We are about to be hit with a mix of snow, ice and freezing rain. Those are perfect conditions for the grid to go down. Currently the home battery bank is being topped off from the grid -while I still have it. The yard has been picked up so nothing is lost under a big white blanket. You never know if this is the snow storm that will cover the ground until spring.
A nice pile of fiber blocks has been stacked next to the woodstove. It’s much easier to haul them in on a dolly than a toboggan. We should be in pretty good shape. Our woodstove is a cookstove type so cooking on it is a dream. The oven is always hot and that’s handy for cooking and baking.
Heating with a woodstove is a lot more work. However, burning fiber blocks takes a far bit of work out of the equation. Another bonus to the blocks is that the chimney doesn’t have to be cleaned as often. However, nothing beats the convenience of a oil or gas heat.
While I have a oil furnace it’s currently too expensive to use. Last time I checked heating oil was over six dollars/gallon. It’s not just the cost of oil either. Most people don’t realize it, but most oil or gas furnaces use a fair amount of electricity. The gun that ignites the fuel uses electricity. Pumps or blowers also draw from the grid. It adds up.
Perhaps one of the more frustrating things is to have plenty of oil but still can’t heat your house due to having no electricity. There are some gas furnaces that can run without electricity, but they tend to be smaller. Even those often have an electric fan to help circulation. While not absolutely necessary the fan certainly helps.
I was given a propane direct vent heater but it’s still sitting on my porch. I’m not sure if it’s worth installing. Currently the only thing running on propane in my house is the dryer. I don’t even have a delivery service of propane anymore. The old one I used to deal with went out of business. All I’m using is 20lb tanks like you’d use in a barbecue grill. Something bigger would be needed for heat.
We’ll see how this storm treats us. If we are out of contact for a bit it’s probably just because the wires are down. No worries. We don’t have to go anywhere and can hunker down.
-Sixbears
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ReplyDeleteNothing like the smell of fresh bread in the wood stove oven. I fed the sourdough yesterday, snow and sourdough, oh my.
ReplyDeleteEven if it's a folding oven on top of your wood heater. :-)
I can cook a full sized turkey in my woodstove oven -and often have. I'll bake bread really soon. I also love stovetop toast.
DeleteI just ordered another 100 gallons of heating fuel, just because. 5.89/gallon so far from Dead River Co. that's before my old guy discount, but hey man. Reality check, it costs more to put a hundred gallons in the tank than the monthly mortgage before all extras are added. Dang.
ReplyDeleteDang indeed.
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