Our New Wood Stove

Andrea and I recently decided to put in a wood stove but as easy as that sounds, a lot of work went into installing the stove and ensuring the fireplace surround would be appropriate. The following pictures show you some of the process we went through.

- – -

The fireplace before refacing and installing the wood stove.

Fireplace before

The fireplace before refacing and installing the wood stove.

A close-up of the fireplace before refacing and installing the wood stove.

Fireplace before close-up

A close-up of the fireplace before refacing and installing the wood stove.

Partially completed re-tiling of the fireplace.

Partially re-tiled fireplace

The floor tiles are almost completed while the thinset mortar dries on the vertical surface.

Tiling the vertical surface of the fireplace.

Vertical tiling

Tiling the vertical surface of the fireplace.

Laying out the tiles prior to installation

Laying out tiles

It helps to lay out the tiles prior to the installation, especially for the vertical surface.

The fireplace after being refaced with slate.

Refaced fireplace

The fireplace after being refaced with slate.

Fireplace bricks and damper were removed to fit the 6" flexible liner.

Fireplace bricks removed

Some fireplace bricks and the damper were removed to fit the 6" flexible liner.

Chimney liner being installed.

Chimney liner installation

The stainless steel chimney liner being installed.

The fireplace with a new slate face and a soapstone wood stove from Woodstock Stove Company

Finished Fireplace

The fireplace with a new slate face and a soapstone wood stove from the Woodstock Soapstone Company.

- – -

We had a fireplace that had once been wood-burning, I knew this because there was an old damper and a clean-out shoot below, but had been first converted to gas-burning logs and finally to a nonfunctional fireplace. Once I broke the seal on the old damper and took a look up the chimney, I knew it was going to be possible to add a stainless steel liner and hookup a wood stove. I could tell because it was a straight flue (I could see sky when looking up the chimney) and the existing terracotta tile was in good shape.

The most time consuming part of installing the wood stove was refacing the fireplace surround. We wanted to make it all look better but also needed to extend the fireproof base so that we would be following building codes for wood stoves. In the pictures above you can see how we simply coated the old bricks with thinset mortar to smooth out the surface so it would be appropriate for tiling. What you can’t see in these pictures is how we built up the base by laying down a bed of thinset and putting a cut-t0-fit piece of cement board down, screwing it against the floor.

We were excited about the slate because it looks great, it’s natural, it was pretty cheap and it adds to the functionality of the overall system. The slate helps by adding thermal mass, which you may have read about in my previous blog about rocks in the garden. In this case, the slate adds bulk which can buffer the heat of the stove, absorbing the heat when stove is really cooking and giving off heat even after the fire is out. In fact, this is also why our stove is made out of two inches of soapstone all around.

Once we finished the tile and grout, we had the chimney guys come drop a liner down the chimney. We had our friend, Dave, fabricate an angle iron base-surround which was slightly taller than the base so that it provides a metal lip, keeping ashes and embers from spilling out on to our wood floors. The next step was getting the stove into place and hooking up the stovepipe. When picking a stove, make sure it is an EPA certified wood stove. Our stove has a catalyst which helps get more heat out of the wood and reduce emissions.

There is a lot to this and I left out a lot of details, but I hope you can get an idea of whats involved with installing a wood stove. It is a great way to start moving to a more local fuel for heating your house, which is, arguably, better for the environment.

If you have any questions about this project, please feel free to comment below.

UPDATE 2: Indoor Lighting System

Click Here For My Original Blog “Indoor Lighting System”

Click Here For My 1st Update

Here is another quick update on my NEW Indoor Lighting System. Its getting really close to planting time for our summer annuals, and I am running out of space and shelving to store my huge plants - thanks to my new indoor lighting system I put together this year!

My TOMATO plants are beautiful, thick, and bursting with yellow blossoms!  These tomatoes were started by seed on March 14th. That is a little less than a month and a half ago! Some plants are over 12 inches tall! I will need to start my tomato plants later next year, probably the end of March instead!  These plants are getting so big I had to transplant them into a bigger pot a second time!  The goal is to transplant only ONCE…then out they go straight into the ground!

