eureka, I think I got it now. good explanation.

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From what I've seen, Muddyfeet has the prettiest fireplace on here! But I'm sure there are more to see! Can't wait!

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anything except a regular fireplace by itself, they suck more hot air out the chimney than they heat the room. You want to have an enclosed insert in a conventional open hearth fireplace if you are gonna have it for more than just looks. Go for a stove like Lisa has and I had.

Thanks Lisaann! We like it too, though it definately doesn't heat very efficiently...MHG...seeing as you seem to be the one to ask about this...our conventional fireplace does seem to suck the heat out the chimney! It heats just the area surrounding the fire and not very well...is there any way to make it better? Can you burn corn in a regular fireplace? Or coal? Or pellets? My dh also spends weeks gathering wood for our 5' high by 10' by 4' pile...and it's almost down to the ground!

Let there be heat!



wHAT THE HECK IS THAT BROWN SPOT ON THE WALL TO THE RIGHT? Can't see it with the naked Eye! Had my face plastered to the wall looking! Hubby says it's dirt! Where the heck did it come from in a day! Gotta investigate!

This would be boneless pork chops, which I hate! No fat! Hubby Hates fat! But, we do them in butter! Yep, that helps a teeny bit!

That's cool Lisa, very economical.
We had a stove like that downstairs but dh is taking it out, the chimney had to have a bend in it, (the chimney was going up the outside wall.) It would set the smoke alarm going every time we tried to light a fire, and only draw the smoke after it got really hot. Does yours have a smoke problem when you first light it?

Actually mine smokes a bit when you first start the fire if 1.the weather outside is or isn't windy (can't remember which now), and 2.if you don't get it hot fast enough. and 3.the door is wide open.

But with mine if you crack the door open it draws air pretty strongly. So the trick is to have the fire set up perfectly (tinder, kindling, logs, etc.) light the fire, and then immediately close the door most of the way. Then the fire gets lots of air (to help it get started) and no smoke in the house. Once it gets going strongly you close the door all the way, and the heat output starts.

The problem is if we have been lazy *hack achem* and haven't built up the fire properly before lighting that first match. Then you have to sit with the door wide open so you can baby it into life. The door wide open with the fire trying to catch properly = smoke in house.

yes, that is exactly our problem alaskan! And I'm sorry to say but dh is pathetic at setting up a good fire, you need newspaper, tiny kindling, then slightly bigger logs.
Does your chimney go straight out the ceiling? I just want to ask, because that is what I thought our problem was, but if they smoke even having a straight chimney, then it's the fire making skills that's the issue.

Finally found a pic of my old wood-eating Beast. Dave'll post it when he gets a chance.

I used to fill 4 barrels with the debrie when I did my splitting for my kindling. Kept an old #20 crock full of old newspapers to start with. Door open...??? Why aren't you using your fresh air intake ?? Mine was a butterfly on the back controled by a bi-metal coil spring. Although......if the wind was wrong, I did have to crack the door to get the chimney warm enough to draw. It's all about getting enough heat going to push the cold air back up the chimney

muddyfeat,

my chimney goes straight up. Just like an arrow.

MHG,

air intake spring? *giggle* There is one broken little thing on the front that might have been such a gizmo. We use the 'crack the door' method with the main door, or the ash pull out door at the bottom, you can crack that too to get some nice pull going from up underneath the fire.

Our woodstove is a homemade one. Made by a local welder. Just had it inspected my the local chimney guy. He said it was fine. Even though we heated it up too high once or twice and made the sides all wiggly. It is in fine shape and will not explode or set the house on fire! The overheating was due to way too much coal at once, tossed in when the gasket around the main door had fallen off. Couldn't control that fire quite right.

I *have* replaced the gasket.

ladies and gerbils, MHG's beast

....sorry muddy, almost forgot your question.....I don't remember the pic of your fireplace other than I seem to remember a nice wood mantle with your garlic....post again maybe for me...??

**OFFICIAL DISCLAIMER** I am in no way responsible for what you may choose to burn or how you operate your stoves or fireplaces.**

Yes, you can burn field ear corn in your fireplace, I'd suppliment my wood with it. I suppose coal could be used in an open hearth. No, you couldn't burn shelled corn very well, or wood pellets.

I just watched the forecast.
Mumsey and DeanR and I are about to be neck deep in ice and snow this time Sunday nite. Crapcrapcrap !!!

I would be more sympathetic if I hadn't gotten stuck in a snow drift today, had to watch my 4 kids hike for the equivalent of 2 blocks through super blowing wind and a deep snow drift, then later had to hike up a hill and pregnant and totally out of shape...in same nasty wind (and idiot me hadn't put on a hat or scarf), then get all four kids and try to get them home, again through nasty wind. the almost 2 yr old screaming the entire way, through snow drifts. Falling up to my knees.

It actually wasn't ANYWHERE near as bad as it could have been. A young guy who needed a ride shoveled me out of the ditch. I still made it to the car appointment on time. A friend helped by pulling a sled with the two youngest kids to help me get all four home.

*whew* what a day!

I think I'd freeze to death without my wood stove.

The best fire starter I've found is a couple pine cones inside a microwave popcorn bag (minus the popcorn). My kids eat that stuff and I always keep (stockpile) the bags. The combination of oil and paper bag is a never-fail fire starter. I pick up a couple bushels of cones in the fall and I'm good for the winter.

Oh boy Alaskan, that was quite a day! I have one 3 year old, I can only imagine being with 4 children, trudging through snow while you are pregnant, lucky you didn't have to carry the little one all the way!

Here is the pic of my fireplace again for moorehaven...with my boy, he really wanted me to take a picture of him by the fire.