Fireside Chat

By
eric
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97
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It’s single digits outside as I type this – but 72 degrees inside, as I type this. The fire is keeping us warm.

But that’s only part of it.

The fire can’t be turned off (or even down) by a remote central authority – as electricity can. If you rely on the latter to keep warm, keep in mind that they control whether you stay warm. Their control can be asserted by what they call a “smart” meter – or a “smart” thermostat. Which it isn’t very smart to have in your home, if you dislike the idea of not being in control over whether you stay warm. It is psychologically interesting that they use such verbiage to wheedle people into thinking it is “smart” to accept what is manifestly stupid – in terms of their own self-interest. The same etymological mind-fuckery can be observed in the use of such words as “assistance” to describe “technology” that’s likewise used to control people.

Think about this push to power everything using electricity. Not just heat. What will it mean when everything is powered by the same thing and nothing is any longer up to you to decide whether to power (and how much power to use). Think about the kinds of people who are pushing for that control and what they have already done to us on the pretext of various shibboleths, which are all fundamentally the same in that they all serve the same purpose.

Two guesses as to what that might be.

I have a big pile of firewood sitting just outside my front door. Each log can be thought of as unit of energy – which it is – that can be used at my discretion for any purpose I deem necessary. The wood is storable energy, too – which has a value not dissimilar from that which inheres in precious metals. Each log represents – each log is – heat value that can be cashed in whenever I like. Electricity is different in at least two ways worth thinking about, the most obvious being it is only available to use if it isn’t turned off (or down). You pay your power bill, but you can’t stack up a pile of kilowatt-hours to have on hand for when the power might be turned off (or down). You can only have what they allow you to receive and they can decide to not allow you to receive it anytime they like.

And why would they want to have that kind of control over your ability to stay warm? Or to eat, for that matter? How about your being able to go for a drive – or not?

Perhaps you begin to see.

One of the reasons I left the city – left suburbia – was because I liked the idea of taking back a degree of control over what I perhaps quaintly continue to think of as my life. It is essential to assert control over it if one wishes to have meaningful ownership over it. Otherwise, it’s just a sickly (and dangerous) illusion. One that can be easily and quickly dispelled by an assertion of control by the owners.

cc-01-17-24_EPonKMED     

So I traded in a suburban house on a lot measured in square feet for a country house on land – with plenty of trees. My own storehouse of energy, which is now effectively free for the taking. Having bought the house and the land, I own the trees – and I can (and do) cut some down as necessary. The power could go off for months and we’d neither freeze nor go without hot food (and water). The latter being arguably at least as important as staying warm when it’s bitter cold.

Of course, it is for just these reasons that they will probably try to outlaw the use of wood to heat a home. They have already done or are trying to do just that in some parts of what’s left of this country. Which is just the right word given who’s behind the destruction of this country.

I think they’ll fail – because it’s no longer a question of annoyance or inconvenience or background-noise increase in the cost of living. It is becoming clear to people who aren’t catatonic that they mean to take away everything, which necessarily means our lives at the end of the thing. We face, in other words, an existential threat – and when a person realizes this, it tends to focus his attention on dealing with it.

We’ve been living with it for far too long. Chiefly because we could afford to. Because we have enjoyed a cushion of affluence that seemed almost an entitlement; certainly something many took for granted.

It is now on the verge of being taken away – by people whose evil motives all-too-many-of-us either didn’t understand or didn’t want to understand. When everything is on the table, such ignorance – such insouciance – is fatal.

These are my thoughts as I type by my fireside, looking out my window at the cold outside.

. . .

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  4. The Mobile Space Heater
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97 COMMENTS

  1. Another solution to the problem of the nobility slave owners running the planet…

    Start your own completely separate sovereign system/country….

    Best news in 200 years….an indigenous government would be 100X better then the marxist/globalists nobility slave owners running all the countries now….

    king charles the 3rd said the indigenous own the land…. not him…the crown…@ 9:30 in video…

    the crown had allodial title in commonwealth countries…now king charles says they don’t…inferring the indigenous have allodial title now and always did…….

    this means the indigenous have allodial title to the land now…in all commonwealth countries….. about 20% of the planet….

    The indigenous are starting their own government @ 09:30 in video

    The indigenous are making their own marshalls…police force, army… so they can get control…fight back……@ 11:10 in video…

    The indigenous are also bringing in their own banking system and bringing their own currency…@ 12:45 in video

    The indigenous are starting producing their own food supply @ 03:00 in video

    an indigenous government would be 100X better….

    probably a far smaller government, far lower or no taxes, freedom of speech and movement, maybe a new gold backed non fiat currency,

    Chief Muskwa Wahyaw Kayitapit, A Warrior For The People

    https://rumble.com/v27sh7s-chief-muskwa-wahyaw-kayitapit-a-warrior-for-the-people.html?fbclid=IwAR3r5_urRG0h2JklxC5qk06771QqpQOY6PkRI3TF_9owutophPbnJdPy3ew

  2. Yikes Folks,

    Sounds like living “north of the arctic circle”… takes one heck of a lot of work!..Nien Danke..

