Time to start heating with wood

It is now cold enough to start heating our log home with wood and turn our heat pump off. We have 3 things we need to do. Fill the wood rack on the porch with firewood. Clean the chimney to remove soot and creosote. Then split some kindling to help start fires. Our fireplace is a quadra-fire pioneer II. It is very efficient at heating our home.
Sooteater chimney cleaning system: amzn.to/3qoE0jP
Fiskers X11 -17" splitting axe: amzn.to/3mGAoHC
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Country View Acres
P.O. Box 469
Robinson, IL 62454
We live in southeastern Illinois on a 41 acres homestead. We just finished building our log cabin overlooking our pond. We are trying to grow our own food and raise livestock. Follow us on our journey living the rural life and developing our property and becoming more self sufficient.

[@bigtime37ja]

Great job sir. My dad and I shared the fire wood work and I am certain we spent more time talking and laughing than breaking wood. As he passed back in April, I break alone now but know he is with me. Great memories...!

[@Tonetwisters]

Lord bless you in your loss.

[@tombergman5419]

My uncle used to say having a woodstove warms you twice once when you cut and split the wood and once when you burn it😄

[@karencary3312]

I loved hearing with wood. My husband enjoyed cutting and chopping the wood. We were never cold.

[@karencary3312]

Heating with wood not hearing.

[@terrimccullough724]

Rebecca wants to have his head right about now. I feel ya girl!! Never fails. I did a full spring clean including windows and curtains one weekend. Came home from work on Monday and hubby decided to sand drywall spackle. Was NOT a good marriage day in my house. 😂

[@csnanny1882]

I was so happy to know Evan wasn’t going on top of the house anymore , that was so dangerous. So thank you to the person who invented this new cleaner.

[@patwanner1781]

Your home is so beautiful all decked out for Christmas. The fire makes it magical.🎄🎄🎄

[@Tonetwisters]

Much agreed. Very homey, very Christmasey ...

[@tommytowmater3403]

Love the “Dynamite” box next to the hearth 😂😂

[@VaranusVideos]

Man that sound of seasoned wood against seasoned wood just something special

[@PlanetMojo]

We built-in a tee just above our wood stove for cleaning. The stove is super efficient and has ceramic plates above the firebox so you could not go through the door opening to clean. We use the same cleaner you have, and once we stuff it into the tee, we wrap plastic around the opening and cleaner rod and clean away. We have a stop mark on the rod so we don't poke the cap off 😉 We have an 11/12 roof and the chimney is in the middle of it -- no way I want to go up there! You are correct about where the grime is. We find most of it comes from the stove pipe on the first floor and it gets very clean up towards the cap. Thanks for reminding me that I have no kindling either!

[@briandufty5081]

Love from New Zealand. Love America..

[@idafayegibson1872]

I don't know if y'all have pine knots or not, but those are wonderful for fire starters. You can find those, as you know, by looking for old downed Pine Trees and the stumps of said tree.

[@shaniaa9287]

Looking good for winter warmth. I just can't believe the big change you two made from living in town to getting your homestead and things are looking awesome 👍❣️

[@batpherlangkharkrang7976]

Hi...... Evan nice to see you, thank you for sharing your video homestead chicken farmer garden 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 👕🐔🐓🐥🐕🐖🐈🌱🐐🎥👍👍👍

[@bettyechols6405]

I growed up in rural south using nothing but wood fireplace and flat top wood heater in the kitchen. I don't remember ever cleaning our chimmey

[@mariaramos-eu3dk]

Hi Evans and Rebecca, I've never lived in the country but I love your videos. I've been watching them almost a year, from Tampa, Florida.

[@conservativeprodigy2604]

American country living is the best 😁🙌

[@mariaramos-eu3dk]

@@conservativeprodigy2604 I've lived all my life in the city but when I was little and went over to my aunt's house in the country I got scared at night due to the darkness. I'm conservative and love God with all my heart.

[@gurubhat2403]

Woodsplitting Hack: Splitting wood logs snugly bundle inside a small tyre (tire) elevated in other hald split log helps prevent wood splints jumping all over. You can pickup all pieces in one go.

[@patriciabeyer7824]

😊 Good morning. There's nothing like a wood fire! 💞 Cleaning the fireplace is quite a job.👍 I have never done it. ☺️ Yay!! A good movie, popcorn and a beautiful fire. Sounds perfect. Your dogs must enjoy the fire as well. Stay warm and God bless you and your family. 🙏☝️

[@joshbraman4227]

Go get a bunch or free pallets. Great kindling

[@billclaussen5255]

You do a much better job compared to me, when sweeping the chimney. Lord I could make a mess!!! Good job!!! Thanks...Peace!!! Bill

[@tractorboy4148]

what works good for kindling is old 2x4s thats not treated but they work really well if you split them up.

