Kawasaki Concours Forum
Mish mash => Open Forum => Topic started by: Conrad on November 21, 2014, 06:57:43 AM
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Firewood that is and it needs to be split!
I've been slitting wood (by hand) to help heat my house for years and the other day a friend gave me a tip to make the job easier.
Stack the wood around your chopping block as in the pic below. That way when you're chopping the pieces don't go flying all over the place and it's easier to keep up a rhythm. Maybe some of you old hands know about this but I didn't. I wish that I had thought of it myself years ago.
[smg id=660]
:)
ZZ Top- Woke Up With Wood (Lyrics) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ip9DDuAbXM#)
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Yep.
pics below
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Nice wood ya got there Nosmo! ;)
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tough work
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I usta wake up with wood.... but not as often anymore...
(Had forgot that old ZZ Top Song)
I had never thought of placing logs around the chopping block either.
We just worked ourselves to death, not knowing proper way to chop wood...
Eventually, I built a hydraulic log splitter...
"Amazing"..
Ride safe, Ted
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Sadly, we can rarely burn wood in San Francisco.
Not that our stupid fireplace is efficient at all.
I miss our wood stove from Oregon. :(
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A really slick method is to mount (Easy Boys!) a tire to the top of the chopping block. Put enough pieces of wood in the tire so they support each other and have at it. Nothing leaves the tire and nothing falls over either- you can split the same piece multiple times.
Brian
Firewood that is and it needs to be split!
I've been slitting wood (by hand) to help heat my house for years and the other day a friend gave me a tip to make the job easier.
Stack the wood around your chopping block as in the pic below. That way when you're chopping the pieces don't go flying all over the place and it's easier to keep up a rhythm. Maybe some of you old hands know about this but I didn't. I wish that I had thought of it myself years ago.
[smg id=660]
:)
ZZ Top- Woke Up With Wood (Lyrics) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ip9DDuAbXM#)
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Yes there's a You Tube video of that isn't there?
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Yes. And I think there is a You Tube video of just about everything that has happened on this planet in the last 10 years now. Which is a pretty scary thing IMO. :-)
Brian
Yes there's a You Tube video of that isn't there?
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I'm still able to use my Wood Stove here in the Sierra Foothills, but who knows for how long.
I used to use an axe to split the wood but now I have a 27 ton Honda Powered splitter. It's such a wonderful machine !!!
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C, you have time to split wood eh? Got the clutch bled yet?
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A really slick method is to mount (Easy Boys!) a tire to the top of the chopping block. Put enough pieces of wood in the tire so they support each other and have at it. Nothing leaves the tire and nothing falls over either- you can split the same piece multiple times.
Brian
Good idea on the tire, Brian. I'll give that a try next time I'm choppin.
I got pretty good at splitting wood with my method above. I had several logs that were larger in diameter than my chopping block in the pic above. Once I hosted those bad boys onto my block I started splitting them starting close to the edges, 'pealing' the outer layers off first. I was in the zone and I must have looked like a Samurai Lumberjack because the large logs stayed put on the block and I just repositioned my feet and continued splitting. I was able to take care of these large logs without even having to break my rhythm.
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I'm still able to use my Wood Stove here in the Sierra Foothills, but who knows for how long.
I used to use an axe to split the wood but now I have a 27 ton Honda Powered splitter. It's such a wonderful machine !!!
No doubt a hydraulic splitter makes the job WAY easier but doing it by hand is a great workout. :thumbs:
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C, you have time to split wood eh? Got the clutch bled yet?
Nope, not yet. I just got my mityvac yesterday and since my bike won't be going anywhere soon (freezing rain today in the forecast) if I get it done in the next couple of days that will be good.
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tough work
8) I went from two wood burning fireplaces, to converting the one in the formal (wife's) living room to gas. Our current house has an electronically controlled gas fireplace, with thermostat in the remote. Easy and no smoke.
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Hey, not my idea- I saw a video about it and 'saw the goodness' of someone else's idea. :-) Just passing it along.
Getting, working (bucking, cutting, splitting, stacking and general hauling) firewood is great exercise and it is something a person gets better at with time. Unfortunately where I live, there is no public access to firewood cutting as there is in most states and I do not have any access to significant private woodland. So I buy my wood cut and split; going price is about $180 / $200 cord and I have been burning about 4 cord / year. But now I gots a new- fangled hybrid woodstove and am finding that not only does it wring more BTU's from a pound of wood but it burns cleaner than I thought possible. Of course I have made a few mods. and fitted a farkle or two so far.... ;D
Brian
Good idea on the tire, Brian. I'll give that a try next time I'm choppin.
