permaculture

[Clint Popetz <clint@cpopetz.com>]

On Thu, Feb 09, 2006 at 03:58:38PM -0500, neshura wrote:
> It's not the CO2 that plagues the wood-based heating route, it's
> everything else -- particulates and gases from incomplete combustion,
> tars and carcinogens from DIY charcoal production, etc. -- summed
> across the home heating requirements of 6 billion people.
> 
> Burning a tree is carbon neutral as long as you replace it with another.
> 
> It's one of those things where wood burning is great as long as hardly
> anyone is doing it.

...like all things.  Why should we reject a technique because 6
billion people doing it would be harmful?  What lifestyle choice would
we possibly expect 6 billion people to agree to make?  We don't have
to play everyman with our choices.  If everyone in my town had a wood
burning stove, I wouldn't get all the free wood I get when folks take
down trees :)

I should clarify that when I talked about not having to get up in the
middle of the night, I meant that I get a really good fire going and
heat the house up, then drop the damper, which activates the catalytic
converter at around 1200+, and go to bed.  The fire burns out (no smoldering)
within four hours or so, but the retained heat created keeps the house
reasonable until the morning.  I have almost no creosote buildup in 2
years of using the stove (a Vermont Castings) with very good draft,
and you'd be hard pressed to see any smoke coming out my chimney,
except when lighting the stove.

                                -Clint

> 
> On 2/9/06, Nanette Echols <nanettechols@visi.com> wrote:
> > I'm curious that wood burning is still acceptable considering the carbon
> > dioxide and global warming issues of today. Does anyone have any thoughts?
> >
> > Clint Popetz wrote:
> >
> > >On Thu, Feb 09, 2006 at 09:17:49PM +0200, mitshell wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >>Is anybody aware of wood burning stoves/heaters that can be loaded
> > >>with wood once every 24 hours or something there about as opposed to
> > >>the regular fireplaces that need to have wood added every few hours
> > >>?
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >24 hours is a bit out of reach, I think.  If you know what you are
> > >doing (and I won't claim to, having heated my house with wood for only
> > >two years) you can go to bed and not have to get up in the middle of
> > >the night to feed the beast.
> > >
> > >I feed mine about three times a day in the coldest (-10 F) weather.
> > >You have to get used to sleeping/waking chilly, which I now really
> > >enjoy.
> > >
> > >It's not so much the type of stove I think, but how dry your wood is,
> > >how good the species is, how thick it is, and how much thermal mass an
> > >insulation you have in your house.
> > >
> > >                       -Clint