Author Topic: anyone else heat with wood? (Read 5702 times)

puma4440 · « **on:** August 16, 2009, 08:50:05 PM »

Talk about poor timing, it was a cool summer until I decide to cut my firewood.

I was wondering how much firewood everyone else goes through. I primarily use tame cherry in my woodstove, and I'll occasionally use the gas furnace at night, 1 month without using wood=$650.00 gas bill!

But, I use about 4-5 cords per winter @ a little over $5.00 per cord when I cut on the Allegehney National Forest. I got a new saw this year, Husqvarna 240e, compared to the garbage I ran before that, it's now 4 days of hard work instead of cutting for 5 minutes and then adjusting the tension all day for 2 weeks

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hillbill · « **Reply #1 on:** August 17, 2009, 12:58:39 AM »

i heat with wood here in mo.i got rid of all my propane stuff here a few years ago when they had jacked the price up to 2 bucks or better a gallon.my family and i have a lot of land here and we can barely get a small percentage of the dead trees cut up and we all burn wood.im guessing with the gas to cut it and haul it, id say i heat my home all winter for probably a average of 50$ or so.i do have to buy a new chain saw chain and a few parts once in awhile so it might be a bit more than that but not much.my house is small and well insulated so i only use maybe 7-8 rick or so a winter at the most.but all good things must come to a end. im sure the carbon nazis will find a way to tax the smoke comeing out of my chimney.

JBlk · « **Reply #2 on:** August 17, 2009, 01:14:29 AM »

I have been heating with wood for ten years or so.We go through six or seven cords a year.The majority of the wood that I use is either dried elm or locus.My gas furnace still kicks in in some of the coldest weather, but the wood saves us a bundle.

gypsyman · « **Reply #3 on:** August 17, 2009, 02:28:20 AM »

Live just south of Lake Erie,east of Toledo. Two fireplace inserts, one in the basement, one in the living room. Burn 6-7 cords a winter. We have a bug called the emerald ash borer, so right now, and probably for the next 5-6 years, ash tree's. And if there is any other tree that died or blown over, that too. Not counting the price of my saws, $50-$60 in gas or diesel,$2 in asprin, $15 in beer if I work alone,$50+ if I get help from my friends. But I know I save at least $800-$1,000 on my gas bill a year. gypsyman

gypsyman · « **Reply #4 on:** August 17, 2009, 02:30:19 AM »

OOPS, just remembered, I have to pick up my chains at the sharpner,$47. gypsyman

puma4440 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 17, 2009, 05:37:23 AM »

Quote from: gypsyman on August 17, 2009, 02:30:19 AM

OOPS, just remembered, I have to pick up my chains at the sharpner,$47. gypsyman

ouch, I do all of my own since the last guy did such a horrible job, I'd start a cut straight, but by the end I was at a 45 degree angle. I have a bar mount file guide, it does a pretty good job.

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #6 on:** August 17, 2009, 07:02:46 AM »

puma, we have heated with wood for probably 30 years. here it is mostly pine. i have tried it all, cutting my own and hauling it, having logs hauled in then I cut 'em to length, and now I have the best deal. One of my former students cuts it to length, deals with the lousy forest service, hauls it to my door and unloads it in a neat pile.

all for a reasonable fee.

Sourdough · « **Reply #7 on:** August 17, 2009, 07:06:07 AM »

I'll go through 4 to 5 cords a winter. I buy it from a local dealer who cuts it to length and delivers. That's just to supplement my oil fired boiler. I'll spend 1600 gals of fuel oil a winter as well. That's here at the house.

I'll go through one cord of wood at the cabin, and two ton of coal. Of course the wood and coal don't cost anything but my labor to go and get. I'll cut wood in Sept for the cabin, then after freeze-up I'll go collect the coal.

jimster · « **Reply #8 on:** August 17, 2009, 09:19:28 AM »

I just had a wood burning insert installed in my fireplace, I'm hoping it's going to burn a lot less wood and be more efficient. Got a blower on it too. also, my cold air duct for the furnace is right at the end of the room, thinking if I just turned on the central fan in the furnace, it would spred it around the house.

