Delicate topic; spousal stove operation

[Bobbin]

Maybe this:

"Your lack of attention to detail has unintentionally/potentially impregnated MY customers' clothing/fabric with wood smoke. The going rate for a "fire load" at the dry cleaner is X$ and X am't of days. I will be deducting that sum from my portion of the "house account" over the course of the coming month".

Actions have concesequences, afterall. Money talks and -hit walks. Stupid is as stupid does and so it follows that stupid should pay... . I'm likin' the concept, but he feels pretty bad right now and beatin' a dead hoss is pretty pointless. I think the "checklist" and heavy spousal disapproval is my best course of action at this time. I think it's best to leave testicles out of the equation for the time being. We'll leave those for greater transgressions...

 

[PapaDave]

Maybe this:

"Your lack of attention to detail has unintentionally/potentially impregnated MY customers' clothing/fabric with wood smoke. The going rate for a "fire load" at the dry cleaner is X$ and X am't of days. I will be deducting that sum from my portion of the "house account" over the course of the coming month".

Actions have concesequences, afterall. Money talks and -hit walks. Stupid is as stupid does and so it follows that stupid should pay... . I'm likin' the concept, but he feels pretty bad right now and beatin' a dead hoss is pretty pointless. I think the "checklist" and heavy spousal disapproval is my best course of action at this time. I think it's best to leave testicles out of the equation for the time being. We'll leave those for greater transgressions...

Man oh man, if we took money from the house account every time something goofy happened, after almost 20 years together, there wouldn't be one. -hit happens. Get over it.

 

[Bobbin]

Papa, "my" stove is in MY studio, not in our home. The financial ramifications of sloppy stove operation are not inconsequential. I contribute fully 50% to the operation of our household and our retirement planning. My business COUNTS, big time. The core issue is a lot greater than just "gettin' over it" I'm afraid.

 

[Cearbhaill]

My husband only touches my insert on the very rare day that I am gone for hours and he is home- like Christmas Day when I go to visit my family (someone has to stay here to care for his invalid Mom).
Every single time I have come home to a smoldering smokefest.

That first Xmas- the very first time I left him home alone with the fire- I returned to fire engines all up and down my street and I couldn't even get close enough to see which house it was. I had to drive the long way around and that put the very fear of God into me even though it was a down-the-street-neighbor's chimney fire.

He's a great guy and swings a mean maul, but indoors is mine.
He just doesn't have the fire builder gene.

 

[Fins59]

I should say that there was no need for him to touch "my" stove today. I had it fully under control when I left at 7:30 AM and even told him so. I know it was a gesture of genuine thoughtfulness (and I thanked him for that) but I think my emphasis on the sloppiness of the oversight was all he heard, which may not be a bad thing in the big picture. Leaving the woodbox empty is like not replenishing toilet paper, you guys. Just something to think about... as is the fact that sometimes "girls" operate stoves with frightening attention to detail and downright teutonic precision, lol.

And Rick, my size 8 1/2 is more than capable of lifting any ass a couple of inches when it makes direct contact. But thanks for the offer.

Those Maine women are one tough breed, ayup. I spent 7 years up there while in service and I was lucky to get out with everything intact .

 

[PapaDave]

Bobbin,
I didn't realize this was your BUSINESS, as in money making.
He should understand, and I'm sure he does now, YOUR stove is not to be tampered with. I hope the fabric isn't too badly fouled. I understand now that this could have very serious financial consequences for you.
You aren't going to fire him, are you?

 

[pyper]

Maybe this:

"Your lack of attention to detail has unintentionally/potentially impregnated MY customers' clothing/fabric with wood smoke. The going rate for a "fire load" at the dry cleaner is X$ and X am't of days. I will be deducting that sum from my portion of the "house account" over the course of the coming month".

Probably not a good idea. Sleep on it.

To me, money is a poor substitute for harmonious relations.

My wife doesn't know anything about fire. I don't know a lot about stoves, but I grew up camping and we had a fireplace. The last few days as I've left the house I've left the stove set up, requiring only a match to get it going. Today there was a fire when I got home. Where we live it really doesn't make sense to try to keep the fire going all day when no one's home -- it just doesn't get that cold.

Out of curiosity, what kind of fabrics are you dealing with that won't air out? I wear wool camping (read: taking a bath in smoke from people's fires who don't have seasoned wood). I hang it and the smell goes away. Not always in a day or two, but eventually. And that's without any kind of cleaning.

