Black Dust

DJ:

Yes, some of the old farm houses still have doors on the second floor for just that reason. We still get a lot of snow, however, not as much as we used to get. Others around us like Redfield and Parish tend to get even more than we do. The snow around my house usually reaches the top of my first story windows. I have two one story additions on my house and in the winter I can easily walk onto the roof without using a ladder. I don't mind the large volume of snow due to the fact it is a good insulator. We usually have temps below or near zero most of the winter. Last winter we had a three week stretch of -25 F. This was before wind chill. It is not uncommon to see one story camps completely covered with snow. Up here the mail may be late or not come at all on some days, however, the local school district hardly ever closes or delays and if they are not on a delay the buses always run on time. Last winter when we received the 40 inches of snow, the local school did not issue a delay and the buses were out before the plows cleared the roads. The buses ran with chains on and school started on schedule. They have not had an accident with a bus in many years. I believe our county workers still have a rotary blower in working order stored in moth balls. Like I said, I love living in the snow belt. Wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

the snowman.

This is my first year with a stoker. When I bought the stove.. included in the purchase was some rice coal that had been stored in a basement bin. The coal is bone dry and makes a LOT of dust when moved or poured. But there's a simple solution: Hold a shop vac close to the coals when pouring. While this makes it a a 2 person operation, all of the dust that comes off the coals get sucked right into the vac. I had a a 1000W halogen work light on when I did this for the first time and it's amazing just how much there is and all of it just disappears up the vac. I can't imagine what that dust would do to the walls/furniture but with this procedure I don't have to worry about it. I am now looking to buy a loveless ash vacuum to keep near the stove and use for both filling and emptying.

Wet it down with water.

Bk

2 gal pump sprayer works for me...