No smoking zone!
Well, my house smells like smoke and I still am not posting as much as I should. How are these related you ask? Well it has to do with my hernia, and logging behind my dad's house.
Are you really confused now? Good! Let's tie it all together. I am a little frustrated because I have not had the time to spend on my websites. I have a lot of good content on one, and a good start on the other, but I need to up my game on attention to detail, and monetizing the sites and such.
The problem is, I have been feverishly trying to finish all my summer projects before Aug 14th, when I go under the knife for only the 2nd time in my life. First being getting my tonsils removed in 1971. I am just getting some minor hernias repaired, no big deal, it is laproscopic, outpatient, a 20 minute thing. But I will be on lifting restriction for 6 weeks. Then it will be almost winter. Before this came up, we had decided to heat with wood this coming winter. To accomplish this, I had to find an insurance company who would insure a home with a woodstove (many do not or have ridiculous restrictions). Then I had to find a woodstove that I could afford and that meets the specification required by the insurance company. Then I had to install the woodstove and chimney. While doing this, I have cut, split and stacked 10 truckloads of wood in preparation for this winter. Now we tie in the logging.... They logged the land behind my Mom and Dad's home this spring. When loggers come thru they leave the tops, which can still range up to a foot or two in diameter. Well, this was just too good an opportunity to pass up, getting my wood for two years out! So I have cut and hauled,(not split and stacked, I will do that in the spring) an additional 10 truckloads of wood. We also have a garden and I had to sealcoat my 100ft long driveway. And not to whine, but I had to do all this without blowing out my hernia and having my intestines squirt out in my lap. (ok, so that was an exaggeration, but it did cross my mind that that might happen)
Normally, I could work on a lot of this gradually up thru Oct or early Nov, but with the hernia surgery coming up, I had to get it all done. Hence, I have had very little time for the websites.
Now, lol, I have to figure out why the woodstove is not working right. I tested it this morning with a small fire (you have to cure the paint anyway, which stinks, so I wanted to do it when I could open the windows to air out the house). There is something wrong with the draw (air supply) because it will only maintain a fire if I leave the woodstove door cracked (not a good practice) The air flow control does not appear to work right, so now I am working with the manufacturer to find out if it is broke or I just don't know how to work it.
I am looking forward to being laid up for a few weeks so I can work on my sites!
Dang! I knew I should have make my niche home improvements! Which reminds me, I still haven't finished remodeling the bathroom!
Later,
Jerry
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I just put in a Geothermal system last year and done away with the Davey Crockett era. Even my electricity bill is down over 30% and my house does not smell smokey anymore.
I have dealt with wood stoves all my life and they can be finicky, check your flue, you may have something block it or check the air draw openings on the stove some are on the back some are on the front, they may still have things in them from shipping.
San
Yeah the flue was the first thing I checked. The draw on this is wierd. The is a push pull knob on the front that controls an opening underneath where it has an ash catch drawer. That part works ok, but, I can see where a channel is welded up into the firebox and then goes up the sides to connect in with a network of pipes that supposedly reburns the gases given off before it goes up the flue. Some sort of EPA thing. According to the directions, that same setup is supposed to put in air at the front just below the door. I cannot find that, so I have put in an email for more info with the manufacturer. Or old stove just had slides in the door to control the draw, simplest thing in the world. I guess this is an improvement. lol
No it is not an improvement, it is because there are too many people who have not taken the time to learn fire safety and use devices they do not fully understand and burn their homes down.
The insurance companies are behind this, I believe they would be better served to train people and make them pass a fire safety course than cause rates to go up and not insuring people.
San
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One of the joys of home ownership is there is always something to be done. Good luck catching up with the websites.