Not sure if anyone watches the show, but the chimney on homestead home caught on fire. The old guy climb up 30-40 ft to top of the roof to shove snow to put out the fire due to creosote buildup. The wife doesn't want him to climb up the ladder no more. He decided to cut a roof access from the attic for putting out future chimney fire. These guys are usually ingenious, have many out of the box solutions to daily challenges. How about having the chimney cleaned once or more per year to rid of creosote? Am I missing something?
Alaska's last frontier chimney fire
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How about not smoldering the fire and keeping the flue gases warm enough so that this doesn't happen?
jetsam
Minister of Fire
"Don't take advice from people on television"
Given the number of Blaze Kings I have seen on this show, this seems to be proof that you cannot have 40 hour burn times and have a stack temperature high enough to prevent creosote. As someone typed in the past, you can either have the long burn times or the higher BTU per hour output and use the wood, but not both at the same time.
If I remember its a long single wall pipe. If they are like many farmers they dont cut and season for 2 years. Usually its cut, split and burn. Green wood and long un-insulated pipe makes for creosote.
Note, despite the premise of the show which has been softened a bit over the years, they are on the "suburbs" of fairly large community. They choose to live the way they do on their fathers homestead which was put in large conservation easement to reduce taxes. They got in trouble a few year back by building too many buildings on the property. If you saw an episode about moving a greenhouse with a helicopter that had to be done as the greenhouse was an illegal structure. They are essential hobby farmers, nothing wrong with that but if anyone believes them to be in the wilds of Alaska they are very mistaken. If you look in the background there are lot of new buildings and equipment. The boat that the son "built" and the engines to go with it didnt get paid for by trading animal furs, that are paid talent on the show.
Note, despite the premise of the show which has been softened a bit over the years, they are on the "suburbs" of fairly large community. They choose to live the way they do on their fathers homestead which was put in large conservation easement to reduce taxes. They got in trouble a few year back by building too many buildings on the property. If you saw an episode about moving a greenhouse with a helicopter that had to be done as the greenhouse was an illegal structure. They are essential hobby farmers, nothing wrong with that but if anyone believes them to be in the wilds of Alaska they are very mistaken. If you look in the background there are lot of new buildings and equipment. The boat that the son "built" and the engines to go with it didnt get paid for by trading animal furs, that are paid talent on the show.
Not true. It is absolutely possible to routinely have 40 hour burns and maintain a clean a flue. I rarely even get a half cup of fluff each season.
It’s the setup and the quality of wood that caused that amount of build up, not the long burn times.
Long run made from well casing, multiple appliances on the same flue, improper clearances..
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I can't say I've ever watched that show, but I've caught enough of it flipping thru the channels to get the idea. Now, they could've cleaned the chimney, but that would give them one less episode, when they're stretching for each new week.
Strange, as normally everything on that show is organic. Never scripted.
Strange, as normally everything on that show is organic. Never scripted.
None of those shows are authentic. Gold Rush is a good example of scripted crap. The only person that might even be totally genuine (doubtful) is Tony Beets.
If you want reality, watch survivor man. He's off on his own no interaction from anyone.
Watch those shows for entertainment value only.
If you want reality, watch survivor man. He's off on his own no interaction from anyone.
Watch those shows for entertainment value only.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
My chickencam isn't, and that's the only show I watch. Bok bok!
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Usually the first season of any such show is pretty good. Then the actual subject matter of interest is played out, and they resort to falsely generated drama between the cast members. I enjoyed the first season of all of these shows, but by the second or third season, they were all garbage:
Deadliest Catch (this one set the model for the rest to follow)
California Choppers
Pawn Stars
Axe Men (this one set the record for going bad, fast)
Ice Road Truckers
Highway Thru Hell
They all suck now, as they've been removed from the actual subject matter, and have each turned into Keeping up with the Kardashians.
Mythbusters was a high point, if you're going to throw them into this genre, but that's finished now. They never fell into the scripted drama BS, and kept on task, right thru the end of their run.
I don't watch any of them, I don't have a TV.
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It’s better than most of the other crap on tv. Get to see some nice scenery and an occasional fire. And I don’t need to worry about non kid friendly content. Even the commercials on other channels aren’t safe for kids most often.
Squirrely
Feeling the Heat
Or better yet, don't watch television at all. It's inane.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
Threw mine out in 1991, haven't missed it.
Rangerbait
Feeling the Heat
2008 for me...well, kinda. Cancelled cable, and just watch a couple of series on steaming services.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
You missed the O.J. trial!
I need TV to numb my mind at bed time. Hero Ships or Battle History of the Navy usually does it, for me. Olympic Curling is oddly mesmerizing, and a treat not to be missed, once every fourth year.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
electrathon
Minister of Fire
Very good explanation of the show The pipe in reference has three stoves on three floors of the house feeding into it is I remember correctly. I have always wondered how well it drafts.
I spent many summers of my youth across the Bay from Homer Alaska (they live in Homer). I like watching the show hoping they cross over into Peterson Bay so I can spot my Grandpas cabin, not so far. They are only minutes from the town of Homer. It is structured to make it look like they live in the middle of nowhere, but they have more heavy equipment than most contractors. They show them going up the beach to go to the "head of the bay", the funny part is there is a road they can use, it just looks better for the show to go up the beach. All of their boats are likely kept in the harbor, about a 15 minute drive from their house.
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Mike M.
Feeling the Heat
On one of the later shows they actually show the installation of a wood / coal boiler with storage. This is the most modern setup I have seen on the show
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electrathon
Minister of Fire
The one where they made the water storage tank? That was in the house that Ivan has. It has a full floor heat system in it. For a long time they never showed any of the inside, they didn't want anyone to know how nice it is where they live. That is a different house than the one with the woodstove system/chimney.
There are a few other houses and families on the property that they never include on the show, I am assuming they are pretty nice.
I am not naive enough to think the show is not dramatized, but wondering if that area can gets electricity and water from nearby town? or what they show is their way of living, somewhat off the grid?
Electrathon, you may be the best person to ask....
electrathon
Minister of Fire
Where they live has had electricity to the area for about 50 years. I don't know the details about when they ran power to their own homes, but it has been available for a long time. There are a lot of people living near to them. The town of Homer is about 5,000 people. There is a Safeway 12 miles down the road. Most in the area are on wells and septic, Water is abundant in the area. My Grandpas cabin was on the other side of the bay, go out on the Homer spit and straight across. Electricity was brought in to the cabin there in the early 70's. If I remember the story correctly, Halibut Cove had power brought in so it was not that major at the time to get power to his cabin. Water came from a creak, poo was an outhouse. Kitchen water went to the ocean. Many places in Alaska are still that way.
I am not so sure that they all dont have power, Ivan's shop with the welders and other toys sure looks like it might have power. The family sold off development rights to the property and there could be prohibitions against running power but I expect there arent any.
I dont expect there would be public water in the area. Lot easier to drill wells
I dont expect there would be public water in the area. Lot easier to drill wells
sportbikerider78
Minister of Fire
I watch that Alaska show "Life Below Zero". It has tons of unnecessary drama and created drama. But I love the scenery.
I'm constantly amazed at the really stupid stuff some of them do that just wastes their time. Like hunting using a Mosin Nagant w/o a scope and missing most shots. Or a old muzzle loader that barely has iron sights. Or riding snowmobiles every day and having almost no knowledge of how they operate.
I'm constantly amazed at the really stupid stuff some of them do that just wastes their time. Like hunting using a Mosin Nagant w/o a scope and missing most shots. Or a old muzzle loader that barely has iron sights. Or riding snowmobiles every day and having almost no knowledge of how they operate.
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