This is one of those rare weekends that we are not up at the house by the river. I am marvelling at the above zero temperature over here on the Air Ronge side of this life. We run an outdoor boiler system for our house in Air Ronge together with the people next door and share responsibilities for keeping the fire burning. I feed the fire at night and our neighbour feeds the fire in the morning. Usually our neighbour tends the fire when we are not home and we reciprocate when the opportunity arises. This is one of those weekends where it is up to me to feed the boiler.
The outdoor wood fired furnace in Air Ronge heats our house, the neighbour's house and a 24 x 30 foot shop. It has been the most cost effective way to heat an older house with poor insulation. We enjoy a toasty warm indoor environment without worrying about turning down the thermostat and putting on extra sweaters to conserve energy. Wood consumption does not vary much during the winter months. I suspect that our cooperative effort to share the furnace is rather rare. It is a mutually beneficial way to heat our homes using the natural resources in our immediate area for fuel.
I have been researching wood stoves for the house by the river and have settled on a Blaze King Princess Ultra model. This stove offers the longest burn time of anything I have looked at and is well suited to the size of our building. This is an expensive stove ($2500-$3100) and I have been unsuccessful in finding a used one. I am torn between waiting until we can occupy the house on a regular basis during the winter months or using financial resources to complete the siding and more of the interior first.
The outdoor wood fired furnace in Air Ronge heats our house, the neighbour's house and a 24 x 30 foot shop. It has been the most cost effective way to heat an older house with poor insulation. We enjoy a toasty warm indoor environment without worrying about turning down the thermostat and putting on extra sweaters to conserve energy. Wood consumption does not vary much during the winter months. I suspect that our cooperative effort to share the furnace is rather rare. It is a mutually beneficial way to heat our homes using the natural resources in our immediate area for fuel.
I have been researching wood stoves for the house by the river and have settled on a Blaze King Princess Ultra model. This stove offers the longest burn time of anything I have looked at and is well suited to the size of our building. This is an expensive stove ($2500-$3100) and I have been unsuccessful in finding a used one. I am torn between waiting until we can occupy the house on a regular basis during the winter months or using financial resources to complete the siding and more of the interior first.