In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Give me some good news

Discussion in 'The Wood Pile' started by rainking63, Sep 22, 2020.

  1. rainking63

    rainking63

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    It's been a rough week.
    I've been spending most of my time helping my wife and her family with all the logistics that come with a loved one passing (my father in-law). Stiff upper lip over here, and doing basically anything my wife asks me to do.
    Sunday night my wife's brother and sister in-law were staying over the house. We're sitting by the new wood stove in the kitchen, enjoying a few bourbons, watching the flames and having a generally good time. I hear the well pump running... and running... and running.
    Go and check it out (jet pump in the crawl space with a shallow well) and it's scalding hot to the touch. I shut it down and call a plumber in the morning.
    The bad: had to replace both tank and pump to the tune of $4,700. The worst part: we had to inspect the water level in the well, so down came the small housen I built around the can! Dagger to the freakin' heart!
    At least it wasn't the big housen. That would have killed me... but the small one will be rebuilt now that everything is in working order.

    What about y'all? Regale me with the times it pained you to move firewood. I'm all ears.

    120076497_10223892474206235_5591371414170446463_o.jpg
     
  2. Chud

    Chud

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    That big hausen is a work of art, I’d never burn it.
    I had cords of stacked wood fall over and into the neighbors yard, so I had to clean it up ASAP and move to another location and restack. Neighbor was already annoyed with my wood wall.
    Sorry your string of bad luck and loss.
     
  3. sirbuildalot

    sirbuildalot

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    Sorry for your loss.

    The good news is that now you can make an even bigger hausen.
     
  4. Backwoods Savage

    Backwoods Savage Moderator

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    That replacement cost sounds more than out of whack. Wow.
     
  5. Eric Wanderweg

    Eric Wanderweg

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    Sorry for the loss of your father-in-law. Glad you can be the rock that your wife needs as she processes everything. As far as processing building another Holz Hausen, yikes. I only have one small one in my yard but I know those things take a lot of thought and care to build. Maybe some good will come from the opportunity to build another Hausen, like building it bigger as mentioned previously. Small consolation, I know. Personally I hate re-stacking piles that have come down for any reason. Once I stack wood to dry, I don't want to touch it again until it's autumn and I'm bringing it in close to the house getting ready to burn it. The last two toppled piles were a couple months ago during Isaias. The red oak missed my piles within inches when it came down, but when I cut the tree up that's when everything toppled over. Black birch and black locust everywhere. :hair: It was all for the best though because I was able to make a more stable pile that will definitely stay up through the winter (and re-organize the whole area making it less of an eyesore for everyone).

    toppled.jpeg
     
  6. Stumpy75

    Stumpy75

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    Probably not a good idea to stack it around your well anyway... Never know when you will need to get into it. Usually at the worst time.

    Sorry to hear about your FIL. Hang in there...
     
  7. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    Sheesh, I'll say.

    Sorry for your loss, rainking63 .

    And sorry about the big wood move.
     
  8. metalcuttr

    metalcuttr

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    Sorry for the loss in your family! That will hurt far longer than any pain due to the well. Please give my condolences to your wife. You are a good man to do your best to help her over this rough episode of life!
     
  9. Canadian border VT

    Canadian border VT

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  10. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    My sympathies to you and your family. My mom's well crapped out five years ago so i hear you on the $$$.
    My wood pain is current. Just moved 2-3 cord of hickory, white and red oak stacked last Fall. Havent stacked it yet. I packed it too tight and fungi growing on it even though it was covered. My friend gave me more room to move it from his front yard to his back. Learned a valuable lesson. Stack was mostly shaded which didnt help.
     
  11. rainking63

    rainking63

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    I find that the fungi that appears on the wood in my yard is just always going to happen, especially to red oak, no matter where I stack it. I even have a stack that gets plenty of sun, good spacing, lots of airflow, and inevitably I'll start to see some 'shrooms on the end of the splits.
    I actually ended up moving about a cord a couple months ago as well. When I sold my boat it opened up a lot of room for wood, so I schlepped it across the yard. I feel better that it's in the sun now and not in the shade.
     
  12. buZZsaw BRAD

    buZZsaw BRAD

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    This was a dozen+ rows tight between two other triple tier stacks. It will get restacked double tier with 4" air space.
     
  13. LordOfTheFlies

    LordOfTheFlies

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    Sorry for your loss rainking63.

    Looking on the bright side with regards to the wood, you can build a bigger, better holz hausen!

    I look at my earlier ones in disgust now. Pitiful. :D

    I had to move one of my stacks because it was too close to the property line thanks to my #($*&^@# neighbor who called the building department on me. That was something like 7 hours or so to move and restack it.
     
  14. jo191145

    jo191145

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    Sorry for your loss and bad pump.
    Last year my mom had a house fire (electrical)
    Had to take all her winter supply of firewood back out of the basement. Probably five cord tossed back up the cellar hatchway onto my trailer. That was a pain.
     
  15. Warner

    Warner

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    No likes for that post! I took two cord out of the basement of the last house when it sold. Not fun!
     
  16. jo191145

    jo191145

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    Let’s just say after the first two trailers I was online looking to see how much a conveyer cost to rent :) Let’s just say it was too much.
    While I’m saying I’ll say this. I surely didn’t restack it :)
     
  17. mat60

    mat60

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    Sorry about your father in law. Hopefully some better luck will soon come to your family.
     
  18. SD Steve

    SD Steve

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    Sorry for the loss in your family......my wife just lost her grandfather on her dad's side.

    I'll try to stick to the brass tacks of my wood moving story, its kinda long.

    Ok, so I have a small property, its only 50ft. wide by 140ft. long. I dont have a lot of room to store wood. I made a deal with the neighbor lady that owns the house next to me, though she doesn't live in that house. I would do a couple things for her, (move a broke down car, fix a light, mow the lawn, etc.). In return I wanted to be able to build 2 holz hausens on her property. I made one of nothing but ponderosa pine, and a half one of elm. I had lots more elm to split. I asked this crazy lady if she wanted me to get rid of her fuel oil tank, she said yes. I took the tank to the dump. 2 days later I get a text saying ,"where's my fuel tank?" After a bit of arguing, I needed to find the fuel tank. Someone had already taken it and had it in the back of his pickup. I had to beg him to give it back. She told me to get my wood off of her property, called me a thief, and threatened to call the sheriff on me. Then to top it all of she ended giving the tank to the freaking mail guy for nothing!!!!

    Unbelievable......
     
    Last edited: Sep 24, 2020
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  19. Screwloose

    Screwloose

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    Sorry about the father in law been in those shoes.
    As for the well problems I sure hope that was a typo because a jet pump and tank for a shallow well installed should not cost that much, no way no how.
     
  20. rainking63

    rainking63

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    It's Connecticut. The cost of living is outrageous and we're taxed on pretty much everything.