Looks Good On Paper

Woodstove owner? Convert it to a water heater. Save big!

paper@treesearch.com (William W. Madon) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:20:00 -0800

I live in upstate New York. Not everyone is lucky enough to live in rural America. This is a suggestion for those who do.

I have two stoves I use with varying regularity for heat. In the basement is my corn pellet stove. My wood stove is in the living room.

Until last year, the only purpose for these stoves was to heat the house. Then I found a website, www.hilkoil.com, offering a new kind of water-heater. Instead of using oil or gas or electricity, it uses the heat from a stove. Any kind of stove. I decided to install the water-heater in my woodstove, since that's the one I use the most.

They call it a "Thermo-Bilt Coil", and it's a loop of stainless steel. It actually mounts inside the stove. I just cut two holes in the side, near the stovetop, with the hole-saw bit included in the kit. I think the whole kit cost me less than $150. If you're not the handy type, your regular handiman should also have an easy time installing it. Thermo-Bilt provides a good set of instructions (which are written in the U.S.A.)!

This doesn't mean I am abandoning my regular water heater. When I'm not using the stove, I just turn on the circuit breaker for my hot water tank. If instead I use my woodstove, the hot water goes straight from there, into the regular (turned off, electric) hot water tank.

The stainless steel coil heats my water to the same hot temp as my electric tank. It easily paid for itself the first winter. Now, for six months out of the year, I can stop paying the electric company for all my hot water.

LAKE EFFECT SNOW SQUALL ... podcast #3

paper@treesearch.com (William W. Madon) — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 16:21:00 -0800

To listen, CLICK HERE, or right-click and choose "save as". Subscribe and receive the podcast on a regular basis by clicking on this icon:

In today's Thanksgiving show, Bill and Dorothy venture out into the first real snow storm of the year.

Dorothy describes the limited but welcome fare of their holiday, and relates a juicy phone call with her sisters in Glens Falls.

Bill derides pedestrians, cyclists and drivers who cannot seem to follow the traffic laws of New York state.

Dorothy critiques Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy.

NIGHTTIME HIGHWAY X-GAMES ... podcast #2

paper@treesearch.com (William W. Madon) — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 06:30:00 -0800

To listen, CLICK HERE, or right-click and choose "save as". Subscribe and receive the podcast on a regular basis by clicking on this icon:

In today's uplifting show, Bill asks for comments to be e-mailed to paperREMOVE_SPAM@treesearch.com. He also foolishly puts himself and his wife at risk by crossing a four lane highway in the dark.

Dorothy expertly reviews According to Jim, and Commander in Chief.

Bill reveals portions of his, and Dorothy's, private medical histories, and lets slip certain family financial details.

Dorothy relates her surrealistic dream of the previous evening, which the couple must interpret.

It's the day before Thanksgiving.

MAD DOGS AND KRYPTONIANS ... podcast #1

paper@treesearch.com (William W. Madon) — Mon, 21 Nov 2005 09:52:00 -0800

To listen, CLICK HERE, or right-click and choose "save as". Subscribe and receive the podcast on a regular basis by clicking on this icon:

In today's uplifting show, Bill shamelessly plugs one of his online businesses, a New York genealogy research service, http://www.treesearch.com . He also reveals one of his trade secrets.

Dorothy's memory problem is briefly mentioned. When one has a memory problem, it is usually the loss of short-term memory. The distant past seems like yesterday, but you cannot remember what you had for breakfast.

But Dorothy has confounded a long line of brain specialists. Finally one of these doctors confided that her condition is never encountered and therefore, cannot be treated. I wish the first doctor had told us that. But no, most specialists would rather keep testing, than tell the truth.

Dorothy has lost her past, and can only remember what has happened in the last couple of weeks. Once, she had a memory like a tar pit. She remembered the names of near every actor she'd ever seen. This changed about five years ago. Now she may not even recognize a member of her own family.

Today she expertly reviews The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tony Danza Show, Late Show with David Letterman, and Smallville.