Fireplace advice, Part 2

[EddieWalker]

Thank you for the kind words.

I trimed out the tile and set the stove where I wanted it. Then figured I'd run to the store and buy the rest of the pipe I needed and the parts to run it through the roof. While there are plenty of places who will order them for me, I couldn't find any that have what I need in stock. Lowes has the best prices, but said it will take three weeks to get here.

I'm searching online and found several suppliers, including Amazon, but with shipping and buying the individual pieces, it's twice as much money. The kit from Lowes is looking better and better. I'm impatient, but don't really have to have it done right away. I don't even have any wood ready to burn, so 3 weeks isn't such a big deal if I decide to go that route.

I'm back to thinking about stacking the wood next to the house. If I pour a concrete pad, use 2 inch pipe for the ends and put a metal, awning type roof over it, I think I'll have something that I'll be proud of. What I'm struggling with is makeing the wall bug proof so termintes can never get through. I have Hardi for my siding, and I'm thinking about using roofing tar over it, and then another layer of Hardi that overlaps down to my foundation. With a rediculous amount of roofing tar spread all over and oozing out of the hardy, I think that I should be fine.

How dumb is this? or do I have a chance?

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[keegs]

Thank you for the kind words.

I trimed out the tile and set the stove where I wanted it. Then figured I'd run to the store and buy the rest of the pipe I needed and the parts to run it through the roof. While there are plenty of places who will order them for me, I couldn't find any that have what I need in stock. Lowes has the best prices, but said it will take three weeks to get here.

I'm searching online and found several suppliers, including Amazon, but with shipping and buying the individual pieces, it's twice as much money. The kit from Lowes is looking better and better. I'm impatient, but don't really have to have it done right away. I don't even have any wood ready to burn, so 3 weeks isn't such a big deal if I decide to go that route.

I'm back to thinking about stacking the wood next to the house. If I pour a concrete pad, use 2 inch pipe for the ends and put a metal, awning type roof over it, I think I'll have something that I'll be proud of. What I'm struggling with is makeing the wall bug proof so termintes can never get through. I have Hardi for my siding, and I'm thinking about using roofing tar over it, and then another layer of Hardi that overlaps down to my foundation. With a rediculous amount of roofing tar spread all over and oozing out of the hardy, I think that I should be fine.

How dumb is this? or do I have a chance?

Thanks,
Eddie

That pad looks like it's always been there. Nice job man.

I'd check craigs list again. I saw some tripple wall sections when I was looking for a stove. Check the material and for sale sections.

I don't know what you're dealing with in Texas but up here carpenter ants are a problem and they get around. I'm with those who suggest keeping the main wood pile away from the house. I use a loop just ouside the door. It holds about 5 days worth of fuel. On the weekends I use a wheel barrow to replenish the loop.

 

[inveresk]

Single skin flue up to ceiling level will radiate more heat into the living room than multiple wall. I'd only use double wall outwith the space you want to heat.

I'd also echo the advice to locate the log shed some way from the house.

A brick floor is a good option. Brick floors with sanded joints tend to be reusable if you ever move the shed.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Late comer as usual here Eddie. I like the advantages of burning wood if you have a good supply for cheap. I live in a mobile home and the rules are so ridiculous, its hardly worth installing one. My home already has a fireplace that is terribly inefficient. I have thought of an elaborately installed stove like yours but by the time you get the mobile home model (doesn't emit much sidewall heat), and have it profesionally installed by a masters licensed installer, the costs vs. savings don't add up. For insurance, I'd have to have it signed off by the installer and checked by my insurance company. I'd be looking at a minumum of $3000 for the stove and installation. $1200 for a good log splitter. I can pay an extra $100/per month for HVAC heating the 3-4 months down here for many years to come before I'd break even on the installation. The main benefit I'd get is the exercise. Did anyone mention to you how many times wood warms you up prior to burning it...:laughing:

OTOH, my buddy had a nice A frame home and installed a big Jotul centered in his downstairs living room. He could heat his whole house with that thing as the bedrooms were off of an open upstairs balcony. He told me he could load that thing up and it would last all night and part of the next morning. I would say his setup was near perfect for a WBS.

You have found a really good deal and your install looks awesome. I hope you enjoy it this winter.

I would think that here in south Texas, I would like something that could be seasonally installed and removed come spring so it isn't always taking up room in your home.

 

[dmccarty]

I stack the cord wood on pallets.

For the first few years I was "smart." And I used the tractor with pallet forks to move the cord wood to the house! Our back porch has a large roof overhang so the wood would be out of must rain/snow but I could easily throw a tarp as needed. The wood got split where the tree fell and put one pallets. Then I would just move the wood pallets as needed.

Thought I had a good system....

But I did not think about MICE.

Mickey's Cousin's really liked my palletized wood. And the managed to sneak into the house. We had about four mice that got into the house this way. What a mess.