[@andreasputzhuber834]

A good trick for the chimney Just get a small spruce tree (or something like that) and a rope then put the rope on the tree and pull it up the chimney work great trust me

[@ryanstoddard1803]

Thank goodness for the method with spruce trees to clean chimneys. Before Parliament abolished it in 1864, they used to use chimney sweep apprentices (young boys, youngest known was 3 and a half) to climb in chimneys and clean them. To make them go up, they master would light a fire beneath them hence the phrase “to light a fire under you”. They people who did not employ chimney sweeps used holly and sometimes chickens and they would scratch the creosote off but that is not humane either. But history aside, make sure your chimneys, wood stoves and any flues are cleaned regularly and make sure you are taking precautions.

[@noneya8184]

Start saving the lent from your dryer or go to the local Landry mat and get some from them they clean there dryers out several times a week . It's the be perfect fire started no kindling needed

[@craigwilson9560]

You have a beautiful home and wood shed! Like your video on cleaning your flue a different way!

[@debbieshepard42]

You and Rebecca have the most beautiful log home. The best farm animals. And the best chores. You both have worked so hard. Merry Christmas to you and Rebecca and your whole family.

[@workhardlivefree3818]

Love how You both work together!!! You also share so much in common... such a rarity.

[@healyfamily4]

Very nice home and wood heat is the best!

[@margaretbedwell58]

So glad you found a safer way to clean the chimney (and not make a mess either.) Your home, what we see of it, is beautiful. Love the wood walls and ceiling. Y'all have a Blessed day.

[@jimlashbrook5429]

So long the oak is standing it should still be good for a few years. Maybe a small amount of punk around the outside but good inside. Don't cut them down until you are ready to mill.

[@bigDH123]

Great video Evan and Rebecca. There is nothing like wood heat, it is so cozy. I am really looking forward to the firewood videos and all your other projects this winter. God bless.

[@coldspring624]

Wood heat...wonderful

[@bethstuart7448]

My husband has that same enjoyment of cutting wood. The coziness of the fire, along with the tree, just says Christmas. Great job.

[@2001joefox]

The firewood process can be very enjoyable. I agree that cutting the trees, splitting the wood, making kindling is all very therapeutic for me!

[@laststrawfarmkids6272]

I typically light my soapstone woodstove in October and it stays burning until late March early April. Montana winters hang on a long time!

[@CentralNH]

Get yourself a deli container or butter container fill it half full of ammonia and put in your fireplace closed..also works in clean out door chimney. 2 days later your chimney will be clean and you will have a pile of creosote on the container. If it's really bad you may need to do it twice! Farmers trick for back in the day when we all got real amounts of snow.

[@bulldogcottone5595]

Thats a cool trick

[@hillert1967]

HEY....That's what I have been doing too! Lots of WORK! Merry Christmas!!!!

[@Hyggevaestedet]

Love yours fireplase

[@larrywhitaker4667]

Y’all have a very beautiful home and farm.

[@danielheartsill4269]

I found rather than making kindling I use the chimney sweep logs. I slice them like Texas toast thinkiness and they light very easily and will burn long enough to get the fire started very well. Just a thought.

[@CountryViewAcres]

I have used the creosote logs. But since I have a baffle, the creosote falls onto it and piles up. And I think it caught fire a day or so after I used it,, and the it got really hot, and I had to shut down the intake damper completely to cool it down. So I think creosote logs work, as long as the creosote will fall down into the fireplace and not pile up somewhere else waiting to catch fire. We use fat wood a lot to help start a fire.

[@geneplummer6645]

kindling is for a cook stove , lol , i just use a rolled up piece of cardboard about 6"s square placed between 2 logs and then put a third log on top of the 2 to make a pyramid , works everytime , better have good seasoned wood tho

[@gl309495]

I couldn't help thinking of the old Disney short about setting the Christmas fire in the fireplace. with all the careful setting up of the kindling and the grunting moving the Yule Log.

[@ArtGardenFoodExpressions]

I just finished watching and that was safe. I didn't see the vid where you were on that ladder. I don't think I saw it. Looked in your Description,, didn't see it. I will head on over to your Channel and search. I am glad they got onto to you about it, Evan. That didn't sound safe. One last thing>>> Your house is so nice. I can't say enough nice things about it This is what life is about. Work to achieve your dreams. You guys are certainly doing that, Coupled with growing your own veggies and some meat, that is just wonderful. You are role models, an example of how to go for your goals. By the way, Rebecca looks amazing. She has done well with her weight loss. I hope she will give us a Christmas tour of your home. Bye for now.

