Actual cost of firewood

[PILOON]

I gave up heating primarily with wood but when I did (12 yrs ago) I would buy a truckload at a time.
Price was $40/cord (that's real cord).
I stopped due to all the handling involved.
Truck would dump the load, I had to stack it, cover it and bring it in to the stove.
Then clean out ashes and start the cycle all over again.
A downside to consider was all the incidental dirt that was associated with wood burning, i.e. bark chips, dirty logs and spilled ash from time to time.
Maybe I was lucky in my stove choice but 3 moderate logs 3 times a day was all I needed.
Loading's usually lasted 6-8 hrs and I only needed one match a year to heat as there was always enough hot coals to fire up a loading.
Main downside you could not be away more than 8 hours.

Gave up and converted to a European oil stove that preheated the oil as it came in and converted the oil to vapors that burned with an intense blue flame. Very efficient stove but fell out of popularity and I abandoned it when some burner parts were no longer available.
We are in the cold part of Quebec and I could heat for the full season with 200 gals of oil.

I still maintain a fireplace which is a double wall 'heatalator' and that when properly loaded can keep the house warm even during prolonged power outages, only it wants to be fed about every 3-4 hours so good night's sleep is not on the books.

I maintain a 7000 watt genset for all the other needs as power outages are all to common where we are. In December alone we had 5 some which were very short lived but still there. I keep flashlights everywhere just in case.
Oh, and I exercise that genset monthly with the battery connected to a small 'maintainer' so that it is always fully charged and ready to go.
That genset goes to a proper manual switching panel and is wired to essential circuits.
LOL, during outages we sit back and watch TV.
Fridge, water pump freezers all are usable and as well the sewage system that uses a pump to lift to the field.
Kitchen has 2 gen powered outlets so we can enjoy hot food and coffee.
Not gen powered are the heaters and hot water but even after 4 days of outage a shower is still available as todays hot water tanks are just that efficient. (but you won't get scaled)

 

[4570Man]

I figure fuel and chainsaw chains is $5 a rick. Figure maybe another $5 a rick for a splitter but I doubt it’s that high. I’d have have a tractor and chainsaw anyway so not fair to factor that cost in. I don’t know if I’d have a dump truck or not if I wasn’t selling firewood. Insurance is $600 a year for it, but it’s the only truck that actually drives that I’ve had since July so it’s not fair to hit that cost entirely on firewood. I’m starting in the business of house flipping so it’s probably a necessary vehicle anyway.

 

[turnkey4099]

I know the feeling, Thomas. Here, our good pellets - Lignetics - are expensive. Just checked the internet - Lignetics of Maine, selling at Wallmart - $45.00 for a 40# bag. That can't be right. Last time I checked locally they were around $5.75 per 40# bag. Making a ton around $285.

Couple things we learned from burning pellets. Get the best brand pellets you can find. Less ash, less frequency of cleaning the stove, your beautiful glass pained front door, on the stove, might stay clean an added hour or so. Also, the better brand of pellets will have less loose sawdust in each bag. Pellet Master is an auger feed type situation and sawdust could and did bind the auger a few times. If you are going with pellets - look for a good brand stove and see if they have a model that DOES NOT have a glass pained front door. From our experience with our Pellet Master pellet stove - its only a matter of time until that beautiful glass is all sooted up or covered with creosote. It NEVER stayed clean for more than a day.

I cleaned the Pellet Master every weekend. It was obvious it could have gone longer between cleanings but I didn't want to risk the auger binding and burning out the tiny auger motor.

Good point. I have been 'sorta' shopping for a replacement stove. My old Ashley type (circulator with a shroud around the fire box) is very difficult to get up to a good heat. Turn off is every one I look at has that **** glass. I will not be a slave to an added chore. If I do buy one, that glass will never be cleaned.

 

[Oldpath05]

What is the actual cost of oil heat and or natural gas?

 

[Deere Dude]

Good point. I have been 'sorta' shopping for a replacement stove. My old Ashley type (circulator with a shroud around the fire box) is very difficult to get up to a good heat. Turn off is every one I look at has that **** glass. I will not be a slave to an added chore. If I do buy one, that glass will never be cleaned.

I have an air tight fireplace insert and found that if the stove pipe, or screen on top of the pipe is getting plugged the glass will soot up. If inferior, wet, not cured for a couple years wood the glass will soot up. Short burns will soot up more.

This year I am burning long hot fires with dried oak for a change and the glass stays clean for weeks without having to touch it up, and then only a little bit.

 

[4570Man]

What is the actual cost of oil heat and or natural gas?

Good point. Gas furnaces aren’t free either. The problem with that argument is most people burning wood also have another furnace.

 

[tcreeley]

I plan to pay 200/cord cut, split. (This year I payed 175/cord.) I burn 4 cords per year and supplement in outlying rooms with electric. But wood is my basic heat.

800 dollars to keep the house functional for the heating season. I thought to add a side vent gas heater- but the cost involved stopped me.

I don't think anything would be cheaper than wood for me. I replaced the chimney 3 years ago and the stove 6 years ago. Good for another 15 years.
I've been heating with wood for 40+ years.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I can heat with heating oil or wood. I just paid $2.75 a gallon for heating oil, and split wood is $200 a cord around here. Oil has 138,000 btu's per gallon, and my oil boiler is 90% efficient. A cord of oak and maple has 25,000,000 btu's and my wood burning fireplace insert is 75% efficient. So if I buy a cord of wood for $200, I buy 18,750,000 usable btu's (25M x 75%). To get the same btu's with oil, I need 151 gallons of oil which is $415. So for me, wood is much cheaper, even more so because I get most of my wood for free of my property. And the price of oil ranges from $1.35 to $4.00 over the past 5 years. Wood has remained at $200. At $1.35 a gallon oil and wood are the same price. But oil is rarely that low. As long as I am healthy enough to use wood, I will burn as much as I can. Some years I cut and split all my wood, other years I buy it all. Some years I have time and no money, other years I have money and no time. I do know the ambiance of burning wood is something the boiler can't touch!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Deja vu, again.

What's a face cord, 1/2 a cord? In MD firewood can only be advertised for sale by the cord, or fraction of a cord. Otherwise you dont know what quantity your being sold.

Don't know why anyone would get a stove without glass to see the flame.thats half the purpose. Even my wood stove has glass.

I use lignetic pellets, high quality.

 

[4570Man]

A rick is the standard measurement locally which is 4x8 with no standard on length. I think a face cord is the same thing. I’ve sold a lot of truck loads of wood which is the dumbest “measurement” of all. Nearly everyone ask how long I cut my firewood to which I reply 16”+- so they sorta know how much wood there’re getting.