One of the most popular subjects on the discussion forum is about what preppers have done recently to prepare. This is mostly because we all need to be doing something at least once a week to add to our preparedness.
With fall firmly installed, many preppers will be looking to wood as a source of heat this winter either as a main source or a backup. Gathering dry firewood is of course an important part of this, but so is annual maintenance on your stove and chimney. Here are some reminders of what needs to be done:
1 – Sweep your chimney. If you don’t know how to do this, by all means hire someone, but get familiar with the skill and acquire the tools as you may need to do it yourself one day.
2 – Verify gaskets and replace where necessary . Door gaskets get worn down or come loose on a fairly regular basis and can allow free airflow into the fire box causing all sorts of problems. Kits are available from most home centers and the replacing them takes only a few minutes.
3 – Check for broken fire bricks and replace where required. Broken fire bricks can fall away from the side of your stove causing hot spots and becoming a fire hazard.