Fill 'er up now or tomorrow morning

[wildcat]

Gas is going to shoot up again b/c of Katrina so I am off to the pump

 

[JPatrick]

Gas is going to shoot up again b/c of Katrina so I am off to the pump 

Yup, I donated my $52 today.  I'm thinking this sad  event may be the one that sets up the big market buy that I've been expecting.   It may take a few more weeks, but this could be the one.
Keep that powder dry!
Actually, if the oil outlook is grim enough I wouldn't be surprised if W finally pops the cork on the reserves Not that anything would be solved, but sure would be good politics.

 

[wildcat]

Politics aside I don't tink W is going to tap the oil reserves. I don't think the admin considers this a supply shock

 

[JPatrick]

Politics aside I don't tink W is going to tap the oil reserves.  I don't think the admin considers this a supply shock 

Only if we get that spike to $3.00 per gallon coupled with serious shortages that look like they could last awhile and certainly if we were to get into a situation where our refineries are saying- -" hey we need oil."  Which of course would be a dramatic switch.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I only have to fill up every six weeks, so I'll wait for the lull between katrina and the next excuse to jack up gas prices.

 

[MJ]

I still have 3/4 of my gas when I filled up last April (yes last April). I get around with my bicycle.

 

[brewer12345]

It probably won't matter of they do release oil from the SPR. Its not crude that is the problem, it is distilled products like gasoline, heating oil, etc. There simply isn't enough refining capacity, and the shutdown of A) gulf coast refineries and B) gulf coast shipping in of distilled products is going to a major problem.

BTW, anyone know how to increase the heating efficiency of a fireplace? Is something like a heatilator worth it?

 

[maddythebeagle]

a conventional fireplace? You can get a wood stove insert put in....I dont know what a heatilator is....?

 

[brewer12345]

Heatilators have fans that recirculate heated air from the fireplace into the room. Is it a major piece of work to put in a woodstove? My fireplace isn't very big.

 

[Martha]

We have a couple of small fireplaces. They now make inserts to fit pretty small fireplaces. Increases efficiency quite a bit. The big cost, which has caused us to not do anything at this time, was the chimney liner. We have about 40 feet of chimney and the liner was going to cost more than the insert.

 

[brewer12345]

Marha, could you offer some kind of price range? Just looking for a SWAG.

 

[Jay_Gatsby]

Politics aside I don't tink W is going to tap the oil reserves.  I don't think the admin considers this a supply shock 

Agreed, but I'm more the conspiratorial type. W had the support of the oil companies to get re-elected. Perhaps keeping his hand off of the strategic oil reserves is payback?

 

[maddythebeagle]

brew: I think one of those wood stove inserts is in the 1-2k range for a small one (just the unit). I had one built in my basement (and new brick around it and new chimney) when I added on. I am not sure how much it would cost to put into an existing fireplace and chimney alterations. I think I had heard conventional fireplaces lose heat and are just for show.

 

[Danny]

Heatilators have fans that recirculate heated air from the fireplace into the room. Is it a major piece of work to put in a woodstove? My fireplace isn't very big.

FP in my office has just swinging glass doors- puts out a surprising amount of heat (350sq. ft) and keeps the air from escaping up the chimney - cost $200

Another FP is in a 500 sq ft. space with 12 windows on 3 sides, came originally with a kinda heatilator and glass doors built in and it does a good job keeping it toasty even when it's well below zero...

I explored the option of inserts (gas & wood) and I couldn't justify the expense(depends on how fancy but I think it was gas= 2000 - 3500 installed and wood insert=1250-2500)...although I have to admit the idea of using a remote to turn on the gas insert and not having to clean the wood ashes was appealing especially here in MN when you have a fire just about everyday for 6 months...

It helps if you have your own wood especially 2+ year aged oak...if you have to buy your hardwood cords(depends where you live) than I'm not sure you will beat regular heating costs... of course a good warm cracklin' wood fire is priceless

To get price ranges on inserts and the install you probably have to have an on-site estimate done or if you go to the showroom come with measurements and get a ballpark...

 

[greg]

Marha, could you offer some kind of price range? Just looking for a SWAG.

DW here. Prices usually range from $1000-$2000 for the stove last time I looked. Plus, in Minnesota code requires you to have insulated stainless steel liners installed in the chimney @ approx. $50/ft. . Oh, plus installation charges. Plus, fuel. Plus, a crabby husband that has to find/buy wood, haul it, split it, stack it, move it inside, load it in stove, unload it, find a place for ashes, and smile at DW in between each of these steps. Not fun for DH--nope, nope, nope. I'll just wait for the pocketbook to shrivel first , thank you.