    I’m retired and lazy, attempting to cycle down to the Caribe life style, still working on..REAL LAZY STATUS, and I’ll tell you , it takes a lot of work!
    .. thus
    Chopping firewood?? What is?

    Heck I’m trying to figure out a comfortable Shack design with 0 r value insulating capability!

    It appears marine plywood and a corrugated metal roof + ceiling fan will insulate me right fine..
    Yessirree.

    “Caribbean Acres is the place for me”!

  3. Those who are “awake” are always amazed why the most recent government power grab or outrage doesn’t move the masses to action. Comfort. The majority of the people are comfortable. Grocery stores are stocked as are the liquor stores, homes are warm in the winter, cool in the summer, TV and internet work and there’s gas for the car.

    The “system” for all it’s corruption, greed and stupidity can still keep the lights on, the stores stocked and the gas stations open. When it can’t the lid blows off. The tipping point seems to approaching. All it will take is a spark, or perhaps the dark.

    • There’s much wrong with this statement, “The “system” for all it’s corruption, greed and stupidity can still keep the lights on, the stores stocked and the gas stations open.”

      • I think what was meant was “despite government interference, the free market is pretty resilient and able to keep the lights on, the stores stocked and the gas stations open”.

    • 3 days to anarchy…if people don’t eat for 3 days…they flip out….

      lots of places have only 7 days food supply…just in time deliveries…In Venezuela they starting eating neighbor’s pets….

      The preppers in the wilderness with 12 months food supply will survive…for a little while….

  4. It’s probably a good idea to pick non-electric things when building new or replacing items. For example, you should get natural gas hookups when building a new house. Places like NYC have banned new connections of natural gas, so other areas will likely do so in the near future. So do it when you still can. I have natural gas heat, water and clothes dryer. I should probably replace my electric stove (which I don’t like) and oven with gas when I remodel the kitchen.

    What other major appliances do people have that run on things other than electric?

    We should ran a DE-Electrifying campaign. The more things that aren’t electric will be things that still work in the future if they get their way.

    • RE: “We should ran a DE-Electrifying campaign.”

      A downside is: gas water heaters don’t last as long as electric.
      Or, so I’ve read.

      A downside, I’m willing to pay. Upside is, hot water when the power is out. Way worth it.

      • I can attest to this. We’ve been in our house for 10 years and I’ve already had to replace the gas HW tank once. Probably again within the next few years. I believe they make these things purposefully with design flaws.

        • Did you replace the anode rod? The rod rusts rather than the tank. Replace the rod every 5 years or so and you should be good; if I recall they run about $50. Also flush the tank while you’re in there – the build up on the bottom traps heat, causing premature death. You should get at least 20-30 years out of water heater.

  5. Living off the grid on a 50 acre farm…..$200 property tax per year…..$140/month total overhead…..very cool….

    no cell phone, no electricity or city water, no id, no driver’s licence, no social security number…nothing….horse for transportation and plow pulling….does pay property tax….grows own food….

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir3eJ1t13fk

        • No one should have to give up modern civilized life conveniences to live in peace. That is just wrong. Maybe get rid of the problem… too much government. Better yet,,, no government.

          • I feel this way, too. Ceding things to them that add up to your diminishment isn’t winning. There’s too much of that in the minds of some people who I consider to be on my side. It won’t solve the root of the problem you mentioned.

            • I think it’s always been this way. Living totally independently with more freedom requires sacrifice and hard work. When you choose to live in a larger society that affords more security, society places rules on you that you do not always agree with. I wonder if there is any way around this. I don’t think so.

              Might be possible if everyone lived by the NAP, but that pesky human nature….

              • It’s wrong to assume freedom is inversely related to the amount of “civilization” one can enjoy. Sacrifice is the basis of collectivism, not individualism or freedom. Human nature, or a better term, human action, is to work smart, cooperate and self regulate in order to prosper and thrive. Of course, you’ve been told the opposite by the system your whole life. Just like everyone else, some of whom then choose to believe it and to live down to it. The foundational premise of “government” is assuming the worst of humans and then controlling them at the level of the lowest common denominator.

              • Hey Philo,

                Part of it may be as simple as population density.

                Look at the use of firearms. Here at my off-grid land, I can pop off shots in random directions with my 9mm, for example, and have a very small chance of hitting anyone or anyone’s property. (I’m actually very conscientious with my firearms use) In the city where I used to live, I would be essentially guaranteed to hit someone or their property. Thus, out here, no one gives a shit if I do some shooting, and I likewise don’t care if they do so. I like hearing the distant gunfire, actually. Let freedom ring!

                Also, some people look at off-grid living like they’d be losing something. I’ve lost nothing. Well, I lost a mortgage payment, and monthly electrical, gas and sewer bill. I also lost the horrible traffic and shitty air.

