Getting ready for my 1st year

I like it a lot!

It will get a bit messy though with all the debris

I love the extension strapped to the ends

Check for termites and carpenter ants frequently. Too close to the house for my taste.

Termites? Ants? they life in wet wood, once the wood is dry they leave, termites usually live in the soil, no worries, maybe some spiders in that pile.

Looks like a great setup! I'd do the same thing with a concrete porch like that.

It always makes me nervous when i see people do that with a wood porch. Likely not made to withstand thousands of lbs of wood for 6 months.

nice set-up! How is a brick house in the winter? I've always wondered that, cooler, warmer, the same as wood frame?

very nice. we do a similar thing out back on our back patio... Its right by the stove, so it makes it easy peasy!

Good luck.. i remember my first year.. i was way over excited... couldn't wait to burn.. i still feel the same way after all these years.. cant wait for my first fire of the year.. 3 wood sheds and one solar kiln later and sitting on 9 plus cords the feeling hasent changed.. probably never will.. i was walking with my son through the yard sunday and he's telling me how hes ready for fall.. he's ready to burn..

Woodsplitter67 said:

Good luck.. i remember my first year.. i was way over excited... couldn't wait to burn.. i still feel the same way after all these years.. cant wait for my first fire of the year.. 3 wood sheds and one solar kiln later and sitting on 9 plus cords the feeling hasent changed.. probably never will.. i was walking with my son through the yard sunday and he's telling me how hes ready for fall.. he's ready to burn..

Click to expand...

Heh... same here, but now it wears off before Thanksgiving.

I’ve gone thru ten cords in a single year, and a full cord in 8 days.

1st year ---

A good time to learn your stove. Some thoughts

• Top down fire building -- who would have thunk of this
• Look out for starting a cold stove with a rain storm pending -- if you don't you could have a room full of smoke. Draft more Draft please !!
  
• Watch out for cutting back on the air with fresh wood in the stove -- if not you could learn about back buffs.
  
• Kindling is your friend too. -- load up on this too.
  
• Maybe a good time to think about how your going to clean your chimney too.

After all your hard work , kick back and enjoy !!

Congrats and welcome to the club.

Woodsplitter67 said:

Good luck.. i remember my first year.. i was way over excited... couldn't wait to burn.. i still feel the same way after all these years.. cant wait for my first fire of the year.. 3 wood sheds and one solar kiln later and sitting on 9 plus cords the feeling hasent changed.. probably never will.. i was walking with my son through the yard sunday and he's telling me how hes ready for fall.. he's ready to burn..

Click to expand...

I agree. It’s a very gratifying feeling lighting that first fire. My wife laughs at me and also probably get a little annoyed when I wander out to the wood pile with a bourbon or a beer and look around and disappear for a bit. I always remind her how lucky she is that my hobby is right here at the house, it’s free or darn or close to it, and it keeps us warm

billfred said:

Wow That seems crazy.

Click to expand...

Full disclosure, it was poplar... but I was ripping thru some serious wood (10 cords per year, average) for a couple years, there. Changing out my two stoves, and some of my burning goals, fixed that problem. The last few years have been too bizarre to remotely call average, but I'm predicting I'll average 6 cords per year, now.

Woodsplitter67 said:

Good luck.. i remember my first year.. i was way over excited... couldn't wait to burn.. i still feel the same way after all these years.. cant wait for my first fire of the year.. 3 wood sheds and one solar kiln later and sitting on 9 plus cords the feeling hasent changed.. probably never will.. i was walking with my son through the yard sunday and he's telling me how hes ready for fall.. he's ready to burn..

Click to expand...

I don't know if I am that committed. But I will say that with 2 small kids, when they get up on a cool morning, they ALWAYS head to where the fire is an lay down in front of it.
Lazy kids. Must be the wife's genetics.

One of my views on raising kids is that you have to get them to appreciate simple things in life. We have no idea what life will bring for them and they need to stay grounded and enjoy natural things...like a good hike or a fire on a cool day.

billfred said:

Wow That seems crazy.

Click to expand...

Well he has like 9 woodstoves and fireplaces.

Regarding the draft issue with a cold stove.

Toss some crumpled newspaper in the firebox and light up, maybe 2-3 times depending on your setup.

Gets the air moving in the right direction

gerry100 said:

Regarding the draft issue with a cold stove.

Toss some crumpled newspaper in the firebox and light up, maybe 2-3 times depending on your setup.

Gets the air moving in the right direction

Click to expand...

Definitely helps. Or, if you have a propane torch (a small one, like what plumbers use to heat pipes), just light it and set it in the stove for a few minutes. A good smoke free way to pre-heat the liner.

Bushels20 said:

Definitely helps. Or, if you have a propane torch (a small one, like what plumbers use to heat pipes), just light it and set it in the stove for a few minutes. A good smoke free way to pre-heat the liner.

Click to expand...

Wow... no worries with damaging something with an unattended propane torch burning for several minutes? I've used a hair dryer or heat gun (eg. Wagner paint stripper) for this purpose, and that always worked just fine for me, a propane torch has substantially more horsepower.

Ashful said:

Wow... no worries with damaging something with an unattended propane torch burning for several minutes? I've used a hair dryer or heat gun (eg. Wagner paint stripper) for this purpose, and that always worked just fine for me, a propane torch has substantially more horsepower.

Click to expand...

The torch I use is quite small, not one with a 12 inch blue tank on the bottom like I (think) you may be picturing. Think a little larger than a butane cigar lighter. And it’s never left unattended. And I apologize, it’s a butane torch, not propane.

Ashful said:

Wow... no worries with damaging something with an unattended propane torch burning for several minutes? I've used a hair dryer or heat gun (eg. Wagner paint stripper) for this purpose, and that always worked just fine for me, a propane torch has substantially more horsepower.

Click to expand...

my thoughts exactly!

I just use a single piece of newspaper in the flue, and it works fine!

My grandfather used to throw some diesel fuel soaked sawdust on the kindling to get her going. Not saying this is the right thing to do but it doesn't flash like gasoline and he has lived to tell about it 85 years in June. He always said a little bit went a long ways. He used the sawdust under our old ford that leak a little.

Anyway I just use some news paper and large kindling to get the pipe warm and warm up the coals. Usually I have enough coals to re-ignite the new load in the morning or afternoon after work so cold starts aren't a concern.

Something I would do if I were you. When the temps are a little warmer like 40s use the splits furthest away first so when it's colder you don't have to walk as far in the cold.

Not to be smart but what is the M.C. on the less gray wood? I can't see much checking in the ends, usually that means it is still a little wet.