--Greg

 

[Danny]

...husband that has to find/buy wood, haul it, split it, stack it, move it inside, load it in stove, unload it, find a place for ashes, and smile at DW in between each of these steps... --Greg

There are so many ways to warm yourself with a wood fire....

 

[greg]

Brewer--A good alternative to a Heatilator type insert which requires electricity to operate properly is a regular wood stove that sits just outside (in front of) the fireplace. The metal chimney goes up the brick one. Because it's outside the fireplace box, no fan is required. The heat just rises and circulates. Electricity down, no problem. Lots of stove companies sell these models. In fact, it is often the same model as the regular wood stove but with a doo-hickey on the back so that the pipe goes horizontal for 1-2 feet before turning up. Have fun doing the wood thing.

--Greg

 

[Brat]

First, wear a sweater!!

Second, take a look at how heat circulates in your home.  A recirculating duct with a tempature actuated fan can help a lot.

If your home is older it may be worthwhile to have somemone come out with a heat camera and photo your home to see where you are loosing heat.  You DON'T want to seal your home but there may be areas where heat is being conducted out (windows).

Before you install a fireplace as your home heating solution consider the total picture.  You open the doors (loosing heat) when you bring in wood; wood must be stored away from the home least carpenter ants or termites use the woodpile as a staging area; someone will be consuming gas in the process of felling, cutting and transporting the wood; ashes need to be placed in a metal bucket and stored away from the home (fires started by ashes that were put in a mental bucket to cool in the garage are not uncommon).  In the 'old days' homes had vestibules with doors to keep heat from escaping.  Wood may not be as economical as it appears at first thought.  Smoke from wood burning fireplaces increase air particulates - from time to time communities prohibit their use because of air quality problems.  Our grandparents, and much of the developing world today, use wood because it was available not because it was cheap.

Gas or propane fireplaces eliminate many of the problems of wood but you need to look at the btu output (most gas companies have a consumer department that can help you evaluate that). 

ALWAYS have the installation of a fireplace or fireplace insert inspected by your local building official because if a fire ever starts there you can bet your first born child that your insurance company will be looking for an excuse to deny coverage - and that is where they will go first.

 

[Danny]

Time to start gettin' your stack of wood and pumpkin ready...

'Polar coaster' due this winter, Farmers' Almanac predicts
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) -- Get your sweaters, mittens and hats ready. The Farmers' Almanac warns that the coming winter will bring unusually sharp fluctuations in temperature, and says readers “may be reminded of riding a roller, or in this case, 'polar' coaster.”

“Mother Nature seems to be in the mood for some amusement this winter season,” the almanac said in its 2006 edition, just off the presses.

The coldest weather will be in the Northeast, which also will get plenty of snow, the almanac said. It predicts cold weather for the South and Mid-Atlantic regions and snowy but mild weather in the Great Lakes and Midwest.

Parts of the Rockies and the Great Plains may have drier-than-normal weather, adding to the area's continuing drought, but wetter-than-normal weather is predicted for the Pacific Northwest and lower Texas.

The 189-year-old almanac claims 80 percent to 85 percent accuracy for the forecasts written under the name Caleb Weatherbee.

The forecasts are prepared two years in advance using a secret formula based on sunspots, the position of the planets and the tidal action of the moon, said editor Peter Geiger.

The National Weather Service questions the accuracy of such long-range forecasts, but almanac officials say its predictions stack up well against those of traditional meteorologists.

Chris Vaccaro, a weather service spokesman in Silver Spring, Md., wouldn't comment on the almanac's predictions without knowing “the methodology or algorithms” used to produce them, but said any forecast more than a week in advance is subject to change. They've been trying to get the secret formula for years - my weatherperson's are just plain wrong most of the time...
The almanac, not to be confused with the New Hampshire-based Old Farmer's Almanac 24 years its senior, claims a circulation of nearly 5 million. Most are sold to businesses that give them away as a goodwill promotion. Other versions are sold by retailers in the United States and Canada.

This year's almanac contains the usual mix of recipes, anecdotes, corny jokes, quizzes and helpful hints.

“In today's busy world, people want an escape,” said managing editor Sondra Duncan. “They look to the almanac to connect to the simple pleasures.”

Pumpkins get plenty of ink this year, first in recipes that include pumpkin pie, pumpkin gratin, pumpkin dip and pumpkin pancakes.