Sure hope it works out, guess I'll find out soon enough.

Jim

DDZ · « **Reply #9 on:** August 17, 2009, 10:11:18 AM »

I have had a wood stove for 25 years. I burn mostly oak, cheey, and locust. I think you get the most btu's from locust, it burns pretty hot. I burn around 1 to 2 cords a winter. Although I only burn wood when it gets below thirty degrees, and I use around 250 gals of oil a year. The stove I have is a free standing cast iron convection stove and is very efficient. I remember when I had just built my house, I put in a double 55 gal drum wood burner in my basement. It made lots of heat, but it ate wood like crazy.

Foxxtrot · « **Reply #10 on:** August 17, 2009, 11:44:55 AM »

Montreal Canada banned wood burning stoves...or at least new ones from being installed.

socialists

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/04/16/woodstoves-montreal-ban-0416.html

The City of Montreal said Thursday it is going ahead with a ban on new wood-burning stoves, after holding public consultations on the matter.

The new bylaw will ban the installation of any new residential wood-burning stoves. The ban includes devices retrofitted with more environmentally friendly components.

Wood pellet stoves — which burn cleaner — are exempt from the bylaw.

The city's executive council will vote on the bylaw April 27, and the new rule will take effect the next day.

The decision to go ahead with the ban came after a series of public consultations that drew impassioned wood stove supporters and opponents.

Montreal's estimated 85,000 wood-burning stoves and fireplaces are believed to produce nearly half of the island's winter smog.

slim rem 7 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 17, 2009, 03:15:33 PM »

i just wish i could.. the wife got breathing problems without the smell of wood smoke..
believe it or not electric space heaters seem to be the cheapest and most efficient, method..
not cheap as wood wood be..
if you got a good saw ,,you can walk a land owner over his place an show him how you will be helping him by taking trees in the wrong place,crooked so they ll never make lumber,, or deseased trees..i very seldom ever paid for wood i use to sell....slim
ps lets face it ...it aint easy mmoney..

Gun Runner · « **Reply #12 on:** August 17, 2009, 04:30:44 PM »

I burn about 2 cord a winter. Mostly oak, some pine and cedar. My daughter and son in law live way out in the sticks and a lot of downed oak, pine and cedar. Can get a 4x4 into a couple places. but we also take his back hoe. Use the back hoe to drag the stuff out of the brush and cut it right there and load it in the bucket on the back hoe. Then dump a couple loads in the 4x4 (3/4 ton) and take it to the house. He has a 35 ton splitter. Have one of them things that you can hook on your tail gate that has a roller pad with a crank and my 9 yr old grand daughter can unload the pickup in the yard. Usually go spend 3 or 4 days cutting and splitting. Daughter has a fairly lg. 2 story house and they run around 4 or 5 cord a year. They also get 8 or 9 feet of snow compaired to the 2 or 3 feet that I get. Have been knowed to turn on the elec. heaters for a bit in the morning till I get the fire going good. Have an old stove made in sweden in the late 1800's, that thing will drive you out of the house.

Gun Runner

mrbigtexan · « **Reply #13 on:** August 17, 2009, 04:41:07 PM »

i bought and installed a "magic heat" that goes in the stack. it is the best money i ever spent. wood consumption has been cut in half.

torpedoman · « **Reply #14 on:** August 17, 2009, 05:16:45 PM »

about 7 cord per yr. two of the best investment you can make are at harbor freight their electric wood splitter and their electric chain saw sharpener. My splitter has split my wood and everyones in the neighborhood with only 1 qt of oil added for the last 4 yrs. the sharpner keeps 5 saws ready to go and does a great job. You could pay for both of them if you charged folks to split their wood and sharpen their saws.

puma4440 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 17, 2009, 06:01:34 PM »

Quote from: torpedoman on August 17, 2009, 05:16:45 PM

about 7 cord per yr. two of the best investment you can make are at harbor freight their electric wood splitter and their electric chain saw sharpener. My splitter has split my wood and everyones in the neighborhood with only 1 qt of oil added for the last 4 yrs. the sharpner keeps 5 saws ready to go and does a great job. You could pay for both of them if you charged folks to split their wood and sharpen their saws.

