No fire yet, but I never look to the calendar for direction on when I start burning any more than I do when choosing to wear shorts or long pants. It is all about comfort.
Funny, I've been doing that too. Since we got the shredder, not so much, but sometimes. Time to get the ashes out of the stove and check everything, too.
It was cold and rainy here this weekend, so I spent most of it in the basement workshop, cleaning up and getting ready to make up a batch of sawbucks. I didn't notice how cold it was getting upstairs because the basement was actually about 10 degrees warmer. It got down to 62 upstairs before my girlfriend started closing up the windows and asked me to light up a fire; and I gladly obliged. That turned into a cleanup activity as well; I built a small fire with some pine and walnut lumber milling scraps that were laying around. I had one in July last year. I have a girlfriend and dog that love the wood heat; any they're usually the ones who tell me when burning season should begin.
Mid 40s at night and 70s during the day here for the last week. If I close up aound dark the house stays warm with no artificial heat. Next morning I open the front and back doors to let air flow through the screen doors and keep the house comfortable. I usually don't even want heat until the daytime highs get into the 50s. It's amazing what a little insulation can do. R-32 in the attic since I laid that R-19 over top the original R-13.
Friday night lows were mid 60's last night it dropped to 44F so, yup methinks fall is walking through the door
Anytime is needed no matter the time of year we will burn. If the house is chilly we will lite a fire or in power outages we will lite a fire to cook both in the stove and on the stove.
Agreed with others that temps in the house determine if a fire is lit or not, but......I do try to push the first fires till mid-October - I have great southern exposure and as long at it is sunny, the house will be comfortable in the daytime and nice and cool for sleeping. I burn 24/7, so no rush to start the 6 month process - it'll come soon enough! Cheers!
It is getting to be close to fall when I start cleaning up the area behind the house. There used to be a lot of crown vetsch when we first moved in but it seems weeds have taken over. I got about 40% of it cut with my Stihl 110. Highs were getting into the 80's so only worked on it in the morning. Cooler weather coming for next week so it should be easier to finish then.
That second pic is all kinda cattywampus like one of those fun houses with all the wall angles off and floors unlevel.
Most definitely no set time or plan around here. If we get chilled, the stove gets a fire in it. If we get hot, the air conditioner goes on. Can't get much simpiler than that. It's been in the 40's for several nights including last night but no fire today. Good thing because the temperature is now at 77 degrees. Supposed to stay warm until rain move in Friday then we'll no doubt cool off again.
Yeah, I noticed that when I posted it. Guess I had the camera at a funny angle. The gazebo is level. Did it make you feel like you had one too many of the barley pop?
I try to never light the stove before the middle of October. Some years I have been able to push it until almost the end of October.
Usually October 5-20 is the first fire, but whenever the wife gets cold is when I light one. Not close to one yet here, last week had several days in the 90s. Yesterday only got in the 60s but it was just about perfect.
Supply & demand thing here. Supply being the amount of scraps that are getting in the way, demand would be dropping indoor temps after closing up the place day & night. (Venting from N side window up through attic can be quite effective right now, at night.) Not even close to lighting off now. During transition period, burning an Aladdin (mantle-type) kero lamp can be plenty. One of them in a bath can make it like a sauna. Calendar is immaterial here. Thermometer tells all. Cranking up metabolism is my first step.
Yep...it warmed up here a bit this week. Just about perfect. Warm during the day, and cools off around 7:30. If I run A/C, it would be briefly.
Nice week here for seasoning. Stuff split earlier this summer is looking very washed out and gray. Ready for the first blaze. Lows around 46 next Thursday and Friday. Might make a little fire one of those nights.
I am ready for a fire myself. Lots of wood this year. I like lows of around 40, so it's not too chilly the next day.
