Who?s Running a Wood Stove?

[The15thMember]

One nice thing about splitting wood is that you burn off a lot of frustration very quickly swinging away at those logs.

It's funny, I just watched the movie Braven tonight, and the main character was doing just that.  He was frustrated about something and couldn't sleep, so he got up and started chopping wood at 1:00 AM. 

What?s the average winter down there? Can?t get too cold for too long I wouldn?t think, but heck, I burn a low fire at 45 degree nights and let it die out for the 70 degree days sometimes. Other times I run weekend on end when it?s in the 30s for the highs. Usually it?s January-early March when it?s coldest here.

 
My dad will do something similar.  He'll get up early and get a fire going in the kitchen and then just let it burn out over the course of the morning until it's warmed up outside. 

[BeeMaster2]

When I moved to Jacksonville, it was during one of the coldest winters on record. We could not get the power turned on for over a week. I went looking for wood and found a yard with a 70? cottonwood that had been cut down and left there. That tree kept us warm as we all slept around the fireplace in the living room.
I cut the tree up with a small chainsaw and split it with a ax.
One nice thing about splitting wood is that you burn off a lot of frustration very quickly swinging away at those logs.
One of the easiest logs to split is a cotton wood.
I could split a 20? log with one chop. By comparison, a 14? diameter water oak is almost impossible to split. The fibers act like they are braided through out the wood.
Jim Altmiller

What?s the average winter down there? Can?t get too cold for too long I wouldn?t think, but heck, I burn a low fire at 45 degree nights and let it die out for the 70 degree days sometimes. Other times I run week end on end when it?s in the 30s for the highs. Usually it?s January-early March when it?s coldest here.


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Lately our winters have been pretty mild.
In January of 1985, on closing day of buying our house it went to 10 degrees and we woke up to frozen/broken pipes. I was going to wrap them up but was told that it never gets cold enough to break the pipes. 😡
Christmas Day of 1989 we had several inches of snow on the ground and roads. Enough that I was pulling my daughter around in a sled that we had from when we lived in Baltimore and I took her ice skating.
Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

Jim I am surprised. In my minds eye I see Florida as the sunshine (warm) state. I bet y'all were shocked to have 10 degrees! Wow, Y'all got off to a rough start. I bet you wrapped the pipes when repaired, regardless of local advice.

[BeeMaster2]

Yes and when building my new house I did everything I could to keep all pipes out of the weather. The only exposed pipe is the well head and that was supposed to be in a box below ground. My contractor failed to tell the well man before he placed he well. I put a playhouse over it.

Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

The playhouse should do it Jim. It you are unsure in case of another rare deep freeze happenings, you can place a light bulb inside hours before the freeze hits. As long as there is not 'too' much 'hollow' space inside, it will keep it from freezing if the playhouse is airtight.. 

[.30WCF]

I placed a light bulb inside my well house and  the pipes still froze, what next?



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[The15thMember]

I placed a light bulb inside my well house and  the pipes still froze, what next?



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It's probably not your fault.  You followed the directions perfectly. 

[Ben Framed]

I placed a light bulb inside my well house and  the pipes still froze, what next?



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It's probably not your fault.  You followed the directions perfectly. 

Member that's cruel !! ,,,,,,     lol 

[Ben Framed]

I placed a light bulb inside my well house and  the pipes still froze, what next?

30, What are the dimensions of your well house?

[.30WCF]

The pump and bladder tank are in my crawl space under the house. It?s 50 degrees year round.


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[.30WCF]

I used to rent a house and I kept a 100 watt bulb in the well house in the winter.


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[Ben Framed]

I placed a light bulb inside my well house and  the pipes still froze, what next?
[Image]


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When I was a kid we had a Well which featured an above ground pump and tank which was in the 'pump house'. There was far too much space for a light bulb to keep it warm enough to aid against freeze. We also kept shovels, rakes, hoes, and even the lawn mower etc inside.

On the modern Wells' here, the pump motor is deep in the ground connected to the bottom of the water pipe.  The points are above ground in the housing pipe along with the pressure switch, pressure line ect. The bladder is also underground. The only thing that needs to be kept warm is the top of the water pipe housing. Usually a very small cover is placed over this as Jim described, about his placing a playhouse over his Well. IF his well is the second type, and  his playhouse is a tight quarters fit and draft free, a light bulb will do it.

That is why I ask the dimensions of your Well house. For a light bulb to keep a Well warm enough, it needs to be the second type, (underground well) ..  A light bulb will have little to no effect on the old pumphouse type Wells has been my experience.

[William Bagwell]

I placed a light bulb inside my well house and  the pipes still froze, what next?

Try a smaller well house, that one looks huge. And close the doors, you have moss growing on the floor

[BeeMaster2]

During the winter I put a blanket on the pipes and put a plastic trash can on top of it. The playhouse is too open for a lightbulb to do any good. The playhouse protects the pipes from the sun crystallizing the pipes which makes them very brittle and it protects them from minor freezing.
Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

I placed a light bulb inside my well house and  the pipes still froze, what next?

Try a smaller well house, that one looks huge. And close the doors, you have moss growing on the floor

And then place the light bulb into an outlet. "And turn it on" I love the humor intended 30 Thanks for the smile..

[William Bagwell]

And then place the light bulb into an outlet. "And turn it on" I love the humor intended 30 Thanks for the smile..

Outlet? Who needs an outlet

 

[Ben Framed]

And then place the light bulb into an outlet. "And turn it on" I love the humor intended 30 Thanks for the smile..

Outlet? Who needs an outlet

 

 

[The15thMember]

I placed a light bulb inside my well house and  the pipes still froze, what next?

Try a smaller well house, that one looks huge. And close the doors, you have moss growing on the floor

And then place the light bulb into an outlet. "And turn it on" I love the humor intended 30 Thanks for the smile..

Outlet? Who needs an outlet

 

Hahaha! 

[CoolBees]

I grew up heating with wood. I still enjoy getting out the Axes and Splitting Mauls. We have a fireplace in the house that we use during winter's here. But ... my favorite place is our cabin ...

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It's completely "off-grid. No water, toilet, electricity, etc. It does sit on a river though. Nearest cell phone service is about 40 miles away. It has a wood-burning kitchen stove/oven.

It also has propane refrigeration ...

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That makes ice cubes in 4 hrs ...

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The stove is 1910/1920's vintage I'm guessing. The Fridge is 1930's (plus or minus).

Does anyone else make use of propane refrigeration?

[The15thMember]

That is so cool, Alan!  I've never heard of a propane powered fridge before.