The horror; the horror

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Oct 13 2006, 11:13 AM) [snapback]332294[/snapback]</div>

Because the more you use, the more value it has. Use paper and wood instead of plastic or metal (cuts down on zinc mines) and they will plant more. For an example, you never heard of a shortage of cows or chickens have you?

Start Rant..................

Note: I would never want old growth forest destroyed. That being said, most of our wood comes from trees planted by private industry. If we stop buying wood, they will just clear cut the land for shopping malls. You can't save the forest for the trees. Meaning, save areas for forests to stay, or become, old growth forests, by stopping the National Forest Service from leasing out our national forest to the lumber industry. The lumber industry would do better to plant there own fields and say on there own property.

End Rant...................

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Oct 13 2006, 10:40 AM) [snapback]332232[/snapback]</div>

dang. i remember DH had a close call with CO at his old bachelor apartment... really crappy furnace and really cold day. must be the first day that people are cranking the heat over there, eh?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Oct 13 2006, 12:01 PM) [snapback]332325[/snapback]</div>

Neato! I didn't figure you as a wood stove kinda guy. I'm not trying to be a buzz kill but hopefully they're not compressing the sawdust with anything that's a carcinogen. Every time I burn those creosote logs, I don't inhale for hours!


"Start Rant..................

Note: I would never want old growth forest destroyed. That being said, most of our wood comes from trees planted by private industry. If we stop buying wood, they will just clear cut the land for shopping malls. You can't save the forest for the trees. Meaning, save areas for forests to stay, or become, old growth forests, by stopping the National Forest Service from leasing out our national forest to the lumber industry. The lumber industry would do better to plant there own fields and say on there own property.

End Rant..................."

I'm with you here. I just purchased a wood outdoor patio set and purchased an item made from eucalyptus from sustainable practices. It's from Brazil. I did some research on the internet and they said that this isn't all that great either as there's mounting evidence that the transpiration from the managed forests is affecting the native rain forests. I also hear that eucalyptus can become invasive.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Oct 13 2006, 01:56 PM) [snapback]332367[/snapback]</div>

The wood pellets are nearly 100% pure wood - no additives or chemicals. Just turning ones mans waste into another mans fuel.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Oct 13 2006, 01:01 PM) [snapback]332371[/snapback]</div>

Thank you.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Oct 13 2006, 02:03 PM) [snapback]332372[/snapback]</div>

No problema. The only problem I had last winter was my wife and kids kept complaining how hot the house was Living in the Con Ed catchment area, the money I saved by using wood pellets saved me in one winter the entire cost of purchase and installation of both of my pellet stoves. This winter - all profit - and the most amazing thing is that I am being environmentally friendly - something i really dont put on my top 10 list of must do things. People who know me are amazed that I drive a Prius and burn wood to heat my house - things I do for $ reasons and not an effort to be a "greeny". If they both meet [$ and the environment] - that much the better.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Oct 13 2006, 01:17 PM) [snapback]332380[/snapback]</div>

I think you're not who you appear to be. I believe that you are only using PC to engage in honing your debate skills (kinda like what your son engaged in). You're really a liberal environmentalist. You drive a Prius and use a wood burning stove and I've seen what actions you would envoke if you were president. You had some very good ideas that weren't at all excessively conservative. The gig is up.

 

wood pellets are created by simply compressing them. 100% wood.

btw...hate to burst your bubble, but burning ANY kind of wood, creates carciogens. the key is how efficiently it is burned. its not possible to get a 100% burn simply because wood is made up of too many different compounds, but a properly set up and maintained pellet stove can achive burn efficiencies in the 95-97% range which is far greater than any wood stove can do.

mine after startup never emitted any visible smoke.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SSimon @ Oct 13 2006, 02:27 PM) [snapback]332386[/snapback]</div>

Consider my gig up! I honestly cannot be defined or confined into one group politically or ideologically - my current range of beliefs span liberal, libertarian, and conservative thoughts. I constantly examine and test my beliefs every day. I am not a true believer in anything except that my thoughts and beliefs will be different tomorrow than they are today. I triage my priorities like American security/defense, Supreme Court decisions/bench inhabitants based on current "news" and threats which I believe most important.

I know I can ruffle some feathers and soothe others. I also believe anyone who "votes" straight line be it liberal or conservative is a fool or a true believer. There is nothing wrong with being either as long as you critically examine your thoughts and beliefs and hold yourself open to change. Without allowing for change [it is not an admission of being wrong, it is a realization that there is a constant evolutionary change in not only our "enivronement" but also ourselves and our priorities and needs] you do not allow yourself a fair chance of growing and evolving - you will just wither on the vine of life.

