We talked on the way to church this morning and agreed we need to make some adjustments. The last few days have been unseasonably cold, including inside MoHo. The last two mornings it's been 54 when I got up, and I don't think we ever got it above 65. So after talking it through we decided the relevant items include:
- This old wood stove isn't efficient compared to modern models. And because it doesn't have a glass door the fire can all but burn out and we don't know until it's too late and we have to build a new fire, starting over heating up the stove before it can heat up the space.
- It's clear the cord of wood I bought isn't going to last through the winter. So I've been "budgeting" wood, which means not loading up the stove like I might if we had plenty of it on hand. Which, along with the solid door means the temp often drops lower than it should.
- I can always buy more wood, but it ain't cheap. I paid $180 for a cord of medium and soft woods, and they burn too fast.
- I could cut down trees, but that wood would have to season for several months before it's usable. I've been told that if I cut down alder in the spring the wood will be ready by fall.
- I have several standing dead alders, and that wood would be ready for use immediately, but I don't have a chain saw. Should I just get a chain saw now instead of in the spring? As long as I'm going to spend the $$ on a saw, getting it now would save me having to buy another cord of wood.
- I've never used a chain saw before. But, I've got to break into that world of machismo eventually, so why not now?
Mostly, we agreed that being uncomfortably cold much of the time sucks the fun out of life. Everything has this undertone of unpleasant. Sort of what Michigan is like from November to May. So we're going to explore all options, including getting a chain saw, using the furnace some, accepting that we'll need another cord and using whatever wood it takes to keep the inside temp at least in the upper 60's, and looking at a new wood stove. That's our project area for this week.
We've been watching Jay Leno's Garage reruns. (We never watched the runs.) I want to be Jay Leno.
The biggest problem with Sundays is that Pam and I go to lunch after church by ourselves. The kids and grandkids aren't with us. That stinks.
I painted four sides of the coop trim with its color coat this afternoon. It was 35 degrees at the time, which I hope doesn't cause a problem. If/when we get above freezing tomorrow (it should by mid-afternoon) I'll paint the other sides. Then Tuesday I can install the boards. I'll give them another coat after they're in place.
Seahawks and Cards both won today. That's good.
I don't like the even greater emphasis on buying stuff that comes with this time of year. And I'm thankful that our family, including our extended relatives, don't exchange gifts. It makes everything so much simpler.
2 comments:
Is a space heater out of the question?
(http://www.thesimpledollar.com/saving-pennies-or-dollars-space-heaters/)
I have a basement bedroom, and the furnace is not turned up enough to keep my room warm enough when I am in there, and I wouldn't want to have the heat turned up just for me. (I always turn heat down when I go to bed, as I like it cooler when I sleep). I use a small space heater that shuts off automatically when it gets to whatever temp that the dial is set to. It has two heat settings, but I've only ever used the low setting. There is also a fan only setting. Plus, I almost always wear an extra sweatshirt or fleece when I'm in there.
Unfortunately, pellet stoves are way expensive, but cleaner, and they burn pretty hot, although there are some smaller ones approved for mobile homes.
I was wondering if when there is an air quality alert (if you have them there)that you'll be required to not use your fireplace. Then it could get really cold for you.
I *think* a space heater would be no more cost effective than our furnace. Because the living room and kitchen are 1/2 the 840 sq. ft. mobile home, and there's no wall between them, the heat from a space heater would disperse too much.
Yeah, we're always in sweatshirts, and throw blankets when we're sitting. That helps a lot.
Pellet stoves are an interesting option, but the locals we've talked to point out that they don't work when (not if) the power goes out during winter storms.
The Eugene/Springfield area gets burn bans (they're under one now) but we're far enough out in the boonies that they don't issue them out here. Too many people depend on wood stove heat and the population density is so low that they don't care.
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