My Father in Law!!! "YOU SHOVELED WHAT INTO MY STOVE"

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CoalCracker3
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Location: South East, PA
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Outdoor coal/wood stove sequoia 200000btu
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Dual comfort coal/wood
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman sf256 coal/wood, Harman magnafire insert
Baseburners & Antiques: Buckwalter Villa potbelly, Keeley Columbia Oak
Coal Size/Type: Nut, nutty, nuttier
Other Heating: Very cold oil burner (never had a delivery)

Post by CoalCracker3 » Fri. Jan. 20, 2017 9:12 am

Sabotaged by my own father in law!

First off and foremost I write this story with a light heart as I know Herby has the best intentions!

THE BACKGROUND:
We all know there are a lot of different personality types out there. In my case when I look in my toolbox and compare its contents to Herb. I conclude Hammer definitely Hammer!

My father in law is a die hard do it yourselfer and all around good guy. He heats his home with a wood burner and his first attempt at repairs always includes duct tape.

He has looked after our homestead many times over the years while we take vacation. The problems started when I switched from wood to coal as primary heat years ago.

Three years ago when I got home from vaca and took over my usual chores I was shocked to see the interior of my outdoor stove looked very different so I cleaned its cold contents out. The burn chamber was actually warped, distorted and many of the fire brick were fractured. Hmmm. After some questioning Herb admitted that during a power outage that the stove ran away on him and started to boil over. To control the temp he shoveled "a good bit of snow into it" "cooled it right off" grrrrrr. I now keep a sand bucket next to the stove!

Up at deer camp we have flat out outlawed him from even touching the coal stoves we use to heat camp. Problem being he likes to run em red hot, you know ash fusing hot, or he over shakes and dumps the fire. Either way the result is restarting the fire every time he touches them.

THIS YEAR PRE VACATION:
The wife and I talked it over before leaving and both agreed. We will leave him with a full tank of oil and just turn on our very cold oil burner prior to him doing his watch.

I left my SF Harman with a 1/2 load in it idled way back and left the crooked outdoor stove in the same shape. I let Herb know they would both burn out and the oil burner would take over. "You can try to keep the outdoor stove running but please don't burn coal inside please"

Well, I got home and was surprised to see my indoor stove the Harman was still running well kind of....

I gritted my teeth a little and thanked the old boy for keeping an eye on the place! After all, the dogs an chickens were well cared for.

Before he headed out the door he said "look at that bed of coal. I kept it going! Oh yeah and I think the outdoor stove is dead but I tried to keep it going!" Ohhhh no...........

Well somehow despite the grates being in the dumped position he had a small hot spot of coal burning in the front of the fire box. I was able to get the grates righted although they are now jammed I'm guessing from rocks. The ash pan was full of crushed coal, good coal and ash. The outdoor stove was thankfully extinguished from another full tipped grate condition. Really no big deal a lot of shoveling clearing grates and restarting fires. After years of coaching and trying to get him to wrap his mind around coal. I give up. There is an old saying about old dogs and new tricks. hmmmmm

I write this to clear my head and to pass on a funny story. I really do appreciate Herbs efforts. I know you mean well buddy! I'll take you just the way you are!

Can't wait till next vacation! Think I may fire up the welder and tack the stove doors shut. Hehe!

 
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Sunny Boy
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Post by Sunny Boy » Fri. Jan. 20, 2017 10:17 am

Good one, thanks. :D

Paul

 
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davidmcbeth3
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Post by davidmcbeth3 » Fri. Jan. 20, 2017 10:22 am

A written checklist is in order.

1) feed dogs
2) either you feed the chickens or you eat them
3) don't touch stoves

 
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warminmn
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Post by warminmn » Fri. Jan. 20, 2017 2:21 pm

That was a funny story! (but maybe not at the time) I think I would padlock the stoves next time.


