Heating With Wood in Maryland

[captaincrab55]

Here's a link about Heating with Wood in Maryland... There are many tips for all that heat with wood in this link... If one drills down far enough, there are comparisons of different fuels and a chart that lists the different woods with their heat values...

http://www.naturalresources.umd.edu/Publications/PDFs/FS926WoodFuel.pdf

 

[IH3444]

Who's doing their math? I got $8.47 per million BTU with a 70% wood stove. Curly Dave can check my math, as well as others. Plus there is a typo in their print for the 70% stove.

 

[NJ54]

i was involved with this publication. Thanks for the heads up on the math. It will be corrected. Any other comments appreciated to improve it.

 

[captaincrab55]

i was involved with this publication. Thanks for the heads up on the math. It will be corrected. Any other comments appreciated to improve it.

Give us a Heads Up when it's corrected..

Thanks

 

[DennisArrow]

NJ54.......Really simple and easy to read and understand. Straightforward and to the point with many clear examples.......

I have been running a wood stove for perhaps 12 years now and have not turned on my heat pumps in 4.......We have 27 acres of mature oak and hickory and what you say truly makes sense and is true.........We recently had a tornado come through and we have at least 20 trees that are down or torn up that will keep us in wood for several years to come.

You might have mentioned about how long one can store wood before it becomes not worth having. I have not encountered this myself yet but by the time we process and burn this storm damaged timber it may be 4 or 5 years. We usually go through 4 or 5 trees that die due to the drought Georgia is having or some other reason. We cut it early in the spring for burning that winter.........

Anyway a good paper.........God bless......Dennis

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I don't understand why so many people think you need a power splitter to burn firewood. A good splitting maul is all you need, plus an understanding of the wood you are cutting. Oak splits easily when it is green, but turns into concrete if you let it dry. Cut a little, split a little, repeat. Maple doesn't split easily, but it shakes easily. Once you slab off shakes, you can split them to size. Fir and cedar split better when they are dry. Madrone gets hard when it dries, but checks so bad it almost splits itself.

 

[mrpoppy58]

Larry, You must still be young. I split wood for Twenty Five Years with a Maul. I am 69 now and I have to use a power Splitter. Time slows all of Us down.
Poppy

 

[captaincrab55]

I don't understand why so many people think you need a power splitter to burn firewood. A good splitting maul is all you need, plus an understanding of the wood you are cutting. Oak splits easily when it is green, but turns into concrete if you let it dry. Cut a little, split a little, repeat. Maple doesn't split easily, but it shakes easily. Once you slab off shakes, you can split them to size. Fir and cedar split better when they are dry. Madrone gets hard when it dries, but checks so bad it almost splits itself.

L C, Sounds like you don't have many aches & pains... After many years of undiagnosed Celiac Disease, my splitter is a must have!!! Do you ever split Gum??

 

[NJ54]

The crorections to the fact sheet should be done in early January. Don't dis the wood splitter. After 25 years of splitting wood by with a maul or whatever, I bought a splitter a few years ago. Great. In fact, it is a buy it is hard to go wrong on. Usually you can sell a log splitter for close to what you pay for it if you get a good price. Wood rules. Nothing like wood heat when it is cold outside.

 

[captaincrab55]

The corrections to the fact sheet should be done in early January. Don't dis the wood splitter. After 25 years of splitting wood by with a maul or whatever, I bought a splitter a few years ago. Great. In fact, it is a buy it is hard to go wrong on. Usually you can sell a log splitter for close to what you pay for it if you get a good price. Wood rules. Nothing like wood heat when it is cold outside.

NJ, Thanks for the update.. I heat a 3,000 sq ft plus house with 9" ceilings and domestic hot water... The people before me used 2,000 gals of oil just to heat the house... I use about 2 cords of wood to heat my shop...

Yes, the splitter is " Great " & " Wood Rules" !!!