RE: Has anyone else noticed . . .

[Squisher]

Yah we're hovering around freezing and I'm burning steady. At these warmer temps I enjoy it, makes it easy to keep the house warm with smaller fires.

 

[Stella]

Okay since someone asked, here is a picture of my creosote after an enforced clean out. Just don't ask what happened, it was entirely my own fault!

 

[brad wilton]

Still lighting in evening,but lost that burn or die mentality this year

 

[jb6l6gc]

Okay since someone asked, here is a picture of my creosote after an enforced clean out. Just don't ask what happened, it was entirely my own fault!

Have to ask , what happened

 

[Stella]

Since you insist - had not cleaned out the stove after three years' burning, admittedly not all the winter as I live in a warm climate. Late afternoon, felt chilly, laid and lit stove. Thick black smoke immediately in the room, choking stuff. Telephoned my Albanian builder friend. Our common language is Greek - mine very poor. No words were needed as he sprang into action with a spade and a terracotta urn. Soon the contents of the stove were outside. When it had cooled and it took a while he disconnected the pipe thingy and found it totally blocked with creosote. He rodded through and the result is what you see in the picture. Stove has been cleaned up and house aired, now in wonderful warm weather during the day and re-lit with dry olive wood. I learnt a valuable lesson and my friend will be cleaning again in the spring.

 

[clincoln007]

Its definately slower, I almost never post but read all the time, the few times I have posted this year because I had stove issues the responses were real slow.coming in compaeed to the last couple years, still a great site just not nearly as busy

 

[drewmo]

Perhaps we've reached critical mass in that every possible question has been asked and answered. That's what the search bar is for. Personally, I find it easier posting a technical question than using the search bar, although I'm pretty certain whatever question I ask has already been addressed at some point in time on this site. I'm just lazy in that way (and like the attention). And if I'm having a catastrophic emergency, I know who to PM (I'm looking at you, hogwildz.) The beauty of the site is that we all share something in common, and that's making heat cheaply, primarily with fire. Regardless if it's busy or slow here, I enjoy the thoughtful conversation.

 

[BrotherBart]

Traffic usually starts ramping up around late July when people thinking about getting their first stove start dropping in with questions. Then in late September "Are you burning yet?" takes off. This year with no hurricanes in the Gulf and the Middle East not making a dent in costs of heating oil in the NE not many new stove buyers out there. Then drop on top of it most of the country on the golf course in December and oil continuing to slide, not surprising that traffic has slowed way down this year.

Everybody is over on Facebook arguing politics.

 

[BrotherBart]

For the first time in 40 years I haven't put one split in the stove yet. For the first time I was able to hold off till Thanksgiving. Now I am shooting for Christmas. Burned pellets in the pellet basket a few nights.

 

[begreen]

Wow. Getting a little chillier here this week. We'll see if the jet stream makes an eastern delivery.

 

[BrotherBart]

Delivery refused. Return to sender!

 

[Smoked]

For the first time in 40 years I haven't put one split in the stove yet. For the first time I was able to hold off till Thanksgiving. Now I am shooting for Christmas. Burned pellets in the pellet basket a few nights.

How hard is it to get the pellets lit in an EPA stove? Do you get secondary burning?

BTW, was on the roof yesterday cleaning leaves and the top of the pipe was a little nasty. All these cold starts and one-off fires not as clean as 24x7.

 

[BrotherBart]

I use the Pelletier pellet basket and half of a Super Cedar. No problem at all. Only three hours of heat on a 14 pound basket full but good for low and slow for this time of year. And I have had the pellets in the basement for at least three years. I use a pellet stove down there when I need to work down there. Which seldom happens. Leaving the rest to the oil filled radiators on thermostats after it burns down. Most nights the Eco Fans are still turning a little in the morning from the 11-12 pm basket full because the stove mass and the brick mass of the fireplace holds heat.

And part of the beauty is that I checked and it isn't crapping up the liner or cap.

 

[clincoln007]

I love the fact that I can post a question and have a bunch of knowledgeable people give me the answers to issues, its great! I also read everything so I can ask as few questions as possible

 

[BrotherBart]

Just heard on the news that one of the species of Cherry Blossoms in D.C. are blooming already.

 

[begreen]

I expect to see very early blooming here too with this el Nino. Unfortunately this also means a lot more bug problems in spring and summer.

 

[BrotherBart]

This happened back in the seventies in Texas. Nats and bugs hatching out everywhere. Then the ice storms hit in January and we had a bug free summer. But it also stayed under 32 degrees for a month for the first time I had ever seen and killed everybody's shrubbery.

The last two days we have broken records from the 1870's. And will again tomorrow before it starts sliding down.

My globe is warming.

 

[begreen]

Here too. 2015 has been breaking record temp, record drought, and now both temp and rainfall records one after the other. We've already broken the rainiest Dec and the month isn't half over.

 

[jharkin]

Not to beat a dead horse, but its just hard to get excited talking about fires when Ive still got the windows open.

 

[Stella]

Not to beat a dead horse, but its just hard to get excited talking about fires when Ive still got the windows open.

Ok agree, just been sitting outside at a bar with this view but temp dropped like a stone and will be lighting stove when I get home.

 

[BrotherBart]

It was 70 degrees at 11:00pm last night. But the party will be over by the weekend.

 

[Jags]

Last weekend on the mighty Mississippi. I ain't ready to give up fall.

 

[semipro]

I have to admit that the my interest waned when the Ash Can was closed.
I found the wide diversity of views there both entertaining and educational.
Because I frequent only the DIY and Green forums I got to know many others at Hearth there.

 

[Stella]

Why was it closed, had we been naughty?

 

[Jags]

Why was it closed, had we been naughty?

The ash can was a maintenance nightmare. It caused friction among members that spilled over into other forums and was quite simply a distraction from what this place was built for.