Collecting firewood is a hard task to do each year. It may be a sustainable source of heat, but it is not sustainable work for the human body. When I built our woodshed, I designed it to easily keep track of how much wood we have stored, and how much we are using throughout the … Continue reading The Helpful Woodshed … know how many cords of wood all season.
Heating
Thermosiphon equals free hot water
In this blog post, we created a video which explains how we use thermosiphon to heat our domestic hot water through our wood cook stove. We have received requests to create a video post which walks through the process. We hope you enjoy the video and our attempt at creating a Youtube presence. Our channel … Continue reading Thermosiphon equals free hot water
How to fell a hung up tree
During one of the bad wind storms last year, I noticed an entire birch tree partially broke at the base of the trunk. The tree continued to live, but it was hung up on another birch tree and couldn't fall completely to the ground. Even though the tree was still living per se, it was … Continue reading How to fell a hung up tree
Another Firewood Season Coming to a Close *Note sigh of relief…
Wearing my grubbiest, holiest t-shirt, toughest Walls jeans, a pair of worn out hiking shoes or rubber boots, and skip a shower until evening because I am about to sweat through every pore of my skin; I head out to fell, buck, transport, split, and stack firewood for the 2016 season. Gathering wood this season … Continue reading Another Firewood Season Coming to a Close *Note sigh of relief…
When the Electric Log Splitter Dies…
The great thing about an electric log splitter is the energy used to split the wood is free when living with solar energy. I would never trade my electric log splitter for a gas one. I don't want another gas motor to maintain and pay for the fuel to operate it. My electric log … Continue reading When the Electric Log Splitter Dies…
Preparing for a winter storm … Grateful to be off grid
During the last storm in our area, many people were left with out power for days because the wind had knocked out the power in several places. Many homes today are designed to be completely dependent on the grid. When a power outage occurs, the obvious lights, electronic devices, and refrigeration goes down, but that … Continue reading Preparing for a winter storm … Grateful to be off grid
Facing Due South
When designing an off grid sustainable home, it is best to design the majority of the windows facing south to utilize the most amount of solar gain. During the winter it is crucial to let in as much natural light as possible. This cuts down on the use of electricity and the need for electric … Continue reading Facing Due South
Firewood: Cut, Split, and Stacked
As of early August, my wife, son, and I stood happily before our woodshed and admired our work this past season. We had successfully cut, split, and stacked 9 and half cords of wood. Those who don't burn firewood a cord is 4' x 4' x 8' or 128 cubic feet. We succeeded to get … Continue reading Firewood: Cut, Split, and Stacked
Chim, chimney, chim, chim, cher-oo, a chimney sweep too.
As luck would have it, on the property during the summer, I am also the chimney sweep. Every year during the month of August, I steadily climb the roof and bring my bristly brush with me. I climb to the summit and remove the cap and begin my sweep. Since I sweep the stove pipe … Continue reading Chim, chimney, chim, chim, cher-oo, a chimney sweep too.
Domestic hot water from a wood cook stove, now that’s a hot idea.
All domestic hot water in our home currently is heated by the wood cook stove and stored in the tank behind the stove for later use. Since we have been using the wood cook stove to heat the home and cook meals, there has been plenty of hot water for showers, dishes, and laundry during … Continue reading Domestic hot water from a wood cook stove, now that’s a hot idea.
Living a Sustainable Dream 