                Coming out here, though it’s been hard work, was ABSOLUTELY worth it. Yes, there’s the freedom. I can walk around my land wearing nothing but boots and a sidearm and drinking a fifth of whiskey and no one is going to call the cops about the crazy guy. I’m doing and building whatever the hell I want, and no one is saying shit. Neighbors the same. The centralized control structures have bigger fish to fry in the tenuously controlled Rube Goldberg machines surrounding them. Some of this is about being out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

                But there’s more than that. There’s the pride and power in building your own life and being responsible for your own well-being. It’s a sense of accomplishment that the city hamster-wheel will never replicate. The knowledge and experience you obtain with DIY efforts is like nothing else. Being a cog in a machine does not yield the same results. Off-grid living is much more about gain than loss.

                I didn’t give up civilization. I can still drive to the store and buy things or go out for a night of dining and dancing. It’s just that day-to-day life isn’t lived in the cluster.

                Collectivists like collectives. They like being around many others so they can share the work load, or better yet, push their work load off on someone else.

                Individualists like being autonomous, even at the expense of more work and uncertainty. Be out here, make your own decisions, probably fail more often. But you learn, and succeed, and become stronger, more knowledgeable and ultimately more powerful as an individual than those collectivist mechanisms doing their perfunctory dances at the behest of their rulers and decision makers.

                https://youtu.be/r4-gmECiENQ?si=7Qe99tWYKT06izuK

                If done properly, in a few years, there will be much less work, and my land and the things I’ve built, will be working for ME.

                Now it’s time to get back at it.

                But if you or anyone here is thinking it’s too much or you can’t do it, though you want to, remember that you may have to plan well and work hard, especially at first, but it’s worth it.

                Be the captain of your soul and the master of your fate.

    • Maybe if I delete all the italics…..

      [Nothing is wrong with your television. Do not attempt to change the channel. Your regularly scheduled program will not be seen because I am controlling the transmission. I control the horizontal. I control the vertical. And those buttons on your remote that don’t seem to do anything? I know what they’re for! From this moment on, your television belongs to me—] Control Freak aka Your friendly government.

  7. [“Nothing is wrong with your television. Do not attempt to change the channel. Your regularly scheduled program will not be seen because I am controlling the transmission. I control the horizontal. I control the vertical. And those buttons on your remote that don’t seem to do anything? I know what they’re for! From this moment on, your television belongs to me—Control Freak!”]- Control Freak

    Never thought it’d get this far….

  8. Check out Chinese diesel heaters. Cheap efficient vented heat. I combine one of these with a wood burning stove in my off-grid setup. Can’t be beat. They can be run off diesel and kerosene or gasoline with some modifications. They use very little 12v battery power from a vehicle or solar generator. Some versions even have a water jacket built into the heat exchanger so you can produce hot water while you’re heating the air. No fumes like kerosene heaters. No moisture like un-vented propane. Store as much diesel as you want and dispense your own at the local fuel station.

    https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=chinese+diesel+heater

    • Great info, BlackFlag!

      These off-grid and self-reliance topics get me stoked. I still plan to make gasoline and diesel using biomass one of these days, when I get to it, and even make it cost competitive with commercial, petroleum-derived varieties.

      Don’t know that I’ve heard of coppicing, but I’m going to check it out! I was thinking mesquite was a great prospect, because it seemed utterly incorrigible, sprouting up everywhere whether you helped it or not. Also great density.

    • The Redwoods in California make you look like you are one foot tall, the trees are ginormous. Truly unbelievable the size of the tree, a Giant Redwood from a seed 1/8th inch in length.

      One foot per year growth, 90 feet tall in 90 years. 2000 year old trees that are still alive is a true testament that Mother Nature is the genuine article. One Redwood still standing after more than 2000 years. You can’t touch that.

      One stump I saw along the scenic highway was a good 16 feet in diameter. I stood right on top of it. Nothing else like it on the planet.

      You won’t be short on firewood in California.

      There is one Sequoia out there discovered not so long ago that might be the biggest one yet.

      It is a known that will remain unknown to the general public.

      Cedar stumps in the forest leading up to Mt. Rainier are peppered across the landscape.

      There is a coastal Spruce tree in Olympic National Park that is over 270 feet tall.

      If I want firewood, there are thousands of dead cottonwoods out there strewn across the countryside. Plenty of it in the farmyard shelter belt. Not little trees, you’ll be busy.

      In fact, you will never burn it all, impossible.

  10. This article reminded me of three videos I saw by an EV enthusiast in Iowa. We’re finally having winter here (I’m in Minnesota) and it is interesting to see how the EV folks are getting on.

    Here he’s showing off the traction and warming capabilities of his appliance:
    https://youtu.be/8pgcChid7QQ?si=ZdxMQNKoGSIC8c0R

    But a few days before he had a heat pump go out, which had the same effect as us losing a water pump (but more expensive):
    https://youtu.be/lms8Re_13vU?si=Hxh_VbH_Jpk6lOCX

    Now, this guy seems pleasant and all, but there is something about him that makes me believe he’d believe anything Public Radio would say. Something about the look in his eyes.

