I have a couple of questions???

Topaz Farm · #1 03/12/05, 08:18 AM

First, I have been reading about people using outside wood heaters. I was wondering if there was a way to regulate the heat in the house. Also, from what I read, is seems that the heaters have to be stoked all the time. Would using one of these in a place that doesn't stay cold days on end and gets snow in inches instead of feet be worth it?

Second, does anyone know how to go about building an outbuilding that is rodent proof?

Oh!! thought of one more. Those of you that use wood burning stoves, do you use them in the summer or do you have another stove. It just seems to me that it would get very hot.

I have been thinking about setting up an outside kitchen with a wood burning stove. But, I am afraid that it is very far down on the *list* of things that need to be done.

EDITED, because I thought of another question.

My DH is going to put up a clothes line for me. I was wondering what is a good distance between poles?

Mutti · #2 03/12/05, 09:23 AM

We have an outdoor wood heater here in MO where we don't get much snow and only a moderate amt. of cold weather. Stoke it once a day generally...it also heats all our domestic hot water so we keep a low fire all year round...since we have 80 acres of woods no problem getting wood and our electric bill is cut $30 a month. The heat is thermostatically controlled in the house just like a regular furnace...ours is hot water heat. It's the berries and all the wood mess is outside. No smoked up ceilings either.

Doubt there is a totally rodent proof building but cement foundation/cement block would be your best choice. My uncle had cement block feed bins lined with tongue/grove boards. Old freezers are great for storing grains,too. DEE

Topaz Farm · #3 03/12/05, 01:17 PM

Thanks Mutti. We have 20 acres and less than half that is woods. I wouldn't want to cut all the trees for heat.

Madame · #4 03/12/05, 01:39 PM

I have a friend who has a wood furnace in the garage that provides heat for the house. When the wood runs out (around 3 am, I would guess) it switches to propane fuel.

They buy their wood from a nearby sawmill, taking the remnants and getting a good deal on it.

BamaSuzy · #5 03/12/05, 01:57 PM

Our clothesline posts are about 20 feet apart with four lines, but I have seenthem further with an extra post just leaning up against the line to kind of hold it up in the middle.

We heat with a wood heater but cook on propane but we know of a man who sells and installs those outside wood heaters....it seems there is some sort of thermastat on the actual heater but I'm not for sure on that...

I sometimes cook on our wood heater. In the summer I think most people who have wood cookstoves either move them to an outside kitchen, to an outside porch, or cook on something like propane to keep them from heating up their houses....at least that was the way it was done in the deep south....

best wishes

BamaSuzy · #6 03/12/05, 01:58 PM

oh, and for building a rodent-proof building....the best thing is to make sure there are no even tiny holes like around the baseboards and such....and don't leave feed out where it will draw rats....

But I have to take a couple of the house cats to a "visit" to the bunny barn every few weeks and let them do mouse patrol all day and night.....

D · #7 03/12/05, 07:53 PM

Topaz,
In my ex life, we had an outside wood-burning furnace in an enclosed concrete block building outside with a side entrance to the rest of the wood shed. How often you have to stoke a fire depends on how big the woodbox is. We could make it from ~9:30 to ~5:30 unless it was really really cold. The kicker on our system though, was that the blowers were electric, which doesn't bode well for ice storms.

If you really don't want to burn up all your woods, then spend money on insulation and decrease the size of your heated space.

If you get an outbuilding within shootin' distance of being mouse proof, then get some steel wool to plug the cracks. Sounds funny, but I guess the fine wires cut the critters mouths which tends to discourage them.

We had a wood cookstove one year when I was growing up, and we moved it out on the porch that summer. Cooking on them is harder than you think, especially stuff like bread. From what little I've seen of West Texas, I'd leave it on the porch all the time.

I would put clothesline poles closer than normal if cost wasn't an issue. And hang the line a little higher than you think you want -- that line is gonna sag.

May I suggest that you try to find somebody who lives likes you think you want to on these issues before you jump in whole hog. Reality is going to do one of two things: make you forget why you ever thought you wanted it, or make you want it worse than you already do. Either way you know where you stand before you spend a bunch of money experimenting. Good luck.

Topaz Farm · #8 03/13/05, 02:19 PM

I want to thank everyone for their responses to my questions. The one about the outdoor heater, was probably more a curiosity question, I really doubt that we would ever get one.

I would like an outdoor cooking area, but it would probably wind up being a propone stove instead of a wood burner (maybe).

We have much more important things on THE list. One being getting new and better windows, and hopefully a screen in front porch, fencing....the list goes on and on and on.