I was curious about the electric splitter, seen them there as well, do they use alot of power to run? I'd like a gas unit, but I live in town, and figured I'd get on the neighbor's nerves. I've been using a wedge and maul for the last 3 years.

williamlayton · « **Reply #16 on:** August 17, 2009, 06:47:14 PM »

I have no experience with wood stoves---well, pratical experience. I live on the gulf coast and gas is pretty cheap.
I was interested too learn that pine could be used. I thought it would be a hazard because of pine tar build-up in the chimney.
Did stop at a hardware store in W. VA. last fall on my wanderlust and they had about 20 wood burners on display.
It was the first I had seen since I was a kid and we had a wood stove for cooking.
Driving thu the area it was sure pretty too see the smoke from the chimney's.
I guess you boys don't appreciate that and I can's say as I blame you.
Blessings

puma4440 · « **Reply #17 on:** August 17, 2009, 06:59:38 PM »

Quote from: williamlayton on August 17, 2009, 06:47:14 PM

I have no experience with wood stoves---well, pratical experience. I live on the gulf coast and gas is pretty cheap.
I was interested too learn that pine could be used. I thought it would be a hazard because of pine tar build-up in the chimney.
Did stop at a hardware store in W. VA. last fall on my wanderlust and they had about 20 wood burners on display.
It was the first I had seen since I was a kid and we had a wood stove for cooking.
Driving thu the area it was sure pretty too see the smoke from the chimney's.
I guess you boys don't appreciate that and I can's say as I blame you.
Blessings

Pine is fine as long as it's seasoned properly. With the rules I have to follow on the ANF(trees missing 25% or more bark) most of the wood I cut is seasoned. I'd love to have an outdoor furnace with water heating taps. Gas is pretty cheap here as well(pa) 1 well about every 1000 feet where I used to live, I drilled those stinkin' things for 5 years. My goal is to have at least 3 sources of heat in my home. Currently I have gas and wood in the house, and my garage uses heating oil, but I'm looking to add a waste oil furnace shortly.

puma4440 · « **Reply #18 on:** August 18, 2009, 03:48:47 AM »

Quote from: TM7 on August 18, 2009, 02:35:50 AM

Puma...if you live in Pa then coal burning is the way to go; that is, imo. Check it out once you master coal burning you will not go back to wood, except to start a coal burn. My coal stove will burn for weeks at a time and idle for a couple of days without a refill, and no creasote hazzels. Just a thought...and coal is about as cheap as it gets in Pa where the crushers and mines are. Wood is good, though... If done right I rank coal cleaner than wood both in the house and coming out of the chimney (no smoke whatsoever), and I have done both. Just a thought. Wood pellet/corn stoves are redesigns of old coal stoker stoves, btw

..TM7

How often do you need to clean it out, my stove is a combination wood/coal, but I haven't tried out the coal side of the house yet.

magooch · « **Reply #19 on:** August 18, 2009, 04:02:13 AM »

Here in the land of tall timber, of course we heat with wood. It keeps us nice and warm in the winter and hopefully contributes to global warming, so that as time goes on, we won't have to burn as much.

hillbill · « **Reply #20 on:** August 19, 2009, 01:43:42 PM »

just curious guys, what are you paying a ton for coal.how do you store it?how much do yu use a winter?coal has always interested me as a heat source but i dont think id have any economical source of it here in southwest missouri.

30-30man · « **Reply #21 on:** August 19, 2009, 01:50:30 PM »

If you guys are talking about Southern yellow pine like we have here, I could never get it to burn even when soaked in lighter fluid. I burn mostly oak in the one stove I have. It is in the shop, so I don't use it much just when I stay out there late at night. We only need it for about two weeks here in SC. It just doesn't get that cold here.

nomosendero · « **Reply #22 on:** August 19, 2009, 04:22:11 PM »

Quote from: magooch on August 18, 2009, 04:02:13 AM

Here in the land of tall timber, of course we heat with wood. It keeps us nice and warm in the winter and hopefully contributes to global warming, so that as time goes on, we won't have to burn as much.