    The other video that caught my attention was of a trip from Austin to Iowa. I’ve driven from Austin to the Twin Cities in my Highlander Hybrid, and I run out of gas before it does. This guy? I stopped watching after his third recharge when HE WAS STILL IN TEXAS:
    https://youtu.be/39Rrs1YvJ6w?si=AG_cJtzHklpOQvUR

    I just don’t get it.

    • Hi Scooter,

      I do.

      These people are psychologically akin to the Jesuits who wore a hairshirt and practiced self-whipping. The both rationalize suffering as virtuous and necessary.

      • You’re probably thinking of the flagellants. It’s amazing what weird-ass cults sprang up in wake of the “Little Ice Age” that drove the Vikings out of Greenland (because it froze over) and caused crop failures, famines, and pestilence to bedevil Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries.
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagellant?wprov=sfla1

        Then again, as the sage Archibald Bunker of 704 Hauser Street, Queens New “Yawk”, once explained, it was the doings of “Gawd, in his infinite miocy, dere”, to deal with overpopulation. It was certainly when “DA Oith” (Earth) was considerably less populated, and no one gave a flying Fook about “carbon footprint “

  11. Problem with wood is the supply takes a darn long time to replenish. The UK has no wood because the inhabitants burned it all. At the turn of this century the US had more forest land than at the turn of the 20th, because of coal, oil and nuclear power.

    One nice thing about wood is it is hard to steal. Can’t say that about diesel fuel oil.

    It’s really all about energy density. Coal is fairly accessible, sometimes you can see veins along road cuts, and there’s plenty of tailings all over coal country if you’re sure you won’t get caught.

    Solar and lead acid is another option, if you can find room and cash for 15kW and live far enough south that you’ll get sufficient sun in winter. You still might come up short though, so more of a “primary” system.

    • True RK, in the NE of the US ‘before’ oil/coal, our settlers did the same thing. I’ve read that there was little forest left in the NE in late 1700, early 1800’s.
      They also deforested for crop land.
      My land is 60+acres, hardwoods, in the NE. I have pictures of it from 1930 that shows it pretty much baron. I was told a ‘rich guy from the city’ bought it then in 1930, and let it go. The locals went crazy “what are you doing? do you know how hard it is to remove the trees for crop/pasture land” He didn’t care. We bought it in 1995 and it was pretty much completely forested (65 yrs). I now manage it to get the results I want, very long term results.
      However, I have learned that these 60acres would sustain us if we needed to heat with wood. And still be enough left over for others, how much I don’t know.
      Now in comparison, our 9 acres in the West, is likely not sustaining, however, I am also learning that their trees, so less dense, grow so much faster, I am having a hard time keeping up, and hence ‘giving it away’.
      Interesting stuff to me. I enjoy managing and working a forest. A little claim to fame is some of our trees went to japan to make high-end instruments. How cool is that? Special trees, that the mill paid big bucks for (learn again). So now I am trying to make our land create these special trees as a goal that only future generations will hopefully understand.

    • Hey ReadyK,

      “Solar and lead acid is another option, if you can find room and cash for 15kW and live far enough south that you’ll get sufficient sun in winter.”

      Yep, that’s me. Except 15kW of LiFePO4, rather than lead acid. Said to last 4000 cycles or more at 80% depth of discharge. Possibly 15 years of life the way we use ’em. We’ll see.

  12. Where is all this cold weather? Here in Massachusetts (uggh) all I ever hear about on the local news is how it was the “hottest summer on record” – constantly. Yet I wouldn’t know that the rest of the country is freezing watching these frauds.

    • I had a giggle imagining that she was going to put the camera in the wood stove. 🙂

      Also, there’s a power line on the homestead?

      I will say, she’s had better luck (probably knowledge and skill) with chickens, than we’ve had so far. Ours were eaten by what was probably an owl.

        • Helot,

          Happened at night, leaving only feathers, which is why we think it was an owl. Many around these parts.

          Also! I’m going to cut a log with my electric chainsaw and monitor the wattage on the Kill-a-Watt. That will give us an estimate of how long it’ll work off of batteries. I’ll report back soon. Then I better get back to putting the doors on my shed.

          Also, also… Some inclement weather this weekend, so maybe a little fun with virology research. 😉

          Stay tuned.

        • Alright,

          So the electric chainsaw used about 550 watts when free-wheeling, but about 800-900 watts when cutting wood. The chain was a little dull, so that might’ve been a factor.

          With that, a 100aH deep cycle battery contains a theoretical 1200Wh of energy, but only about half of that is usable to preserve the battery.

          Give a 95% efficiency of a good inverter, that’s 570Wh, and 570Wh/900W = 0.63 hours, or 38 minutes of continuous use.

          For one of the LiFePO4 batteries that run my house, which is much more energy dense and actually lighter, they contain a nominal 2560Wh fully charged. But you can use 80% (or even 100%) of their energy without seriously compromising the battery, so that gives:

          .80*2560Wh*.95 = 1946Wh
          Which is 1946Wh/900W = 2.16 hours or 2 hours 10 minutes of continuous use.