I got pretty good at splitting wood with my method above. I had several logs that were larger in diameter than my chopping block in the pic above. Once I hosted those bad boys onto my block I started splitting them starting close to the edges, 'pealing' the outer layers off first. I was in the zone and I must have looked like a Samurai Lumberjack because the large logs stayed put on the block and I just repositioned my feet and continued slitting. I was able to take care of these large logs without even having to break my rhythm.
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Here's what we need:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQCA-mTzjs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQCA-mTzjs)
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Nice wood ya got there Nosmo! ;)
Thanks. Here's how it started. Big-ass maple, I had the pros drop it and then went to work. I love my Stihls.
pics below
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Here's what we need:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQCA-mTzjs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQCA-mTzjs)
Now that's a man's machine right there!
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Hey Brian!
Question for you. My woodstove is due for a new catalytic combustor. I see that since the last time I replaced mine that there are two options, steel or ceramic. They claim that steel is more efficient, more durable, and light's off at a lower temp (100 degrees lower). The price difference is ~$70. What's your recommendation?
TIA
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Well, I go with stainless steel for a couple of reasons. What you say about the light- off is true; they will light with a cardboard fire, seriously, in less than 30 seconds. They are also extremely thin so they allow much better gas flow through them than the ceramic ones. They tend to collect less ash. And best of all, they are immune to thermal shock and any reasonable overfiring; they will not crack, crumble or spall like the ceramic ones. They have no downside that I am aware of either- it is win/ win (other than they are a bit more expensive).
In fact, most new stoves come with a stainless steel combustor.
Brian
Hey Brian!
Question for you. My woodstove is due for a new catalytic combustor. I see that since the last time I replaced mine that there are two options, steel or ceramic. They claim that steel is more efficient, more durable, and light's off at a lower temp (100 degrees lower). The price difference is ~$70. What's your recommendation?
TIA
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Well, I go with stainless steel for a couple of reasons. What you say about the light- off is true; they will light with a cardboard fire, seriously, in less than 30 seconds. They are also extremely thin so they allow much better gas flow through them than the ceramic ones. They tend to collect less ash. And best of all, they are immune to thermal shock and any reasonable overfiring; they will not crack, crumble or spall like the ceramic ones. They have no downside that I am aware of either- it is win/ win (other than they are a bit more expensive).
In fact, most new stoves come with a stainless steel combustor.
Brian
Thank you sir! I'll order the steel combustor. The ceramic combustor that I have now is still working but it's crumbling and it's just about at the end of it's life.
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I just spent an hour on YouTube watching videos of the home-made log splitters. ISIS does NOT want to start a war with red-necks!
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Sadly, we can rarely burn wood in San Francisco.
Not that our stupid fireplace is efficient at all.
I miss our wood stove from Oregon. :(
I'm still able to use my Wood Stove here in the Sierra Foothills, but who knows for how long.
I used to use an axe to split the wood but now I have a 27 ton Honda Powered splitter. It's such a wonderful machine !!!
What is stopping you guys from burning wood?
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I love home- made gadgets, and the more power they have and the fewer guards, the better (kidding, sort of). There is a video out there of an old man using a wheel splitter. While probably the most efficient splitter of all time, and certainly the fastest, it is a really scary video. A wheel splitter is a large, steel wheel, maybe 5 feet in diameter or more, with a wedge welded to the outside. There is a table that comes up against the wheel with a slot in it to allow the wedge to pass. The wheel is spun up by either an electric motor or gas engine, and..... and..... and a piece of wood is slid up against the wheel, the wedge comes around and viola! two pieces of wood. And if the operator is lucky, the wedge (or wheel) does not catch any hands, fingers or clothing and he / she can go on and split the wood again. Shivers me timbers every time I see that thing. Awesome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bVAAx3mMKY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bVAAx3mMKY)
And the guy has long sleeves, a long beard and his shirt tails flapping in the breeze just to tease the gods of fate.
I don't think he splits that wood to burn it, the real money is in the side- bets as to how many fingers (or limbs) he has left at the end of the day!
