We got blasted with a pretty powerful Ice Storm a couple of days ago and all I can say is Thank Goodness For our Wood Burning Stove! The county where we live is still pretty much paralyzed as I type. How our power got turned back on when so many are in shelters tonight around here, I'll never know. They are saying that 96% of the residents in this county is still out of power. Phones are down too and people aren't even getting out on their cell phones because the air ways are so busy. No gas to be found for generators even if people are lucky enough to have one. So many all electric homes too. Our Stove kept us as cozy and warm as can be as usual. We cooked on it and the food was great. We put the food that was in the Frig in dark colored plastic containers and set them outside in the snow.Noticed some coons and decided to move our containers of food to the trunks of our cars. lol I just can't imagine being without our wood burner ever again.
Pretty powerful Ice Storm.....
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same here in SW Indiana.. My neighbors kinda laughed when I got mine... now they wish they had one...
Our electric was out for about 10 hrs. wednesday night. I took the top of the shroud off on my insert and made a medium sized fire. I damped it down to burn slow and it kept the house comfortable. The temps were in the upper twenties, so that helped. Definitely considering replacing the insert with a free standing stove.
Prada said:
Hey, I can't imagine it for us either! It is really sweet just to have the stove, but times like these with the big ice storm, they are almost worth their weight in gold. (Maybe I should see if our 500 pounder could be converted to gold!)
We cook on ours a lot of the time and if we had to we could heat most of our water with it too.
And yes, you must be careful setting any food outdoors. Those critters get hungry.
Must be worlds' of difference between a freestanding stove and an insert when the power goes out. I have an insert that I have deemed useless without the blower. A fire radiates very little heat out and it isn't worth it. Am I missing some technique or something? I am wishing I had a generator right now. The damage to my woods I think is worse than hurricane ike. Less tree trunk damage but way more damage to the limbs. Not fun for anyone in Kentucky right now. Tony
Thank you for your kind words BeGreen
Yeah well this storm has put a whole new respect for that wood burner in our home. It's no longer a 'nice' thing to have, it's a irreplaceable thing to never be without.
One man in his 80's was found froze to death in his home just yesterday. When it comes down to life or death, the stove can be your lifeline. We spent several hours checking on people today and taking them water, hot food and the kerosene for lanterns that we didn't use.We also offered our home and shower to anyone that needed shelter etc. We took some gas to one old fella that we knew would need it for his generator. Those generators only last a short time with only 5 gal of gas and that's about all it seems that most anyone keeps around for them. With the gas stations still closed the generators are becoming useless to people that can't get out and drive to the next town after gas. The power company even had helicopters here today flying low trying to find the main transmission lines that are down. These hills, woods and valleys can hide them easily. They can't get fixed till they find the ones that are down is what they told me when I talked to them. The sun came out today and it helped a little with melting some of the ice off the lines and trees but the temperatures have never even gotten above freezing so there's really no good chance for it all to get melted off till those temps go up. It's almost 1am in the morning and I'm still hearing work trucks out on the roads right now. Sure hope that means the power is close to be turned on for all of my neighbors.
Tony: I know Kentucky is really in bad shape too. So many stories coming out of Kentucky and none of them sound good at all. I'm not the right person to ask about the insert vs. free standing stove heat. Someone else here with a lot more experience than myself will have to answer that. I understand about your woods. Ours are in the same shape with so many fallen trees and broken limbs everywhere.
Yeah well this storm has put a whole new respect for that wood burner in our home. It's no longer a 'nice' thing to have, it's a irreplaceable thing to never be without.
