Doesn't have to be frigid to burn

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blacktail

Minister of Fire
Sep 18, 2011
1,419
Western WA
It's not that cold here, but it's been wet. I have my soaked hunting clothes, pack, rifle, and boots by the fire. Just went out for another armload of wood and noticed the temperature. IMG_20161020_025442.jpg IMG_20161020_025131366.jpg
 
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Yup, we'll fire it up just to dry the house a bit
 
Yes, I fired the stove up yesterday after cleaning it the day before. It was 50F by the time the stove was putting out heat. Felt good. I had to give the fire more air than when burning at lower temps, but the glass stayed clean.
 
I'm trying to hang tough and increase the anticipation of the first fire. :) With three nights in the low- to mid-40s coming, I may have to bake some cornbread or a pizza in the oven to keep room temp above 65. But I'll do what it takes...going for a late start this year.
 
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Fired the stove last night and stoked for today - going to be a bit nippy for a couple days then moderate again. Pretty soon moderate will be anything close to 30 deg. F
 
Fired the stove last night and stoked for today - going to be a bit nippy for a couple days then moderate again. Pretty soon moderate will be anything close to 30 deg. F
Yeah, I spent my first 30 yrs. in Milwaukee. Down here, you can add about 10 degrees onto the average winter temps, more when an arctic blast blows in....quite balmy here by comparison. My brother and his wife are still up there, in Hubertus. He's running a Regency F2400 that he's had for years. He's warm-blooded compared to me and if I know him, probably won't fire up until house temps get down into the low 60s. <>
 
56 here now. I just closed the windows and donned the Merino wool shortie socks and a pair of sweatpants. It's still 75 in here, but looking out the window at the trees blowing around against the backdrop of a cloudy sky sent a chill through me. :)
 
Upper 40's and raining here got the stove fired up with some popular and enjoying the warmth


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Low 80's today, been 60's at night. Went swimming yesterday. Suckers. I did buck a pickup load (about 1/3 cord) of maple/oak today, might save the splitting for a colder day though. Chimneys are cleaned, ready to go when we need it.
 
Low 80's today, been 60's at night. Went swimming yesterday. Suckers.
Apparently Richmond is a day or two behind us, with more 40s to follow. Read 'em and weep, my friend. ;)

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Doh! 60-70 and sunny still don't look too shabby!
I can maintain house temp with 70/50 outside. 60s/40s and I'll be firing up after two or three days. I'm going to layer up and try to hold out as long as I can but if the wife or dogs start giving me the stink eye, it's all over. ;lol
 
Fired up the kuma tonight first fire in the new house, with a new stove. Not real cold about 54 just rainy and cool. The fire feels good after working outside in the rain all day.
 
That is close enough. Wet and cold is the WORST combination of weather for being outside.

It was like 85 today.. I split half a cord sweating by butt off, while being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Going to be low 40s Monday and 30s on Tuesday!!! Excited for my first burn of season two.
 
I spent years wearing a coat inside all winter because of oil prices. Done!
I spent years wearing a coat inside because I had air leaks galore blowing through here, and my stove wouldn't put out any heat when I fed it dead Red Oak that had been split and stacked for 3 months! ;lol ;em Done! >>
If I can just make it through tonight without firing, with a low in the mid-30s, we will be back to 70/50 for at least a week. :)
 
50's and rainy, lots of rain here for the past two days. Finally got a fire going this morning, Ben loading the stove with poplar all day, House is mid 60's bacement is low 70's. Calling for temps to drop in the the40's and night 30's over the weekend. Feels good to start burning some of this sliver maple and poplar I set aside for this time of year.
 
Balmy here today but damp, winter mix forecast for tonight through Sat. 68 right now inside so no fire, did program the oil thermostat. Will use that until we drop down.

bob
 
That cold front is moving east. I just brought a few arm loads of wood up onto the side deck. Think I will wait till morning. If it's cold and raining it will be time for the first burn of the year.

Happy burn season to all my brothers.
 
We just broke 3 high records for this time of year - it was 88 yesterday. A little front went through last night and dropped out high to low 70's today, Back to the 80's on Sunday and through most of next week. We usually are showing signs of frost by now, but lows have been barely dropping out of the 60's. Sadly, no fire in site...
 
my stove wouldn't put out any heat when I fed it dead Red Oak that had been split and stacked for 3 months!

What did it do?

Good buddy of mine is going to try to burn a maple that was cut end of summer, July I think. And he left it uncovered in a humid climate.

I told him he better get a cord just in case. I think he thinks I don't know what I'm talking about. I think he'll be scrambling for wood this week.
 
What did it do?
Good buddy of mine is going to try to burn a maple that was cut end of summer, July I think. And he left it uncovered in a humid climate.
I told him he better get a cord just in case. I think he thinks I don't know what I'm talking about. I think he'll be scrambling for wood this week.
It was a cat stove. Never lit off the cat, so I was barely getting any heat out of it. That wood your buddy cut most likely will be too wet. What stove does he have? Buying a cord probably won't help either; Few and far between are the wood sellers that have dry wood. Oh sure, they will claim it is 'seasoned'....but it almost never is.
 
Finally got a couple of dry days. Chased blacktails around in the steep stuff yesterday and pulled a couple of fat rainbows from a local lake today. Felt like I'd been dumping the rain gauge constantly.
 
I'm trying to hang tough and increase the anticipation of the first fire.
I took the plastic lid off the chimney liner so I would be ready when it finally gets cold. Then I went over to my MIL's to get the Buck ready. As I worked, I started thinking that once I was done, I would have to "test the stove." I didn't finish up, so I didn't light the stove, just went home. When I got here, even though I was wearing sweatpants and three layers (two tee shirts, to be fair)...well, 66 in the house was not feeling all that comfy. My wife had used the oven but I started thinking it was gonna cool a couple more degrees in here by Sun. AM, with another low in the lower 40s Sat. night and a little breeze. Then I thought I could just light a small fire with a couple splits...just enough to warm the stove slightly to "drive the moisture out of the stone" at the beginning of the season, as recommended in the manual! ;) That still wouldn't be my "first fire" would it?? Well, I got that little fire going, then started thinking "It doesn't say it in the manual but I wonder if it wouldn't be prudent to drive the water out of the combuster, too?"
I guess it goes without saying, I caved...folder like a cheap lawn chair. ;em ;lol I ended up throwing on four medium-small splits of Red Oak, lighting that cat, and hitting 500 on the stove top. Got real nice in here. :) I was going for the late-start record this season, and woulda had it for sure with about a week of 70/50 coming up starting tomorrow. Oh well, maybe next year. ;lol
 
Good buddy of mine is going to try to burn a maple that was cut end of summer, July I think. And he left it uncovered in a humid climate.

I'm currently burning red oak that's been split for about a week. (Any wood that has wood-eating bugs in it goes to its own pile, and that little pile gets burned first, so I'll be burning it for a couple weeks.)

It can be a pita to start, you get less heat, and you need to sweep your flue more- but yes, you can burn green wet wood for heat. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but if you have to, you can.
 
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