If it's cold where you live, what are you heating with and what is it costing?

[ovrszd]

They're not..... my theories, man. Easy enough to research.

But thanks and I hope you are happy with your buildings too.

You might have over read the research if you built a house that requires an additional ventilation system.

I am most happy with mine. Thanks.

 

[LD1]

These discussions are always started by wood burners that claim they are saving money.

I have no problem with anyone burning wood. If it makes you happy it makes me happy. Just be thoughtful when it comes to discussing the monetary side.

LD1 has made some very valid points. Like me, he doesn't care whether you burn your wood or sell it. He's just clarifying the monetary side.

Bingo.

Some people enjoy it. Kiddos to them. Nothing personal. Just don't claim something is free when it has monetary value that you are burning up in exchange for heat.

Beyond that, I could careless how you heat or how much you spend.

I know a guy that has an OWB that he feeds 5 cord of "free" wood to a year. All the time trying to tell me how much it saves him.

He has a truck, saw, sitter, and a dump trailer. Real similar setup to mine. Last time we had an argument, it was a point in the year where he was done cutting, has his 10 cords processed and ready to be tossed in the boiler. I had just sold my 5th cord of wood for the year and had $850 to show for it.(wood was $170/cord then)

We both put in equal effort to attain 5 cord. And he is gonna be happy and warm all winter. But rather than dump the 5 cord at my house, I simply dumped it off at others. I take my $850 and give to my electric company to power my geo.

Is he really saving $850? We both cut, processed, hard, and handled the same amount of wood. And that wood, either directly or indirectly is providing all the heat we need for the winter.

 

[ddbackhoe]

I see firewood sold all different ways around here, face cords, full cords, ricks and bundles. I think most are probably a rip off. I know what I'm getting with pellets and corn because it's all by weight not volume.

How much were pellets in your area this year? I bought 4 tons at 225 per this past spring.

 

[ovrszd]

Bingo.

Some people enjoy it. Kiddos to them. Nothing personal. Just don't claim something is free when it has monetary value that you are burning up in exchange for heat.

Beyond that, I could careless how you heat or how much you spend.

I know a guy that has an OWB that he feeds 5 cord of "free" wood to a year. All the time trying to tell me how much it saves him.

He has a truck, saw, sitter, and a dump trailer. Real similar setup to mine. Last time we had an argument, it was a point in the year where he was done cutting, has his 10 cords processed and ready to be tossed in the boiler. I had just sold my 5th cord of wood for the year and had $850 to show for it.(wood was $170/cord then)

We both put in equal effort to attain 5 cord. And he is gonna be happy and warm all winter. But rather than dump the 5 cord at my house, I simply dumped it off at others. I take my $850 and give to my electric company to power my geo.

Is he really saving $850? We both cut, processed, hard, and handled the same amount of wood. And that wood, either directly or indirectly is providing all the heat we need for the winter.

I think you mentioned this earlier. Around here all you have to do is start a rumor that you are selling wood and people start calling. Cash. No hassles. Well,,,,, maybe that more people call than you have wood for.

 

[KilroyJC]

Our total monthly electric bill averages about $110/month. We have a 2-zone heat pump system, which we absolutely HATE heating with. Our primary heat once the weather gets COLD (as opposed to chilly) is a Woodstock Stove Co. Soapstone stove with hybrid air+catalytic burn that we installed just over a year ago. It is a great stove! It replaced a 20+ year old Vestal stove (copy of the classic Fischer stove) which was also a great stove that put out gobs and gobs of heat, but it was a VERY HUNGRY stove. The new stove puts out about 90% of the heat of the Vestal (that Vestal could overheat the house, and there were a couple January nights where we had to open windows) but reduced the wood consumption by about 40%!


In terms of wood costs, we are always scavenging free firewood from people who need down trees removed, and we bought a woodlot earlier this year, and now that we have a WoodMizer sawmill, we will have plenty of slabwood and offcuts for firewood. It is true about how many times firewood will warm you!

 

[ovrszd]

Our total monthly electric bill averages about $110/month. We have a 2-zone heat pump system, which we absolutely HATE heating with. Our primary heat once the weather gets COLD (as opposed to chilly) is a Woodstock Stove Co. Soapstone stove with hybrid air+catalytic burn that we installed just over a year ago. It is a great stove! It replaced a 20+ year old Vestal stove (copy of the classic Fischer stove) which was also a great stove that put out gobs and gobs of heat, but it was a VERY HUNGRY stove. The new stove puts out about 90% of the heat of the Vestal (that Vestal could overheat the house, and there were a couple January nights where we had to open windows) but reduced the wood consumption by about 40%!


In terms of wood costs, we are always scavenging free firewood from people who need down trees removed, and we bought a woodlot earlier this year, and now that we have a WoodMizer sawmill, we will have plenty of slabwood and offcuts for firewood. It is true about how many times firewood will warm you!

Just remember, you are scavenging free trees. By the time it's firewood it ain't free no more.

 

[Jstpssng]

These discussions are always started by wood burners that claim they are saving money.

I have no problem with anyone burning wood. If it makes you happy it makes me happy. Just be thoughtful when it comes to discussing the monetary side.

LD1 has made some very valid points. Like me, he doesn't care whether you burn your wood or sell it. He's just clarifying the monetary side.

I understand what you and LD1 are saying. I also will never claim that it's free. Yet considering where my firewood comes from; log ends from harvest jobs which are left after slashing hardwood logs; I couldn't get away with selling the wood. They allow us to pick it up for free, but if I started selling that would quickly end.
Another consideration which I will get laughed at for mentioning; my firewood is tax free. If I started selling it I would have to keep good records so that I could declare it on my taxes. Many or most people call me stupid for doing that, but it's just the way that I am.