Sorry to get philosphical - have a nice weekend - going home to burn a little wood - heading home on hybrid technology.

David

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusguy04 @ Oct 13 2006, 11:10 AM) [snapback]332290[/snapback]</div>

Actually mulch is best spread by a potato or garden fork (like a pitchfork but with thick tines).
Manure is best spread, well, lots of people know how to do that without even trying.
On the farm though, we used snow shovels (scoop-shovel type) for moving grain as well, and it's big enough you can sit on them and slide down a hill like on a sled, except there's no good place to put your feet. Those are the only other good uses I know of for snow shovels.

I've known a few people to use wood pellet stoves and they really liked them. My elementary/high school back in northern MN used wood pellets to heat the school, they had a big hopper outside. Seemed to work pretty good. Lots of logging operations there, so the local sawmills generated lots of sawdust and woodchips that would otherwise be waste material left in big mounds to slowly rot.

Couple points - 1) most land owned by lumber companies is far, far from prime real-estate for shopping malls. They might become cattle farms, but that's about it. There are some exceptions of course. 2) Unless there's less demand for wood & paper, legislating less trees cut in areas that our government controls means more trees cut in places they don't control, like tropical countries. I am definitely not promoting clearcutting old-growth forest, but we need to recognize the real culprit is lumber used (and wasted!) in building new houses and making paper that is cheaper than water.

Now that I responded to the off-topic stuff, here's something almost on-topic:
Looked like snow again today, but I think the cold opened up the cattails in the swampy area upwind of our building, and all the seeds are drifting downwind. I think it's from the cattails, but I haven't looked at it up close yet.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Oct 13 2006, 02:33 PM) [snapback]332388[/snapback]</div>

Mine neither and the design of the air currents that feed the stove and warm the house ensure that nothing bad enters your home - just pumping it outside for everyone else to breath :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dreichla @ Oct 13 2006, 09:14 AM) [snapback]332192[/snapback]</div>

I understand the 2006 don't have the snowflake but some awful warning at 35 degrees. So far the lowest seen has been 36, so we'll see.

 

76 right now. And for some, that is cool!

 

24 degrees last night...and yes , I burn wood pellets. Me electiric/gas bill last month was $27 dollars.

 

Ok, ok... I went through 36 replies and not one darn comment about how the prius is in the snow. I should be getting mine right when the snow hits here, December. Can someone tell me how it handles in the snow.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Oct 13 2006, 10:24 AM) [snapback]332345[/snapback]</div>

Dang? Watch your language: there are truck drivers present!


Many years ago I lost a close cousin who was found peacefully dead in her bed because a vent system stopped working in her room. Another friend lost his son and his new wife who left a lantern lit in their camper overnight for warmth.

If I know three people killed this way, it must be real common. Give your heating system a test run in the daytime before you leave it on overnight. Things go bad after periods of non use. We all have fire alarms in our houses, or should. A CO2 monitor is a pretty good investment also.


There are at least 1,673 ways (at my latest count) to go wrong in this world! What's a mother to do?

 

I decided to read a bit on pellet stoves. Snippets from EERE:

Wood-burning appliances and fireplaces may emit large quantities of air pollutants. Wood smoke contains hundreds of chemical compounds including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, organic gases, and particulate matter, many of which have adverse health effects. In many urban and rural areas, smoke from wood burning is a major contributor to air pollution. Because of this, some municipalities restrict wood heating appliance use when the local air quality reaches unacceptable levels. Others restrict or ban the installation of wood-burning appliances in new construction. Before installing a wood-burning system, you should contact your local building codes department, state energy office, or state environmental agency about wood-burning regulations that may apply in your area.

...

In fact, pellet stoves are the cleanest of solid fuel-burning residential heating appliances. With combustion efficiencies of 78%–85%, they are also exempt from United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) smoke-emission testing requirements.
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What does combustion efficiency mean in this context ? I'd hate to think that 15% of mass is ending up as non CO2 pollutants.

 

well

actually, you will find pellet stoves that are more efficient than that. in fact, wood burning stoves with a catalytic reburner will be higher than 85% as well.

and actually anything that is not converted to heat or flyash is considered waste. ( i think. used to have a real good definition of it somewhere and it was printed matter that i no longer have. just moved 3 months ago and did house cleaning on old products and my owners manual for my pellet stove was apparently one of the victims) wood should produce less than 1% flyash by weight. what causes that to not happen is moisture in the wood which simply cools the fire too much to burn completely causing gases and smoke. CO2 is not a desired product either.