Diary of a Wood Burning Stove!
In the meantime we have been getting everything prepared for the colder weather. During the summer my husband and dad built a simple wood store in our garden, providing shelter for logs but allowing air to circulate. It seems that wood needs at least a year, longer in some cases, to properly dry out and 'season' in order to get the best from it on the fire, so we started filling the store as soon as it was ready. We bought a load of wood from a local supplier to get us started and have then managed to collect some free wood from friends disposing of trees. It's certainly worthwhile looking out for opportunities to get free wood, as this will obviously keep costs down.
More recently we have bought a large basket/trunk (from the local recycling centre - a great find!) for our sheltered front door step where we'll keep some seasoned wood before bringing it into the house. Inside the house we then have a basket for an evening or two's worth of wood along with some kindling. So far, so organised!
Certainly a plus point of having the stove installed back in the spring has meant that we've been able to get organised with wood etc. in advance of using the stove this autumn and winter. Now we just have to make use of the stove as the weather gets cooler! Watch this space....
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19th September 2011 - The first lighting of the season!
2 comments:
Thanks for sharing your experience as a new stove owner, and keep up the good work! A lot of people are thinking of buying their first woodburner without knowing what it is like to live with one, and this is just the sort of thing they should be reading.
This is a good idea, to share experiences. I have been using a Charnwood 4 since early 2003. I have all my wood 'free' from various falls etc. ( I love high winds!) But I would recomend that it is seasoned for more than one complete year. I have five and six year old oak that takes a long time to mature. I have log sheds with slatted sides too , all round my garden. But when you cut wood make sure you are safe, chainsaws are dangerous and large axes are too. Make a good saw bench for the logs and have a stable chopping block.
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