"Old Benny" The slow combustion stove

Yet again, today was cold and very windy. We thought winter had gone away a couple of weeks ago as the weather was getting a bit warmer.  But the cold has crept up on us again in the last week.  We are so grateful to have a slow combustion stove…

But, I remember when I first saw it, my reaction was "it has to go". It looked old, dirty, unattractive and useless to me, as it didn't even have a chimney connected!

Little did I know that it would come handy winter time. 

"Old Benny"

But when Sven stood his ground and said he would  fix and connect it, I gave it a good scrub and it looked much better!

Towards  the end of April, after surfing the net for information and manuals on "Everhot Deluxe 204", as the writing next to the controls were all erased (it is old and must have been well used...), and after Sven connected the chimney, we had our first fire and everything worked properly.

Chimney connected to stove

Chimney ready

Fire going...

Chimney working!

I even cooked Swedish meatballs on it that night, and they tasted better than cooked on a gas or electric stove

Swedish meatballs in the making

 Sven also reconnected the hot water system to it and we've had free hot water ever since. That is a huge money saving as electricity has gone up recently.

Fire-wood doesn't cost anything and is supplied to us by the farmer's hand Ian, who has become a good friend.

Sven cuts it to size with the chain saw, splits it with Ben's axe, which was left in the shed, (he has "Timber Man" to help him) and stores it in the wood cabinet in the kitchen (so handy, we don't even have to go outside at night!).

Sawing the easy way

"The" axe ready for action

Meet "Timber Man"

That stove has been going on every night from 4.30pm until we go to bed, heating the house, the hot water and cooking the food, which I have to admit I have come to enjoy very much.

We have now a gas stove installed as well for summer time, but I guess I will miss cooking on "Old  Benny".

I have to say "Thanks Sven, for not listening to me".

There is a feeling of cosiness to see the smoking chimney when you come back home and you know that it is warm inside.

It takes me back when I was a child, reading books which had a drawing of a cottage in the snow with a smoking chimney. Not having seen anything like it in real life before , (New Caledonia has a tropical climate), I wished I could have been transported there and then.

My wish has come true, minus the snow, which I don't mind.

How did the stove get named "Old Benny"? We found out the name of the original owners on plans left behind and the stove was drawn on it. His first name was Ben, so we thought it was very appropriate.