Brian
I just spent an hour on YouTube watching videos of the home-made log splitters. ISIS does NOT want to start a war with red-necks!
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Because of the Yin / Yang of the universe. You know how there are issues with really zealous people on both sides (gun control, abortion, etc., etc. ad nauseum)? Well, one pair of those groups are the people who burn wood and the people who want to see all wood burning stopped because it causes pollution. Some localities, counties, states now have their own wood burning rules that are stricter than the federally mandated ones, and have specific requirements on woodstoves to be used in their area. Sort of like California vs. the 49 states with emissions. Some areas now have 'burning bans' where they tell the public the days they can burn wood and the days they cannot. And some areas have burned some or all types of woodburning altogether.
Brian
What is stopping you guys from burning wood?
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We have burn bans quite often here in the Nowthwe't, even though not all that close to urban centers. The problem we have is that a lot of times when the weather is cold, there is no wind to move the air/smoke around. We'll get stagnant air and the smoke just sits and gags you, so they ban fireplaces and sometimes even certified wood stoves unless it is your sole source of heat. People are their own worst enemies, though, because a lot of them insist on burning green or not well-cured wood.
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Dontcha know wood burning creates global warming????? .... soo much for that theory..... global warming my arse.... single digits and 2 feet of snow here.... did I mention global warming...... ????? Mehhhhh
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Dontcha know wood burning creates global warming????? .... soo much for that theory..... global warming my arse.... single digits and 2 feet of snow here.... did I mention global warming...... ????? Mehhhhh
Climate change man!
I for one am glad that this winter isn't like the last. At this time last year we had two weeks or so in a row where the temps struggled to reach a high of 5f and the nights saw 20 below zero or less and that's without the wind chill! :_shudder_Emoticon
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And if the operator is lucky, the wedge (or wheel) does not catch any hands, fingers or clothing and he / she can go on and split the wood again. Shivers me timbers every time I see that thing. Awesome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bVAAx3mMKY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bVAAx3mMKY)
Hey BDF, don't forget the other "Wheel Splitters" that were similarly unsafe...lol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En47S7LM9zE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En47S7LM9zE)
You have to watch all 2:40 to see where the operator forgot about the advantage of leverage in the equation...lol. Hydraulic splitters are for sissies anyway. (Says the guy who buys all his firewood pre-split now).
PS: My old man's wood-splitter is powered by a twin-cylinder horizontally opposed gas refer engine from an old milk truck. We used to be pretty fast (when I was a kid and was forced into childhood slave labor...lol). However, I once dropped a block into place just as he hit the forward lever. Now, my hand wasn't on the blade end of the block, but it was between the block and the pusher plate on the end o the hydraulic ram. It flattened the tips of three fingers, and they squirted the insides out like little fountains...LOL. Ahh, my childhood...lol, it all seemed so normal at the time. I hear they're talking about banning toboggans now....too dangerous...lol.
Rem
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Yeah, I like that video too, especially the part where Bubba uses his leg to force the screw tip into the wood....
A screw type splitter can be very safe and extremely fast and efficient IMO though, with a little refinement and a little less truck. I am partial to this one myself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP5M6ErNWnc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP5M6ErNWnc)
But for quite a few years now I buy my wood already processed. There are so many firewood processing machines around now that I have not been able to find log- length wood cheap enough to make it worth bothering with; if a cord is $200, then they want $150 or so for the log- length wood which is 14' to 20' long, and up to 20" in diameter. Just way too much work in bucking and splitting a cord of wood for $50 IMO.
Funny thing but the odds of having an industrial (machinery based) accident go up like 10,000 times when TWO people are involved in operating the same machine, and it usually happens exactly like you describe with your father.
This one time, at band camp, a company I was working at was making a machine to put the ferrules on the end of wood handles to make file handles. The machine was not feeding correctly (in the process of R&D) and so the owner was tinkering with the insertion mechanism (Easy Boys!) with another guy cycling the machine when told to do so. It went something like this:
"Cycle it".
John single cycles the machine.
"Cycle it"
John single cycles the machine.
"Hold it"
John single cycles the machine, and it did a pretty good job of actually putting the ferrule on the end of the owner's index finger. And I have to say that that machine did its job putting the ferrule on much, much faster than the surgeon did taking it back off. And the installation was free too, unlike the removal.
