Stove and Heat

Rev Larry, Thanks for the update,good to see this work rolling along.

Great job Rev. Larry. But remember, please don't "burn" yourself out. You won't be doing "anyone" any good, if you get sick, hurt, overwhelmed, or even bored. Enjoy what your doing, and take time for yourself too. Everyone will understand. Hopefully you'll have some good people like yourself, to ease your load.
Congrats on the new building, and if nothing more, I'll bet it will be warm in the winter.

Rev. Larry,

I am on a church board here in the Lehigh Valley, and occasionally we help members with heating oil. Have you thus far "converted" someone who needed help with buying oil to getting a coal stove instead? I'm interested to know if that is a worthwhile discussion, as I may consider that the next time an issue arises. Maybe you could have a Lehigh Valley branch of your ministry, if that is feasible. I know at least a couple guys on here in my proximity.

this is getting real now !!

you guys looking for any self supporting Stove and Heat missionaries ?

steve

KingCoal wrote:this is getting real now !!

you guys looking for any self supporting Stove and Heat missionaries ?

steve

Hey Rev....You you can count me in , when you need hands on help !

I'm only an hour away and have a very flexible schedule.

Paulie

ChrisS wrote:Rev. Larry,

I am on a church board here in the Lehigh Valley, and occasionally we help members with heating oil. Have you thus far "converted" someone who needed help with buying oil to getting a coal stove instead? I'm interested to know if that is a worthwhile discussion, as I may consider that the next time an issue arises. Maybe you could have a Lehigh Valley branch of your ministry, if that is feasible. I know at least a couple guys on here in my proximity.

Hmmm branches of Stove and Heat Ministry? Our local ministerium "helps" people with fuel oil purchases. We are a small church and funds are limited. We have successfully done two conversions from electric heat. One we moved from electric heat to natural gas and one from electric to coal. The target audience around here is those on electric heat. I have not advertised because that brings in a whole new number and type of headaches.

My biggest problem has been with code enforcement. Pennsylvania has a law requiring people who advertise services as handymen, contractors, etc to have a state license. You can't get the state license unless you have $1,000,000 in liability insurance. We also recently came to an understanding with the local code enforcer that we will basically ignore their written out of date code requirement and install any stoves we do in the Ashland area per NFPA guidelines and will pull a permit. Their code was written in 1980 and required asbestos board and blankets as wall protection. She agreed it was outdated and impossible to follow. We get around the license part by having the homeowner pull the permit as a self installation. We assist. It works.

The second problem came in when the code person said it was against code to burn wood. In order to keep cost down we have only handfired jobs that will burn coal and wood. One we will be putting in a church is an old Locke 120 that is a beast and they plan on using wood when it's in shoulder months and then go to coal when it gets cold. After a month wrangling with her and the borough manager they finally conceded that their code dealt with OWB and outdoor firepits. They finally conceded that there was nothing restricting burning wood in a fireplace, stove, or boiler used for home heating. However it did get kinda intense a couple of times.

My recommendation is before you do anything first talk to your local code enforcement people and get printed copies of the code dealing with installation of solid fuel devices. Don't go with words from a mouth. Demand a printed copy. If they tell you that they have no local code and to follow NFPA or BOCA then find out which version (year). Go online and download and print a copy to have handy at all times.

Second you need to understand that these will probably be going to people who have never done anything except turn a thermostat dial and the cost of heating is eating them alive. The first coal stove we put in took a lot of handholding. We used the Stove and Heat fund to buy the first ton of coal (nut) and showed her how to use her stove. We have to do some modifications as it really eats the coal. It has a lot of secondary air as it was desigend to burn anything primarily bit coal. We are going to seal up those secondaries as they will be burning primarily ant coal.

I would be happy to come to a meeting with interested people and let them know what this ministry entails. Lehigh Valley is pretty close to Ashland Pa. so travel time won't be that much.

Let me know......

