Another record low here this morning '5 degrees' in a string of record lows this week for my area. For the South this is an unprecedented string of record breaking cold temps. I know for you folks in the colder climates my temps this morning would feel down right balmy to you. I have natural gas heat but decided to fire up the wood burning fireplace insert. It has two squirrel cage fans and in about thirty minutes it felt down right toasty in the house. I have two ceiling fans set on low and the furnace fan set on continuous run. The thermostat in the hallway has risen 2 degrees. I rarely use the wood burning insert but it is nice on occasion. I grew up with wood burning stoves and fireplaces, but I'm glad to have the gas furnace now.
Anyone heat with wood?
- Thread starter gman2304
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The first house I built for myself I had radiant floor heat that had a second wood fired boiler with the primary being propane(no natural gas)
Because I'm always near wood cut offs I'd take the garbage home from work and it was 2 years before I had to fill the propane and I'm thinking the hot water tank burned most of it n
My detached shop had a reclaimed wood burning furnace. That thing was so hot on a single fill it would burn for 2 days and immediately melt snow from my cars.
I love wood heat. I wish I had it now.
Because I'm always near wood cut offs I'd take the garbage home from work and it was 2 years before I had to fill the propane and I'm thinking the hot water tank burned most of it n
My detached shop had a reclaimed wood burning furnace. That thing was so hot on a single fill it would burn for 2 days and immediately melt snow from my cars.
I love wood heat. I wish I had it now.
Meh, it was near -40F/C last night with the windchill, a few sticks and a big block of hard maple in the stove at 10pm kept the house comfortable when I got up at 6 this morning. Stirred some coals and put on a few more sticks, and the house will be fine at 5pm when I get home.
With good insulation, and a good EPA stove, and dry hardwood, wood heating is pretty easy. Our first year was a learning experience, but its pretty painless now after a decade of practice.
With good insulation, and a good EPA stove, and dry hardwood, wood heating is pretty easy. Our first year was a learning experience, but its pretty painless now after a decade of practice.
I use it as a supplement.
We leave thermostat's at 66F and if we want to be warm the woodstove raises that temp to 75F+ in our living room, kitchen and office.
The feeling of that hot heat coming from stove is great and warming. My wife grew up with a wood stove/stacking and some splitting. She actually purchased/arrange installation of our Jotul stove. Folks have pellet stoves it seem now but I don't see the benefit over a powerful electric heater except cost of energy. They just warm air.
I grew up with you turn up thermostat and was clueless about wood heating.
We leave thermostat's at 66F and if we want to be warm the woodstove raises that temp to 75F+ in our living room, kitchen and office.
The feeling of that hot heat coming from stove is great and warming. My wife grew up with a wood stove/stacking and some splitting. She actually purchased/arrange installation of our Jotul stove. Folks have pellet stoves it seem now but I don't see the benefit over a powerful electric heater except cost of energy. They just warm air.
I grew up with you turn up thermostat and was clueless about wood heating.
I'm about half wood, half oil. I run the oil when it's real cold to keep the water circulating through the baseboards so it doesn't freeze.
My sweet spot is an outside air temp of 5-10'F, not so cold my pipes freeze but not so warm I bake everyone out of house & home.
My sweet spot is an outside air temp of 5-10'F, not so cold my pipes freeze but not so warm I bake everyone out of house & home.
My primary source of heat is wood, I've been using it for about 17 years now. It's a lot of work but it does save money, and we enjoy it. Days like today, the wood insert just doesn't produce enough heat. The house layout wasn't good for a wood stove so we settled on an insert. It was 0*F this morning, certainly not cold for some of you guys but pretty cold for Long Island. The wind isn't helping matters either.
We heat 100% with wood. Burn Tamarack here in northeast Washington state.
My neighbor has used wood to heat his house since he built the place in the 60s. It is a home made set up. Basically its a 6' long pipe that is about 3.5' in diameter. He also has a copper line coiled around it to heat his water.