 
TheTradesmanChannel
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Post by TheTradesmanChannel » Thu. Jan. 11, 2018 11:52 pm

I see this is an old thread but I can sympathize with the OP. Great story. My wife's grandfather was like that, he passed on Christmas Eve this year but he was always doing that kind of thing...usually without even being asked. I have an old International 656 tractor that I've had for years. I was working late one night in the late fall and I come home to fire up the tractor and feed my cows but noticed antifreeze all over the place. I look around and find that the radiator hose is pulled off of my tractor and was dumped in my yard not to far from my well...I had just flushed the rad and put brand new antifreeze in it a few days before...I start throwing a bit of a tantrum...calm down, go in the house and ask my wife if anybody had been around the tractor while I was at work..."Grandpa was out there earlier..." That's all I needed to hear. I asked him if he had touched my tractor..."supposed to get cold tomorrow night" he says "I was worried the block would freeze"...at the time he was 85 years old, couldn't even bring myself to not thank him for "helping out".

 
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CoalCracker3
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Joined: Sat. Aug. 22, 2015 8:20 am
Location: South East, PA
Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Outdoor coal/wood stove sequoia 200000btu
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Dual comfort coal/wood
Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Harman sf256 coal/wood, Harman magnafire insert
Baseburners & Antiques: Buckwalter Villa potbelly, Keeley Columbia Oak
Coal Size/Type: Nut, nutty, nuttier
Other Heating: Very cold oil burner (never had a delivery)

Post by CoalCracker3 » Sun. Dec. 17, 2023 9:47 am

I’m sure many a son or son in law has similar stories. They mean well and we pick up the pieces and blow it off

 
charlesosborne2002
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Post by charlesosborne2002 » Sun. Dec. 17, 2023 6:07 pm

CoalCracker3 wrote:
Fri. Jan. 20, 2017 9:12 am
Sabotaged by my own father in law!

First off and foremost I write this story with a light heart as I know Herby has the best intentions!

THE BACKGROUND:
We all know there are a lot of different personality types out there. In my case when I look in my toolbox and compare its contents to Herb. I conclude Hammer definitely Hammer!

My father in law is a die hard do it yourselfer and all around good guy. He heats his home with a wood burner and his first attempt at repairs always includes duct tape.

He has looked after our homestead many times over the years while we take vacation. The problems started when I switched from wood to coal as primary heat years ago.

Three years ago when I got home from vaca and took over my usual chores I was shocked to see the interior of my outdoor stove looked very different so I cleaned its cold contents out. The burn chamber was actually warped, distorted and many of the fire brick were fractured. Hmmm. After some questioning Herb admitted that during a power outage that the stove ran away on him and started to boil over. To control the temp he shoveled "a good bit of snow into it" "cooled it right off" grrrrrr. I now keep a sand bucket next to the stove!

Up at deer camp we have flat out outlawed him from even touching the coal stoves we use to heat camp. Problem being he likes to run em red hot, you know ash fusing hot, or he over shakes and dumps the fire. Either way the result is restarting the fire every time he touches them.

THIS YEAR PRE VACATION:
The wife and I talked it over before leaving and both agreed. We will leave him with a full tank of oil and just turn on our very cold oil burner prior to him doing his watch.

I left my SF Harman with a 1/2 load in it idled way back and left the crooked outdoor stove in the same shape. I let Herb know they would both burn out and the oil burner would take over. "You can try to keep the outdoor stove running but please don't burn coal inside please"

Well, I got home and was surprised to see my indoor stove the Harman was still running well kind of....

I gritted my teeth a little and thanked the old boy for keeping an eye on the place! After all, the dogs an chickens were well cared for.

Before he headed out the door he said "look at that bed of coal. I kept it going! Oh yeah and I think the outdoor stove is dead but I tried to keep it going!" Ohhhh no...........

Well somehow despite the grates being in the dumped position he had a small hot spot of coal burning in the front of the fire box. I was able to get the grates righted although they are now jammed I'm guessing from rocks. The ash pan was full of crushed coal, good coal and ash. The outdoor stove was thankfully extinguished from another full tipped grate condition. Really no big deal a lot of shoveling clearing grates and restarting fires. After years of coaching and trying to get him to wrap his mind around coal. I give up. There is an old saying about old dogs and new tricks. hmmmmm

I write this to clear my head and to pass on a funny story. I really do appreciate Herbs efforts. I know you mean well buddy! I'll take you just the way you are!

Can't wait till next vacation! Think I may fire up the welder and tack the stove doors shut. Hehe!
Not so bad--when you mentioned he liked duct tape I feared the worst. (!!!)

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