On Farside my heating system is dual. I have a free-standing enclosed fire that puts out 19 kw when roaring along well, and I have an oil column heater, and two hot-air heaters. But the heating mainstay is firewood. That not only provides heat that costs less than electricity would to heat the house, it also provides a lot of exercise as I plod backwards and forwards across the lawn with armfuls of firewood. Should the gaggle be in the vicinity and feeling belligerant, it can provide more exercise than is appreciated too. And there are other drawbacks. This year hasn’t been as cold as it can be but it’s been very wet. The house feels damp, my dud leg doesn’t like that, and to counter the problem I’ve been keeping the fire going most days – and running down my firewood stack.
I got to the last two weeks’ worth and decided I needed more, a.s.a.p. The problem was, that with all the rain many firewood merchants had discovered that their own stacks of wood were becoming inaccessible. I phoned one. No, he couldn’t deliver, his merchandise was all under cover – on the other side of a large paddock that was now too waterlogged for it to be reached without ending up with his truck bogged to the axles.A second would be very happy to provide me some of his excellent dry wood. He came with it when I was out, a friend who was here took one look and sent him away again before I even returned. The wood was soaked and useless. I phoned a third chap, and he put me on his delivery list. Fortunately he uses a small truck that takes about 4 cubic metres, and which could navigate safely up my lawn to the woodshed without becoming sunk in my lawn – which is also waterlogged of late. After that I had a second lot of wood delivered, rain-wet but burnable and I’m set, probably into October when it may be warmer, drier, and I can get wood delivered more easily. I’m also staying exercised so long as I have wood and the house is damp. Silver linings anyone?
Farmhouse Heating.
21 August 2012
On Farside my heating system is dual. I have a free-standing enclosed fire that puts out 19 kw when roaring along well, and I have an oil column heater, and two hot-air heaters. But the heating mainstay is firewood. That not only provides heat that costs less than electricity would to heat the house, it also provides a lot of exercise as I plod backwards and forwards across the lawn with armfuls of firewood. Should the gaggle be in the vicinity and feeling belligerant, it can provide more exercise than is appreciated too. And there are other drawbacks. This year hasn’t been as cold as it can be but it’s been very wet. The house feels damp, my dud leg doesn’t like that, and to counter the problem I’ve been keeping the fire going most days – and running down my firewood stack.
I got to the last two weeks’ worth and decided I needed more, a.s.a.p. The problem was, that with all the rain many firewood merchants had discovered that their own stacks of wood were becoming inaccessible. I phoned one. No, he couldn’t deliver, his merchandise was all under cover – on the other side of a large paddock that was now too waterlogged for it to be reached without ending up with his truck bogged to the axles.A second would be very happy to provide me some of his excellent dry wood. He came with it when I was out, a friend who was here took one look and sent him away again before I even returned. The wood was soaked and useless. I phoned a third chap, and he put me on his delivery list. Fortunately he uses a small truck that takes about 4 cubic metres, and which could navigate safely up my lawn to the woodshed without becoming sunk in my lawn – which is also waterlogged of late. After that I had a second lot of wood delivered, rain-wet but burnable and I’m set, probably into October when it may be warmer, drier, and I can get wood delivered more easily. I’m also staying exercised so long as I have wood and the house is damp. Silver linings anyone?