[@CountryViewAcres]

The link to last years cleaning video should have shown up in the last 20 seconds of the video.

[@ArtGardenFoodExpressions]

@@CountryViewAcres Okay. Thank you!

[@martyphillips6749]

Love the videos, always something different, I look forward to new videos every week, keep up the great work

[@EastCoastReefer]

Beautiful fireplace. On a side note, every TV I hang over a fireplace has gone bad.

[@TheBarbarian193]

Your home is lovely. And not sure if it would work for you guys, but here we save/collect all the splintered scrap wood from when we're running the log splitter as part of our kindling pile

[@marylott3076]

Your home is beautiful. Very cozy fireplace. Enjoyed the video. Merry Christmas to you and Rebecca.

[@Jan-Boer]

Good video, try lighting the stove differently. First heavier wood, then the newspapers and then kindling wood. fire starts almost smokeless and then burns down with a better combustion.

[@snuglybear5738]

That looked like it worked really well. Thanks for sharing.

[@lorenmeyer5290]

Great video Evan and Rebecca ! Beautiful home !!!

[@bettyechols6405]

Kindling to us was the fatty little pieces of wood...it was tar...I learned a little trick on the net....save your empty toilet paper rolls, and stuff them with lint from your dryer to use as fire starter.

[@chaunceypullman3380]

Love the decor Evan. Make sure you let the better half know. Good on the better maintenance of the fireplace. That's the one chore I do pride myself on.

[@maryallen6334]

Thanks for sharing.

[@mimicolvin3200]

Your home is beautiful. The Christmas decorations is magical with the spirit of Christmas. I love a wood burning fireplace. The crackling and popping of the fire is so relaxing. I grew up with a wood burning fireplace and I loved it. I miss that by living in the city which I hate. Evan, you and Rebecca have a beautiful homestead. Take care, be safe and enjoy your amazing homestead.

[@beautramp3447]

I use the same chimney kit. Cut two pieces of plastic, each sized to cover a little more than half the width. That leaves an overlapped slit in the center to feed the rods through. Instead of tape, use strong magnets to hold the plastic curtain in place. They'll stick tightly and leave no residue. I ran the drill both forward and reverse for each rod. My chimney requires only four rods. It's surely as easy, quick and clean as this job can be.

[@brianmiller4282]

I have been using the soot eater chimney cleaning system for years now and I love it, makes cleaning the chimney quick, easy and cleans it very well

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Good morning Evan and Rebecca, great job cleaning the chimney! You came out smelling like a rose on that cleaning. Hope the screen at the top isn’t clogging up. That happened at our house once and was almost a disaster for my wife and our first son. Might want to at least look at it really close with your drone !! Really love the way your house and decorations go together with the two of you. Thanks for sharing with us, Fred.👍👍👍👍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@sydneymcconnaughhay5947]

You and your Wife are awesome 👌. Your beautiful home is a reflection of your dreams and great ideas 💡. Merry Christmas!!!!!

[@guyapeterson]

Much cleaner than I had thought possible!

[@edwardbonner9365]

The company that sweeps my chimney attaches the plastic sheeting by using about 8 small magnets,then puts a little slit in the plastic for the brushes to go through,very affective.

[@CountryViewAcres]

Thats a Great idea. I will remember that for next year.

[@sharonanspach2734]

looks so comfy inside your home

[@glengillis7542]

Good Job. I was worried about stuff and soot all over. i am like you about the whole firewood fun. thanks

[@johnzink3309]

thx again

[@ithacacomments4811]

My Dad would hang a length of heavy chain down the chimney to clean it.

[@conservativeprodigy2604]

How would a chain clean the chimney?? Sorry if I missed something

[@atskooc]

@@conservativeprodigy2604 shake the chain, rattle the soot.

[@ithacacomments4811]

@@conservativeprodigy2604 My Dad would hang it down from above and pull it up and down the chimney several times. Seemed to do the job!

[@conservativeprodigy2604]

@@ithacacomments4811 Okay thanks!! May try that

[@1995jug]

Glad that job turned turned out well otherwise you may had to sleep with the chickens a while.

[@robertnelson8479]

A nice warm and cozy video to enjoy on a cold day!

[@markwyche7895]

Love your channel, your home, property and I really like your fireplace.

[@bobjoncas2814]

...good one, stay safe and warm...

[@agirlandhercows501]

wood heat is the best

[@marksimonar1550]

Y'all can still have the oak logs sawed into lumber after still sitting for a yr.

