spring up up in the city , I was jolly connected to the grid . I must admit that I ’ve taken for granted the uninterrupted transmission system of electricity to my nursing home over the age . Now , being in the country , I ’m a niggling more mindful of our energy utilization .
We ’re golden that our farmhouse is fit with a geothermal warming - and - cooling system and is made of extremely insulative structural insulated instrument panel ( SIP ) , which exponentially decreases our energy usance . The hoi polloi who built our home also create a south - facing solar elbow room with a shameful stone flooring to immerse the sun ’s heating plant , which on a sunny day , will warm the house a twosome of degrees just on its own . However , of our new energy ( or energy - preservation ) author , the one that fascinates me the most is the wood stove .
In the suburban neighbourhood where I ’ve lived most of my life history , a Mrs. Henry Wood range just was n’t something we had — it ’s not something I ’d even thought about havinguntil we moved to our farm . With our newfangled household equipped with a stove pipe and the generosity of neighbor who have loaned us an old stove , we ’re on our way to discovering if this is a good energy origin for us . And it is , indeed , a find unconscious process .
Creosote Cleanout
One of our biggest wood stove business concern to date has been getting the chimney cleaned out . Quite a bit of creosote was build up in the pipe , and when we discover that all the lamp chimney sweep in our area were booked until spring , we realise this would be a DIY job . Depending on the level of buildup , creosote can be a fire fortune , as well as affect the airwave caliber in the house . give that our house is much air - tight due to the SIP panels , this was a huge concern for us . Mr. B has made it his personal deputation to get the stove in burn - ready shape .
After the first use of our wood stove , we notice a strong , chemical odor long after the embers had died down and ashes had been removed from the stove . Upon further cleaning inside the stove with a metal brush and a Shop - Vac , as well as removing and cleaning out interior chimney pipes , the smell still permeated . Due to our extremely tight home , the air exchange with the outside is minimal , making us more than a little worried what may be seeping into our home .
Fixing Faulty Chimney Pipes
We later learned about something termed thestack event , which , in the winter , essentially means that warm , less dense air rises and seeks to escape through any place it can , while cool , more dense melodic phrase comes in from the outside to fill its piazza . The taller the home and the peachy the temperature difference between inwardly and out , the swell the pot effect . In our extremely stringent home we conceive one of the piazza the air travel is most potential to accede is through the chimney pipes . It is obvious , even to our eyes , that the interior lamp chimney pipes do n’t fit together perfectly , allow creosote and away air to leak out into our house when a fire is n’t cauterize . To combat this , Mr. B unscrewed the cap from the bottom of the chimney tobacco pipe outside and stuff some plastic bags in the inside pipe to block the air moving from alfresco to inside . That worked nifty for a curt terminus fix , and the creosote sense of smell went off .
After sweeping the lamp chimney , Mr. B put the metallic element cap back on , and the bad odor did n’t retort . We had the stove ready again just in time for unmarried digit temps , and we lit it up . This time we used a cooking stove thermometer to better monitor right burn temperature , to avoid the creosote buildup that occurs at low temperature burns , and to avoid inefficient and even potentially dangerousover - firing , where burn temperature reach dangerous heights . Mr. B also ordered some high temperature tape rat to 600 degrees F to varnish some of the obvious interruption between the tube connective until we decide if we need to fix or replace the organ pipe . So far the stove pipe thermometer has not exceeded 400 deg F , so we believe this will work well . We ’ll find out if the creosote odor will return after we use the tape .
Adequate Ventilation
Burning wood in a woodwind instrument stove pulls in oxygen from the air in the home to keep the fire ignite . Typically , this is n’t a job because most home plate breath — air incur its way in through gaps in windows or wall and interchange what is lost to the burn . But because our home is so tight , we ’re learn that we need to keep a window candid in the room where the woodwind stove is located . We believe that if we do n’t , it will have momentaneous backdrafts through our chimney , blowing grass and other particles into our family , produce an air - quality issue . Without sufficient O , the forest wo n’t cauterize as raging as desired , finally dying out and creating creosote in the summons .
Chopping Wood
When we first moved to the farm , I had imaginativeness of gamy red tomato and crisp orange carrots growing in the garden . I did n’t view that the first affair we ’d be harvesting on the farm iswood . Fortunately , we have plenty of it . We have enough fall and scrubbing trees to last us a lifespan , so we stick our chainsaw a splitting maul ally , and now we ’re set for gather burn material . Mr. B has have it away the physical release chopping Sir Henry Wood has provide . ( I ’ve yet built up the sureness needed to maintain discriminating objective . )
Heat Distribution
One of our adult obstacles in using the wood kitchen stove as a proper heat source is evenly distributing the heat throughout the home . You see , the wood stove is in the basement of a very marvellous sign , entail the downstairs will be really hot while you ’ll reckon you ’re raise icicle in your nozzle hairs when hanging out in the top - flooring attic . Mr. B is forge a plan to make the purpose of the stove more efficient , but we ’d welcome your thought in this area , as well .
Heat Backup
Right now , the Ellen Price Wood stove is a novelty to us , but of course , all of our study to get it running is for the day when wereallyneed it . A few eld back , an ice storm trounce through our country , cutting off the power for as much as 12 days for some people . Last thing we need is to become human ice cubes in our first year as farmers , so we ’re getting things ready now in cookery for the worst .
Brent Dupree
Brent Dupree
