patience please

[lesel]

My husband passed away unexpectedly at the age of 46 this week. we had just ordered a enviro kodiak 1700. ..i decided to keep the order but i have no strength to go and search all my questions. please help me..and bear with me if my questions seem silly and repititious.
i found a place to order seasoned wood, they will cut it and stack it for me. I have no idea where i'm supposed to put the cord. i was told the wood can bring termites? can i keep some logs in the house without fear of bugs??
can i use a "stone with oil" to light the wood?
Maybe somebody the has this wood stove insert can email me directly it might be easier....

thank u,

lesley

 

[begreen]

Hey Lesley, welcome. This is a terrible loss, I am so sorry. Feel free to post here with as many questions as you need in order to go forward.

Ideally, the wood should be stacked so that the prevailing winds can blow through it. It should also have a covering for the winter, on top once it's stacked. This can be a tarp or tar paper or anything that keeps the top dry. It should be either heavy or weighted down to prevent the wind from blowing it off.

At this time of the year, termites are not going to be an issue. You will likely go through this cord of wood and need more before the end of winter if the stove is burned regularly. Be sure to let the folks you've bought the wood from understand that you need really dry wood, that means fully seasoned. Otherwise the stove is going to be a lot less comfort.

Dry wood will make all the difference for lighting a fire. I would also get some carpentry or cabinetry scraps for kindling.

An easy fire starter is available from a local supplier and forum member. They are called Super Cedars. Thomas will send you a sample if you email him. Here's a link with his email address:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/40465/

 

[Fsappo]

Lesley, I am so so sorry for your loss. I hope whatever your beliefs that you know in your heart your husband is someplace nice and is keeping an eye on you. During this difficult time, do not get all too caught up in the little details. I would worry so much about bugs right now. Stack the wood close to the door where you want to bring it in, so you dont have to trudge thru a lot of snow (if you ever get any so far south). Try to keep a tarp over it like Green said. Get yourself a wood ring and keep it full near the stove, that will help keep the next load of wood dry and ready to burn. Use a firestarter. The super cedars work great, or you can just buy the little fire starter squares in any big box store. A few of them under some smaller split pieces of wood should do you just fine. I would also ask the place you bought the stove from if they would, in their spare time, stop over one night after work and show you how to operate the stove and light your first fire for you.

Don't worry about asking silly questions. If at ANY point your not 100% sure about the smallest detail, the forums are just a few keystrokes away. You got a good group of folks who are here to help.

 

[YZF1R]

Lesley, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. Don't worry about any questions. You've got good answers so far. Any questions just ask and the good folks here will be more than happy to help.

Steve

 

[Northern NH Mike]

Lesly

Just a few thoughts; hope one might help. I keep a large Rubbermade container full of various sizes of wood on my back deck. I fill it once a day and it typically gets me through the day without having to go to the big stacks. Such a container keeps the mess down, keeps the wood dry and a smaller one could easily be kept in a mudroom or entry way. I also keep a good amount of large logs in the garage to avoid going out in a rain or snow storm.

The woodburners in my area are a good group and will help each other find, cut and stack when one is in need. I would hope they would provide you with the same locally. My condolences.

 

[tutu_sue]

Lesley, you must still be in shock at the loss of your husband. I am truly very sorry to hear this happening to such a young man. We lost my father when he was 43, the three of us kids ranging in age from 7 years to 16 months, it was very difficult for my mom at first to take over all of the household and financial responsibilities even before she even finished greiving the loss of a great husband and father. There was so much to learn and a couple times, paid "professionals" tried to take advantage of a widow with 3 children - do be wary and educate yourself as best you can - you are off to a good start here. But mom did very well by all of us and we all did just fine. Just takes a bit of time and patience. You are in good hands here to learn what you need to know, we will all help you the best we can. Please feel free to also post in the DIY and General questions forum for anything else you might need help with. The members here come from all walks of life and professions and are always happy to share their knowledge and give advice. Peace to you and your family.

 

[LLigetfa]

i found a place to order seasoned wood, they will cut it and stack it for me.

Sorry for your loss.

A warning flag should pop up when a wood purveyor says he will (present tense) cut wood for you and call it seasoned. Wood will not be well seasoned if just recently cut. Ask them how long ago (past tense) it was split. When you take delivery have them resplit a few random samples and hold the freshly exposed surface to your cheek and nose. If it has any dampness, send him packing.

 

[tutu_sue]

I see that insert takes up to 20" firewood. You will want to have a little wiggle room in the stove so see if you can get logs that are no more than 18" in length. Also, for the cleanest burning and less deposits in your chimney it's best to have logs that aren't too big across. You need a variety of split sizes from 3 to 6 inches across the widest cross section. Some folks like to use bigger logs to have a long burn overnight, but that may not burn as cleanly and require more maintenance of the chimney.

As for storing future cordwood, you need to stack it away from the house to prevent insect problems. The recommendation is 25 ft. You want a spot that gets sun and wind to carry the moisture from the ends of the splits. Since the moisture comes out of the ends of the splits, the deeper the stack the longer the splits will take to dry.