But an article also describes how a hollowed-out pumpkin can be used as a boat, as is done each year at the Windsor-West Hants Pumpkin Festival and Regatta in Nova Scotia.

Potential participants beware: “Your pumpkin, or personal vegetable craft (PVC) as they are known, can rarely be used twice due to structural ravages,” the almanac says.

 

[maddythebeagle]

Also, I believe adding fireplaces is one of those projects that you get good return out of a house when you sell, so looking at it as a cost that you only recoup on fuel savings isnt seeing the entire picture. It does help a lot to have access to a source of wood (not real hard in Wisconsin). Also, many people like the heat over gas or other fuels. After I figure the cost of chainsaw fuel, chains, files, bar and chain oil, and the time, I think I save 20 bucks

 

[Danny]

Also, I believe adding fireplaces is one of those projects that you get good return out of a house when you sell, so looking at it as a cost that you only recoup on fuel savings isnt seeing the entire picture. It does help a lot to have access to a source of wood (not real hard in Wisconsin). Also, many people like the heat over gas or other fuels. After I figure the cost of chainsaw fuel, chains, files, bar and chain oil, and the time, I think I save 20 bucks

True, adding a fireplace/insert will probably add value. Also, will give the house more appeal...when I came from SF and we looked at this home and saw 3 fireplaces, I was sold...though we really only use 2...
Everytime we get a straight-line wind thunderstorm I get more wood Although the last one in June I had to cut it off the house

I knew we were in a strange place when I experienced my first winter thunderstom here ...Lightening/Thunder strikes around the house along with snow flakes....

 

[Brat]

As my father once told me: "A fireplace warms you twice. Once when you split the wood, and then after you light it."

My Grandmother heated her home with a wood stove. It had an oven, a tank on the back around the stove pipe to heat water, the top had plates ("elements" on the modern stove) that could be picked up with a hook device where you stuffed the wood in. The kitchen was THE place to be in the winter.

Good wood isn't cheap so don't assume that it is the solution to high oil bills.

If you want to be independent of the system I would put in a propane fireplace and add a generator that runs on propane. You can fill up as need be.

 

[bpp]

The 189-year-old almanac claims 80 percent to 85 percent accuracy for the forecasts written under the name Caleb Weatherbee.
[...]
The almanac, not to be confused with the New Hampshire-based Old Farmer's Almanac 24 years its senior, claims a circulation of nearly 5 million.

Never heard of this Johnny-come-lately Farmer's Alamanac before. The Old Farmer's Almanac is the real thing, famous for having correctly predicted a snow storm in July some time in the mid-1800's. Can FA top that?

Bpp, who receives a copy of the Old Farmer's Almanac from his mother in the US every year...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Mythbusters did a show that had a segment on fireplaces. They found that a regular fireplace warmed the room that it was in slightly, but dropped the temps in all the other rooms in the house...most of the heat from a fireplace goes up the flue and takes significant draft air with it, draft air that generally comes from every crack and seam in the house. The temp of the rooms in the house that didnt have the fireplace in it dropped 3 degrees. Test was done in the SF Bay Area, not a particularly cold spot so it might be more dramatic in colder locales.

Not sure what happens when you use an insert or other heat transfer device.

Caution to folks with newer homes and a running fireplace...crack a window or door near the fireplace for draft purposes. I had my carbon monoxide detector go off in the middle of the night a couple of times after going to bed and leaving a dying fire...when the heat from the fire was no longer strong enough to pull a draft from minute and obscure sources, the CO started leaking into the house through the glass doors. Never had that problem in any of my older homes, but my new nearly airtight one does.

 

[justin]

Mythbusters did a show that had a segment on fireplaces. They found that a regular fireplace warmed the room that it was in slightly, but dropped the temps in all the other rooms in the house...most of the heat from a fireplace goes up the flue and takes significant draft air with it, draft air that generally comes from every crack and seam in the house. The temp of the rooms in the house that didnt have the fireplace in it dropped 3 degrees. Test was done in the SF Bay Area, not a particularly cold spot so it might be more dramatic in colder locales.

I read some info on this a while back too. Thermodynamically, the heat transfer into your system (your house) is usually equal to or less than the heat loss out of your system. You fuel the fire with heated warm air (from your usual furnace), then the warm exhaust air leaves up the chimney. You'll feel warmth around the fireplace, but your furnace will have to run more to keep the rest of the house warm.

However, I guess if you only use fireplaces to heat your house, then you don't have to worry about fuel for your conventional furnace...