One man in his 80's was found froze to death in his home just yesterday. When it comes down to life or death, the stove can be your lifeline. We spent several hours checking on people today and taking them water, hot food and the kerosene for lanterns that we didn't use.We also offered our home and shower to anyone that needed shelter etc. We took some gas to one old fella that we knew would need it for his generator. Those generators only last a short time with only 5 gal of gas and that's about all it seems that most anyone keeps around for them. With the gas stations still closed the generators are becoming useless to people that can't get out and drive to the next town after gas. The power company even had helicopters here today flying low trying to find the main transmission lines that are down. These hills, woods and valleys can hide them easily. They can't get fixed till they find the ones that are down is what they told me when I talked to them. The sun came out today and it helped a little with melting some of the ice off the lines and trees but the temperatures have never even gotten above freezing so there's really no good chance for it all to get melted off till those temps go up. It's almost 1am in the morning and I'm still hearing work trucks out on the roads right now. Sure hope that means the power is close to be turned on for all of my neighbors.
Tony: I know Kentucky is really in bad shape too. So many stories coming out of Kentucky and none of them sound good at all. I'm not the right person to ask about the insert vs. free standing stove heat. Someone else here with a lot more experience than myself will have to answer that. I understand about your woods. Ours are in the same shape with so many fallen trees and broken limbs everywhere.
Sorry to hear about everyones' trials. I'm sure glad I put in a free standing stove. Now the main thing I need is a generator to run my pump during extended power outages. I'll get to it. Right now, just cold here. We did have some icing a few days ago, but not near as bad as you guys. It does paralyze driving for a day or more. Sometimes we do lose power when it ices, not this last time though.
We lost the electricity for about 3 days in mid-December, and we were the lucky ones, many were without power for over a week. There were lots of frozen pipes, a few cases of people succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning because of improper generator use, and elderly people suffering from hypothermia. So I know exactly how you feel about your stove right now, Prada.
I have never cooked on our Woodstock Fireview because we have a gas stove, what kind of stuff is easy to prepare on top of it, Dennis? My great grandmother's enamelled Dutch oven would probably be a perfect "goulash" pot.
The other very handy thing to have on hand is an Aladdin oil lamp! We have two of them. I always keep an extra wick and mantle for each of them in the sideboard and make sure there is plenty of lamp oil under the kitchen sink. They are safe, easy to operate, and provide as much light as a 60 watt bulb. It was nice to be able to read or work a puzzle without worrying about candles. They provide more light with less smoke than a kerosene lamp, too. They are well worth the investment, my next one will be one of the small ones that can be easily carried from room to room safely.
I think our next "preparedness" addition is going to be a hand pump for the well, there is a company in Bangor, Me. that makes them. They came up with the design during the big ice storm in '98 that left a huge part of northern New England and Canada without electricity for nearly 3 weeks. We used water from the little pond next to the house and boiled that for cleaning and washing up purposes. It was a good reminder of just what a luxury water, esp. HOT water! really is.
Generators are great, but there is something comforting about knowing you can still take care of business without one. At least to us.
I have never cooked on our Woodstock Fireview because we have a gas stove, what kind of stuff is easy to prepare on top of it, Dennis? My great grandmother's enamelled Dutch oven would probably be a perfect "goulash" pot.
The other very handy thing to have on hand is an Aladdin oil lamp! We have two of them. I always keep an extra wick and mantle for each of them in the sideboard and make sure there is plenty of lamp oil under the kitchen sink. They are safe, easy to operate, and provide as much light as a 60 watt bulb. It was nice to be able to read or work a puzzle without worrying about candles. They provide more light with less smoke than a kerosene lamp, too. They are well worth the investment, my next one will be one of the small ones that can be easily carried from room to room safely.
I think our next "preparedness" addition is going to be a hand pump for the well, there is a company in Bangor, Me. that makes them. They came up with the design during the big ice storm in '98 that left a huge part of northern New England and Canada without electricity for nearly 3 weeks. We used water from the little pond next to the house and boiled that for cleaning and washing up purposes. It was a good reminder of just what a luxury water, esp. HOT water! really is.
Generators are great, but there is something comforting about knowing you can still take care of business without one. At least to us.
My thoughts are with all you people. I got kin in Little Rock I can't contact but all they talk on the news is Kentucky.