About 10 years ago, he installed a geo thermal furnace.. mainly for the AC, but he runs the heat in the winter too. He still uses the wood burner 24/7 which takes a huge load off the furnace. He has to put 2 decent amounts of wood in twice a day. Roughly a 14" x 10" chunk plus whatever else he can stuff around it.
Burning wood is cheap, but its hard long work. He used to have a team of horses back in the day that he would hitch up a sled to to collect wood. Seemed like he was doing this a few times a week when I was a kid. Since he is older now, he just devotes a few big days a year into collecting, cutting and stacking for the winter. Myself plus a team of about 10 guys from his church pitch in.
My brother and I go over and haul a few loads of wood from his basement to his house about twice a week which helps him out too.
About 10 years ago, he installed a geo thermal furnace.. mainly for the AC, but he runs the heat in the winter too. He still uses the wood burner 24/7 which takes a huge load off the furnace. He has to put 2 decent amounts of wood in twice a day. Roughly a 14" x 10" chunk plus whatever else he can stuff around it.
Burning wood is cheap, but its hard long work. He used to have a team of horses back in the day that he would hitch up a sled to to collect wood. Seemed like he was doing this a few times a week when I was a kid. Since he is older now, he just devotes a few big days a year into collecting, cutting and stacking for the winter. Myself plus a team of about 10 guys from his church pitch in.
My brother and I go over and haul a few loads of wood from his basement to his house about twice a week which helps him out too.
I'm 95% wood pellets in a Harman XXV stove and 5% propane in a forced hot air furnace as needed.
I've been burning wood for nearly thirty years. I use to burn in two locations in the house but now have a propane set-up in lieu of one. I go through nearly two full cords throughout the season. In my younger days, I would take down or use downed hardwoods off the lots to fill the need. As time passed, I'd order logs, cut and split my own by hand with an eye on good exercise. Then career opportunity and lack of time pushed me to order wood already split and only needing to stack.
I use a Quadra-Fire woodstove with the glass-paned door in a large bottom floor room having an outside entrance,ceiling fans and registers for circulation throughout the house. The room has the most use for large-screen TV gatherings and internet-use computers so it is quite comfortable when outside at zero degrees or colder.
Today my passive solar system (commented about on a solar post) is currently preheating for domestic hot water use to 130 degrees while it is currently full sun 10 degrees outside. My neighbors in this small development have to use a budgeted power bill payment system in excess of $500 per month.( those using electric heat only) I currently am at $200 per month only in January- February. My yearly propane use is about $150. All others months electric bills are under $100 so there is significant savings in wood heating and solar energy. I had opportunity to change the solar system to radiant floor heating when adding to the living space years ago and wish now that I had with no kids now taking half hour showers each.
Although there is more work in using wood heat especially in cleaning up ashes and the sort, there is nothing better than being near the fire with a hot cup of coffee after being outside plowing with the ATV and shoveling off the roof and solar panels.
I use a Quadra-Fire woodstove with the glass-paned door in a large bottom floor room having an outside entrance,ceiling fans and registers for circulation throughout the house. The room has the most use for large-screen TV gatherings and internet-use computers so it is quite comfortable when outside at zero degrees or colder.
Today my passive solar system (commented about on a solar post) is currently preheating for domestic hot water use to 130 degrees while it is currently full sun 10 degrees outside. My neighbors in this small development have to use a budgeted power bill payment system in excess of $500 per month.( those using electric heat only) I currently am at $200 per month only in January- February. My yearly propane use is about $150. All others months electric bills are under $100 so there is significant savings in wood heating and solar energy. I had opportunity to change the solar system to radiant floor heating when adding to the living space years ago and wish now that I had with no kids now taking half hour showers each.
Although there is more work in using wood heat especially in cleaning up ashes and the sort, there is nothing better than being near the fire with a hot cup of coffee after being outside plowing with the ATV and shoveling off the roof and solar panels.
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