Wood Burning Stove/ First Snow

[Bandit]

it is snowing here today. i expect the roads to be plastered with salt in about one hour from now. i know how much some people love snow, but it is not one of my favorite things (especially shoveling & snowblowing).

Do you like snow or do you hate snow?


What do you use to heat your home in the winter?
What are some things you can do to make your house cozy for the cold months?
Pros & Cons for different heating?

i have 6,000 square feet here to heat with a radiator/water system. it is truly the best heat IMO.
After seeing my forecasted natural gas bill & with natural gas price rising every year, i have installed two modern wood burners & have been using them for the past 6 weeks. Having a couple of connections for firewood here & at a fraction of the cost for natural gas, I am more that satisfied with using the stoves. It stays nice & toasty all day & night & i feel quite safe with the models I purchased.

Soaring energy prices and firewood left from trees downed by Hurricane Katrina have prompted more Mississippi consumers to consider wood stoves this year.

"It's tripled our wood stove sales this year," said Holly High, president of High's Heaters & Grills in Brandon.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051116/BIZ/511160347/1005

anyone interested in a discusion?

 

[Bandit]

skiing, sledding, innertubing, ice skating or would you prefer to stay inside the cabin next to the fire place?

what are some precautions we can take to protect from frost bite & coming down with severe colds?

and what about electric blankets, ear muffs, heated mittens & socks?

 

[wil]

Gotta vote for both, cuttiing and splitting and hauling wood heats you at least three times before it even enters the woodstove. Coming in and dripping after snowball fights, cross country or downhill or iceskating to the soup that has been simmering all day...making hot chocolate, grilled cheese sandwiches, popcorn, or fondue...all are on the increase when the weather turns cold and the fire becomes a 24 hour thang...

Oh then there are eggnog milkshakes w/kaluha and brandy, laying on the chaise lounge covered in snow as you rest outside, snow angels, icicles, and even shoveling the drive...

Yesterday I put new tires on the car....bring it on!!!!!!!!

namaste,

 

[Tao_Equus]

Snow is so romantic and I miss it!!! Never saw it last year, except the one time when it lay thinly for an hour before melting. And the scottish ski industry is at the point of collapse, they only had snow for about 1/3 of last years season. Even when I was a child we could count on having at least a few weeks of good snow every year and to get a foot or two in a night was not uncommon. Now kids dont own a sled and do all their sking on nylon matted slopes.
On the positive side I guess that my electricity bills are less than they would have been if things had not changed. But I think I'd happily pay more to see again a grinning snowmen, a snowball fight, the whoops of joy from the kids as they hurtle down a hill on a sled and to be able to ski again without sticking to the nylon route. I hope we get a good fall sometime this season.

 

[Bandit]

Gotta vote for both, cuttiing and splitting and hauling wood heats you at least three times before it even enters the woodstove. Coming in and dripping after snowball fights, cross country or downhill or iceskating to the soup that has been simmering all day...making hot chocolate, grilled cheese sandwiches, popcorn, or fondue...all are on the increase when the weather turns cold and the fire becomes a 24 hour thang...

Oh then there are eggnog milkshakes w/kaluha and brandy, laying on the chaise lounge covered in snow as you rest outside, snow angels, icicles, and even shoveling the drive...

Yesterday I put new tires on the car....bring it on!!!!!!!!

namaste,

hmm, Yum. eggnog milkshake with brandy.
i remember snow angels & laying on a mound of snow trying to make it uphill delivering the newspaper all winter. we used to make these really cool snow forts when we got blasted with a blizzard.
i am up for some winter off roading, fish tailing & doing donuts in the parking lot with lost of rooster tails.. always gets me to laugh.

it is so true- coming in dripping wet after a snow ball fight & standing next to a good fire. Man, do i love these wood burning stoves.

sounds like you know how to make the best out of winter.

 

[Bandit]

Snow is so romantic and I miss it!!! Never saw it last year, except the one time when it lay thinly for an hour before melting. And the scottish ski industry is at the point of collapse, they only had snow for about 1/3 of last years season. Even when I was a child we could count on having at least a few weeks of good snow every year and to get a foot or two in a night was not uncommon. Now kids dont own a sled and do all their sking on nylon matted slopes.
On the positive side I guess that my electricity bills are less than they would have been if things had not changed. But I think I'd happily pay more to see again a grinning snowmen, a snowball fight, the whoops of joy from the kids as they hurtle down a hill on a sled and to be able to ski again without sticking to the nylon route. I hope we get a good fall sometime this season.

you know we have not been getting the big storms like we used to up here either. we used to get it on thanksgiving & there would be 20' mounds of snow in parking lots, it would stay & still be melting into May. i cant even imagine what all electric heat would run for this house. gas always goes way over $500 a month & i have thermal gas windows & no drafts.

i love tobagans & trails, much like a coaster with no brakes. snowman is always neat to watch the children build. i remember a couple of years getting five or six feet & we did not see the sun for 6 weeks or drive anywhere for two weeks but that has changed & we dont get it that bad any more ...that is why i spent 10 years in florida & 3 years in california.

the first snow is pretty cool, but then it turns to brownish yellow, salty icky slush mud from the traffic.

