Subject: Staying warm and hot

 In Germany I've seen a Westy with a Honda 2.5 HP generator. The exhaust was
 warming and the generator powered el. 1.5 KW heater. Very neat
installation.
 A Honda was hardly heard.
 On 67 Bus I saw a sawdust burner - that gave out massive heat. The owner
 bragged that he slept naked at minus 20 deg. C outside! The bad part was
 that the air was very dry, all cabinets shrank and the owner was afraid
that
 the lining would distort.
 I was following in the car of my daughter in Austria ( Wildwinkel,
 Oberoesterreich) a camper with heavy smoke coming out the chimney. On a
rest
 stop I spoke to a German fellow from Helgoland ( he spoke heavy
 plattdeutsch ) and he did show me insides. There was a real fireplace there
 with all the fireplace tools and hickory and eucaliptus wood next to it. We
 had great talk in extremely cozy and setting. The smell of the air was
 overwhelming. He didn't rush anywhere and was nice to offer sauerbraten and
 pigknuckle with sauerkraut, his lovely wife cooked on top of the fireplace.
I
 then saw a kind of apparatus on top of the fireplace. That was a distiller,
 to be used on campsides. His hospitality did cost me 4 hours delay caused
by
 (4) 1.5 liters pitchers for each of us of Wahrsteiner beer we shared
 watching naked girls dancing on satellite TV in the camper. What a living!
 The owner was happy to have me in the company and wanted to teach me to
 dance schoeplatter. Two electric bicycles were attached to the camper's
 rear. These Germans always will invent something! I am thinking to
construct
 something miniature for my Westy to fire up at my next travel up North of
 Europe. Ark
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jeffrey Vickers" <jeff@VICKERSDESIGN.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 7:22 PM
> Subject: Re: Staying warm
>
>
>>I drove across country in 1978 in a '59 bus that had a wood stove. Not
>> only a wood stove but a raised roof section made out of wood -
>> complete with cedar shingles on the sides and roofing shingles on the
>> roof. Looked like the top half of an old-timey outhouse. Stove pipe
>> stuck out above the roof about a foot and would heat the inside of the
>> bus to 120F in about 30 seconds after starting the fire. Rolling down
>> the road with smoke coming out the chimney... priceless.
>>
>> Fireplace in the Syncro?
>>
>> Jeff
>>
>>
>>
>> On Jan 12, 2010, at 10:22 AM, Automatic digest processor wrote:
>>
>>> Date:    Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:45:50 -0000
>>> From:    Arkady Mirvis <arkadymirvis@GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject: Staying warm
>>>
>>> The easyest way to stay warm, I ever saw, was installing a
>>> "burzhuika" - a
>>> wood, or coul burning stove in a Vanagon in Saint Pier Port Joli,
>>> Quebeck,
>>> Canada. I met french speaking Canadian in mid - November 1991. The
>>> stove was
>>> bolted to the floor and its chimney was protruding 1 foot above the
>>> roof.
>>> The fellow had an extention 6 feet long easily mounted on top of
>>> chimney for
>>> heating while stationary. It was already 11 deg. F outside but
>>> almost 85
>>> inside. I was drowning in sweat, the owner was seating topless.
>>> A small fan was blowing air into the stove. The guy had a trailer
>>> loaded
>>> with wood and coal, enough for a week. Cooked there.
>>> Go back fellows. There is a great choice of casted iron stoves and
>>> enough
>>> kentucky coal  and get back to that gorgeous way of heating out
>>> ancestors
>>> enjoyed. You look at the fireplace, seep strong black tea, a great
>>> feeling
>>> tempting you to sleep, be worryless and let others vote for this or
>>> that
>>> president - nothing matters, nothing will change! The stove. What
>>> can be
>>> easier?! A moron can troubleshoot the problem!
>>> Ark.
>