There are so many uses for Ash Trees it almost seems a shame to use them for Firewood, except that Firewood is one of the many great uses for Ash Trees! One of our challenges here at Briden Farm, in Bear River, Nova Scotia, is we don’t have a tractor, quad, or wheeler! So, when it comes to cutting firewood, with my Stihl Chainsaw the real challenge is getting it out of the Woods! Here’s one way…
It was back on the 18th of November that we finally got our Wood Stove and Chimney set up here at Briden Farm, helping to insure our success and winter survival. We’ve been very happy with our stove, but have been unable to get the over above 300 Fahrenheit (°F) or about 149 (°C).
It puzzled me, and we tried about everything. Internet searches revealed it was probably related to the moisture in our wood. We had about 4-1/2 Cord given to us, for which we’re pretty thankful, but it had been stored a little to long and has about half life, which causes it to burn faster, and not as hot. So, we thought that may be the problem. Our other wood has come from here, old dead falls, and fresh cut ash, and a little oak fallen in the leaf in September. So, we thought that might have been the issue!
This morning I decided to do a thorough deep cleaning of our wood stove. Cleaning out the not only the firebox, but scraping the top, sides, and under the oven. Removing some very old, and somewhat caked on soot and even some old creosote! Some was from our activities, but some had been there for a very long time!
After the thorough cleaning, and removing all the ashes, soot, and creosote, we rebuilt the fire, and the oven climbed to 475 Fahrenheit (°F) or about 240 (°C). Then we backed off, as did our cats! They thought Daddy had built it bit too hot!
At least now we know that we will get better performance, more efficiency, and truly will be Getting the Most out of Our Wood Stove!
For most of the Fall we’ve readied our Woodstove, and brought in a couple Banana Boxes of Wood to last from one day till the next. Most of which time we had temperatures in or around the freezing point at its coldest.
Now, as Winter approaches, just 6 days to go, we’re now seeing much colder days, and nights. Dropping down around Minus Ten Celsius or about 10 Fahrenheit. Which when I lived in Cape Breton is the temp I waited for, sometimes a week or longer, so I could walk from Cain’s Mountain to my closest neighbours in Ottawa Brook.
However, these days, I find -10 °C / 10 °F to be a little cold!
So, we’re Preparing for Winter at Briden Farm with a bigger Woodbox allows us to have enough wood for more than a day. Not having to cut, chop, or bring in Wood everyday takes some of the pressure off, and makes it a little easier on real stormy days!
The forecast for the next few days is for up to 8” of Snow! So, this old Steamer Trunk will make a great Woodbox and can hold enough wood for a few days!