Pellet Stove Revisited

Back in 08, I posted about how crappy our then new pellet stove was.

Pellet Stove Worth It?

I mentioned that I wanted to run another hose to pump outside air in, instead of recirculating. I read up on that a bit more, and found that the experts recommend against it. Apparently, the warm air in the house blowing out through cracks & crevices can cause mold and mildew. So I gave up on it.

One bit of fairly good news / bad news.

We had been using pellets from various suppliers. In addition to the store where the stove was purchased, we also bought them from Home Depot and a few other places. None were any better than those we bought from the stove store, and some much worse in terms of ash. Man do NOT buy cheap ass pellets, you will be cleaning the stove out every other day!

Then my dad heard that Agway had some good stuff. He bought a few bags of Hamer's Hot Ones and what a huge difference! These things are far superior to any other we've tried.
Now, the stove burns a little LESS than one bag a day at the lowest  setting. At two bags a day, the basement area it's in is noticeably warmer. The stove can run for about a week before needing cleaning, as opposed to every two to three days with any other pellet.
The drawback? Well it's more expensive. I need to double check, as my dad's been buying them, but they are about $7/bag as we cannot buy them by the ton anymore (the truck we had is gone). I think we can get them for a buck or two less per bag if we could buy by the ton.
I've recently read that Agway's brand is made by Hamer and is the same thing for less. We'll try it.

Even with the superior pellets, it is still costing more to heat half the basement than it would the whole house by oil. BUT, we have been experiencing a vicious cold couple of weeks here, single digits F at night, and this is where the pellet stove shines. The baseboard heat simply would not keep the chill out of the basement area. But that pellet stove on two bags of Hamer's a day does drive that chill out and make it very comfortable.

So I guess the lesson is that a pellet stove, in our experience, is worthless except as an augment in extremely cold weather. Overall, it was a waste of money and time. But we are stuck with it now, as we can't afford to replace it with anything yet.

I am thinking of a coal stove, one without fans. But I don't relish the thought of the damn coal dust all over everything. It requires much more investigating. And saving up.

Caffeine Allergy

I wish I had read something like this years ago. I could have saved a lot of time and money!

I have been highly allergic to trees for many years. Maples, Oaks, Poplars Ash... All the trees that are prevalent in the Northeast where I live.
I was constantly getting sick, ear & sinus infections, colds and such. I finally went to an ENT and found that I had polyps in my nasal passages that were blocking it, causing the infections.
I had an operation in which they removed the polyps and two of my turbinates. I also got diagnosed with the allergies and started getting regular shots.
When my insurance changed, and the new company did not cover the shots at all, I had to stop. I started taking natural remedies which helped a lot*
Throughout all this, I still got sniffles and coughs, but far less. I also seemed to be just as bad in the middle of winter as in spring or summer. It just seemed to be a constant, year long thing. This made no sense, but I figured it may be dust allergies, which were supposed to be very light for me.

A couple of weeks ago, I came down with a bad stomach bug. I could hardly eat for days. I could not drink coffee during this time either. Now, that was bad, as I had been a caffeine fiend for years. I could easily drink an entire pot of coffee in a day. I could drink a cup right before bed and not even notice. If I did not have a cup of coffee by eleven in the morning, I would start getting headaches.
Well, when I got over the stomach bug, I decided to try and quit coffee. Nothing serious, I would start right up again if it got inconvenient.

In a short while, I noticed that I could breath better. I was no longer sniffing and coughing. I stopped taking my allergy remedies and had no issues. I was completely confused. What could be happening?
One day, I bought a Godiva candy bar and munched it on the way home. Halfway through, my nose suddenly started running, and my head stuffed up. Just like my allergies would cause.

My wife and I decided it must be the caffeine, and checking the internet, I verified it.

Another thing that stopped when I quit the caffeine was night sweats. I would generally sweat at night very badly, soaking the sheets. My wife would sometimes sleep on the couch in disgust. As I mentioned, this has ended.

I could never eat much carbs, I had to stick mostly to protein. If I ate a bit too much carb I would become weak, lightheaded, and start shaking when I got hungry. Much like hypoglycemia, but I was never diagnosed with it. I never let it bother me (not bright I know), but just made it a point to try and stay on high protein.
I could never have a bowl of oatmeal or dry cereal for breakfast because I'd be in bad shape by 10 am if I did.
Now, since quitting caffeine, I can literally go an entire day and eat nothing but carbs. I tried it as an experiment. No immediate ill effects, nor none the next day. I can mix up my meals much more now, which I think will be healthier.

I have noticed no decrease in alertness, my ability to focus, energy levels, nothing.

I do drink an occasional tea, which has caffeine, but very few, and I stay mostly with green and white teas, which have much less caffeine. I do NOT want to drink decaffeinated tea as I suspect the procedure is likely unhealthy.
I can eat light chocolates, such as a cup of Swiss Miss hot chocolate, or just one or two bites of a chocolate protein bar or the like, but if I do too much, I can feel it.

Of course, coffee and cocoa come from trees. So do pecans and almonds, which I can't eat because I get the nose busting allergic reaction.

I'm going to try carob. It comes from an evergreen shrub, not a full fledged tree, so it's worth a shot.
I do have a problem with evergreen type trees in that if I touch them, I break out in a rash. But I have no problems with breathing around them, and the allergist tested me for those and it was negative.
I'm also going to try pine nuts, what the heck right?
I'll just make sure I have some Benadryl with me!

So, if you have night sweats, or allergy symptoms you just can't shake, or symptoms of hypoglycemia, try quitting caffeine and see what happens. You should probably go to a doctor anyway, but give it a try!

*Quercetin, Bromelain, Stinging Nettle Root, vitamin C, EPA (fish oil)