Back to the wood: new stove doing very well, wood consumption seems to be down quite a bit. I am currently working on an automation system for the stove though 'cause everything works better with a little electro- mechanical help. And some things work a LOT better with a little electro- mechanical help. :-)
Brian
Hey BDF, don't forget the other "Wheel Splitters" that were similarly unsafe...lol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En47S7LM9zE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En47S7LM9zE)
You have to watch all 2:40 to see where the operator forgot about the advantage of leverage in the equation...lol. Hydraulic splitters are for sissies anyway. (Says the guy who buys all his firewood pre-split now).
PS: My old man's wood-splitter is powered by a twin-cylinder horizontally opposed gas refer engine from an old milk truck. We used to be pretty fast (when I was a kid and was forced into childhood slave labor...lol). However, I once dropped a block into place just as he hit the forward lever. Now, my hand wasn't on the blade end of the block, but it was between the block and the pusher plate on the end o the hydraulic ram. It flattened the tips of three fingers, and they squirted the insides out like little fountains...LOL. Ahh, my childhood...lol, it all seemed so normal at the time. I hear they're talking about banning toboggans now....too dangerous...lol.
Rem
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Hey BDF, don't forget the other "Wheel Splitters" that were similarly unsafe...lol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En47S7LM9zE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En47S7LM9zE)
You have to watch all 2:40 to see where the operator forgot about the advantage of leverage in the equation...lol. Hydraulic splitters are for sissies anyway. (Says the guy who buys all his firewood pre-split now).
PS: My old man's wood-splitter is powered by a twin-cylinder horizontally opposed gas refer engine from an old milk truck. We used to be pretty fast (when I was a kid and was forced into childhood slave labor...lol). However, I once dropped a block into place just as he hit the forward lever. Now, my hand wasn't on the blade end of the block, but it was between the block and the pusher plate on the end o the hydraulic ram. It flattened the tips of three fingers, and they squirted the insides out like little fountains...LOL. Ahh, my childhood...lol, it all seemed so normal at the time. I hear they're talking about banning toboggans now....too dangerous...lol.
Rem
I guess you should have been moving a little faster eh? ;)
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there's also this home made human powered wood splitter:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=111_1363524786&comments=1 (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=111_1363524786&comments=1)
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Now that is a neat machine.
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Now that is really slick!
And it reminds me of the drinking bird. Will it continue to bob up and down if you let it get its beak (wedge) wet in a bucket of water?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk71GY02diY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk71GY02diY)
Brian
there's also this home made human powered wood splitter:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=111_1363524786&comments=1 (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=111_1363524786&comments=1)
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Thank you sir! I'll order the steel combustor. The ceramic combustor that I have now is still working but it's crumbling and it's just about at the end of it's life.
It appears that my steel combustor has been lost in shipping. Oh bother.
It seems that the UPS software generated a tracking number that was two digits short and no one knows where my combustor is. The vender is sending out a new one today overnight. We'll see...
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Hopefully, the driver didn't do this...
http://youtu.be/4ekiVm7h0L4 (http://youtu.be/4ekiVm7h0L4)
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I was wondering what that strange looking puddle outside the door was about...
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Yep, that is odd. ??
I think you are going to like that new combustor. Besides being a SS foil type, it will be brand new and the difference between and old, tired combustor and a new one always surprises me.
Brian
It appears that my steel combustor has been lost in shipping. Oh bother.
It seems that the UPS software generated a tracking number that was two digits short and no one knows where my combustor is. The vender is sending out a new one today overnight. We'll see...
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Yep, that is odd. ??
I think you are going to like that new combustor. Besides being a SS foil type, it will be brand new and the difference between and old, tired combustor and a new one always surprises me.
Brian
We have a cold front heading our way overnight and I was hoping that my new combustor was ready for a trial run. Down to 10 below Saturday night, I'll need all the heat I can get!
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The second shipment did the trick and my steel combustor is nestled in to it's new home and doing it's thing very well. It light's off at a lower temp and quickly climbs up to a nice operating temp of 1,600f. :)
Now I see that the first shipment has been found and it was sent back to the original shipper who has sent it back to me it seems and should arrive today. ???
