The Cold Weather Is Here!

Joeski wrote:

Rob R. wrote:-13 here, windchill is around -20.

72 in the main house, basement is 80 thanks to the boiler and piping. The EFM had all it wants right now...it has been stoking for the last hour to "hold the line" and produce hot water.

I really think I need to buy whatever exactly your setup is. That's a really nice feeling to have it that toasty.

You want an old house that needs 12.5 lbs of coal per hour to hold 72?

j/k, I know what you mean. It takes a hold of btu's to keep these old houses warm in extreme conditions...a stoker boiler is a great way to do it, but they aren't for everyone.

Agreed while it is a great way to save money over oil, you need to have some "working" experiance of coal burning. It's not a plug and play push button central heater like an oil burner. I would not recomend one to someone with no experiance.

High 50's here today. A nice break to vac out the pipes. I shut off the stoker about 12, went out to run some errands for an hour. got back, the exhaust pipe was about 80* per the insertion probe, vac'ed out the pipe - horizontal and diagonal sections.
I can vac out the horizontal without turning off the stoker, but the diagonal comes off the stove so I like to shut down to get that one by snaking in the plastic vac hose.

vac'ed out the ash under the grates by moving the lever and happened to see some glowing coals on the grates.

so I boosted the 'stat to call for heat and it fired back up after being off for about 1-1/2 hours!!

saved a match!

I did notice a reading of 12 on the co detector because i was vacuuming the exhaust through the shop vac. but i reset it, foiled the baro to boost draft and the reading hasn't come off 0 since.

Went from 68* yesterday and running the stove at 250* with a house at 77* to 42* a wind chill with winds 40+ miles an hour which makes it feel like 33* to running the stove at 400* and the house is 75* today. WTH is happening here? I've got a damn cold because we went from extreme cold to extreme warm back to extreme cold all within 3 days.

I'm On Fire wrote:Went from 68* yesterday and running the stove at 250* with a house at 77* to 42* a wind chill with winds 40+ miles an hour which makes it feel like 33* to running the stove at 400* and the house is 75* today. WTH is happening here? I've got a damn cold because we went from extreme cold to extreme warm back to extreme cold all within 3 days.

I bet your glad you have a stove that can meet the challenge

I know what he means about temperature differentials.We were 6o* yesterday, and tonite in the lo 20s. that's OK. Just restarted the Surdiac, and am in the middle of getting it all heated up. Wifes on the couch with a cold also, started yesterday. Next few days aren't suppose to go much above freezing. hopefully Punxutawnie Phil will give us a break this year, but even with our warm ones, it's always 6 more weeks. Has everyone got enuff coal to get them through?

My wife is too cute. When I left this morning the house was only 68*. I called her a few hours later amd she said it was 70* but she was cold. I told her to turn the stove up. She said she turned it up to 4. Perplexed I said ok. I thought the stove was already at 4. I get home and tje house feels cold. 67* I ask my wife what happened.

'I don't know. I thought I turned it up. I've been busy cooking for your daughter's birthday party tomorrow.'

She turned the stove down instead of up.

^^^ And I thought that stuff only happened at my house.^^^

Yep - wives can be an endless source of entertainment - just like cats.

My wife somehow thought driving TO work with the gas light on would allow her to drive 34 miles HOME FROM work as well. Of course it's at night ... on a friggin' hill ... and in freezing rain when it finally craps out. My life wouldn't have it any other way!

6 inches aye? Ohio? Wonder if it's coming our way? (haven't seen the forecast in a while). The temps dropped back down to normal a couple days ago, and the Surdiac is up and running again. Teens and 20s outside, mid 70s inside downstairs, 80* upstairs. Girls are being spoiled again. Had to buy another 1/4 of a ton of pea,($6 a bag) which hopefully will take me to the end. Also, the oil co delivered our automatic fill-up the other day. 100 gal @ $3.90 a gal. . (it never gets better). However, at this point, a ton and a 1/2 of coal this winter cost me almost $500,and subtracting that from the oil I would've had to buy if more had been delivered, doesn't really appear to be as much of a savings as I would've imagined. Maybe my math is off, or I'm missing something, or because the winter hasn't been too bad so far. But we'll have a better handle on it at the end of the season.

Supposed to get anything from a dusting to 1"-2" tonight for our area. That means in reality, rain to 3'.

A bit colder than last year, but I'll take the lack of snow.

We got the western edge of a storm out to sea going to nip us. Calling for 5-8".

Well..........here we are at 9am. The wind is just crazy too! Must be at least -40 wind chill! It's not 61* in the house..........it's actually 72*. The thermo hangs on an outside wall behind some vertical blinds. Gonna burn some coal today!

Nice here at the moment. Nippy at about 6° but sunny and you'd never believe a Nor'Eastah was on it's way. Tomorrow afternoon supposed to start Bob.