[@joebocco492]

Hi Evan and Rebecca you have a beautiful home Evan I have the same exact spot eater it works great Thanks for sharing God Bless

[@KYKAYAKER274ey1]

I love your family friendly vids thanks so much brother

[@TT-qo9dv]

Aussie I see! Great companion

[@frenchysandi]

Wood fires smell so good too.

[@danielchapa2112]

Good job on the fireplace, great tool and I will have to get one.👍🏼

[@elizabethchetwood1916]

Evan, when your splitting kindling, fill that 5 gallon bucket as you go!

[@gregj2647]

Great way to clean the chimney. Do you have a backup source for heat? Have you considered storing your firewood in IBC totes? You would handle the firewood less.

[@carolynclark8780]

What charming Christmas decorations. Love the stockings on the mantle. Enjoy the season. Cheers.

[@totherarf]

Putting solid bay walls up may be good for the OCD .... but not for the wood! You need to stack it as you have done and allow wind to dry them all out over the year! Your brush is a standard way we have it done in the UK ... but the price of a sweep for several years would just about cover the cost so it is not worth doing it yourself ;0)

[@cathiwim]

Ok Evan, now its time to fix the end of the woodshed thats damaged, so you can put sides on two sides of it!

[@lucy545lou9]

VERY BEAUTIFUL !! GOD BLESS AND PEACE TO ALL ..

[@johnzink3309]

Thx

[@joycemetheny8338]

What a beautiful life you live !

[@nealpurdy1202]

I look forward to firewood shed repair videos!

[@greatnorthern706]

Great video Evan. You have got such a great property there and you make it look so nice.

[@justinauman5438]

I try to split a bunch of kindling wood when I’m splitting my wood with the splitter and keep it in a separate stack and it’s ready to go when I need it

[@CountryViewAcres]

I have thought about doing that.👍

[@josephbrown-ut9ty]

JudithB My son split a bunch of kindling after splitting logs to be stacked. I packed a bunch of buckets and planting buckets full and put them in the barn. I just take an old coal shuttle out and fill it from the buckets. I really like cedar for kindling---- starter fast and hot and smells really good too!!!

[@donnairn3419]

If you collect the small chips and rubbish from the wood splitter they make good kindling

[@duncanosborne4871]

Hi evan here in the UK the way chimneys are swept has always from inside, we have people who are called chimney sweeps they first place a dust sheet over the mantlepiece then use a series of rods which screws into each other it has a very stiff brush as the brush is pushed up the chimney it dislodge soot, when he pulls the brush down a whole load of soot comes down then they use a vacuum cleaner too pick it up. In victorian times small boys were sent up with a hand brush the poor little buggers used end up getting burnt and even going blind

[@alrecke]

Hey Evan, use your log splitter to make kindling as it goes much faster than using an ax. Trust me I know. Great videos too. PS MERRY CHRISTMAS

[@randyranes5358]

I heat my 2500 square foot house with geothermal. The home is all electric except for cook stoves. My average bill is $115 per month. This heat and cools my house as well as drying clothes and heating water. Can’t justify the switch

[@pup734]

Evan that's to much to much weight on that truck LOL

[@Brzcastas]

Use old tire on top of that stump. Kindling stay inside, save your back

[@springfieldfarm1695]

You might want to check out the kindling splitters they sell at Northern Tool

[@kellykopsa384]

Put the GoPro and a light on there! With a little practice you could offer discount colonoscopies.

[@philswords6390]

Nice firewood rack!

[@DanKlein_1]

Great video. I just purchased a chimney sweep but have been dreading climbing onto the roof and taking off a section of our 2 walled chimney so I could reach the hole. I bought plenty of rods/extensions. I may see if I can't use this technique from the bottom up instead.

[@petedavis8701]

Very relaxing video Evan, best wishes to you all for Christmas

[@Tomhohenadel]

Evan, I have found cedar or pine the best for kindling. Those oak logs should still be okay for lumber.

[@kpatrickolivier2705]

I have a friend that has 35-40 egg laying chickens, and I asked him about chickens not laying eggs. He told me that his chickens quit laying for about 1-3 months every year for the last 8 years now. So I guess what I'm saying is just let them be and they will start when their ready. He couldn't give me a reason though. Hope this helps!

[@halfcenturyfarm607]

Your home is so cozy!!❤

[@Me-ov9nw]

Very pretty! Always enjoy your videos👍

[@jacques-mauricemiron199]

For having less soot, try to enter in the house the day befor burning, the quantity of wood you will use. The moisture in the piece of wood will drop down and make less smoke and vapor dirting the chimney. The most hotter the fire is, the most heat the stove give the most the glass stay clean.

[@michaelbobbiharris2587]

Good video

[@bettyechols6405]

You are correct. Gas and electric prices are about to skyrocket. Do you have any plans for (growing..lol...) solar power