Good point, I didn't think of that. Our Winter is short here, maybe I could bun some wood and raise the windows.

The Hermit · « **Reply #23 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:21:33 AM »

I use wood only and have for over 50 years. I put up 20 face cords to use in my barrel stove and my wood cook stove. I heat a 2 story cabin and had to keep it hot while Donna was alive and dealing with cancer. Now I sleep with the window open in the winter.
Yes it was colder in the 40's and 50's and we had much more snow. I can remember walking on the tops of snowbanks and my mother telling me not to touch the wires.
At my cabin, I used to have to shovel out a spot to get my pickup off the road and the snow on the level was 6 foot deep. Now most winters, I'm lucky to get a foot of snow.

The Hermit

hillbill · « **Reply #24 on:** August 20, 2009, 01:48:02 PM »

i notice that a lot of yu guys always refer to amounts of wood as "cords". for some reason here in sw missouri all wood in measured in "ricks" which i believe is actually a face cord. 4'x8' in whatever length your stove burns.i used to sell to some old timers years ago and they would order so many "ranks" of wood but i havent heard that in years.if i remember right a actuall cord is 4'x4'x8' pile of wood?or basically 2 rick of 24 " long wood.what lengths do you guys burn? both my house and garage stove will take up to a 24 in piece but i prefer about 18" to 22".

gypsyman · « **Reply #25 on:** August 20, 2009, 02:14:12 PM »

Fireplace insert in the basement is limited to about 20''-22''. But the insert in the living room will take a piece up to 27'' in lenght. If your interested, google up btu-firewood. Gives you an idea of how much heat you can expect out of the different woods. gypsyman

The Hermit · « **Reply #26 on:** August 20, 2009, 04:23:46 PM »

hillbill, you are right. A face cord locally is stove length(14-16") x 4' high x 8' long. The true cord is 4' x 4' x 8'. Some of it I have to cut smaller as my wood cook stove will ony accept 14" long wood if you lift 2 griddle openings. Its a 1934 Kalamazoo presidents model with warming ovens and water tank.
Properly filled, my barrel stove can keep a fire for 12 - 14 hours. It would take 30" pieces if anybody wanted to handle them. The stove is 3/16" rolled steel, with one barrel on top of the other. I have doors in both barrels to help cleanups and can clean the whole chimney with a flexible rod and brush from the top barrel and not have to go outdoors, nor up on the roof. Life is good.

The Hermit

45-70.gov · « **Reply #27 on:** August 20, 2009, 06:58:07 PM »

been heating with wood my intire adult life
i am a carpenter by trade......so always have some wood

i sold enough fire wood a few years back
to pay for the birth of my 3 kids[no insurance or government hand outs here]

i am in florida now...from north carolina

often wondered how much money that saved in 35 years/winters

puma4440 · « **Reply #28 on:** August 21, 2009, 02:51:02 AM »

A guy wants my to clear his place of ironwood now, it burns long and hot, but its hard on the saw. I told him I'll cut a face cord this year, and if it pans out, I'll be back for the rest.

eaglesnester · « **Reply #29 on:** August 31, 2009, 11:07:22 AM »

I live in Northern B.C. Canada and I heat with wood. We have a unlimited supply of standing dead bug wood that can be used for firewood.
The pacific mountain pine beetle has killed the forests in B.C. We have an area larger than all of Great Britain with nothing but dead standing bug wood.(The pacific mountain pine beetle attacks lodgepole pine trees) I go through around 7 cord a year. Our temps can go to -40F but not too often, much of the winter is around 15 -20 below. I burn in a Blaze King with a cat to reduce creasote in the chimmney. I don't think it works very well. I also have a 20 ton hydraulic log splitter which helps with the splitting and stacking. All of the wood that I burn is either Douglas Fir or lodgepole pine no hardwood. We have about 14 chord put up so far so I should have enough for next winter as well.