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Heating with wood

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Heating with wood

Postby Jhg » 01 21, 2023 •  [Post 1]

I grew up in Maine. North central Maine actually. I was just into high school or thereabouts during the "energy crisis". Remember that? Gas shot up to 50 cents a gallon. Outrageous. Heating oil, the main fuel used to heat buildings back there went way up as well.
I distinctly remember visiting friends in their uninsulated colonial farm houses in January. The thermostats were set at 60*. Everybody wore heavy sweaters and barefoot was not wise. It was drafty. Nobody bitched. We were Mainers. It was what it was. But it was also a pretty big deal. Nobody had a lot of money and the higher fuel prices really put the crunch on many families.

But it was not cold in our house!

My Dad, a pretty bright guy, had built an open ceiling, well insulated, southern exposure house on a hill overlooking the river basin. This was a very rare thing to do back then, in that place. We heated with 2 foot long chunks of beech, rock maple and yellow birch. The woodstove came out of the "duck camp", my grandfather's favorite past time besides needling me to tears when I was 8 yrs old. (What a jackhat he was). When it was 30 below zero we had to check the stoves (one upstairs one down) around 3AM to keep them maximized. Generally though, once loaded for the night we were good until morning light.

At night, the stove glowed red at the pipe. Daytime was enough solar gain to keep the house around 68* when we were all at school or work.

It was warm and cozy. Sure, there was a 3/4 mile driveway to plow, but who cared inside it was always warm.

Today I still have a fire every day. There is something warm and fuzzy about a wood fire. The dogs love it too.

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Re: Heating with wood

Postby Swede » 01 21, 2023 •  [Post 2]

When we lived in Winthrop WA, we burned 9-10 cords (128 cu. Ft.) each winter to keep the house warm. Much of the winter saw temps below zero F. I enjoyed cutting and splitting wood. The wood was split by hand. We burned the dry wood as fast as the stoves would handle it. On stove was in the basement and one in the living room. Still, it was quite cold near the outside walls, and we had blanket up to keep the living areas and bathrooms warmer. I think I miss those days, but I am not sure.
It was nice to warm up by the stove, but when it warmed up outside, I remember having to open the door to cool off the house. I don't care how careful we were, sometimes a down draft would bring smoke into the living area when the stove door was opened. Since it was cold in places the kids would get too close to the stove and let out a yelp when one bumped into another.
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Re: Heating with wood

Postby Lefty » 01 21, 2023 •  [Post 3]

I enjoy watching a nice fire,,,,,,but!!!


We heated our Dads shop with wood, 4-6 cords a year in Southern Minnesota.

One year my brother and I cut and split nearly 8 cords. we stacked it nice and pretty on the farm where we cut. Anyway,, someone drove in and stole it all : :evil:

My wife grew up in a house heated by wood. Our current home had been heated with wood and pellets,,, I found out we had natural gas out on the road,...I sold the wood, and both stoves,,, no regrets
I insulted our house better , hot water and heat last year natural gas bill $500. It was well worth keeping the peace in the house 8-) saving my back, pickup and fingers,,, and I didnt need to learn how to use curse words
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Re: Heating with wood

Postby Jhg » 01 21, 2023 •  [Post 4]

We burned three cord, tops. The house was very well insulated. I did tire of the constant vigilance. And the ash dust. Being a teenaged guy, I sometimes had better things to do than tending fire, like chasing girls.

Now its not vital, so if the stove burns down, I stay in bed. Thats what a furnace is for.
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Re: Heating with wood

Postby 7mmfan » 01 21, 2023 •  [Post 5]

I also grew up in a house heated by wood. In Western WA we didn't burn near as much as you guys inland. We would burn 2-3 cords a year I would guess. My parents stopped burning a couple years ago as wood has gotten hard to come by close to home here and is very expensive to buy. Using electric heat is cheaper. I still walk into their house in the winter and go stand by the stove out of habit, always let down that it isn't hot.

My home has natural gas heat and a gas fireplace. It's pleasant enough to stand by but doesn't have the same kind of heat the wood stove has. The dog does enjoy laying in front of it though.
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Re: Heating with wood

Postby saddlesore » 01 22, 2023 •  [Post 6]

Growing up we heated by coal. Our house was not insulated. If we didn't bank the furnace right, mornings were darn cold in the winter. We kept a bushel basket full of corn cobs near to start a new fire.The first house I bought had a big fireplace and I found a conventional fireplace would cause the furnace to run more. A lot of heat from the fire and furnace went up the chimney.

The house I own now, I built and it is only a little mountain cabin that I expanded the plans out 6 feet in both directions so it is now abut 1000sq feet. First we had only electric heat which was darn expensive, so I put in a Fisher stove that took 3 foot logs. We burned ponderosa pine as no hardwood close by and even aspen was 40 miles away. We burned about 15 cords a year and had to clean the chimney at least once a year of creosote from the pine. I cut and split every piece of wood we burned and wore out two chains saws. I finally built a splitter and that made it a lot easier.

I heated by wood for about 15 years until the gas company put a line down the county road .I put a gas fireplace in where the wood stove was and smaller free standing stove down in the basement. I miss seeing the wood fire and hear it pop and such and a nice hot place to come in and stand by, but I don't miss carrying every piece of wood up flight of stairs and taking ashes out every other week.

Now with all the wide fire mitigation going on, I could have all the free cut firewood I could use but I would still have to lug it up those steps. It's easier on the knees to walk over and turn up the thermostat.
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Re: Heating with wood

Postby wawhitey » 01 22, 2023 •  [Post 7]

I love wood stoves. Power out? No problem. You got heat and something to cook on. And theyre just a lot more cozy i guess than electric heat. If im home in the fall, winter, ill have that stove going all day and night. Even if it gets too hot, ill just open my windows and keep stuffing wood in the stove. Is it a waste of wood doing that? Kinda, but i enjoy having the fire going.
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Re: Heating with wood

Postby Billy Goat » 01 23, 2023 •  [Post 8]

I'm embarrassed to confess we havent had a fire in our fireplace this year, yet. :(

heat pump. Texas.

when we were powerless during the now famous Feb 21 power outage........ we burned quite a bit. :)
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Re: Heating with wood

Postby Tom Grates » 01 24, 2023 •  [Post 9]

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Every day when it is cool enough at my cabin!
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Re: Heating with wood

Postby Tom Grates » 01 24, 2023 •  [Post 10]

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Every day at the cabin when it is too warm to have the fire inside!
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Re: Heating with wood

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 01 25, 2023 •  [Post 11]

Wood heat in many of our places growing up in MT in the 60/70s. Seem to remember putting up 7? cords for the winter. Pop and us three boys would always have a side mission of some kind of hunting while on the firewood mission. Only larch would do.
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