You can store a couple days worth of wood inside, just knock the pieces together for a bug check. It's also nice to keep a few days worth on the back porch or deck in a big log ring or metal rack with a cover to keep it from the rain and snow if you don't have an overhang.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Lesley and I so wish this welcome could have been with better circumstances. With your loss, please do not try to gather all the information at once as you will only be confused and probably forget most of it. There are plenty of members here and usually some at all hours of the day that will gladly help. For now, you probably have enough but come back really often to ask more and more.

We wish you well.

 

[tickbitty]

Lesley, props to you for taking this on. So very sorry for your loss, but I bet your husband is really proud of you. These guys on the thread are really good at helping people take care of themselves, and are an awesome learning resource. I just wanted to chime in regarding the wood storage - there are racks commercially available that hold up to about 3/4 of a cord neatly and with a cover. You can just google firewood racks or something like that and you'll see them all over the place. I doubt that most of the guys here use these cause they build their own using pallets and all kinds of ingenuity, but for some of us beginners, it's sometimes nice to know there's something out there on the market that will do the trick.

 

[fossil]

You got a lot on your plate. Some of the toughest to swallow much sooner than you might have expected, I'm sure. Unless you have no other source of heating available, or you're just determined to see this thing through right now, then I'd suggest that you might just want to take delivery and installation of the woodburner, and then worry about all this other stuff next spring. It's November...pretty late to be getting ready to burn wood from scratch this season. A year from now you'll have it all figured out. Get the Kodiak put in and take your time to learn all the ins and outs of just how to use it. If necessary, pick up some inexpensive electric space heaters for this heating system, or whatever. I'm so very sorry for your loss. Rick

Edit to add: I took the liberty of removing your email address from your original post. This is a public forum, and I get nervous when I see folks post personal contact info. Any of the legit members here can always contact you through the forum by either email or private message.

 

[lesel]

thank u for all your responses....i'm overwhelmed with everything. we do have a heat pump but feel very cold and don't want to spend alot in electric bills.
would changing over to a pellet stove be easier??

 

[LLigetfa]

A pellet stove would take out some of the variability in the quality of the fuel supply and simplify storage but as far as cost, pellet fuel is more expensive than wood and just doesn't have the same ambiance.

 

[szmaine]

thank u for all your responses....i'm overwhelmed with everything. we do have a heat pump but feel very cold and don't want to spend alot in electric bills.
would changing over to a pellet stove be easier??

With the wood split and stacked by someone else it's not really that much work if you are in good health (no major back or joint problems).
Don't be intimidated - anything sounds complex when you're just starting out, but you will work out a system that suits you and I think be very pleased.
You can do it.


Rooting for you!
Suzanne

 

[lesel]

ok..so as of this minute i'm keeping the order...
the wood guy says he has 1 and 2 yr seasoned oak. "he claimed that 2 yr wood does light quicker and burn quicker, while 1 yr wood burns longer and hotter". he even said i can mix the 2 types....IS THIS RIGHT? is it a good idea?

i'm going to call the bug man and get his advice where to put it and a termite policy also. for the first year not going to use it at full blast but enough to get the chill out of the house.

 

[LLigetfa]

the wood guy says he has 1 and 2 yr seasoned oak. "he claimed that 2 yr wood does light quicker and burn quicker, while 1 yr wood burns longer and hotter"...

I'm trying to not sound pessimistic but when they start saying things like "1 yr wood burns longer and hotter", they are not familiar with modern airtight stoves and are perpetuating a myth. Burns longer in an old stove maybe, but hotter, never. Go for the 2 year wood and sample it as I suggested.

 

[fredarm]

Definitely go for the 2-year wood. Also you can supplement it with a manufactured wood product such as Biobricks. Easy to stack and use, made of the same material as pellets. It's a good compromise between wood and pellets, always seasoned, although no cheaper than pellets.

 

[szmaine]

If you have the available funds maybe purchase this years supply and next -have them stacked in separate piles - the 1 yr oak will be ready next year (perhaps ask if you can get it for less than the two yrs.) Otherwise, you should then be looking at getting a supply of green wood sometime this later this winter to have for next yr - green should be alot cheaper.

Did you hash out with folks here yet on estimating how much might need for a season? They can help with that too if you are not sure.

 

[lesel]

been thinking about this all day....i just can't handle things right now...and having warm days in baltimore doesnt help either. so i decided for right now to cancel the order....maybe next year.

thank u all for your advice and words of comfort.

fondly,

lesley

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Good luck to you lesley.

 

[fredarm]

That sounds like the right decision under the circumstances. I'm sure you have enough on your plate right now without a new stove. Best to you and your family.

 

[begreen]

Agreed, keeping life simple at this point is a good plan. Maybe pick up an oil filled electric radiator and use it in the area where you mostly hang out. For this winter, live with the electric bills and take it easy on yourself.

Take good care of yourself and stop by anytime. Things will get better over time.

 

[tickbitty]

Good luck Lesley. I'd say no decision is "wrong" at this point so just do what you can handle and leave the rest till you are ready.

 

[firefighterjake]

Take care of yourself Lesley . . . we're pulling for you . . . and if you decide some day to think about burning with wood (or pellets) please feel free to come back and we'll be more than happy to answer questions . . . as Tickbitty said so well . . . "just do what you can handle and leave the rest till you are ready." Very good advice.