Times like this should make us realize how vulnerable and dependent we are.
Good luck to you all- Ken
Times like this should make us realize how vulnerable and dependent we are.
Good luck to you all- Ken
There are towns in Southern Illinois that have been without power and gas for over four days, the situation is so bad that FEMA is setting up now to look at what they can provide. Talked to a buddy last night and they are staying warm with kerosene; I jabbed him about not having a wood stove and he just laughed. The wood supply will be great after all this over, there are trees down every where; the wood sellers will be hurting for the next year or so because people will be giving wood away.
I went for a walk in the yard yesterday and there was a nice sized limb down from a silver maple.
I also found two decent sized apple trees, at the edge of the woods.
Apple, yesssss.
The eastern redcedars are beat up pretty bad too.
I also found two decent sized apple trees, at the edge of the woods.
Apple, yesssss.
The eastern redcedars are beat up pretty bad too.
[quote author="Woodford" date="1233431026"]I went for a walk in the yard yesterday and there was a nice sized limb down from a silver maple.
I also found two decent sized apple trees, at the edge of the woods.
Not sure of all the names of the trees that are down, but a friend has been hired to fell two big oaks.
I also found two decent sized apple trees, at the edge of the woods.
Not sure of all the names of the trees that are down, but a friend has been hired to fell two big oaks.
Just saw some of the news footage about the storm. It's looks very serious, especially in Kentucky. Keep checking on your neighbors, especially the elderly and those totally dependent on electricity for heat. Understand that they are proud and may not at first want to admit they need help. Bring them hot food or better yet, pull out the sleeping bags and have them over for a warm night.
I hope things clear up soon. You've reminded me to better address our emergency power. I have an old Coleman contractor generator, but we no longer need such a big fellow with the new stove. I am going to downsize, but upgrade to an inverter-generator for cleaner, quieter power. A 2kw generator will power our refrig and some lights easily. They sip gas at about 5-7 hrs/gallon. If you run it 5 hrs a day, 5 gallons should last 5 days. We keep about 10 gallons on hand. With metering, that should give us about 2 weeks. The alternative is to order one set up for propane. I've seen a shop online that does this with the Yamaha inverter portables.
I hope things clear up soon. You've reminded me to better address our emergency power. I have an old Coleman contractor generator, but we no longer need such a big fellow with the new stove. I am going to downsize, but upgrade to an inverter-generator for cleaner, quieter power. A 2kw generator will power our refrig and some lights easily. They sip gas at about 5-7 hrs/gallon. If you run it 5 hrs a day, 5 gallons should last 5 days. We keep about 10 gallons on hand. With metering, that should give us about 2 weeks. The alternative is to order one set up for propane. I've seen a shop online that does this with the Yamaha inverter portables.
It may have been a deadly storm, but when the sun came out, it looked beautiful out there. Like some kind of enchanted ice world.
Just talked to little bro and he says while there is some suffering, for the majority it's like a week at deer camp.
Hmm, 5 days without a shower and cold meals is no picnic. My guess is that many folks are getting really tired of the ice.
Several years back -- January 1998 specifically -- we were hit by an Ice Storm that left us without power for 14 days. In fact, 4 out of every 5 Mainers lost power. It is one thing to lose power in Maine in the Summer . . . it is quite another story to lose power in middle of the Winter.
I counted myself as fortunate since I was able to get a returned generator at Home Depot after 5 or 6 days of huddling under blankets and a small kerosene heater that I borrowed. After buying the generator I was able to hook it up to my oil boiler and heat the house . . . and play TombRaider on the Playstation I had at the time (priorities you know!)
That ice storm changed things for many. It is no small exaggeration to say that now every time we see a possible Ice Storm headed our way many folks brace for the worse . . . although to date we've been fortunate (probably due to a more aggressive tree pruning program launched a few months later) and have never lost power for very long ever since that date.
