"It Burned Up in the Fire"

[Simonkenton]

I live up here in the mountains of North Carolina, near Asheville. Lots of tourists vacation here. Up here, we get a lot of people called "halfbacks." A halfback is a Yankee who moved to Florida for a while, and then headed back towards Yankeeland but only made it "halfback."

Well one of my neighbors was a halfback. Frank grew up in Buffalo NY and at age 20 moved to Ft. Lauderdale.
Age 44 he bought land next to me, which had a big log cabin on it with a wood burning fireplace. This was a metal insert. There was a framed-in chase that ran up above the roof, and there was a 10 inch, or whatever size steel pipe inside that chase for the fireplace.
Frank decided to install a wood stove in that fireplace.

Well, he had grown up in Buffalo but in the inner city. After that, Florida. This guy had never seen a wood stove.
So, I spent $15 for a book online that had very detailed instructions on how to install a wood stove. I gave Frank the book a week before he bought the stove.

One problem with a halfback. Yankees think they are smarter and better than Southerners. If you have a Southern accent, to the Yankee you are a dumb ass.

Well, Frank installed his wood stove. This was in October. He installed it on the hearth and ran the pipe into the existing fireplace pipe.
One cold October morning, Frank cranked up his wood stove, loaded it up with wood, and went into town to work.
His house burned down.
I saw the Fire Marshall's report, it said "Faulty wood stove install."

A few weeks later I asked Frank if he ever read that book about wood stoves that I gave him.
He said "No I never got around to reading it. That book burned up in the fire."

 

[BrotherBart]

At least he didn't use the book to start the first fire in the stove.

 

[Lake Girl]

One problem with a halfback. Yankees think they are smarter and better than Southerners. If you have a Southern accent, to the Yankee you are a dumb ass.

Hey, don't lump us all together... I may be guilty of being a Yank who grew up in Buffalo but I concede, I've still have lots to learn about wood stoves. That's why I have a pellet stove

Don't think it matters where you are from, a dumb ass is a dumb ass and I think your neighbour qualifies!

 

[BrotherBart]

Down on the Northern Neck of the Chesapeake Bay they call them "Come Heres". In this neighborhood they just called me "That damned Texan down the street.". Thirty years later, they still do.

 

[HisTreeNut]

As a former Buffalonian & Western New Yorker living in NC, I am not surprised. I grew up with wood stoves and also have much to learn. Common sense is unfortunately the other national deficit.

 

[CheapBassTurd]

It is quite possible that reading about woodstoves (here) saved our house.

We bought a Black Friday $300 potbelly from Tractor. Turns out to be a piece of
Chinese junk, made from melted scrap instead of a true iron/ steel alloy. The ash
cleanout drawer was actually a wind tunnel for runaway burns. The top plate and
cooking burners all were a loose and wobbly affair atop that comprised the top deck.
The damper didn't come anywhere near closing with stoppers cast inside the chimney
outlet. The seams of all side plates although sealed, had very thin insulation (fiberglass rope)
between each piece before bolted together.

Luckily just enough common sense/ gut feeling said "Learn what the "eff" is going on with
both the equipment and it's operation". Surfed a few sites and this was by far the largest
in knowledge sharing and a sense of "we're all in this together". Joined right up and did
what my fellow Yank comrade failed to do. Research and remaining teachable although
a bit humbling, told me to seal up this unit, make big ventilation around this thing and also
behind the firewall, etc. I did much more than the instruction booklet provided ever mentioned.

What I learned here at Hearth has turned scrap metal into safe and efficient heat. Mainly
sealing up "the pig" (and blocking off the ash drawer). This directly caused controllable burns
and the now modified damper can extinguish the firebox if necessary. (along with closing the
intake screw valve). This is what I have learned, this is why our home is likely still intact n' warm.

To my neighbors to the south: Apologies for my regional neighbors. From Appalachia to the coast
I've met some of nicest and sensible folk with a wonderful southern dialect/ drawl and are great
to hang out at the evening campfire at the end of a riding day. I ride to the Wall most years. Camp
in Aldie, VA, and just LOVE spending a day hangin' out with the locals in Leesburg and other spots
nearby. Toured Tenn/VA/WVA/ western Carolinas, etc. Y'all rock. (Florida and Georgia are great
too once I get away from the coasts. lol)

CheapMark

 

[firefighterjake]

Just a dumb Yankee . . . but seems like we've heard this story before.

 

[bholler]

What I learned here at Hearth has turned scrap metal into safe and efficient heat.

Yes you made it much safer but you in no way made it even remotely efficient. I really am impressed with what you did to that stove but it still is made from crap castings that are prone to cracking and is not efficient at all.

 

[heavy hammer]

The problem is common sense can't be taught, or learned. That's why it's called common sense. It seems you are either born with it or without it. Most problems people have or encounter are from their own doing. It's to bad about your neighbors house, a simple solution was to just read that book or look at the instructions that came with the stove. There is nothing better than learning some lessons the hard way though, as long as no one gets hurt.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Being a native NY'ker, but very atypical for a NY'ker (very conservative, gun loving, Christian), and having lived in GA, SC and NC, I can tell you that there are many stereotypes basted in ignorance on both sides of that fence. I can't count the amount of times someone prejudged me and was directly rude to me because I'm from NY. Extremely, unwelcoming and just plain rude.
Yup..I talk fast and I'm from NY, that doesn't mean I'm a flaming liberal or anti-Christ.