 

[PJF1313]

Bobbin,
I didn't realize this was your BUSINESS, as in money making.
He should understand, and I'm sure he does now, YOUR stove is not to be tampered with. I hope the fabric isn't too badly fouled. I understand now that this could have very serious financial consequences for you.
You aren't going to start a fire with him in his stove, are you?

....Papa - I fixed it for ya ;-)

 

[SlyFerret]

My wife has no real interest in the stove, firewood, or the operation of it all. However, she likes to be warm, and will, very unoccasionally, make an attempt to reload or load the stove and get a fire going. This is bad. Reference the first sentence.
She seems to have the idea that you can put the wood in the stove any old way, then throw some paper in, light it, close the door and walk away. Again, this is bad.

That's probably because you make it look that easy!!

-SF

 

[PapaDave]

My wife has no real interest in the stove, firewood, or the operation of it all. However, she likes to be warm, and will, very unoccasionally, make an attempt to reload or load the stove and get a fire going. This is bad. Reference the first sentence.
She seems to have the idea that you can put the wood in the stove any old way, then throw some paper in, light it, close the door and walk away. Again, this is bad.

That's probably because you make it look that easy!!

-SF

Well, maybe, but the last couple days things have been less than stellar. Maybe the month of Dec., I had some wood that got really dry last year, or maybe the wood I'm into right now didn't. Still pretty decent, but a little more of a struggle.

 

[PapaDave]

Bobbin,
I didn't realize this was your BUSINESS, as in money making.
He should understand, and I'm sure he does now, YOUR stove is not to be tampered with. I hope the fabric isn't too badly fouled. I understand now that this could have very serious financial consequences for you.
You aren't going to start a fire with him in his stove, are you?

....Papa - I fixed it for ya ;-)

HAHA,
I think Bobbin's about ready to put ME in the stove! Ouch.
I'm stayin' vewy fah away. Might sic Rick the knife on me too.

 

[jadm]

Sorry Bobbin' I have no words of wisdom to help you in your situation...

I am a complete failure in trying to 'teach' my husband how to safely build and maintain a fire in our insert....

I have taken the indirect approach and explained to him what I have learned here....

I have taken the direct approach and told him why what he is doing is dangerous...

No luck...He will still occasionally start a fire in the morning if it is really cold inside (we do not burn through the night) but

rather than listen to my 'advice' he has simply backed off of building fires as time moves on.

If he does build a fire his method hasn't changed much. First he cleans out all the ashes and coals and then he proceeds to use lots of fire starters and lots of kindling and a split or two of hard wood. Ignites it - leaves the door ajar and then goes off to take a long and hot shower. The other morning I got up and found the insert roaring away at 800* and climbing with the air fully opened.... :ahhh:

Needless to say, I get nervous whenever I hear him near the insert.

He is at work all day so he has no clue how or when to reload...

Over the years the insert has become MY territory and the 'natives' are gradually catching on that they had better do it MY way or no way......Mostly they leave it to me. My 13 year old will occasionally build a fire or two and he does do a good job but dealing with the whole air thing is a bit much and I usually end up doing that.

Good Luck

and I am curious as to what you do with all of the material. Do you sew/design things or sell fabric?

 

[BrowningBAR]

My husband only touches my insert on the very rare day that I am gone for hours

Sounds a little dirty if you ask me!

 

[cycloxer]

How would you guys handle this?

Open a window.

 

[keydiver]

My 9 year old does it now. I load it in the morning. Set the timer and tell him what to look for and do this and that. He gets it. Just needs reminders in the afternoon to load it and adjust the air.

I am in out a few times a day as well to keep an eye on things.

I ask the wife to put wood and she throws the largest split she can on. Come home and its smoldering away.

I've told the boys if they want to play with fire come find me!

 

[Battenkiller]

I politely and firmly pointed out his oversight and received the "hurt" routine. How would you guys handle this?

Hurt routine? Sounds like a man of the 90's. That attitude is so last Millennium. The man of the new Millennium just shrugs his shoulders, farts, and walks off to the refrigerator to grab another beer. :coolsmile:


I have a friend whose wife does window treatments full time. Fabric everywhere. He runs her the table saw without first turning on the dust collection. Dust everywhere. I told her to grab a few of his fly tying feathers, then leave the air-tight containers open for the moths to get at them. Then maybe he'd get the message. :lol:

 

[pyper]

I politely and firmly pointed out his oversight and received the "hurt" routine. How would you guys handle this?

