After a grueling 24 hour test run, (which included me staying up until 4:00 a.m, constantly monitoring the wood burning stove while the others slept*), it is safe to say that Dubs' invention was a rousing success.
Some amazing facts about this "Little Furnace That Could":
1. It started out as an old, used propane tank. After two days of grinding and welding, Dubs and Roy transformed it into the heating beast that it now is.
2. Despite its diminutive size, and resemblance to a pig (we're considering painting it pink and adding a curly-q metal "tail"), it can maintain a temperature of 450+ degrees for over 120 minutes, fueled only by (relatively) small amounts of timber and sagebrush.
3. Temps outside last night fell below 31° while our little furnace maintained an overall temperature of 74° in the trailer.
In short, this tiny wood stove can put out some serious heat. Our smoke detectors and C O monitor have yet to go off, attesting to the completely brilliant ventilation/exhaust system that Dubs so carefully implemented.
The brisk winds of autumn, the rapidly changing aspens, and fresh snow on Blanca Peak have served to remind us that winter is on its way.
The dogs, (including Mama Sweety and her pups), are warm and cuddly; the cats are nestled like peas in a pod in their third story "loft", and the horses are starting to look like wooly mammoths. I have a feeling we're all going to be ok...
Thanks, Dubs.
*Disclaimer: I usually stay up until 4 a.m. anyways, and Dubs doesn't mind when I sleep past noon. Our opposing sleep schedules actually help us to maintain a 24 hour watch system.
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