Homesteaders

[Maeschak]

It's true that you're not heating the outside. The outside of my furnace is actually cool to the touch or very lightly warm. It's definitely well-insulated.

Once I learned to treat as a "furnace," rather than a "wood stove," it's done better. I may need to adjust the blower again. I think the stove may be getting too much air, and it's burning the wood too fast. But as I noted earlier, I'm still learning how to use it!

Unfortunately I have to buy my wood, at least this first winter. I don't have enough trees to supply my own wood. Hopefully next year, I can team up with someone to help them cut wood in exchange for my firewood.

Regardless, I'm enjoying the heat!

@GardenNut - Where are you in MD? I too am in MD and have a few downed trees. PM me if you like.

 

[Beer can]

Unfortunately, to me it seems like religion was the basis for the disagreement- talking about God's intentions for animals based on how God made the animals yada yada.
One reason I like this site so much is the lack of political and religious discussion- it looks like that is changing.

And the discussion continues....

I feel like it's always been this way, moderators just used to be faster about censorship and banning accounts/

Too bad you are all the way in Maryland garden nut/ have 15 acres of trees and I would gladly give you all the wood you could haul

Actually they shut down/close threads, I like this one, would hate to see it closed, it was asked above to get back on topic.

 

[HnkyDnkyZZFarm]

A nice warm meal before bed can help any pup endure a cold night. Even if it's just a little hot broth on their dry food. I have a buddy who mixes up a bunch of dry food broth and whatever he has to put in there that night. Then they all get a steaming hot dinner.

Everybodys always been outdoors, nothing fancy about it. The buns, the ducks, the chickens and goats, the dog - the cat has recently decided to retire inside to middle age. I remember my uncle teasing me about horse blankets years ago though. Asked me if I was moving out with them, or they were moving in with me. Then there's the tease about whether your animal has a rumen... hubbs and I used to go round about that. Me teasing him, because he was under the 'hope' (sometimes we believe things because they make us feel better) that feeding the dog in the morning was going to warm him up. Not much more than his morning poo warms him up, but activity is good, right? Anything that gets the heart rate up and the circulation going has the potential to generate warmth. Oh I know. Maybe if we feed him HAY! lol.

We only flirt with freezing though. Out here, it always struck me as strange that many people don't straw bed their horses at all unless it's going to drop down into the freezing zones. On the east coast, I seem to recall it as standard procedure. I don't straw bed the goats till about November. The ducks and chickens I don't bother, since they just scratch it all out all over the place anyways. We're warm enough that even when it's too cold for me, the chickens still lay, and are out and about. No snow here.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

And the discussion continues....

Actually they shut down/close threads, I like this one, would hate to see it closed, it was asked above to get back on topic.

I'm with you!!! Let's move on to Christmas cookie recipes and favorite winter hobby!? Or something just nothing to get us shut down..

 

[Beer can]

I'll jump in @CLSranch !

Does anyone use an outdoor wood furnace? The property I moved to in August came with a Mahoning outdoor furnace. I grew with an indoor wood stove, so this this is my first experience with an outdoor wood furnace. It heats hot water which heats the house and the hot water heater water. Since it's dropped down to below-freezing temps the last couple days, it seems like it's really going through the wood. I was told to "pack it full" of wood, so that's what I'm doing. It still uses electricity for the blower and the compressors, so I'm wondering how this is saving me electricity. I'm enjoying the warmth though! My last electric bill definitely didn't reflect any savings. But then perhaps people use these things not to save electricity but to be truly warm, something I never enjoyed with a heat pump!

Absolutely love our outside wood boiler!
Back in '08? we spent over two grand on fuel oil to heat our single wide trailer with the high fuel prices at the time. When we bought our old farmhouse we have now there was no easy place for a woodstove so I bought a wood furnace from TSC and put it in the cellar. Bad thing with them is when it's in the 30s we had to have a window open cause it was too hot, single digits it didn't warm up the house....Didn't like it down there anyway, scared of fire.
Bought our OWB, best investment ever, no fear of fire, all mess outside, heats the house just like a oil furnace, we use forced hot air with it, some have base board heat, I like the forced hot air, radiator in the phlenum of the oil furnace, blower kicks on and off with a thermostat.
The big savings is in the wood for us, I can get ten full cord off stateland for $110, I've done it but a lot of work and hauling.
I've been just getting tri-axle loads of log length delivered by a local logging company for $700, more $ but easier and still a LOT cheaper than having cut/split delivered, they price that stuff like gold.

 

[CLSranch]

I feel like it's always been this way, moderators just used to be faster about censorship and banning accounts/

Too bad you are all the way in Maryland garden nut/ have 15 acres of trees and I would gladly give you all the wood you could haul

How far SW in MO are you? I'm about an hr from Joplin. Haven't got enough wood and since I just lost my job I'd rather cut than buy. My new wood stove uses twice the wood and no more warmth. I will be switching them out tomorrow when it gets warm enough to shut it down.

 

[Beer can]

@GardenNut is your boiler a vented system? Most older one's are I believe. You might want to check and see if it is still full of water, I have to add to mine every once in awhile. Uses more wood when it's down. Our power went out a few weeks ago for 18hrs and without the circulator pump going it was steaming like a steam engine, had to add a lot. We have a Wood Doctor made in Canada, had the best warranty 30yrs, they went out of business so

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Absolutely love our outside wood boiler!
Back in '08? we spent over two grand on fuel oil to heat our single wide trailer with the high fuel prices at the time. When we bought our old farmhouse we have now there was no easy place for a woodstove so I bought a wood furnace from TSC and put it in the cellar. Bad thing with them is when it's in the 30s we had to have a window open cause it was too hot, single digits it didn't warm up the house....Didn't like it down there anyway, scared of fire.
Bought our OWB, best investment ever, no fear of fire, all mess outside, heats the house just like a oil furnace, we use forced hot air with it, some have base board heat, I like the forced hot air, radiator in the phlenum of the oil furnace, blower kicks on and off with a thermostat.
The big savings is in the wood for us, I can get ten full cord off stateland for $110, I've done it but a lot of work and hauling.
I've been just getting tri-axle loads of log length delivered by a local logging company for $700, more $ but easier and still a LOT cheaper than having cut/split delivered, they price that stuff like gold.

pm me. We sell firewood. Log, or cut or cut and split.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Was just counting up the chickens harvested this year and it comes to 33 birds, cockerels, pullets and hens.  God's provision is GOOD! 

better than some will ever know. Just by raising and processing ourselves we have saved over $300 this year on chicken. That is even after buying chicken feed and all expenses. Then look at all the vegetables we put up and the saving (and health factor) go up even further. If not for nature, thanks to whoever we believe in or worship, than we would have a very boring diet.

 

[1cock2hens]

​How far SW in MO are you? I'm about an hr from Joplin. Haven't got enough wood and since I just lost my job I'd rather cut than buy. My new wood stove uses twice the wood and no more warmth.  I will be switching them out tomorrow when it gets warm enough to shut it down.

that piece of property is in Powell mo/ I would gladly let you harvest a couple truck loads/ it's pretty much all oak/I'm hardly at that piece of land unless I have spare time, I'm building a tiny house up there but life keeps getting in the way and I am stuck working in Arkansas almost every day all day / just shoot me a pm and I will try to make time to meet you up there and show you what you can harvest