          Maybe not for commercial use, but not too bad.

  15. Most homes in this part of Texas have a fireplace. I had one in my first home and it pretty much sucks – takes a long time to warm up, and God forbid the chimney won’t draw properly – your house WILL fill with smoke.

    On the other hand, whoever built my second (and current) house had the right idea – a wood burning stove with a smoke catalyst. Heats up quickly and no mess. Nothing to really fail but the catalysts, but the stove still works without them, just not as efficiently. And has a door with a glass insert to watch the fire. With all the trees I had die from Oak Wilt I haven’t had to use my propane furnace in years, even when it got down to 6 a couple years back.

    If you’ve got a fireplace, they sell wood burning stove inserts – look into them.

  16. left the hamster wheel in the city two decades ago. never looked back. realized what a trap it was to have a nice house in town and a high paying job. it is a mouse maze and one you never escape. you can’t earn enough to be free and the more you earn the less you have of life! the less time. the less money. wasn’t worth it. sold our half a million dollar house and bought land in a small area in another state and never looked back. less house. more land. less debt more self sufficiency.

    you can’t have it both ways! the game is rigged. and it is one not worth playing. i love our life now and wouldn’t trade it for anything. first thing we did was secure our heat, water, and ability to live off the land and with our animals. feed ourselves and feed them as well.

    those who claim the right to rule the world won’t have that. much like the movie Serenity. Mal was taking to the hired killer that was sent to track him and River Tam down. Mal Said…’me and mine have to die so you have live in your utopia’…and the killer said…i am just creating that world…not living in it….pretty much the true state of the world. we are being wiped out. we as in the human race as a species is targeted for extinction and if people keep obeying monsters in human clothing…that is exactly what will happen. annihilation.

    they intend to take our heat, our homes, our water, our land, our very lives and our ability took function freely. their stated goals is the death of all life…not just human…BUT ALL LIFE. they want all the trees cut down, all the animals wiped out….all the plants. pretty much everything….zero carbon….means zero life! they come right out in say it knowing that the majority won’t hear it and won’t believe it.

    the best we can do is carve out what little self sufficiency we can. hold fast to it. and say NO….with a loud voice and a finger wave!

    me and mine….we aim to misbehave….as Malcolm Reynolds said in the movie above.

    • After all of the stupid boomers are gone, who will you blame then?

      Okay, boomer!

      No, not really, just kidding.

      My lying eyes were opened the day the Jew for Jesus presented his shtick at the local church where I used to be a member of the congregation. No more, enough! Gullible so-called Christians are just plain stupid, get a life, for God’s sake.

      The Jew for Jesus and his wife ruffled my feathers. Glared at them with contempt, including an indignant stare of hate. Absolutely disgusting display of arrogant behavior, shame on the Jew for Jesus, whatever that is.

      Get lost and good riddance to any Jew on the planet.

      Never again.

  17. To me, this is exactly where they (WEF, WHO, cronyists) are trying to take us. The elites are pushing for a type of reverse socialism, where classes are firmly established.

    Socialism pretends to keep us all under control through the happiness of class elimination, while the party leaders are definitely in the upper class (which of course doesn’t exist comrade).

    Current elites seem to be attempting to elevate themselves permanently and keep the rest of us in a place where we are powerless to resist, thus creating a better world (for them).

  18. Several years ago, while living in our first house, we had a severe ice storm and had no power for a week. I was completely caught off guard and soon realized I was not prepared for this (being young and dumb). Add to the urgency the full house of a wife, and 3 small children.

    I was able to find the last gas generator at Walmart, but it only ran for 4 hours before needing more gas (gallon tank). We were using it to run a space heater.

    The house (built in 1955) had a huge wood burning fireplace, but that doesn’t do much good when you have no wood stockpiled. All wood was sold out within a 100 mile radius it seems.

    Drove to a place that had some firewood several towns over who were not affected by the power outages. Stocked up and we kept a fire going that warmed the house to a manageable temperature for the remaining outage. Once the heat situation was handled, it was actually kind of a fun adventure.

    Lesson learned. We built our new house surrounded by miles of woods with a gas/wood fireplace and I keep a winter’s worth of ready to burn wood at all times now. Some lessons you have to learn the hard way.

  19. Thank goodness I have a pellet stove, for similar reasons. Of course, I’d rather have a wood stove (as it doesn’t require electricity) but not having a full-length chimney precludes that. At least I have a gas generator and many gallons of gas for the small electricity it does use, should I need it. I also have a gas fireplace, which also helps. The house came with a heat pump, which is just ok, but not great, but I like having it as another supplemental heat source. Having as many options to heat one’s house as possible is good, should one stop working.

  20. Eric et al,

    I have so many ideas for my homestead, and much of it has to do with keeping the house warm in the frigid winter.

    First will come the building of my own house, to my specifications. Insulation is doubtless of prime importance.

