Fireplaces

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Fireplaces

Post by Fan » 05-18-2013 01:38 AM

Who here has one? I am curious how prevalent it is outside my hometown. Everyone around here has a fireplace pretty much (in fact there is a smog problem from chimney particulates). Some use it for main heating, but most have it for a quick warm up and the ambiance of it. Does such a thing even exist in southern climes? Most older houses here have a built-in brick chimney, but the trend recently has been a cast-iron deal with an external aluminum chimney.
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Post by Fan » 05-18-2013 01:46 AM

here is ours

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Post by Raggedyann » 05-18-2013 02:05 AM

I have a woodstove in the basement and it is my primary source of heat. My chimney is an interior aluminum chimney that goes up through 2 floors to the roof. I do worry about the location of the chimney because it is installed between 2 bedrooms, mine and the spare room. If a fire started in the walls from the chimney, there is a good chance I could be trapped. I can't jump out the window because it is 30 ft. above the ground. I do give this some thought occasionally but as there is nothing I can do, except never light the fire, I just ignore the whole thought. But having said that, I do have it inspected every year before I light the fire.

I have a couch in front of the woodstove in the basement and sometimes I cosy up in front of the fire with no TV or other noise and just daydream and watch and listen to the burning logs. There is nothing more relaxing!

I also have an electric mantle fireplace in the living room that provides heat but I bought it more for ambiance and a place to put my minora candelabra and and a funky old oil lamp that I light when the power goes out.
Last edited by Raggedyann on 05-18-2013 02:08 AM, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Raggedyann » 05-18-2013 02:15 AM

Very nice! I love your wood floors too. I bet that size stove keeps you toasty and warm. Mine is a little smaller. I use 14" cuts. Where do you get wood? I buy mine from the grads who do a fund raising wood cut every year.
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Post by Fan » 05-18-2013 02:20 AM

Raggedyann wrote: Very nice! I love your wood floors too. I bet that size stove keeps you toasty and warm. Mine is a little smaller. I use 14" cuts. Where do you get wood? I buy mine from the grads who do a fund raising wood cut every year.
Yep ours takes full size cuts, whatever that is.. 16 I guess. We order it from a local place, it is pretty expensive, but we get good hard wood and I have 3 years worth now rotating in the wood pile (maintaining a wood pile is an art), so I have nice seasoned maple for my BBQ cooking, and greener pieces for slower combustion in the winter.

We do not use it for heat, other than to take the chill out, but we have a fair amount of fires. We go through about 2-2.5 cords of wood a seaon, what about you?
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Post by Raggedyann » 05-18-2013 02:36 AM

I burn, hemlock, balsam, cyprus (yellow cedar) fir and alder. I prefer cyprus. It burns hot and heats the house up fast. My lady neighbour owns a shingle mill and towards the end of the winter when I'm running out of wood, she brings me a truck load of red cedar. She and I are both single and trade off favours. Works very well. I use around 4 to 5 cords of wood a season. Depends on how cold a winter we have. I like burning red cedar because it also burns hot and cleans out the chimney of built up creosote. Doing this has caused the odd fire in the chimney but I shut down the dampers real quick and then pour water in and the steam puts out the flames and has always done the trick. You are probably wondering how I am still alive. :D I have to admit I was a nervous wreck after a couple of these panicky situations.
Last edited by Raggedyann on 05-18-2013 02:42 AM, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by BenSlain » 05-18-2013 05:41 AM

I have two. One freestanding one in the sun room that's great n the winter. And one regular type wall one in the family room. They are both gas though.
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Post by Doka » 05-18-2013 09:38 AM

I do miss a wood stove. That nice dry heat in the winter just warms up the bones, like no other heat. :)
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Post by Jon-Marcus » 05-18-2013 05:11 PM

I don't currently have a fireplace. I live in a cheep apartment. Someday soon I'll be moving again and I hope my next place will have one.
There's just something magical and romantic and very human about a fire in the hearth.
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Post by Fan » 05-18-2013 06:30 PM

Going to dig the wood out of the snow is a job we trade off whenever possible :)
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Post by kbot » 05-18-2013 06:56 PM

We have a woodstove insert inside out fireplace downstairs, and a pellet stove upstairs. We use the woodstove on a day-to-day basis during the winter. The pellet stove pretty much runs 'round the clock from late October through mid-April or thereabouts. Rarely use the natural gas heat anymore that came with the house as a heat source.

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