Heating with Wood, Again
Contributed by Cherime MacFarlane
The furnace died in November, shortly before Thanksgiving. The company I called did everything they could to resurrect the old thing. No go. That meant I needed a new one. Since this is a home-built cabin, not any old furnace will do.
Then, there is the age of the owner, 80, and the age of the cabin, 40.
First on the to-do list, was locating a furnace Outside and getting it shipped up here. Along came the snow apocalypse and a series of weird things happening all at once. It became apparent I wouldn’t have any heat for all of December other than two small radiant electric heaters and my tiny wood stove.
This is where we come to the meat of the story. I had some wood but not enough to make it to furnace delivery time. After rounding up what looked as if it might do the job, I set about getting the stove ready for a month of hard labor.
I usually use the small stove with a glass insert in the door to help ease the heating situation when the temperature drops below -15. The electric heaters, with both going full blast, will keep the downstairs at about 45 degrees. With a nice wool blanket, the loft stays warm enough for sleeping. But that’s too cold for comfort downstairs where everything else is.
The wood stove had to work properly. I’d installed a draft inducer years ago. Best move I’ve made in a while. If it’s very cold and the wind is howling, that blower makes all the difference in getting and keeping a fire going until the bed of coals is hot enough to light every split you toss in.
The glass needed a new seal. When you know if you break that glass, you are flat out of luck, removing it and installing the new seal is a hold your breath operation. Since the woven stuff is tubular, it needs to be compressed ever so gently while you try to get the nuts back on the studs.
A few prayers and patience got me through that one. Now I had to remember a lot of things I learned out in the Copper Basin the first nine years I lived in Alaska. Heating with wood is a science. You don’t just throw a hunk of wood on the stove and expect it to heat you. What kind of wood are you using to start the fire? What do you use to build the bed of coals that will radiate the heat you need?
It all came back quickly. I hope to have the furnace in the first week of January. If it isn’t, it will be time to buy more wood. I want a mix of birch and spruce. The spruce gets it started and the birch burns slow and steady. Once I have the dampers set right, that little stove that barely holds three splits sixteen inches long will heat the entire house. I keep glancing at the glass in the door so I can gauge when the next log should go in. It burns efficiently.
I need to clean out the excess ash about every two days. So it's messy but, I have and will always maintain it. Nothing heats like wood, nothing. I will be glad to get the oil-fired furnace going. I do hate getting up to a cold house. As my husband used to say, “Needs must when the devil drives.” If I find it necessary to buy more wood, I have a phone number and will call. It’s been years since I had to depend on a wood stove, but it can be done, and I will if I must. Time to throw in another log. Stay warm, y’all.