Hurt routine? Sounds like a man of the 90's. That attitude is so last Millennium. The man of the new Millennium just shrugs his shoulders, farts, and walks off to the refrigerator to grab another beer. :coolsmile:

I'm pretty sure that's a man of the 70's.

Whoever he is, hes' an ass.

I don't really know what the "hurt routine" is. If he is hurt, then most of the proposed courses of action will make things worse. If he's pretending to be hurt, then you have deeper issues to be resolved -- like why doesn't he respect your avocation.

 

[daryl]

I have a Woodstock Classic in my studio. I work with fabric. Wood smoke is NOT OK in my studio and there is no need of it. I have the operation of "my" stove down to a science now and it performs flawlessly with NO backpuffing incidents since mid-November when you guys got me thinking about the building dynamics in a different way. Thanks!

The husband loaded "my" stove late morning (to be helpful) but I discovered late this afternoon that he'd not used the damper controls correctly, leaving the dial control in the "open" position and closing the lower sliding control too far (he also failed to refill the woodbox!). We have an older Fireview in the house and both have the "old" style controls and he knows how to properly operate the stoves. It was just a sloppy oversight, but when fabric is involved smoke is NOT OK. I was furious when I smelled wood smoke in my studio. I politely and firmly pointed out his oversight and received the "hurt" routine. How would you guys handle this?

If wood smoke is not OK in your studio maybe a woodstove in that room is not a good idea. And this is why I say that.
A few years back I installed a gas fireplace in a studio where the women had a small sewing biz. When they would turn on the fireplace they would get an odor from it.
They blamed it on a bad firebox seal or breech of some kind. After many trouble shooting calls it turned out that the dust from cutting and handling of the fabric would get on top heat exchanger and burn off when fireplace was turned on.
To this day I will not recommend a radiant heater for these applications.
It also sounds like this has happened before, if it happens once its likely to happen again. I hope I did not offend you just my 2 cents.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I should say that there was no need for him to touch "my" stove today. I had it fully under control when I left at 7:30 AM and even told him so. I know it was a gesture of genuine thoughtfulness (and I thanked him for that) but I think my emphasis on the sloppiness of the oversight was all he heard, which may not be a bad thing in the big picture. Leaving the woodbox empty is like not replenishing toilet paper, you guys. Just something to think about... as is the fact that sometimes "girls" operate stoves with frightening attention to detail and downright teutonic precision, lol.

And Rick, my size 8 1/2 is more than capable of lifting any ass a couple of inches when it makes direct contact. But thanks for the offer.

Bobbin, I have to tell you that my wife is mighty proud of you. She said she likes your attitude!


Have you considered your husband washing all that fabric?

 

[BrowningBAR]

Have you considered your husband washing all that fabric?

Yeah, not a good idea. Probably most of her fabric isn't washable.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Can I also recommend that it would probably be a bad idea to have your husband read this thread.

 

[gpcollen1]

I get pissed off when people do not pay attention to details. I tell my wife all the time, there is a right way to do things and a wrong way - and sometimes somewhere in between. While her tending the stove sometimes is a necessary part of our routine, and I do appreciate it, I get pissed when she does not burn it right, blackens the glass, does not rake the coals forward, does not close the by pass or air down, or anything else...

Some people are sloppy...

 

[woodjack]

Throw him a prison made of pallets and firewood.

 

[rkymtnoffgrid]

My metrosexual, sissy la-la neighbor can't get it together either, I'm sick and tired of gagging on the smoke from his chimney, helping him sweep the damn thing, and seeing him cut up green yard trimmings with a electric clipper to feed it! I gave him a face cord last winter thinking he'd get the hint....Nope, hes out there this morning with a 18v. saw cutting up plywood into 5" x 20" strips...I can only imagine what they're for...cant wait to breath that crap!

 

[BrowningBAR]

My metrosexual, sissy la-la neighbor can't get it together either, I'm sick and tired of gagging on the smoke from his chimney, helping him sweep the damn thing, and seeing him cut up green yard trimmings with a electric clipper to feed it! I gave him a face cord last winter thinking he'd get the hint....Nope, hes out there this morning with a 18v. saw cutting up plywood into 5" x 20" strips...I can only imagine what they're for...cant wait to breath that crap!

So, what you're saying is, you two are best buds?