newbie wood burner needs advise

[k0xxx]

Are there any suggestions out there for stove blacking? We have some rust spots that need to get treated but our local Menard's has no blacking--just stove paint. I don't want to hijack the thread, but this seemed a good place to ask

We but ours locally, but you can get it online from http://www.northlineexpress.com . The exact link to the product that they sell is http://www.northlineexpress.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=5RU-WI-00710

Regards

 

[shareneh]

Thank you everyone for responding to my post.

In response to Miss North; I discontinued my house insurance. Long story short, a friend of mine's house burnt while she was out of town, I think kids did it but now the insurance company said she did it and they won't pay up. I don't want the hassle. But I will check into it now that I have been humbled a bit.

I do use my woodstove as the only source for heat and I didn't realize that the cooling off of the flue will cause build up. I will keep that in mind. Thanks for the tip me&thegas and morelcabin.

My husband checked the damper and now it sounds fine.

As for the ash, I will be experimenting all summer long with that. I can't wait to make soap and see how this works in my garden.

Thanks for the tip about traction too. That is one I may need come morning because we are in the middle of a bad blizzard.

Once again, thank all of you for the tips and concern. I will sleep better knowing more about my woodstove.

Sharene

 

[VT-Chicklit]

shareneh, Get yourself a woodstove thermometer that attaches to your stove pipe with a magnet. This small round thermometer measures how hot the stove pipe gets and is marked with a temperature range that is safe to operate your stove. Too cold and you build up creasote, too hot and you set the creasote build-up on fire, causing a chimney fire. The thermometers are fairly cheap, about $10 and they will give you a good feel on how hot you are burning your stove. You can get them at hardware stores, the local co-op, and many other places that sell stove supplies. We wouldn't burn our stove without it.

 

[me&thegals]

k0xxx--thanks for the tip and link on blacking!

 

[attack-cat]

We brush the chimney every month or when it starts to give us trouble. The smoke comes out the door when the chimney needs to be cleaned. Free advice: anything you can't wash - like heirlooms and really important old stuff - put it in a box closed up while you have a fire going. The term "spring cleaning" had to come from people cleaning up the soot from the fire that settles on everything! We had soot everywhere ..... even in the cabinets. We used mainly coal and it creates a nasty amount of fine bits flying all over the place especially when I goof and don't let the door open slowly!

 

[shareneh]

shareneh, Get yourself a woodstove thermometer that attaches to your stove pipe with a magnet. This small round thermometer measures how hot the stove pipe gets and is marked with a temperature range that is safe to operate your stove. Too cold and you build up creasote, too hot and you set the creasote build-up on fire, causing a chimney fire. The thermometers are fairly cheap, about $10 and they will give you a good feel on how hot you are burning your stove. You can get them at hardware stores, the local co-op, and many other places that sell stove supplies. We wouldn't burn our stove without it.

Thanks, I got the thermometer and found out we were burning the woodstove just about right. I'm so glad I asked you guys for more information. I feel better all the way around now.

 

[VT-Chicklit]

shareneh wrote:
VT-Chicklit wrote:
shareneh, Get yourself a woodstove thermometer that attaches to your stove pipe with a magnet. This small round thermometer measures how hot the stove pipe gets and is marked with a temperature range that is safe to operate your stove. Too cold and you build up creasote, too hot and you set the creasote build-up on fire, causing a chimney fire. The thermometers are fairly cheap, about $10 and they will give you a good feel on how hot you are burning your stove. You can get them at hardware stores, the local co-op, and many other places that sell stove supplies. We wouldn't burn our stove without it.

Thanks, I got the thermometer and found out we were burning the woodstove just about right. I'm so glad I asked you guys for more information. I feel better all the way around now.

That thermometer is the cheapest insurance you can buy. I am also going to suggest that you purchase (from the same place you got the thermometer) a powder that you sprinkle on the low coals in your stove when you are letting it go out, to help prevent the build up of creasote. The one that we use is called "Chimney Sweep" but there are many brands. It comes in a little plastic bucket (1 - 2 pounds) with a small scoop inside. The powder is white and you scoop and sprinkle a little on the embers in your stove before it goes out. The smoke from this stuff is suppose to dry out the creasote so that it flakes off and does not build up in your chimney. At about $12 for a tub, it is cheeper than a chimney sweep several times a year. We have our chimneys swept once a year, and have been using the wood stove that feeds into the brick chimney as our primary heat source for 6 years with out a problem. Knock on wood

 

[shareneh]

Thanks Chicklit, I will look around for that as well.

 

[homestead jenna]

Not to be a party pooper or anyting, but did you notify your inurance company? Burning wood is a big deal to most insurance companies.

We contacted our insurance this fall after the wood stove went in and they said they didn't need to know. I was really surprised.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Not to be a party pooper or anyting, but did you notify your inurance company? Burning wood is a big deal to most insurance companies.

We contacted our insurance this fall after the wood stove went in and they said they didn't need to know. I was really surprised.

Wow, when we bought this house, there was a woodstove in our garage. They sent out an inspector, and he said we had to make adjustments etc--which would have cost us ~ 300-500$. And our insurance would go up 200$ a year. needless to say--we ripped it out, since we weren;t going ot use it in the garage anyway.

When we redo our basement, we will be putting in a woodstove--to the insurance companies specifications and with the added insurance cost, since we will save that in heating costs alone.

I hate insurance. But with a mortgage--you need insurance. Never been without a mortgage, but if we ever get to that point, I wonder if we will have insurance. Sadly-I think it is a necessary evil.