-6 deg f. and my furnace still has not kicked on. .

[fastfredracing]

Wood burners rock!. Stay warm guys.

[azasadny]

We have 2 furnaces, one for 1st floor and a second for the 2nd floor (Colonial, 2400sq ft). They are getting a workout!

[onewhippedpuppy]

Nice. My in-laws have a big high efficiency wood stove that has a sealed door, uses outside air for combustion, and has a heat exchanger and blower. That SOB will cook anybody on their main floor or 2nd floor, and they have a 6000 sq ft house.

We have a pellet stove in our basement that does a good job of helping the furnaces.

[Hugh R]

Its 50 degrees here and effing cold to me. I have a poorly insulated CA home and am running the gas heater. Put in new double paned windows and doors a few years ago, and its still cool. I hate vaulted ceilings.

[onlycafe]

this guy is good.

[Baz]

47 here! And dropping!

[Hugh R]

Ticked me off, I went to turn on the hot tub just now and a damn diverter valve sheared off from the pool to the spa. Pulled the old valve out in the brutal cold and sure enough it had sheared right the eff off! Must have been due to the sheer cold weather locking down the valve against the outer housing. I was working with a flashlight in my mouth, the freezing temps made the aluminum flashlight stick to my tongue and I had to rip it out. What pain!!

And then I had to go back inside with my flip-flops and shorts on and console myself.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

Ticked me off, I went to turn on the hot tub just now and a damn diverter valve sheared off from the pool to the spa. Pulled the old valve out in the brutal cold and sure enough it had sheared right the eff off! Must have been due to the sheer cold weather locking down the valve against the outer housing. I was working with a flashlight in my mouth, the freezing temps made the aluminum flashlight stick to my tongue and I had to rip it out. What pain!!

And then I had to go back inside with my flip-flops and shorts on and console myself.

I wouldn't have that problem, because if I lived in CA I could only afford an apartment. Suddenly I feel much better.

[dyount]

I can't get an 8hr burn with temps as low as expected tonight. My furnace will run but that's what I've got it for. I've spent $300 on oil the last 2 yrs and should probably burn it a bit. Now how much does a chainsaw,gas,truck,Fiskars axe and how many hours cost?

[crustychief]

I installed new ducting in my attic and shot 3' deep insulation up there just in time for our cold snap ( temperature is forecast to be as low as +41 tonight ) .

On a serious note, I hope everyone of you back East pulls through this storm O.K.

[pete3799]

Can't beat wood heat

[VincentVega]

Now how much does a chainsaw,gas,truck,Fiskars axe and how many hours cost?

Too funny. I'm in the same boat, the stove has been humming all day. It's 'only' 10 outside and the house is comfy. I hate to turn on the oil but that's what it's for I guess.

Stay warm

[GH85Carrera]

Wood stoves are great, but the automatic fuel feed option is kinda pricey and hard to find. I sure love natural gas heat. Easy and cheap.

Stay wam guys.

[MBAtarga]

Originally Posted by onlycafe

this guy is good.

I'd like to see him try that with some knotty white oak.

[fastfredracing]

I've watched a guy split wood like that with an old tire. I'll have to try it next season.

[ledhedsymbols]

When I was a boy in southeastern Montana, we heated and old drafty farmhouse with single panes with one freestanding wood stove. There was a stand of timber nearby, and as the oldest boy I was my father's woodcutting helper. This mean that he cut the standing timber, sized it into about three foot long sections and I helped load it into the truck. Back at the house, he would buck them into rounds the right length for the stove. My job was to split and stack. There was ponderosa pine, cottonwood (nasty stuff to burn) and a couple of other species too. They wouldn't do for my pop. He had a thing for burning only ash. That stuff was the hardest, knottiest, stringiest wood I have ever encountered. It burned long and hot when properly seasoned, I remember many many hours spent wrestling that stuff. One round I lost the woodsman's axe, splitting maul and splitting wedge in the same chunk. I had to ask my father for another wedge to finish the job. What a lot of work! Now I help my in-laws, they rent a hydraulic splitter once a year and I love them for that!

[mikester]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

Ticked me off, I went to turn on the hot tub just now and a damn diverter valve sheared off from the pool to the spa. Pulled the old valve out in the brutal cold and sure enough it had sheared right the eff off! Must have been due to the sheer cold weather locking down the valve against the outer housing. I was working with a flashlight in my mouth, the freezing temps made the aluminum flashlight stick to my tongue and I had to rip it out. What pain!!

And then I had to go back inside with my flip-flops and shorts on and console myself.

Somebody call FEMA!!!

[VincentVega]

I've watched a guy split wood like that with an old tire.

Bungee or ratchet strap works fun, until you hit it.

I'd like to see him try that with some knotty white oak.

x2, doesnt work for everything but it's a time saver for wood that splits well

I grew up moving wood around too, some great memories.

[JavaBrewer]

Our 'new' old house came with a Harman wood pellet stove. It is located in our great room and does an amazing job keeping the place warm and cozy. It costs $2/day if we leave it running 24/7.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Agreed - I installed a wood pellet stove this past fall and it's been an absolute godsend. Total fuel costs so far this year are about $400 on pellets and $200 on fuel oil (mostly to keep making domestic HW for showers, dishwashing and such). It's also a safety net that'll kick on at 60 degrees if the pellet stove goes out when I'm away from home or whatever.

Last year I spent over $1,500 on heating oil. F*CK OIL! I'm never going back. Next step is to finish plumbing up my electric HW heaters (one 40 gallon, one "instant" tankless) and tell the oil companies to stick it where the sun don't shine for good. At that point the oil fired boiler will be kept around for emergency backup use only - permanently.

I have a wood-burning stove in my shop and am considering one for the basement since I have a virtually limitless supply of wood to burn (and it's renewable) out back, I just hate dragging that stuff into the house even if it is the basement. If I do I bet I can hit 77 degrees year round with no oil burning and little pellet use.

Insulation helps too.