I love that! No heat source running in the house and it's cozy as can be.
The last two weeks however, were not so pleasant due to record
lows in Central Illinois and other parts of the country. A week ago today we woke to -20 degrees
outside (this was not a wind chill reading but an actual temperature) and 56 degrees inside. The picture above is of our bathroom window that frigid morning. We might have to do a bit more window sealing this spring.
The inside temp did not bother us that much. On those brisk mornings we make coffee, wrap up in robes and blankets on the couch and have deeply intellectual banter.
She: That might be good.
He: It got pretty cold in here overnight.
She: Yes it did.
Just because we own a rocket mass stove doesn't mean we have rocket science conversations.
Eventually one of us moves towards the large rust colored metal barrel in our grain bin house, scoops out the old ash from the feed chamber in the concrete floor and starts rolling up kindling wood and newspaper. A match is lit and VOILA' we have the onset of heat.
Within 5 minutes the barrel is too hot to touch and the thermometer above our kitchen table starts to creep skyward. Within an hour and after approximately one five gallon bucket of 1-2 inch sticks (not logs) the indoor temp will be up about 5 degrees and we are comfortable. Within two hours the temp will be up ten degrees or so and Keith will have his shirt off.
At its worst last week we did burn the stove twice a day for 3-4 hours each time which is very unusual. In a normal winter where lows are in the 20's we only burn it in the evenings for 2-3 hours. Still, running it longer during those frigid days was not a big deal (easy for ME to say as Keith chopped all the wood!) Especially since it cost us nothing in fuel, just time. We had no furnace repairs, or empty tanks of propane to worry about as others in our region did.
Tomorrow it is expected to get in the 50's and it will be a muddy mess here due to the extra snow we've had, but who cares? I get to hang out laundry.
Unless it rains.
Nice! It's been chillier than usual in my neck of the woods, too. Today, it got up to 39°F and it felt downright balmy outside. Was glad to hang the sheets on the line.
ReplyDeleteSheets and blankets and towels...oh my!
DeleteWe have a simple Steel and Cast Iron woodburner, which I light each late afternoon at about 5 pm. It takes about 5 big chunky 33 cm logs, and I light it HOT. The heat generated is enough to keep us warm through the evening; I might put one more log on. I also cook on it.
ReplyDeleteI do look forward to my evening burn time. We have a rocker right next to the RMS and because it burns smaller sticks you must feed it more often. A great excuse to sip a bit of Jameson and read a new book while sitting close to the heat.
DeleteGetting back to visiting blogs to take my mind off things. This is so fascinating. You mentioned that it gets warm, have you ever gotten it too warm? Or does just more clothing come off, ha! Thanks again for sharing!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all so sorry about the loss of your kitty. He was so fortunate to have you two for so long. And yes, the stove can get "too warm" and we will need to open a few windows some times. In the 40-50 degrees we have the next few days, we probably won't burn it at all.
DeleteI so wish we'd known about rocket stoves when we first bought our place. We love our soapstone and wood cookstoves, but we are really going through the wood this winter. It takes both going to get the house out of the 50s. Of course, we don't have the insulation you two put into your place. We've improved much in our old house, but the general mental concept in the south is "you're in the south, it doesn't get that cold there." That, of course, is hooey, but it's a problem when it comes to trying to buy good insulation and winter clothes!
ReplyDeleteWe wish we'd known of the RMS when we lived in our old 3000 SF farmhouse! But you live, you learn. It does help that we are super well insulated and only have 620 SF living space in here. We are considering building another one to heat Keith's shop in the new barn. The stove pipes will not go beneath the concrete as they are in here but rather we'll build our "mass" out of an adobe bench to release the heat when we are not in the shop. Stay tuned.
DeleteOkay, so what I'm getting is that you get to see Keith shirtless, and you're shooting for shirtless in the shop. Sweet deal! ;-)
ReplyDeleteYes, me seeing him without a shirt is indeed a sweet deal. Him seeing me that way? Bittersweet. :)
DeleteHi Donna :) That last photo is gorgeous! Oh I long for a muddy mess or even rain! We've had such a deep freeze and I cringe at the thought of the next Hydro invoice...can't wait to have a better heating system. Your rocket stove sounds very powerful!
ReplyDeleteI'm like a crow, Rain. (In fact named my daughter Raven!) I love glittery, shiny things in my windows, not so much on my person though. I love prisms, cut glass on the window sill and leaving glass ornaments up year round in my office window.
DeleteOh how nice!!! Raven is a GORGEOUS name and such a wonderful spirit guide too! :)
DeleteGuess what? I said...and I quote "I long for a muddy mess or even rain"...didn't I? Well, that is EXACTLY what is going on today and tomorrow...yeesh, from -25C to above zero and rain...it's a sloppy dirty mess out there! :)
i never even knew about these stoves. i keep my heat set at 50-52 degrees. any hotter than that and i feel sluggish! i really enjoy a cold house.
ReplyDeleteI'm a weakling then compared to you. I do fine with it at 56 degrees, lower than that I do whine a bit.
DeleteYour rocket stove seems to work magic, and in that cold temperature keeps you warm and snug, what could be better !
ReplyDeleteI keep mine at 64 degrees but at night a little cooler.
~Jo
It is like magic in many ways, at least in not having to pay any fuels bills. Can't get much more magical than that!
DeleteI really enjoyed reading about those deeply intellectual conversations, Donna. I had never heard of an RMS before reading this blog. Certainly seems to keep you comfy and I liked also liked the line about the Jamison and reading.
ReplyDeleteI also like Irelands Red Breast whiskey but when I ask relatives for that on birthdays and Christmas I just get weird looks.
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