    I believe I may end up with four methods for home heating:

    1. Fireplace(s)- There’s lots of wood out here, and we can grow more. Hell, it’s the ultimate carbon-neutral fuel, so there SHOULDN’T be any climate-activist impetus for banning wood burning, only an attempt to needlessly freeze people to death. There is also nothing that makes a house a home like a fireplace. Hail Hestia.

    2. Mainly, I plan to build a concentrated-solar hydronic system, which should serve to keep the nights warm on most days. I should be able to build the 10’x30’concentrator on-the-cheap, and a 1,000 gallon water tank is going underground. The water will serve as a thermal reservoir, and when fully heated, should provide enough heat energy to heat the house for 3-4 days alone. The heated water (really antifreeze solution) will circulate through the house to fanned radiators to release the heat and keep the place warm. Also, a sunny day in January should be able to “recharge” the reservoir. This will be quite the experiment, but I’m confident it can be done.

    3. Mini-split heat-pump: This is a MAYBE. As an air-conditioner, a small system could easily be powered in the summer. The winter is a bit of different story, though if there are clouds but wind, perhaps enough energy could be harvested to run the system to keep us warm. also, even if the hydronic system is too cool to be of much use for direct heating, a tepid hydronic radiator at the inlet to the heat pump would greatly improve its efficiency.

    4. Large RV propane heater: A small one is keeping us warm in our RV at the moment. It works well and is actually quite efficient. A big part of what I’m trying to accomplish, however, is to be independent and self-reliant. If buying propane can be avoided, it will be.

    I will soon complete building what is a mighty robust shed. I think it has the potential to last 100 years.

    The only thing that really worries me about all of this is regarding the Powers that Be. We’re not asking permission to do any of this. None of their goddamned business. We’ll see what follows.

    • BaDnOn: Depending on how you look at convention, you might consider building a two-story, but upside down. We built back in the early ’70s with wood heat in mind. We lived up, slept down. Made a lot of sense. Had large openings in the second story floor at each end of the house. One was the normal stairwell, the other of a similar open area. Worked like a charm. It did make it hard to sell. Had to find buyers as weird as us. But after 19 years in it, if I were to build again, I would do the same.

      • Hey ARYLIOA,

        You know, I’ve considered the two-story setup in much the same way as you describe, though I was going to keep the bedrooms underground. I think I’m going to keep that idea in reserve for a more grandiose and ambitious endeavor for later on. I have plenty of land for 2 houses. This one will be a bit more modest, but the goal is the possible completion within the year. That probably won’t happen, knowing how things go, but definitely within 2 years.

    • Check out how Scandianvians build houses. The level of insulation is insane, to the point where passive heat emitted from devices and appliances is enough to keep the house warm in the coldest of winter.

      This level of insulation does bring problems, however, since the house is so airtight that it’s got no airflow, and needs some kind of heat-preserving ventilation system. They’ve got whole house fans with a heat exchanger to retain indoor heat when venting from the outside.

      Example: https://www.scanhome.ie/house-types/passive

      I’m considering building something like this in my hometown, where -30C is normal and power prices are going insane.

      • Thanks, and I’ll look this over, OppositeLock. I’m seeing about 20 inches of insulation for the ceiling, haha. Might be a little extreme for my climate, but I’ll sure take in the info.

        We got down to 1*F the other morning, and it was the coldest I’ve ever experienced. Been living in warmer parts of Az until now.

      • Something that must be considered in tightly insulated houses is the accumulation of water vapor emitted by your breathing. 5 liters per day per person. Water vapor floats around until it hits a window or other cold spot, then condenses into water. May need a dehumidifier to keep the water vapor levels down to pre condensation levels.

        • Hey To5,

          A dehumidifier shouldn’t be a problem if necessary. I doubt I’ll go QUITE as hardcore as these Scandinavian builders, but they have some good ideas.

        • Offsetting that is the very dry ambient air in a cold climate. We usually have to run a humidifier from November to March to prevent nosebleeds and such. And you are quite correct, what humidity you do have will condense and freeze on window and cold corners.

          I read Heinlein’s Red Planet as a kid, it turns out NW Minnesota is about as close as you can get to a harsh alien place, hostile to life, which WILL kill you given a chance.

      • OppositeLock,

        It’s absolutely incredible how efficient some of these homes are. There is a 2,500 square foot house sporting one 900 watt heater! Also a whole tract of homes with no heating appliances at all?

        Lots of great information. Thank you!

  21. ‘What will it mean when everything is powered by the same thing.’ — eric

    I still kick myself for replacing a 1982 gas boiler with a millivolt generator (gas pressure powered) for the thermostat, meaning no 120-volt AC needed. Its replacement required 120 VAC for both the thermostat circuit and a solenoid-operated damper — meaning that if the power blinks off, there goes your gas heat too. When Hurricane Sandy hit the NYC area in late October 2012 causing a multi-day blackout, this was shown to be a lousy setup.

    Redundancy = resiliency. But Big Gov is taking it away.