Should I keep it or send it back, again? ;)
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Send it back. The karmic repercussions aren't worth the price of admission. :)
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Send it back. The karmic repercussions aren't worth the price of admission. :)
Thus the wink D. ;)
I'll notify the company and wait for them to send me a return label.
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Thus the wink D. ;)
I'll notify the company and wait for them to send me a return label.
Sorry, I didn't notice the wink. It was early and I was using my tiny Android phone. I guess I need a newer, larger phone or stronger glasses. Getting old can be a real p.i.t.a. ;D
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Sorry, I didn't notice the wink. It was early and I was using my tiny Android phone. I guess I need a newer, larger phone or stronger glasses. Getting old can be a real p.i.t.a. ;D
It's better than the alternative, at least as far as we know...
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I am still hopeful about that and anxiously waiting for reports from..... well, 'the other side'. At least one report. Even a cryptic note would be comforting....
Brian
It's better than the alternative, at least as far as we know...
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If and when I make it to "the other side" I will do my best to post a ride review. Would you like it on the forum on in a PM ? :chugbeer:
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I am still hopeful about that and anxiously waiting for reports from..... well, 'the other side'. At least one report. Even a cryptic note would be comforting....
Brian
I haven't heard anything from the 'other side' but here's a message from The Far Side.
(http://abannedcribb.weebly.com/uploads/4/9/2/8/4928748/5807774.png?377)
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Brought to you by the Good Intentions Paving Company
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http://youtu.be/qKggnBh2Mdw (http://youtu.be/qKggnBh2Mdw)
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Back to the topic at hand..... I bought six cord of firewood last spring figuring on burning the usual four or so and using the other two to get on the 'two year' plan which is eventually to be burning two year old or older wood. The plan was to get ahead two cord for two or three years which would make a nice buffer. And with a new, more efficient stove, I though I might actually burn a bit less wood this year.
So back to reality: this has been such a cold, windy winter that all of the above has happened: I am burning less wood due to the more efficient stove yet burning more wood due to the harsh winter. I <might> end up burning 4 cord or maybe more like 5 and change. Hmmmmm.
So new plan: next year I am going to buy another six cord but also going to use a solar kiln to season it much faster than open- air seasoning and <hopefully>, all six cord will be at the three- year seasoned level by the end of fall..... We will see how that plan works out. :-)
Brian
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Back to the topic at hand..... I bought six cord of firewood last spring figuring on burning the usual four or so and using the other two to get on the 'two year' plan which is eventually to be burning two year old or older wood. The plan was to get ahead two cord for two or three years which would make a nice buffer. And with a new, more efficient stove, I though I might actually burn a bit less wood this year.
So back to reality: this has been such a cold, windy winter that all of the above has happened: I am burning less wood due to the more efficient stove yet burning more wood due to the harsh winter. I <might> end up burning 4 cord or maybe more like 5 and change. Hmmmmm.
So new plan: next year I am going to buy another six cord but also going to use a solar kiln to season it much faster than open- air seasoning and <hopefully>, all six cord will be at the three- year seasoned level by the end of fall..... We will see how that plan works out. :-)
Brian
How large of a kiln are you going to build?
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I really hate it when you guys go off topic..
So, what is the alternative, getting younger?
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I really hate it when you guys go off topic..
So, what is the alternative, getting younger?
You have two choices. You either get older or you don't. If you have stopped getting older then your troubles are over. RIP
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I am not building a kiln per se, I am going to cover the holz hauzen's with clear plastic and make the stacks themselves into solar kilns. There are a few people doing it with great success and some university did a study about this- what is amazing is that the core of the wood in the stack can reach 150 F, over and over again. The high temperatures literally drive the water out of the wood where it is absorbed by the surrounding air. When the temp. drops at night, all the water condenses and runs down the plastic (and the wood) and out the bottom through slots for that purpose. The interesting thing is that they have no provision for air circulation at all- you would think air movement would be needed but it is not only not needed but not desirable. Fully sealing the stacks drives the temperature up as high as possible, which is what is actually drying the wood. As a side- benefit, the temperatures kill all the critters that are living in the wood in the first place.
Supposed to dry green wood (40% + moisture content) down to less than 15% in 90 days.
So my plan is just to use some very thin plastic, lay a sheet down that will cover the hauzen about 2' up from the bottom, then cover the top to the bottom and tape it all shut.
