Propane. Electric. Carbon Tax.

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Thu Oct 13, 2016 7:41 am

Jan, that would be a good idea and I did give it a thought. The wood stove isn't the issue, it's the wall, the chimney that has to go up 2 floors etc and already having a house fire in my past via a wood stove, I won't risk it. Leave it to the ones who know what they are doing,

Post by **Killerbunny** » Thu Oct 13, 2016 8:00 am

When we looked at any type of combustion type stove our insurance wouldn't cover us unless we went with a WETT certified installer. We decided against wood because of our lack of supply an - ahem- we're getting older LOL!
I wonder about the storage heater things which heat up bricks at night and radiate during the day. In the UK they had a "white meter" system to run them.

baronrenfrew · Post by **baronrenfrew** » Thu Oct 13, 2016 8:29 am

We installed a wood stove and later a pellet stove ourselves. We had to pay a WETT certified person to come and certify it...it was no big deal.

Maximus · Post by **Maximus** » Thu Oct 13, 2016 9:03 am

I don't have any documentation on who installed these wood stoves etc., and they get certified. However, their certification is only as good as what they can see. They can't see inside walls, they can't see inside pipes etc. So to me it's surface inspections.

I have a terrible voice in my head that often over worries. I will leave stoves going when I leave the house, leave them on all night and get up to stuff them if need be on those real cold nights. I can not function if I think there is a flaw or an increased potential for danger.

Yesterday I had the dogs in the kennel. I was gone for 7 hrs. After 15 mins of driving I turned back around and came home and put a combination AND key lock on the kennel gate. That's how my brain works. Can't think of it before, only after.

Anyways, I am not a risk taker. No thank you

baronrenfrew · Post by **baronrenfrew** » Thu Oct 13, 2016 9:37 am

you gotta know when to hold em' and when to fold em!
The world is full of people who THINK they know what they're doing. Unfortunately some of them are the pro's we pay to do things!

ross · Post by **ross** » Thu Oct 13, 2016 9:46 am

Back in the day when I was in the gas appliance repair install business I had folks calling me to certify/ tag their install & do first fire . Always said no . Never knew what they did , what thread sealant they used on pipes & as Sandy says chimney etc . Once I put my tag on the system it was my license & their lives I was responsible for & only if I did the work would I take that responsibility & I never would install a used gas appliance , to many variables . Luck on your decision Sandy .

Happy · Post by **Happy** » Thu Oct 13, 2016 10:21 am

So I am about to have my 1968 chimney rebuilt. My house was built by brick masons way back who believed that a flue had to be off-set in order to have sufficient draft...may have worked in 1968 but hasn't helped me as can't get a liner down it to install any type of insert-wood or propane. I have no central furnace. all my interior walls are concrete block or reclaimed school house brick right up to the roof line. Think bunker. So nobody really wants to bust through block walls to run duct work-making all quotes I have received crazy high. So my house has been heated by electric baseboard ONLY for several years. I did the " smart " thing years back and had the propane removed when it was actually out costing electric when I was heating with a free standing propane stove...hindsite is 20/20 lol.
My equal billing hydro bills for the past 10 months have been....wait for it....$615 per month. That's with a pretty mild winter!
There's 2 people in my bungalow house and we heat the lower level at bare minimum to keep pipes from freezing.
So my chimney work...new wood insert purchase with installation all by a WETT certified installer is costing us roughly $5000.00. That's if there's no surprises when they crawl through my attic to break into the chimney to get to the problem area...fingers crossed. The wood is stacked and dry from all of the trees we had to remove this year (Dutch elm and ash bore hitting HARD in this area recently) so for this winter it's free in hopes of off setting initial cost. There is no winning and sadly we grin a bear it...
I'm just lucky that based on my crazy heating bill last year I will recoup my up front costs in less than a calendar year. Next year will be blowing more insulation into attic. My windows are all fairly new and no idea what else I can do aside from bull doze this house and start over! Love where I live so not moving.