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Chimney work

I’m pushing my luck a bit here, getting the 2nd chimney ready in November. It’s not quite there yet but I made good progress. We’re at a phase in our adventure where we do not do temporary arrangements anymore. While I’ll have to redo the first chimney, this one is built for a lifetime and so it takes longer to do.

11′ of insulated flue, cement board in the casing

Closing it up foot by foot, siding first, then cement board added with spacing.

From the bottom floor

I’ll make the top removable to keep an eye on things, it’ll just be open for the first few stove firings. I love the crazy angles in this house.

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Cat & Mouse Wood Piles

My job last year was to produce firewood so our pile didn’t run out. This year, it is to keep producing so our pile doesn’t even begin to shrink. I’m replacing as we burn with a profusion of oak logs.

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Oak

Many people told me that oak was by far the best wood to burn for heat. In 6 years of heating with wood, we never had that luxury. This is about to change as a massive oak on our land came down of its own volition. I finally went after it this week end. It’s pretty hard to go through given it’s odd position but the rapid yield makes up for the hard work. Now I have to say I never carried such heavy logs, likely a sign of the wood’s density. I had to split it on the spot to get pieces I could move. Besides its density, it splits relatively easy and makes an unusual very dry almost gun-like sound upon impact. I’m a fan already.

We meet again

Good spot to spend an afternoon in spite of the crappy weather. I had to make a path so I could turn the ATV around further.

I can’t wait several months of seasoning to try oak, so I brought a piece inside for a quick dry. We’ll throw it in the fire box for a special occasion :).