I may have misspoken, implying a formal "branch" of your ministry, it was kind of a tongue-in-cheek statement, although I'd value your help. I was just thinking we could maybe take off from your idea and see if it would apply to some situations around here as well. We keep a fund on hand to help church members who need it. Members donate specifically to that fund, and a times we could have enough to facilitate a heating source change, or at least help toward it. I would not want to tap into your funds, unless we specifically had members putting into it.

But I imagine it would involve what you said, a lot of handholding. Shoot, this is just my first year into coal, so I'd need help, too, still do! Most of those we'd help would be elderly, and I'd think they would need some constant care, but then again, maybe that would be the role of our deacons or family or others.

I'll do some checking around on codes and such, and if a situation arises that might apply, I'll find you. Thanks.

You can start the Lehigh Valley Chapter so to speak Now is the time to do the investigating. Also start watching CL and your looking for the $100 stoves that you would normally pass up because they are too plain, hand fired, or look bad and you already have a stove.... That is the Stove and Heat ministry stoves. The ugly ducklings that still have life left in them. Not a stove that is fussy, needs modifications, no electronics, and the most it would need is gaskets, stove bolts and nuts and a paint job.

Start with one stove and find a home for it. Since you burn coal already you can bring the folks to your house so they can see the benefits. Stove and Heat started with the purpose in mind to supplement the existing system. That has worked well so far. The supplemental is easier to convince people than total replacement and idling the existing system. I tell them the stove can be primary and the existing system becomes secondary. Church members that are heating with oil or electric are the perfect customers for your ministry.
Believe it or not, the most challenging part is the chimney!!! At least around here. It's mostly rental houses and the first thing the landlords do is rip out the heating system and put in baseboard electric heat. The chimney needs some inspection and probably some TLC.

Another church member who is a good friend also burns coal, and is a mason, and a chimney expert. I'll run this by him tonight.

Rev Larry good work and God bless the good deeds! I wish you well on your goals my meager extra cash goes to the food bank either in finding silly cheap sales of just cash everyone has to eat. Everything helps someone.

Count me in, Eastern MA branch...

I have read with great interest the underground railroad for stoves to try and get them to Pa for use in the Stove and Heat Ministry. That is a lot of logistics and effort to get a single stove to NE Pennsylvania and is greatly appreciated. However there is a way to put those dollars and all that effort to use right in your own community.

I would like to offer a challenge to those who attend a church or other house of worship, whatever you call it. Synagogue, Temple, or the storefront in the mall. Or if you don't attend church give it a try. I tied it to a church as a ministry because as a minister it's a natural way of thinking for me.

Buy that hundred dollar stove you normally pass over because it wouldn't fit YOUR needs.

Go over it and make it safe.

Give the stove away to a needy family along with some "starter coal."

Help them install it and teach them how to use it.

Help people in your own home town in a positive and concrete way.

Who is willing to do this

Now that's a challenge to be reckoned with, Rev. Larry. I think the underground RR would be more "doable" for some. Sounds like you're trying to promote goodwill towards all, and peace on Earth. A powerful message for sure, and I commend you for it. I've had an opportunity in a couple hard luck cases to try and talk these individuals into burning coal, but the advent of electric heaters, (oil fired or gas), have spoiled most, and the inconvenience of a coal stove wasn't in the cards. Of course these individuals weren't totally out of heat either.

Everyone helps in ways they are able to and comfortable with. I admire what you do, Reverend, and I am willing to help in my little ways, but frankly I do not have your calling. I have family in PA I visit, and I can surely bring a stove along in the truck I'm driving there anyway to drop off at your church or someone's home, if you would like me to.

I graciously accept your challenge Rev. ............ as soon as we get your Ministry securely on its feet.

Our church " Saint John The Evangelist" in Pittston , Pa has a number of very successful ministries.
We have a food pantry, free health clinic, clothes closet, and a newly formed children's toys and accessories shop.

I will be taking a group of teens, early next month out to a week long retreat, to the St. Meinrad Archabbey, near Santa Claus Indiana.

On the trip out, I plan on bringing up a stove and Heat Ministry with the chaperone's. I'm sure the members of the food pantry, and health clinic would be aware of families struggling with rising heating costs.

Paulie