Is this going to be the year you convert that drafty old fireplace into a modern, efficient source of heat for your home?
I have especially selected a package that is as user-friendly as it gets for the do-it-yourselfer.
The Vermont Castings/Dutchwest steel insert offers a very flexible installation with it’s 45 degree 6″ round takeoff, adjustable trim package, and ability to remove weight of brick while performing the installation.
What I’ve put together is a package deal that saves you money and fuss trying to piece together what you need to do an installation. I’ve satisfied shoppers who have been all around trying to find an affordable package this year. It is getting harder to fina just an insert that is not over $2,000. What I have here is a complete package with everything you will need start to finish for only ARE YOU READY? $1,699.00!!! That includes your wood burning insert capable of heating up to 1500 square feet, Trim Package (44 1/8” W x 31” H), Blower fan, 20′ 316Ti stainless steel flexible chimney liner, stainless appliance connector, stainless top plate, stainless chimney cap, and most of all, FREE consultation and advice when you’re putting it in.
Need professional installation? Just call us up and make an appointment. 828-367-0031
These sell fast. Call to order. I can have your package here within 2 – 5 days if not in stock.
I don’t know about you but $2.03 at the pump still does not impress me much! 99 cents, that might impress me a little bit. You know we’ll never see that again. I’d like to see America tell OPEC we don’t need your oil anymore. But how are we going to do that?
CONSUMPTION: We have to learn to use less and the place to start is with transportation. We have more cars per persons than any place on earth. Heck, I have 2 cars and a motorcycle and my Son, who doesn’t even have his license yet, has a car and a motorccle. Even my 7 year old has a motorcycle! OK, all these cars are not zipping up and down the road but I can use myself to make my point. We have too many cars.
What I have learned to do; and it took quite a bit of discipline, is to stop driving unless I have to. Sure I have to take the kids to school every morning so I try and run my errands then while I’m out. Then I come home and work. I’ve also trimmed back a lot on eating out although I support the local econonomy as much as I can afford.
One thing I am considering is converting my Suburban to run on various fuels. I think my plan now is to first upgrade the fuel system to use E-85 which is a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. We make ethanol domestically which will immediately reduce my foreign oil consumption by 85%. This is a relatively simple upgrade although not cheap until you look at the savings and reduced carbon footprint. Then, it is a no-brainer. I think I can do this phase of my conversion for around $400. Not too bad when you consider E-85 also costs about 40 cents less per gallon that gasoline. In the Suburban, that payback is over about 3 tanks!
Phase 2 of my plan is to go dual-fuel. This will be a big step as I will add the capability to use Compressed Natural Gas or CNG. There are currently 3 CNG filling stations around me. Asheville, Fletcher, and Hickory. At less that a dollar per GGE (gas gallons equivalent) CNG is very economical. Recovery of the investment will take longer though as it will run me about $3000 for this system.
E-85 is plentiful in South Carolina (cudos to Stewart Spinx) and is now making its way to local stations here in Asheville. I am seeing the SHELL stations adding E-85 lately so hopefully it won’t be long until it is a common item. The nice thing about the E-85 conversions is you can switch from E-85 to gasoline if you can’t find E-85 and need fuel.
VEHICLE TIPS
Motor fuels is our biggest consumption of foreign oil. Here are a few basic tips to help you reduce wasteful consumption;
REDUCE WEIGHT: Clean out your car. Removing excess weight from your vehicle will give you more miles per gallon. I took all the “stuff” out of my cargo area that I didn’t need and gained 2 MPG!
TIRE PRESSURE: underinflated tires cause undue friction and cause your car to use more fuel. I inflated my tires properly and gained 4 MPG in my Suburban. How about that? 5 minutes work and I gained 160 miles of range from a tank of gas!
AIR FILTER: One of the most neglected things on a car is the air filter. When your air filter is dirty, your engine gulps for air and burns more fuel than needed.
TUNE-UPS: Make sure your car is tuned properly and your injectors are cleaned. Periodically I will clean my throttle body and fuel injectors with over the counter cleaners. If you have never tried SEA FOAM, you will be amazed at what it will do for your intake system. Every 10,000 miles or so I will do a SEA FOAM treatment on my intake system. It is real easy. Your power brake system is powered by intake vacuum. With your car running, disconnect the hose at your power brake booster. It will suck like crazy! Slowly, pour in SEA FOAM and let it suck into your engine’s intake manifold. About 1/3 to 1/2 of a can will do the trick. Your car will smoke like it’s on fire as all the carbon deposits are cleaned away but it is completely safe and will renew the pep your engine has lost over time. Once the SEA FOAM is sucked in, shut down your engine, reconnect your power brake hose and let sit for 15 minutes. Then crank it up and give it a drive down the highway to burn off the remaining carbon. Smoking will stop and your car will run like new again. You will learn to LOVE sea foam. Pour the remaining sea foam into your gas tank and crank case and it will clean your fuel and lubrication systems.
USE BIODIESEL: If you are driving a diesel vehicle, there is no reason to be sucking up all that OPEC oil. Our friends at Blue Ridge Biofuels manufacture biodiesel from sustainable local resources. You can cut your foreigh oil dependence by 100% in the summer and by 50% in the winter. Be sure and check them out as well as find local biodiesel pumps at www.blueridegebiofuels.com
YES, it will smoke (lots is steam) a lot for a couple of minutes but your car will have MUCH cleaner exhaust and better fuel economy after this treatment. Environmentally, it is a big plus.
I don’t know about you but $2.03 at the pump still does not impress me much! 99 cents, that might impress me a little bit. You know we’ll never see that again. I’d like to see America tell OPEC we don’t need your oil anymore. But how are we going to do that?