 

[ovrszd]

I understand what you and LD1 are saying. I also will never claim that it's free. Yet considering where my firewood comes from; log ends from harvest jobs which are left after slashing hardwood logs; I couldn't get away with selling the wood. They allow us to pick it up for free, but if I started selling that would quickly end.
Another consideration which I will get laughed at for mentioning; my firewood is tax free. If I started selling it I would have to keep good records so that I could declare it on my taxes. Many or most people call me stupid for doing that, but it's just the way that I am.

I totally understand. Good post.

 

[KilroyJC]

Just remember, you are scavenging free trees. By the time it's firewood it ain't free no more.

TANSTAAFL

 

[ovrszd]

TANSTAAFL

Is this code for something?

 

[CalG]

Yep. We love our floor heat.

I put tubing in the floating slab when I did the kitchen dining room addition.
Heat from the water boiler.

Just for when company or small children come you know....

We love it when it's cold and cloudy ... ;-)

 

[hosspuller]

Way back in the start of this thread, I was kidding about the costs of free firewood. The $35,000 truck was purchased for horses. Actually, the only exclusive firewood cost is the wood splitter. All the other equipment is part of the chosen rural life style.
Aside from the satisfaction of converting otherwise waste to useful material, the wood stove is back up heat and cooking if the utilities are interrupted. The peace of mind is worth at least a 5 Kw generator and two weeks of fuel.

 

[JasperFrank]

Always wondered if small lot firewood delivery would work. Think in the same way that DASH or even pizza delivery works. And not just the usual stuff I burn, but super high quality, two year dried out, bug free, hard woods like Oak or Madrone. High-end, firewood, that the buyers would not care too much about quantity, as much as quality and convenience of having it delivered and stacked in 1/4 or smaller cords.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I'm heating with wood and propane. IF, I wasn't so lazy it would be all wood, like I use to.

I have LOTS of wood here on my place, it just takes time and some work to get it to the stove.

SR

 

[ovrszd]

Always wondered if small lot firewood delivery would work. Think in the same way that DASH or even pizza delivery works. And not just the usual stuff I burn, but super high quality, two year dried out, bug free, hard woods like Oak or Madrone. High-end, firewood, that the buyers would not care too much about quantity, as much as quality and convenience of having it delivered and stacked in 1/4 or smaller cords.

In my neck of the woods, where trees for firewood are plentiful, those who buy firewood pay no attention to quality.

 

[jjeff]

Always wondered if small lot firewood delivery would work. Think in the same way that DASH or even pizza delivery works. And not just the usual stuff I burn, but super high quality, two year dried out, bug free, hard woods like Oak or Madrone. High-end, firewood, that the buyers would not care too much about quantity, as much as quality and convenience of having it delivered and stacked in 1/4 or smaller cords.

I guess it would depend where you live and if you had enough population to support a operation like that, wood fireplaces don't seem to be as sought after or wanted. In the early and mid 2000s a construction company I worked for, very few were getting wood fireplaces and never wood stoves in southeast wi suburbs. These were mid to higher-end new construction.

 

[Jstpssng]

Always wondered if small lot firewood delivery would work. Think in the same way that DASH or even pizza delivery works. And not just the usual stuff I burn, but super high quality, two year dried out, bug free, hard woods like Oak or Madrone. High-end, firewood, that the buyers would not care too much about quantity, as much as quality and convenience of having it delivered and stacked in 1/4 or smaller cords.

I've thought about trying to set something up like that in some of the small towns near where we cut wood, except do it through their food pantry to give to people when they need a few days of heat.
As I mentioned before I can't sell the wood, and none of the places I look after are close enough to a large population center to have a contractor buy the ends; but if I can spend 1/2 day working a couple of cords up and help a few people get through the winter it might be worth doing.

Because I DO enjoy putting up firewood!

 

[KilroyJC]

Is this code for something?

There

aint

no

such

thing

as

a

free

lunch


(Sci-Fi fans would know. . .)

 

[JasperFrank]

The quality aspect is just something I've played around with in my head. I have never cared about the quality of the wood I burn. If it burns clean, its good, and the more the better.
Yet I live in an area that has an EXCESS of wood scraps. A great deal is cut off in dimensional lumber and other building supplies. I don't burn any thing, or take anything that is treated, and nails are not a problem. I take the ashes, and nails to the dump with the rest of dump stuff.
Its basically free heat, aside from the labor of locating it, loading it, unloading it and cutting it down to what the wood stove will handle. Of which I have become very lazy about the stove, as will take 17 inch bits.

The stove I have, is not a very efficient stove. Its a Olympic Avalon, and burns too hot all the time, even with the restrictions all closed, it still burns too fast for an over night stove. It has a fan and an exchange unit. I just chimmy sweeped it, after 15 years, and nothing was there to sweep out. I have cleaned the exchange coil several times, but it has to be a big blaze in this thing to heat up the house. It will take care of the power out situations, even with out the fan.
Being a bit of a nerd, it is far cheaper for me, and less labor to see the free fire wood sign and pay attention.
I'll stock up on any free wood, even bits left on the road. Of us, wood is always free.
I burn more in my burn piles, pulling stuff out of the woods for fire control, then I do finding easier stuff to put in the wood stove.

 

[5030]

How much were pellets in your area this year? I bought 4 tons at 225 per this past spring.

Last time I checked, about the same as you. I have not purchased any this year but I might for next year because who knows where the price will go.