Melanie Zoltan writes the Boston Home Improvement Blog for HomeStars.com. She lives in the metroWest Boston area and enjoys the Big Dig, putting a chair on the street to mark her parking spot during snow storms, driving on 128 during rush hour, and rotaries. 
Fireplaces and contingency plans
Got a light?
We have a small wood stove in our house. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 10 million wood stoves are used in the United States. We use ours as back up in case our power goes out, and most older New England homes have a wood stove in them for the same reason. Anyone who lived through the BLIZZARD OF '78 (caps required when discussing the BLIZZARD OF '78, along with a wise nod) knows how important that wood stove or fireplace was.
A few weeks ago we received a town robocall warning us of a snow emergency. Off to Whole Foods we went, to stock up on basic food and overpriced produce. We found a box of Java Logs at the store's entrance. Coffee? Burn coffee grounds in the fireplace? Was this just over-priced tripe ($17.99 for a box of 6 small logs for 12 burn hours, $23.99 for a box of 6 large logs for 18 burn hours)?
According to the manufacturer:
Java-Logs produce significantly fewer emissions than firewood:
8x Less Creosote (Safer for Chimney & Clean Burning)
Source: OMNI Consulting Services, Inc.
5x Cleaner Particulate Matter (Less Air Pollution)
Less Carbon Monoxide (Less Air Pollution)
If you've had to hire a chimney sweep to clean your chimney, you know that the less creosote, the better. So we fired up the Java Log and prepared for the house to smell like Simon's.
No coffee odor. The log burned clear and clean. Very little ash, and easy.
We're converts. The Java logs aren't as cheap as wood (especially free wood), but in a pinch they'll do.
So the big question: if you live in the Boston area and you don't have a wood stove or fireplace as a backup heat source, what do you use? Or where will you go if you lose heat during a storm like the BLIZZARD OF '78?
Answer in the comments.
p.s. Yes, that is a strawberry-flavored marshmallow on the stick. Yes, it tastes as disgusting as it sounds.
Labels: Heating and Cooling, Home Maintenance
Posted by Melanie Zoltan
2 comments | Permanent Link
2 Comments:
I will have to try a Java Log, but it would be neater if it did smell like a latte.
Chocolate marshmallows are not as gross as strawberry ones. :-/
I love Java logs. We don't use them all the time, but they're fun now and then.
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