It's almost time my heaty brothers and sisters....

Yup, noticed around me the trees are already turning shades of yellow and red. Sad really, this summer blew by. It wasn't as drawn out as last summer...but then again, last summer wasn't. Too much rain.

So, who among us is already ready for the heating season?

Me? Nope. I've got half my coal and I'm still not ready. Sure, my chimney is as done as it's going to get. But I still need to change the gaskets on the stove and the area around it has become a storage area of tools and stuff. Usually by this time I'm ready but not this year. Although I did have my son bring a few bags of pea in to the house and put in the bin next to the stove so it can dry up a bit and be ready to be burned.

I am just about ready. New bin, auger setup, with enough coal in it. But I need to clean my EFM. I never have, boiler has been online since October of last year. Once that's clean, I'm good for heat. But I just got ready this past weekend.

I am ready. Boiler is running and ready for a heat call, coal is coming at 3:30 pm today.

Ordered my coal today. Have to reassemble the pipes and put the firebrick back in place. I needed to replace about four cracked ones. I still have about thirty bags left from last season. I have my "one match" ready to go. Will probably be the last week of October. If I light it any sooner, I'll just be letting hot air go out the windowstats.

I've got two more tons on order. Should be delivered in a few weeks. Bodyhammer, like you, I'm going to hold out until October/November to fire up. I've got one ton of Pea for the warmer months like October, November...maybe December, April, May. Then three tons of Nut for the rest of the season. I'm actually kind of hoping we'll have a winter like we had last.

6 Tons ready to go for my koker. I am chomping at the bit to light er up....she's been off since March 15th...too long.....hoping by Oct 10th down here in SE PA!

I'm ready as I can be at the house. Chimney is swept, new cap installed. Stovepipe is clean, sealed, and repainted. Stove is ready, and have ¾ ton inside ready to go. As for my shop the stove is ready as well as the stovepipe, but I have yet to put the chimney up. There is another 3 ¼ tons of coal at the shop as well.

I'm never ready. I DESPISE winter with every fiber of my being. It's the only thing I hate about this area more than the political climate.

I had planned to upgrade my setup (thanks to a forum member that probably wants to remain unnamed for now) to a stoker boiler, but funds are tight & time is non-existent. I don't have the funds for rice coal or plumbing supplies, nor have I had any time ... and nor has anyone else had any to help get this thing down stairs. So with the boiler in my kitchen and 10 pallets of nut outside, I've decided to run the Mark III one more season. That will give me time to better plan this. I'll either have to sell off what coal I have, or make the unlikely trade with someone.

So for now, all I really have to do is get a few pallets in the basement soon. The rest can wait till next season.

I have about 1/2 the rice I will need to get thru the cool weather. The boiler is still in the mothballed fleet condition.The hopper is off,all openings sealed and a light bulb still burning in the firebox to keep the humidity at bay.[it did a wonderful job!!]I am going to try to hold off until Halloween this year,using the Cawley woodstove to get me that far.I built a woodsplitter this year and it needs more work to justify the cost. You guys know how that thinking goes with our toys.Truth be told,I could have the Keystoker making heat in about an hour if need be.Waiting and watching in good ol' Pa. Mike

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SMITTY wrote:I'm never ready. I DESPISE winter with every fiber of my being. It's the only thing I hate about this area more than the political climate.

I had planned to upgrade my setup (thanks to a forum member that probably wants to remain unnamed for now) to a stoker boiler, but funds are tight & time is non-existent. I don't have the funds for rice coal or plumbing supplies, nor have I had any time ... and nor has anyone else had any to help get this thing down stairs. So with the boiler in my kitchen and 10 pallets of nut outside, I've decided to run the Mark III one more season. That will give me time to better plan this. I'll either have to sell off what coal I have, or make the unlikely trade with someone.

So for now, all I really have to do is get a few pallets in the basement soon. The rest can wait till next season.

Yeah bummer Smitty but as "they" say (WETFTA) "It is what it is". Imagine the little lady is thrilled to have a new kitchen adornment too. Best to be all set and ready to rumble though before engaging Mr Sulu.

I've got my 6 tons ordered about 3 months ago. Its 4 tons stove and 2 tons nut mixed in a bulk load. They were going to come by last Sat, but someone else in my area wasn't ready or wasn't home to take his half of the load. It will get here this month though. They have an old potato truck for deliveries, It's about 12 tons full but it's got 3 dividers and a conveyor belt that runs beneath them. So the driver just chooses which compartment to slide open and you're good to go. Also has about a 20 foot conveyor chute that slides out and pivots to the bin. Works pretty cool for me cause we could pull that chute in through the door in the barn to the back of the bin and fill that then pull forward to even it out.

I know what you mean too Mike. All of my summer projects in the wood shop have created a nice kindling pile and I still have a 1/2 cord of maple out there in the barn thats been sittin a couple years. It's good for the chilly nights when I will just take the chilly off for a couple hours in the cookstove or the MO 116.

SteveZee wrote: ..... Imagine the little lady is thrilled to have a new kitchen adornment too. ...

She doesn't have a leg to stand on there. If she says anything about it, I just point to her piles of junk everywhere. She's worse than I am! Our entire 2nd floor that used to be our bedroom is completely impassible .. That gives me free reign to leave boilers ... and motorcycles ... in the kitchen!

stovepipemike wrote:I have about 1/2 the rice I will need to get thru the cool weather. The boiler is still in the mothballed fleet condition.The hopper is off,all openings sealed and a light bulb still burning in the firebox to keep the humidity at bay.[it did a wonderful job!!]I am going to try to hold off until Halloween this year,using the Cawley woodstove to get me that far.I built a woodsplitter this year and it needs more work to justify the cost. You guys know how that thinking goes with our toys.Truth be told,I could have the Keystoker making heat in about an hour if need be.Waiting and watching in good ol' Pa. Mike

Put that wood splitter to work and sell some wood.

The Twins put a damper on any coal prep...
Just noticed broken glass on the #4...
WTF it broke with no heat...
Coal supply is not an issue...
Just need to do something with the chimney...
Kids, holes in the floor, hot pipes and crawling...
only 3.5 month so not moving on their own yet...
But mom is on the case...

I bought 720 lbs of lump on saturday, me and my father in law put it in my bin lastnight. I think I'll get some more this coming saturday. Its pretty good looking stuff allthough its got some pyrite in it but, for $75 a ton and I hand picked it I wont complain.

I feel it too. I am getting anxious like a squirrel before winter. lol.

Have not got my coal yet. Need to make the call to get more santa coal.

I will feel better once my coal bin is full.