Look how thick the stalk is at the bottom! That is what you want.  These plants will get off to a great start in the garden.

Tomato Plant - grown indoors 12 inches tall

Tomato Flowers - ready to start producing

Here are my CABBAGE plants now, I really need to plant them outside! Look at how huge these leaves have become! Plants are still short and stalky and they are extremely healthy! I have already acclimated them to the outdoors as they have been on my back porch with no cover for a couple weeks now just waiting for me to put them in their permanent spot!

These plants were started the end of February. They are almost two months old!  TIME TO PLANT!

Cabbage Plants- ready to plant

My PEPPER plants are LOVING the warmth these lights have provided. Look how gorgeous they are! They don’t like to be over watered under the lights though. In fact, if they dry out just a LITTLE they don’t mind it! I keep my pepper plants in their own flat so that when I water, I usually wait an extra day longer than I would for all the other plants, especially the tomatoes (tomatoes need alot of water growing under these lights).  Peppers seem to do much better with just a little bit less water than everything else!

These pepper plants also have blossoms on them just waiting to start producing yummy peppers! They were started on March 7th, so they are now about a month and three weeks old. Look how lush and compact they are! They should really perform well outdoors.

Pepper Plants - blossoms ready to go

Last, here are some of my EGGPLANT plants. This was a wonderful surprise, due to the fact that I have NEVER been able to start eggplant indoors ever! They really have taken to this indoor lighting system and have flourished!

These eggplants were started the same time as my peppers on March 7th. They are also about a month and three weeks old. They look better and are much healthier than store bought! I bet the aphids are going to LOVE these eggplants…

OH BUT NOT IF I CAN HELP IT…

Eggplant - gorgeous thriving plants

I NEVER use any chemicals to force growth on any of my plants! I use all organic fertilizers such as fish and bone meal, alfalfa meal, soft rock phosphate, and seaweeds – all creating a unique blend of superior organic-based ingredients that actually invigorates and improves the biological life in my soil.

I can’t wait to get all these plants in the ground and see how well they produce!

Click Here For My Original Blog “Indoor Lighting System”

Click Here For My 1st Update

HAPPY GARDENING!

Michele

Cheap Actively Aerated Compost Tea

Two large air stones for the bottom.

Two large air stones for the bottom.

The "T" connection for the air stones.

The "T" connection for the air stones.

Paint filter bag.

Paint filter bag.

The small air stone for the bag with the compost.

The small air stone for the bag with the compost.

A dual output air pump.

A dual output air pump.

Not too full to avoid overflows.

Not too full to avoid overflows.

Bubble out the chlorine if you are using tap water.

Bubble out the chlorine if you are using tap water.

Molasses and brown rice flour.

Molasses and brown rice flour.

Adding the molasses.

Adding the molasses.

A small handful of brown rice flour.

A small handful of brown rice flour.

Stir it up a bit.

Stir it up a bit.

Gather the compost in the filter bag.

Gather the compost in the filter bag.

Put the air stone into the compost bag.

Put the air stone into the compost bag.

Secure the bag to the lid.

Secure the bag to the lid.

The compost filter stays attached to the lid.

The compost filter stays attached to the lid.

Air holes allow the pumped air to escape the bucket.

Air holes allow the pumped air to escape the bucket.

The tea turns a rich brown color.

The tea turns a rich brown color.

The compost stays in the filter bag.

The compost stays in the filter bag.

The tea brews for 12 more hours without the compost.

The tea brews for 12 more hours without the compost.

- – -

In the pictures above you can see my version of an Actively Aerated Compost Tea brewer which was based upon a design by Bruce Deuley which you can see HERE. The cat, Lane, was determined to help.

My design is slightly different in that I have only one bubbler in the bag with the compost and I made the hole at the top big enough to feed the bag through so it can hang from the lid itself. Continue reading Cheap Actively Aerated Compost Tea