 

[iBrian]

it is snowing here today.

Sounds great.

We're eagerly waiting for the snows to hit Scotland - when it falls on the hills it's sure to be magical.

 

[tommy]

We just moved last week from sunny California to a home located on the Truckee River in the Sierra Mountains. Went from warm to cold and my Son realized on the first day there that barefeet doesn't work anymore.

It is pretty amazing how your life can turn around in six months. I went from a cramped in 1,700 sqt home in crowed SF Bay Area to a spacious 3,400 sqt home with mountain views, all the upgrades, except one, the home didn't have a fireplace. It has a gas fireplace that heats up pretty good.

Were walking around on this natural high spending everyday taking walks on the Truckee River and the series of trails (my Dogs love it) that wind around the Sierr's with panaramic views. Job doesn't pay as much but I have learned that money doesn't bring rish blessing either. I love being stuck in nature everyday as opposed to being stuck in traffic. Plus we are 30 minutes from Squaw Valley and hopefully we'll get some snow soon. Hope your all doing well out there, peace and love, tommy

 

[wil]

Well you'll see snow in Truckee....80 closes fairly regularly...Donner Party camped out just down the street and all...

I miss the sierras...Truckees balancing rock...the big meadows...Tahoe...hiking down to the scenic Nevada beaches....rim trail...enjoy it, tis lovely.

 

[tommy]

Well you'll see snow in Truckee....80 closes fairly regularly...Donner Party camped out just down the street and all...

I miss the sierras...Truckees balancing rock...the big meadows...Tahoe...hiking down to the scenic Nevada beaches....rim trail...enjoy it, tis lovely.

The Truckee River is now open to rafting all the way into Reno. In the summer, I will be able to walk seven homes down and jump on a raft and were off.

All along the Truckee River in my area it is open space and you can explore the wilderness. I really like how Nevada has kept their open space for the public to enjoy. Its real strange not seing areas in the nearby mountains fenced off, they let you wander freely without a whole heck of a lot of rules.

When we moved in last week I took my son down to the river with my black Lab and right away, the Lab saw some ducks cruising down the river and my Lab stepped in the river. I'll always remember my nine year old Son looking over at me and saying, "hey Dad, can he swim". It was a pleasure to see the Lap jumping into the water after the nine years that I moved him away from the outdoors and into the City.

Lake Tahoe has been one of my favorite places to visit and we married there and in-laws live right on the Lake. Anyway, this is about fireplaces. Why didn't my dream home come with a wood burning fireplace. Answer: The City of Reno banned Fireplaces (except Gas Log which we have) on new Homes buildt between 2001-present. What a bummer, I stair out my windows into the Sierra's and don't have a wood burning fireplace. Nothings perfect, but we feel that having nature in your backyard makes up for it.

And then there is the Train. I love the sound of a train. We see the main east to west line across our street whisking by the River. When I first moved in it was like a mack truck in front of your house. I got used to the train real fast and my son says it helps him sleep when he hears it during the night. Sort of a soothing sound that comes in the distance, gets loud with horn blowing and then fades. This has been the funnest trip I have ever been on. Your brother in Christ, tommy

 

[Bandit]

We just moved last week from sunny California to a home located on the Truckee River in the Sierra Mountains. Went from warm to cold and my Son realized on the first day there that barefeet doesn't work anymore.

It is pretty amazing how your life can turn around in six months. I went from a cramped in 1,700 sqt home in crowed SF Bay Area to a spacious 3,400 sqt home with mountain views, all the upgrades, except one, the home didn't have a fireplace. It has a gas fireplace that heats up pretty good.

Were walking around on this natural high spending everyday taking walks on the Truckee River and the series of trails (my Dogs love it) that wind around the Sierr's with panaramic views. Job doesn't pay as much but I have learned that money doesn't bring rish blessing either. I love being stuck in nature everyday as opposed to being stuck in traffic. Plus we are 30 minutes from Squaw Valley and hopefully we'll get some snow soon. Hope your all doing well out there, peace and love, tommy

i used to live by a train growing up & i liked hearing it. that is sure a big jump in space Tommy! that is kind of how i felt when i bought this old home.
i always wanted to go white water rafting.

so here is the deal...my estimated cost for 6 months of natural gas for winter is about 3,000 dollars this year.
so with these sealed wood stoves i have now, it is only running me about $500 estimated for the 6 months. i also put a heat recapture & another blower on the back of them.
these are both high estimates since the first one is on the budget plan.

it is 18 degrees outside & the center of the house & upstairs is at a nice toasty 74-76 degrees while the edges of the house & basement stay at about 68-70 degrees.
this is my first year for trying to beat the rising cost of natural gas, so i think i am doing real well so far.
my furnace has only been on once & i left it on for the week i was away.

and it is snowing off & on today but no accumulation yet. but they got about 2 feet 60 miles from here, due to the lake effect snow.