Going cold

[bmwloco]

My old VC Resolute is nearly cold. The past few days, and nights, have been warm enough so it's not necessary to warm the house with the stove.

Soon, I'll "down" her for the season. A good cleaning, a scrub and a repaint. I'm going to do a good chimney cleaning too.

Once that's done, I'll work on shoring up the wood pile and getting ready for next winter - should we have one. As a child growing up in Western North Carolina, we used to sled. School was closed for weeks when we got a foot of snow every Tuesday night for 6 weeks running. Ski slopes were open, and we skied on the ponds.

This year? Last year? The year before? Not nearly as cold.

Hopefully I'll have enough wood laid in, and we'll have colder temps, and the Resolute will be ready to warm us next October.

 

[begreen]

Out in the northwest we've dropped back into a cool spell. Low 40's in the day and mid 30's at night. Stove's going now and much appreciated.

 

[Hogwildz]

I am letting the Summit go without a fill up, it will now snow tomorrow here

 

[gary]

We've been on-again/off-again around NE Kansas. It was 70 degrees Wednesday. Right now it's raining with strong wind out of the North. Just spent an hour driving through it and I was getting pushed all over the road. Supposed to turn to light snow by daylight. I think I'll probably burn later today.

 

[savageactor7]

Here it was 38* at 0630 this morning, the fire was almost out, managed to collect enough coals to touch off a few small logs to warm the house up. It won't be long now.

 

[Cearbhaill]

Every morning is a dilemma here- should I let it go out or keep it going? Are the weather reports going to get it right today or is it going to be much cooler/warmer than expected?
I find it much easier to keep it going, but then I feel like an idiot for using up the extra wood on warmish days. But come nightfall I am really happy that I did.
We're getting low on wood anyway and are pretty much just burning the small to medium rounds and wonky pieces that I avoided picking up all winter.

What to do, what to do...

 

[bmwloco]

Looking at the long range maps, I may well fire up the Resolute one or two more times. Our house, a '26 Arts & Craft cottage, is pretty tight. If the sun is up during the day, it's roughly 64-66F in the house at night. Sweater and an old beater pair of Ugg boots I found in the "skua bin" at the South Pole (yes, really) are warm enough.

Happily there's a little oak and enough yard twigs drying to have her up and roaring should the need arise.

 

[savageactor7]

A warm day burning observation...

Another thing I like about the QF4300st over the old airtight Shenandoah is the ability to burn just 1 log efficiently on these slightly warmer days. The old stove just couldn't burn just 1 log.

 

[jbrown56]

bmw, Here in NH, I'm still burning 24/7 as daytime temps are still in the mid 30's. I still have 5' snowbanks and 2' of snowpack on the ground. Wnter came early ths year and can't wait for it to end. We have had well over 100" this year, while the average is around 60".

Jim

 

[Backwoods Savage]

We just started getting some thawing this week and yesterday had our first 50 degree day. Officially it was only 49 but we had 52 and what a beautiful day it was. Got rid of some snow and ice, but not nearly enough. I was able to dig some sand to put on the ice so that will help.

Tried pushing snow away from the splitting pile thinking I could get started splitting wood. Not so! Snow is just too deep, too hard and there is a couple inches of ice at the bottom. I'll wait and let Mother Nature do her thing.

Oh, and we won't be doing any spring cleaning just yet. Our heating season does not end until May.

 

[bmwloco]

I lived in Vermont for two years back in the late 80's. That was my first exposure to Vermont Castings - a good Defiant kept a huge old house warm - or at least the kitchen

I cut, split and stacked 6 cords of wood then after a 6 year relationship failed; my golden retriever pup, Hayduke, would retrieve any log or split I threw into the shed.

Living in New England, I learned how long a winter could be, and I have great respect for those that live through 6 months of cold, 2 months of mud, a week of summer and then Fall

Currently raining cats and dogs here. The Croakusus and daffodils are in bloom. They're calling for high winds tonight and tomorrow. I may prowl the neighborhoods looking for old oak limbs...

 

[eernest4]

My old VC Resolute is nearly cold. The past few days, and nights, have been warm enough so it's not necessary to warm the house with the stove.

Soon, I'll "down" her for the season. A good cleaning, a scrub and a repaint. I'm going to do a good chimney cleaning too.

Once that's done, I'll work on shoring up the wood pile and getting ready for next winter - should we have one.

As a child growing up in Western North Carolina, we used to sled. School was closed for weeks when we got a foot of snow every Tuesday night for 6 weeks running. Ski slopes were open, and we skied on the ponds.

This year? Last year? The year before? Not nearly as cold.

Hopefully I'll have enough wood laid in, and we'll have colder temps, and the Resolute will be ready to warm us next October.

WELCOME TO THE NEW MODERN ERA OF GLOBAL WARMING
And just give thanks & consider yourself lucky that you don't live in an area only 6 feet above sea level because residents of those areas will be needing hip waders to get to their homes in another 5 years as glaciers & ice caps continue to melt & add their waters to the sea
& as the sea warms up & continues thermal expansion.

Warm water takes up more volume than cold water. So, put on your swim trunks & hip waders.

almost forgot, i'll be burning well into april,maybe not in the daytime ,but them NewEngland nites can pack quite a chill.