Physics..... and just when I was thinking gravity was great, now thermodynamics and partial pressures of liquids comes along to dry out my wood.
Brian
How large of a kiln are you going to build?
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Yeah, the outcome is both undesirable and inevitable. My mother used to say things like: 'If something were to happen to me (or a relative, etc.)....'. Well, "something" is going to happen to all of us, sooner or later. The only variables are 1) when and 2) how bad 'the ride down' is. There are better and worse ways to get there, the worst one I have personally seen is a relative with ALS; a perfectly lucid mind trapped in a deteriorating body.
Then again, anyone remember that episode of The Twilight Zone- 'Escape Clause' where David Wayne makes a deal with Cadwallader for one million years of immortality? That didn't work out so well either..... :o
Brian
I really hate it when you guys go off topic..
So, what is the alternative, getting younger?
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Brian, I like the idea of burning wood to heat your place.
I used to do it in Houston, and enjoyed it (Yes we have to do heating)
But isn't that many cords of wood,,, more expensive than other?
Ride safe, Ted
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Wood (cord wood) is the least expensive way to heat with here. My wood costs (Easy Boys! it is not for sale!) $200 / cord, cut, split and delivered, and last year fuel oil was approaching $4 / gallon. There is a comparator here that is not bad (not perfect but not bad):http://nepacrossroads.com/fuel-comparison-calculator.php
In addition to the above, I have an ancient boiler with horrific stand- by losses: I once figured it had an overall efficiency of around 28%. :o The current plan is to change the boiler this year, and that coupled with much less expensive oil will narrow the difference between heating with cord wood and heating with oil but cord wood will still be less expensive.
Besides all that, burning stuff in the living room scratches both the 'cave man' as well as the pyromaniac itch that most of us seem to have. I know everytime I spark up a fire, way down in the brain stem there is a certain pride that sounds like 'Trog make fire!'. :-)
Brian
Brian, I like the idea of burning wood to heat your place.
I used to do it in Houston, and enjoyed it (Yes we have to do heating)
But isn't that many cords of wood,,, more expensive than other?
Ride safe, Ted
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Aren't you just a little concerned about your carbon footprint? Remember the mammoth.
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When I used wood for heating, I did it as long as the trees in my yard lasted. After that it got a bit expensive.
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When I used wood for heating, I did it as long as the trees in my yard lasted. After that it got a bit expensive.
Neighbor objected to burning his trees?
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Like my dear departed Daddy used to say, "Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a night. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
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:rotflmao:
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Neighbor objected to burning his trees?
Look, I only cut the trees up that fell in my yard from the neighbors..course I may have helped them a bit at times.
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Not really but seeing as you mention it: wood is a solar fuel, not a fossil fuel, and it is carbon- neutral, not carbon- positive like fossil fuels. The normal cycle for trees is that they grow, die and rot, with seedlings repeating the cycle ad nauseum. Carbon- neutral. If you burn the same wood, you are merely speeding the cycle, not changing what would normally or naturally happen. This assumes the wood is burned cleanly, without particulate emissions (smoke). This is quite different from, say, burning coal, which was happily sitting in the ground as carbon. When we dig it up and burn it, we make a pile (technical term) of carbon dioxide that would have never been formed naturally.
And now for the trivia question: What is the 'greenest' car you can own? The one you already own. Buying a new, more efficient car causes a tremendous amount of greenhouse gasses to be generated before you ever take possession of it. Better to be less efficient per mile and NOT cause the new car to be built at all. :-)
Brian
Aren't you just a little concerned about your carbon footprint? Remember the mammoth.
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None of my vehicles are green. I have one that's silver, one sea foam, one grey and white, and of course the bike which isn't green.
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sea foam?
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Do you guys with the wood burners use the stove pipe to heat your water too?
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I do not, and not that I know of generally. The new stoves are so efficient that it would not work well anyway- the flue gasses are only around 350F on my stove when it enters the thimble.
Most people who want to heat domestic hot water use wood- fired boilers, sometimes outside, sometimes inside. They have a bad rep. for smoking but the good ones are really excellent. I came close to buying an AHS boiler some years ago but just could not make it work, money- wise. And now I am too old; I would never recoup my investment at this point (see the other thread with the bad news regarding mortality :-( ).
Brian
Do you guys with the wood burners use the stove pipe to heat your water too?
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sea foam?
Yep, sea foam...