stored my wood
inside, where it could continue to dry out a bit more before I tossed it into the stove. Funny, but I had to clean my chimney at
least twice a season. Never had a chimney fire, for which I'm thankful, but I did have two blockages which cuased smoke to come into the house!
Now I cut a year earlier, giving me two summers for the wood to dry. My moisture content is usually 20% when I put it in the house.
Haven't had any amount of creosote for years. Only clean the chimney yearly just to make myself feel good about it.

From this site I've become confident in the how and why of cutting and seasoning wood, and am still saddened to see some of my
neighbours cutting in August to burn in, well, now. I try to gently educate them when possible, as a friend-to-friend. I know we feel
it is so obvious and beneficial, and that we have improved our own state as far as wood processing goes.

But in other parts of my lifestyle I haven't fine tuned things to such harmony. I still weigh over 240, struggle with chewing my nails,
and feel the grief of procrastination all too often. But it is very encouraging to me to take a break up in the 2012 wood pile, just to
sit there and feel the seasoning taking place amoungst the 15 cord, and know that there is still hope

 

[willworkforwood]

... they just roll their eyes and think you're some wood burning nut case who simply has an obsession with cutting wood and stacking it around your property for years at a time.

My favorite is when someone who I don't know well comes into the driveway, sees all of the rows of wood, and says "do you sell wood?" One of the nice things about getting older is that I've arrived at the point of not giving a s&@t about what others think about me filling up my yard with firewood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

And I never tire of driving into my yard or taking the atv in back and looking at the wood that is stacked up. I admire it almost daily and it gives me a good feeling every time; more so as the weather turns cold.

 

[Ash_403]

Nothing wrong with waiting for colder weather to process wood. So long as you're cutting next year's or further out.

Exactly. I'm sure some neighbors heard me running a saw last weekend. But, it was the case you stated.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Neighbor did get out to cut wood last weekend. Not dead wood either as I saw lots of green leaf on the stuff he cut. Makes me cringe just thinking about it.