Now I move the logs to a place where I split and store the wood on pallets. Not much different than before but this place is slightly uphill from the house. Which is important.

Now I just get a big load of wood in the wheel barrow and since it the house is downhill from the wood pile it is fairly easy to move. The wheel barrow is one of the big Rubbermaid products with bicycle wheels. During the coldest part of the year 2-3 loads last a week. The wheel barrow is hand loaded at the pile and brought to the back porch as needed. No more problem with mice. And not many problems with bugs. Might get a spider from time to time but that is about it. More time consuming but it also leaves the wood mess back at the wood pile.

Later,
Dan

 

[Lloyd_E]

Eddie,

Looks great... you should be burning in a few weeks. I have a wood shed about 150' from the house. The wood gets chunked, split and stacked mainly by and in the shed. Sometimes I take the spitter to the woods and do it there and bring it back via the bucket on the tractor.

We have a back entrance that I have a large wood box - 4' wide x 20" deep x 3' high. The front is open down to 2' from floor with the back being 3' high. This gets filled once a week. I also have it a foot from the wall on the end side. This space gets filled with kindling.

After the burning season we clean and vacuum the area well.

You could consider a box outside with a top and just bring enough wood for the week.
You could build one or perhaps get a Rubbermaid deck box...

Someway it is stated that from woodlot to firebox you move wood seven times...

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm really fighting you guys who tell me to store the wood away from the house. I'm seriously planning to rebuild the wall of my house with two layers of house wrap that I will apply over a wet layer of concrete block sealant to make sure no bugs can get through it. I will pour concrete for the wood to rest on with a slope to carry any moisture that might end up on it away from the house and I will put a small, metal, lean-to roof over the wood to help keep it dry and match the metal roof that's already on my house.

Part of my stuborness is that I don't have a place to build a wood storage shed that I like better. The other part is that I think I can make it bug proof. The combination is driving me to do what I understand to be a bad idea, but will do it anyway.

I'm still in the planning stage, but have a materials list and all the details pretty much figured out. It's realy just a matter of committing to it, and getting started.

In the meantime, while waiting on my pipes to get here, and knowing that I will need wood on hand if I plan on actually having a fire, I started the process of getting that wood over the weekend. In an area that I've been clearing out the underbrush, but leaving my trees alone to create a park like setting, I found a standing oak tree that's in the 40 year old range. I had my dad take it down with the backhoe last week, and yesterday, I cut it up into 16 inch rounds, give or take an inch. My stove can handle larger, but at 16 inches, they are heavy enough, and a few were too heavy for me to lift, so I rolled them onto the grapple on the backhoe.

While enjoying the fall weather, the leaves fallling from the trees and the smell of fresh cut oak, my Mom showed up in the Mule. She had been out driving the trails and wanted to lend me a hand. We loaded up the bed of the mule that she brought to the pile by my house. It was a nice surprise to have her help out like that.

This tree has been dead for a few years now. It seems to be dry and ready to burn, but as a rookie, I could be wrong about this. The bark is falling off the tree, and some of the rounds are splitting on their own. Since this is what I have ready to go, I'm gonna just learn as I go and hopefully be better prepaired for next year.

Some time this week, I plan on borrowing my brothers log splitter and starting on that part of getting the wood ready.

My goal is to have two chords of wood split and stacked for winter.

Eddie

 

[charlz]

Looks like good firewood to me! :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

Yeah, that stuff in the mule is definitely ready to go. You may want to load some pieces in your stove to see what sizes fit nicely. That way, you may not have to split some of the branch pieces and you will know what size you need to get it down to for your stove. Too big and it won't go in the door of the stove. Too small and it burns up to quick. After 2 years of using mine I finally got a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't. :laughing:

As for storing it near your house... just be sure you can spray under and behind it with insect spray. Storing it up on a skid or pallet may be a good idea, too. Not only will it provide more air circulation, but you can spray under it.

I store my pile out behind the garage. I also have an outside stair access to my basement room where the stove is. It has the two metal doors that open up and out. The stairs are 4' wide and 8 steps down. I load one side of the steps with a row of wood. That is enough for about 10 days. If it looks like the weather will be bad, I will pack both sides of the steps full and that is enough for well over two weeks.

My point is, even though I discourage people from storing wood right next to their house, I do it myself every time I load that staircase! :confused3: It is not sealed and insects can get in there. However, it is not heated and insects freeze to death if they go in there. In the summer, I keep it empty so no carpenter ants are tempted. :thumbsup:

 

[EddieWalker]

My parts for my pipe came in from Lowes two weeks ago. I was able to install it last weekend. All in all, it went in pretty easily. The real trick was getting it lined up so that the pipe would be straight. I had to slide the stove forward a little bit so the box would clear my ceiling joists.

Eddie