2020 Personal Preps

[Watchman]

This is never-ending so get used to it. Your family needs you with a clear and alert mind. Every time you accomplish a tiny preparedness task you are enhancing the lives of family.

[Watchman]

Wow! This has never happened to me before but I ran out of kindling for the wood stove. We still have plenty of wood. I had two 4'x4' boxes stuffed with branches, sticks, untreated lumber pieces and ran out! Will make sure this doesn't happen this year. We used to burn cardboard but the Blaze King installer said no, no. I even shredded personal and financial records and he said that colored inks (over time) would build up in the chimney. I print everything in black and white now.

[Toepopper]

Why are you using so much kindling?? My stove has been going non stop since early September. I have 30 five gallon buckets stuffed with kindling stacked up in the barn but have not had to open any of them as the fire keeps burning 24-7. Must get up on the roof today and sweep the inside of the chimney, then clean out the stove because its not drawing correctly. I get a face full of smoke every time I open the door to put more wood in. Will use some kindling to start a new fire. I never use paper to start a fire, just set a wooden kitchen match on the dry kindling and it will start.

[Watchman]

I guess we're on a leaning curve. I'm still stuck (wife is too) on not leaving the stove unattended. Between appointments and taking packages for shipment, we're out a lot. We followed the installers suggestions to the T and so far, have had NO blowback of smoke. I can sit an watch the flame and it is tits-up all the time. We usually light a fire (depending on the cold in Free Wyoming) sometime in mid-afternoon. I use an electric heater in the BR; wife stays up late enjoying the stove and comes to bed when there are nothing but embers. Like I am an 0300 wake up, she stays up making crafts, eating popcorn, and watching old re-runs of Magnum, Simon & Simon, and others back when TV was TV. I'm sure as we gain confidence we'll let it go longer but it is not our prime source of heat. Natural gas, electricity, and wood stove. We keep the natural gas furnace set at 60 all the time. When the temp gets below that in the house it comes on. When wood stove is burning, the NG shuts off. We're gradually shifting.

[Watchman]

Kindling bonanza! Neighbor is remodeling a home he bought and we are "stove-sizing" pieces of untreated interior dry-wall slats. Also trimmed parts of a couple trees. We're set for kindling for next year now I need to find a good source of split wood.

[Watchman]

Doing our yearly "look-see" of our pantry, checking cans for leaks, rust, bulges, etc. Our entire supply of sauerkraut went bad, about 12 cans. I guess because of the high acidity.

Also had our Princess and chimney cleaned. Ordered four cords of quarter-split pine. Have all the kindling we will need and I think we're set for heat, cooking.

[Watchman]

20200808_102949.jpg

Received my first cord of pine Friday. We re-stocked wood in the house from the remaining of last year. I have another cord coming this week and two near the end of the month. It's getting expensive but I am past the age of getting a permit to get wood from the national forest - and I don't own a pick-up. This is hassle-free for me.

[Toepopper]

Looks nice and dry too. I have 6 cords of madrone sitting out in the sun to dry, started wheeling it into the woodshed this week during the cool mornings. This might be the year to have a good supply of firewood on hand. I have several large doug fir trees that blew down 2 winters ago but can't cut them up due to fire season restrictions. No gas powered equipment allowed until it rains again.

[Watchman]

Since this photo, I have received 2 more cords, for a total of 3. We have arranged for a 4th cord but I have to figure where to put it. Space is limited since we don't live in the country. It's snowing in the mountains of Wyoming already. The wood IS dry and cured, all-pine. I had an opportunity to get wood from two other suppliers cheaper but they mixed spruce and cottonwood and both burn fast and stink. I paid the little extra for the pine.

[Toepopper]

Pine makes good firewood, burns hot and has a longer duration. I have been wheeling my firewood into the wood shed and stacking it up. Do a little bit every day. Two hours is enough for an old man but this chore is almost done. Must get a couple more cords, this is not the year to run out of firewood. I always try to have too much rather than run out in the spring.

[Watchman]

We fit in a final cord for a total of four. Wood everywhere! My neighbor is remodeling his house and we gathered the sheetrock slats and broke them up as kindling. I still routinely shred personal and business papers for safety sake and were happily using the shred to start the kindling. Did it for years. When we bought the new stove they told us do not burn anything with colored ink because it will eventually cause problems. So now I separate the black and white.

[Toepopper]

I was surprised to learn that in a Blaze King stove you aren't supposed to use paper to start your kindling. I had been doing this for 45 years or so in other stoves but the B.K. has that catalytic converter in it and somehow the paper will damage the C.C. Had to spring for a new one and they cost a pretty penny so now I use those pressed wax and sawdust wafers to light off a fire. Last winter we had the first fire in early September and it ran all day every day 24/7 without ever going out. This year we are in a heat wave with temperatures just below 100 degrees which is alright because it will save us from using that firewood.

[Watchman]

I just read an extremely interesting paragraph or two about using nut shells (pistachio, peanut, walnut, pecan) as kindling in the wood stove. It did mention that they are extremely combustible (especially peanut shells) and if you're not careful you might have some blowback. I look at it as a mother earth helper because they do not decompose easily in a compost pile. Think I'll try it.

[Toepopper]

We eat quite a few unsalted nuts and always burn the shells in the wood stove. Pistachio shells burn real hot and last longer than any other type of nut shell. Still dump peanut shells in the raised beds and turn them into the soil. It takes about 5 years before they break down. Am clearing a spot to plant a few Hazel nut trees in the spring so as to produce our own supply of nuts. They do very well here in Oregon on the west side of the Cascades.

[Watchman]

Today I'm going to buy 5 gallons of gas to store in the garage for an emergency and I got to wondering about fuel stabilizer and will add it. I had to refresh my mind on this and I found this article, even though its a couple of years old.

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/ratio-fue ... 94395.html

[Watchman]

My wife saw this and had to buy it for our fireplace insert - a cast-iron "half pot" that fits on the top of the stove. It says very specifically it is not made for cooking; it has a ceramic inner lining. Manual says for water to moisturize the air. I have figured out that they say "not recommended" but with precaution it can be used for some food: soup, pasta in water, or other liquid-based things. I would NOT use it as a "fry pan" device. Don't ask me how much it cost!

Pot.jpg

[Toepopper]

Nice addition to the stove, it will add humidity to a dry house. We have to fill ours twice a day.