For me personally, I felt very vulnerable and realized then and there that I wanted a woodstove . . . but due to finances and other considerations wasn't motivated enough to get a woodstove until the price of heating oil was skyrocketing this past Summer. Needless to say, I am quite happy with my decision.
I counted myself as fortunate since I was able to get a returned generator at Home Depot after 5 or 6 days of huddling under blankets and a small kerosene heater that I borrowed. After buying the generator I was able to hook it up to my oil boiler and heat the house . . . and play TombRaider on the Playstation I had at the time (priorities you know!)
That ice storm changed things for many. It is no small exaggeration to say that now every time we see a possible Ice Storm headed our way many folks brace for the worse . . . although to date we've been fortunate (probably due to a more aggressive tree pruning program launched a few months later) and have never lost power for very long ever since that date.
For me personally, I felt very vulnerable and realized then and there that I wanted a woodstove . . . but due to finances and other considerations wasn't motivated enough to get a woodstove until the price of heating oil was skyrocketing this past Summer. Needless to say, I am quite happy with my decision.
Yup^...I remember that too. The ice was so heavy it caused thousands of those metal electric towers to melt. I feel for those folks down south.
I got hammered here in arkansas too. power out for 2 days..phones down..powerrlines snapped like twigs. Used the woodstove for heat and to cook on...used a inverter to power some lights....and used the generator to power my basement sump pump. A bit on a inconvenience ...but a great learning experience and the ice was pretty on everyhting...
I always tell people, if you want to be prepared, and arent sure if you are at a certain neccessary level of that prepardness, then turn off your main breaker to all the power in your home for a couple days and see how easily you and your family can cope.
I always tell people, if you want to be prepared, and arent sure if you are at a certain neccessary level of that prepardness, then turn off your main breaker to all the power in your home for a couple days and see how easily you and your family can cope.
some parts of arkansas, are exepcted to be without power for 4-6 weeks...
now thats what I call a damaging ice storm
now thats what I call a damaging ice storm
- Nov 6, 2006
- 407
Here in NW Arkansas, we went from Monday night, until sat night with no power.
Stayed warm with the earth stove insert, and stayed entertained with the generator, and laptops, and TV, until the cable and DSL internet went out.
some damaged trees in my yard, several large limbs, some trees fell over pulling the rootballs out of the ground.
neighbors cars got crushed by a giant oak tree.
kids were out of school 4.5 days last week ( half a day monday before storm hit) and many people around here still dont have power.
Its a mess, and was not much fun hearing the limbs fall and wondering what they broke this time.
Stayed warm with the earth stove insert, and stayed entertained with the generator, and laptops, and TV, until the cable and DSL internet went out.
some damaged trees in my yard, several large limbs, some trees fell over pulling the rootballs out of the ground.
neighbors cars got crushed by a giant oak tree.
kids were out of school 4.5 days last week ( half a day monday before storm hit) and many people around here still dont have power.
Its a mess, and was not much fun hearing the limbs fall and wondering what they broke this time.
rumme said:
It seemed very quiet here this morning. Only 3 people came by to shower. Many of my neighbors will be without power for another 2 weeks. Water plants are shut down so many are without potable water also. To add insult to injury, the lack of safe water has forced the closing of ALL restaurants in several countes nearby. Can't cook & can't go out to eat either. Here I have wood heat, gas range (Though no oven without power) gas water heater and large generator for lights/tv/etc. so I made it fine. Many, most actually, of my neighbors aren't so well prepared.
More of my neighbors have power now but some still don't. They have been stooping by for anything they might need that I have and sometimes It's just a hot shower and sitting next to our warm fire for a good conversation. I always load them up with hot food and send water home with them too. I've tried to get some to stay the night but none have accepted saying they worry about their homes and pets too much etc. I do understand but it's so hard to know we are doing fine now and others are still in big trouble.
TV said 26 now dead in Kentucky.......
TV said 26 now dead in Kentucky.......
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