    Diversity good, redundancy ba-a-a-a-a-a-d. — Ministry of Truth

  22. Good stuff Eric and timely.
    I too believe the push to electrify everything has evil intent.
    I live on the edge of suburbia in a NE location and in a small rural town in the west.
    I am surprised how many people heat with wood just on my 2 mile road in the burb area, about 1/3. I am not surprised that about 2/3rds heat with wood in our rural area.
    Some have elaborate systems that heat hot water and send it to the house. They do not care when heating oil went to $4/gal+.
    They bust their ass though, all year, making their own firewood from their woods. It is gratifying to lend a hand when we can.
    I’ve learned that our NE wood is really good hard wood relative, and my neigbors say 2-4 cords get them through the winter. But in my west location, with no similiar hard woods, they need 5-8 cords to get through winter with about the same climate because the wests wood is not nearly as dense.
    I am very fortunate to own lots of acres in both locations with enough standing and standing dead to last forever (sustaining), if you take care of it. In my NE location, I have enough to help many neighbors, if needed, as well.

  23. On top of that, Wood heat is carbon neutral. Every bit of the carbon it expels was absorbed from its environment during it’s lifetime.

  24. In all my years, I never once thought, ‘A fireplace is made for cooking.’

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTS9dU5w5Tg

    I really like how he has a fireplace, a wood stove AND a potbelly wood stove. I don”t have his fancy type fireplace, just a Plain Jane one. Of all the racks and such for cooking surfaces I kind of like the stainless steel grill made by Ash & Ember. It’s well made, hope I don’t ever have to use it. Nor the cast iron camping dutch oven. Squatting down in front of my fireplace to cook ain’t my idea of a good time.

    Been having to have lots of thoughts like that these days.

    Wanted to get a wood stove, got derailed after finding out how poorly my attic was insulated. Learned more about insulation, vapor barriers & baffles than I ever wanted to know$. …Still not done working up there like an acrobatic hunched over shimmying monkey.

    I got to thinking, if I can’t get propane for my house furnace, nor gasoline for my generator, then neither will the guys who cut firewood for a living have any for their chainsaws & loading forklifts, …which kinda sorta waylays the idea of a wood stove as a long term backup. …It sucks to even be considering much of this. …Still want one, though. A kerosene heater will have to do in the meantime.

    The Sengoku HeatMate kerosene heater is the Bomb-diggity according to Milesstair – that guy knows his stuff. Got two, one for each end of the house. Easier to refill than the bigger heaters. Much.

    …Now, if I just knew how to make my own kerosene.

    “Only, in America”?

      • I wish I had as many trees as the others here. Not enough around. And, to be good firewood, doesn’t it have to dry for 6 – 12 months? Or, be put in a kiln?

        I really envy those who have an abundance of hedge trees.

        The farmers in my area have all been working double-overtime clearing every ditch & creek they can in order to maximize yield.
        Quite often they just heap it all into a big pile with a bulldozer & burn it. …I often think about what I could have done with all that wood while driving past the piles, surrounded by miles of just dirt/fields picked to the ground.

        • Helot,

          Yes! All that fuel continually goes to waste. I’ve said it many times, that it all could be put to good use IF the minerals are returned to the soil after the carbon is used.

          Speaking of wood, to start, I read this years back:

          https://archive.org/details/chemicalmethodsf00veitrich/page/4/mode/2up

          You can glean many useful products from he destructive distillation of wood. At the end, you’ll even have wood charcoal, possibly for use as a feedstock into the Fischer-Tropsch process, with which you can synthesize many hydrocarbon fuels.

          SO many possibilities…

          • I used to make the rounds picking old pallets before the shipping companies started tracking them, they’d usually just pile up outside stores. Most warehouse guys didn’t care if you took them or not and a few would even put ’em out at the curb.

        • Also, if necessary, I have a corded electric chainsaw that runs well off of solar-electric. You’d need some batteries and an inverter to make it mobile, however.

          • After I hit the ‘Post Comment’ button I thought about how the guys who make a living cutting firewood could all buy electric chainsaws & electric forklifts in order to stay in business. …I guess I’d still be able to buy firewood, but at what price?

            Anyway, I read this review and am tempted as I do not think using batteries is a good idea:

            ‘Stihl MSE250C Corded Electric Chainsaw, by Thomas Christianson’

            “… a rugged workhorse of a saw that is well suited for professional or for farm and ranch-level work.”…

            https://survivalblog.com/2024/01/01/stihl-mse250c-corded-electric-chainsaw-thomas-christianson/

            • Good point Helot. Yes, you could charge chainsaw e-batteries with solar if gas wasn’t around, however, my basic e knowledge would lead me to think it would need A LOT of solar panels to do even one battery. Doable though.
              I bet RK could answer this pretty easy.

        • It’s called green or seasoned wood. Green is cutting down a live tree with leaves or not, and it will not burn (well). The live tree you just took down needs to season 6-12 months, like you said, then it’s good to go. You can tell by banging two split pieces together. Dead sound? It’s green, ringing sound? it’s good.
          If you take down a standing dead, that’s been dead for a year of so, it will burn well.
          Of course the type of tree species matters a lot as well.
          I tend to leave a dead tree standing as long as it won’t hit anything, and it seasons itself for if/when I need it.
          Hope this helps.