All that said and done, my wife is from NC and she was more than happy to date me and she loves the friendly nature of my family and her new NY friends that accept her as an equal with zero stereotypes. She moved from Ohio to NC as a child and everyone was extremely snobbish and clicky as if she was some sort of northern rich girl..which she was not.

 

[Knots]

Yankees think they are smarter and better than Southerners. If you have a Southern accent, to the Yankee you are a dumb ass.

Don't generalize. I've worked with a lot of engineers from Huntsville who have a thick southern accent, but are very intelligent. I don't judge based on how someone talks…

Quite a few Mainers talk very slow and are slyer than a fox.

 

[quotejso]

I think it was all in good fun. Why so serious?

 

[Simonkenton]

HisTreeNut: You are from Buffalo and now live in NC. Fess up, have you ever lived in Florida?

You are in Burnsville that is about 40 miles east from me.

 

[HisTreeNut]

HisTreeNut: You are from Buffalo and now live in NC. Fess up, have you ever lived in Florida?

You are in Burnsville that is about 40 miles east from me.

40 miles...I'd say it is more like 30 unless you are in the 'burbs of Marshall or Burnsville.

To answer your question, I have been to Florida...it's nice place to visit but I do not want to live there. Specifically been to Disney & near Orlando a couple of times, & was in Miami for a few days for a training. Couldn't stand the traffic, the noise, and how busy it was. I will take and keep my small town life.

Which side of Marshall are you on? You can PM that.

 

[Simonkenton]

OK I am just trying to figure out if you are a halfback or not.
I am 5 miles west of Marshall.

 

[Knots]

I think it was all in good fun. Why so serious?

Why so casual? All I have to go on is what's written. It says all Yankees look down on southerners. I guess I just don't think that's so...

 

[CheapBassTurd]

Holler,
It's much more efficient being sealed off and shut-down-able.
Sad that I'm defending myself and my purchase virtually every time I log in.

Not efficient by modern afterburner systems, but some kindle and a few splits warms the house.
Living in the forest makes the fuel free. That's pretty darned efficient from this point of view.

 

[bholler]

Sad that I'm defending myself and my purchase virtually every time I log in.

I am sorry i am not trying to pick on you at all. But what you did has not improved the efficiency of that stove much at all. Like i said i am impressed by all that you did and there is no doubt in my mind that you greatly improved the safety of your unit. I commend you for that. But it is still a very inefficient stove with some very weak castings. Again I am sorry if it seems i am picking on you I just really don't want people to overlook the serious deficiencies in those stoves.

 

[quotejso]

Why so casual? All I have to go on is what's written. It says all Yankees look down on southerners. I guess I just don't think that's so...

Yeah no doubt I try to keep it serious if needed Internet blog not so much.

 

[begreen]

Folk have all sorts of assumptions. I grew up in Westchester, in NY state. When I tell folks that, they envision the state as one big city and aren't aware of the deep woods that are just to the north in Westchester. 90 miles north of NYC is mostly rural.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Folk have all sorts of assumptions. I grew up in Westchester, in NY state. When I tell folks that, they envision the state as one big city and aren't aware of the deep woods that are just to the north in Westchester. 90 miles north of NYC is mostly rural.

That is because small minded people like to pre-judge areas they have never visited, nor plan on exploring. The small-minded do not explore or travel because they do not wish to expand their small mind.
It's all very logical.

 

[Lake Girl]

Folk have all sorts of assumptions. I grew up in Westchester, in NY state. When I tell folks that, they envision the state as one big city and aren't aware of the deep woods that are just to the north in Westchester. 90 miles north of NYC is mostly rural.

But ... you were from one of those "privileged" families right?? Isn't that where all the rich folks live in NY? I have had the same kind of reaction when I have mentioned I am from Buffalo, NY ... they figure we were an easy commute to the Big Apple. Now I just say I'm originally from the Niagara Falls area

 

[begreen]

LOL, back when I was growing up the small town of <7000 was pretty much middle class. Ya know, back when there really was a middle class.

 

[georgepds]

Don't generalize. I've worked with a lot of engineers from Huntsville who have a thick southern accent, but are very intelligent. I.....

Did von braun ever acquire a southern accent?

 

[Sprinter]

Don't generalize. I've worked with a lot of engineers from Huntsville who have a thick southern accent, but are very intelligent. I don't judge based on how someone talks…

Quite a few Mainers talk very slow and are slyer than a fox.

I've found that the slow-talkers are the ones that tend to actually think before they speak. A highly desirable charateristic, regardless of ethnicity or origin, IMO. Of course, that doesn't always apply...

I've had similar experience in Cary, NC, within the "Research Triangle". The only thing people are judged for around there is what they contribute, at least where I've been.