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

[jjeff]

Anybody prime your flue with a little heat from a lit rolled up newspaper, when you initially light your fire in a cold stove? It's worked for me.

 

[CalG]

I've not heard of the "thrown cord".

My favorite is the "face cord", sounds good and probably is good if you don't have much room to store wood.

One of the first years in to this home, (30+ years ago) I bought some firewood from an older couple that were quitting wood burning. I showed up in my 1941 dodge stakebody and got a couple chords in the "throwed in" measure. The old guy put a tape to the box and declared the measure. It looked fine to me for bone dry cut and split hardwood. It stacked our more than fair.

Erstwhile, A few years back, I cut a log truck load into 4 foot "cordwood" and stacked it all to get a true measure.

Came in around 7+ cords in the strict 4X4X8 sense.

Boy! That was a lot of work! never gonna do that again! ;-)

 

[CalG]

Sure. But your date looks good by firelight eating s'mores.

Heck, our wood burning stove sucks cold air in through every crevice in our 100+ year old house. If I light it up, get it going good, I can sit in front of it and feel a cold breeze on my back.

A well-sealed house needs a fresh air intake for a wood stove or fireplace or it can't make a draft up the chimney nor draw enough air for good combustion.

Popular MISCONCEPTION that it is the stove pulling in the air.

IF you run the numbers relative the amount of AIR needed to burn a wood fire over some time period, you will discover that the number (Cubic feet) is but a small FRACTION of what a healthy home needs to turn over just to prevent staleness, odors and excess humidity.

If you feel a draft, it is because the warmed air in the room is ascending to the upper levels and exiting from any and all points of leakage.

Single point fresh air inlets to the combustion chamber of your stove will NOT change that turnover.

Fresh air is good for you! Enjoy it!

 

[Alan W.]

Boy, that's a nice resource to have nearby.

Yes it is.
The wood is clean and with no bark it cures out faster.
I stack it on skids allowing gaps for air flow and a tarp on top. By winter its dry.
I haul my parents two loads a year also.

 

[LD1]

Geothermal.

Electric bill in spring and fall with little to no HVAC is ~$200, Summer with AC is ~$240 Winter is ~$280 average.

So about $80/mo for a ~6 month heating season of Mid october to mid april or so here in cental OH. ~$500 for the heating season is usually what I round it to.

Back when I heated with wood, I'd burn about 4-5 cord. By todays prices thats about $1000 of firewood. Just couldn't justify it and dont like the mess, added work, and uneven heating associated with wood.

 

[CalG]

Firewood is never free. Even if someone gives it to you.

So true!

Just this weekend the neighbor called to say he was clearing out some paths and trails in his woods, and if I wanted any of the wood he had blocked up. (He is using my utility trailer for end of season tasks, so I think it was a gesture of repayment)
Of course I said sure, we burn wood so why not.

Well, he brought over 4 loads (3X3X5 feet "throwed in")
Most of it was punky beech with the water frozen in, and hemlock.

Out of acknowledgement, I got out the splitting maul and split up most of the stuff less than 8" diameter, and then brought up the gas powered splitter to take care of the bigger rounds.

All told, likely 3 weeks of wood for one stove After it dries out.

It all took a couple hours, starting and running two tractors plus the splitter , stacking etc.

But I shouldn't have grabbed that splitting maul. I'm PAYING A BIG PRICE for that now. Shoulder and back ache! ;-)

 

[CalG]

I LOVE

Geothermal.

Electric bill in spring and fall with little to no HVAC is ~$200, Summer with AC is ~$240 Winter is ~$280 average.

So about $80/mo for a ~6 month heating season of Mid october to mid april or so here in cental OH. ~$500 for the heating season is usually what I round it to.

Back when I heated with wood, I'd burn about 4-5 cord. By todays prices thats about $1000 of firewood. Just couldn't justify it and dont like the mess, added work, and uneven heating associated with wood.

the uneven heating associated with wood.

A warm place when I'm cold from coming in from outdoors. And easy to get away from when I;m running a bit hot.

Plus, a great place to stand with my honey, backsides up to the stove, arms around waists....;-)

 

[ovrszd]

Popular MISCONCEPTION that it is the stove pulling in the air.

IF you run the numbers relative the amount of AIR needed to burn a wood fire over some time period, you will discover that the number (Cubic feet) is but a small FRACTION of what a healthy home needs to turn over just to prevent staleness, odors and excess humidity.

If you feel a draft, it is because the warmed air in the room is ascending to the upper levels and exiting from any and all points of leakage.

Single point fresh air inlets to the combustion chamber of your stove will NOT change that turnover.

Fresh air is good for you! Enjoy it!

Absolutely correct. I'm too lazy to find the data, but experts say a house needs to breathe.

I just wanted to make the point that if hot air is rising out of the chimney it is being replaced in the house from outside. If the house can't "breathe" fast enough to take care of this vacuum then the stove will not draft.

 

[ovrszd]

Geothermal.

Electric bill in spring and fall with little to no HVAC is ~$200, Summer with AC is ~$240 Winter is ~$280 average.

So about $80/mo for a ~6 month heating season of Mid october to mid april or so here in cental OH. ~$500 for the heating season is usually what I round it to.

Back when I heated with wood, I'd burn about 4-5 cord. By todays prices thats about $1000 of firewood. Just couldn't justify it and dont like the mess, added work, and uneven heating associated with wood.

Good stuff.

Only thing your data lacks is the initial cost of your Geothermal system. Then we have to figure a lifespan, cost per year of use, etc. Gets complicated.

 

[ovrszd]

I LOVE

the uneven heating associated with wood.

A warm place when I'm cold from coming in from outdoors. And easy to get away from when I;m running a bit hot.

Plus, a great place to stand with my honey, backsides up to the stove, arms around waists....;-)

I'll give you that one. In my house and shop I have nowhere to get extra heat when coming in cold. I have just learned to calm down and wait a couple minutes. Then everything is good. Course then the "moment of arms around waists" is gone.....