        • BTW, the reason they just burn the piles is it’s a lot of work to move wood. It’s heavy and cumbersome.
          Even if you said “can i have it” they will say no because it would be a lot of work to process/move it to where you want it.
          Even if you offered to do the work, the answer would still likely be no.
          I did some experiments, because I always have more dead trees than I can use.
          So I cut them down, cut to 8ft lengths and offered them for free to my friends. No takers. So then I offered to load the 8ft lengths with my mini-ex on their truck/trailer. no takers.
          Then sometimes I even have a surplus of bucked wood (not split yet), that is on the verge of going bad, for free, and I would load it. no takers.
          Dealing with trees is hard and dangerous, even with machines.
          I’m talking standard machines like mini-ex’s, chainsaws, and gas powered splitters (which I have). Still a lot of work.
          But there are machines that can do most of it for you now, but very big bucks, so the payoff never happens unless you are in the wood business.

          • Here’s another example of the ‘wood business’, just fYI.
            We are adding an addition to our small western house, and it was a good time to take out about 30-40 huge trees that could compromise the site and/or house. I hired a local logger (family friend and patriarch of the area) and the cost of his work was more than we could get for the trees delivered to the mill. We didn’t throw them away (let rot or burn), as the loading and delivering to the mill was still worth it, but labor was still more than we made back. Took him a week +/- with heavy machinery.

            • Good points & tips, ChrisIN.

              RE: “no takers […] no takers […] no takers”

              Opportunity costs, no doubt.

              …Have trailer. Will travel. …but not That far.

              You sound like a fantastic neighbor/friend to have.

              Ya seem to have #1 covered:

              …”These are the rules that I plan to follow in the chaotic world going forward, […]

              Rule 1: Prepare For Others, Not Just Yourself […]

              You DO NOT want to find yourself in a situation where good people need your help and you are incapable because you failed to plan ahead. You do not want that weighing on your spirit.”…

              https://alt-market.us/a-primer-for-american-patriots-and-preppers-facing-an-uncertain-future/

              Anyway, 15 degrees today, the heatwave is picking up! I might actually start being motivated to get sheet done.

              • It heated up to 41 degrees today! Feels tropical. Finally all the shit is melting. Now just need a good rain to wash off all of the salt on the streets so I can drive my already rusty old car again.

                • I was thinking the same thing today. Had to drive my beater truck today and it’s starting to rust out bad, and the salt is so bad. They seem to dump more than ever these days. I could feel it ruining the poor truck to ashes……..
                  My kid said today “time to junk that truck dad” No, not yet, it still runs, haha….

              • thanks helot. not hard to be nice and good to people. But still some are weird. Here’s a weird one:
                Our kids and their friends have run a little firewood biz for a while to help them pay for ice hockey (costs a lot in our town). So one of my neighbors heats with wood, 3-4 cords a year, and see’s the kids working hard and has never ordered a cord from them. Weird. Maybe he has a friend that delivers it, but it doesn’t appear so with different named company trucks delivering his wood over the past 5 years or so.

              • I think it’s just economics. If they can afford oil/gas then why work so hard to heat with wood?
                Maybe they ‘talk’ or ‘dream’ about being self-sufficient. When wood comes up, I offer it for free to anyone that will just help a little to get it. No one has ever taken me up on it in my NE burb place.
                Well, one guy has, a neighbor in my rural place, not well off. I have given him as much as he wants, and I can deliver it pretty easy to him. He is grateful. But humans are usually proud, so sometimes I just bring him some without asking.

                • “Maybe they ‘talk’ or ‘dream’ about being self-sufficient”

                  Yep, and sometimes it’s time to stop talking and dreaming and start doing. But you’re right. Even principled people will choose convenience over principle 9/10 times.

  25. In the Red River Valley in eastern ND and western MN, we had a truly horrible winter in 1995/6. That spring the snowpack finally started melting all at once resulting in an epic 1000 year flood (the area is flat as a pool table and the Red River runs north, so the outlet remains icebound and plugged for weeks after the south end melts). In the middle of this, with water blocking every road, we had a huge blizzard, preceded by an ice storm, followed by more weeks of cold. Our power was out for 3 weeks, but my wood furnace kept the old house livable, and we blanketed off some rooms where we kept food cold. Oh, and the propane grill worked wonders for making hot food, and a small camp stove made the coffee.

    Point being, I’ve lived through an intro to what’s coming, along with seeing the direction they’re taking the general public by being raped by communist government child support. (You own nothing because they claim a prior claim on it, in addition to a prior claim on your income, as much as they arbitrarily choose to steal from you).

    Be prepared.

  27. Got a shot gun rifle and a four wheel drive…..Country folks will survive…..From my cold dead hands …Never give up my wood burners..

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