Wood heat?
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Varmintman
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Thats why I drink beer at night. Have to get up and pile some more wood on the fire 
branCHEs
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I was always under the impression that fireplaces were inefficient. As the wood burns, it heats up the immediate room - which makes it feel warm. Consequently, when wood burns it also consumes oxygen. Oxygen is pulled from the cracks and crevices in the windows and such of outlying rooms of the house, it goes into the chimney, and out into the cold thus leaving the remaining rooms in the houre colder they would have normally been.
I could be wrong but it makes sense to me. Not sure if there is a feasible solution other then central air...?
I could be wrong but it makes sense to me. Not sure if there is a feasible solution other then central air...?
Varmintman
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Other than the work getting the wood and splitting it for me it is pretty much free heat. I use about ten cord a year and rarely hit the electric heat.
Fireplace heat is kind of nice feeling because you can heat it up really warm and it does not cost anything more. That and a nice pine fire just smells nice
Fireplace heat is kind of nice feeling because you can heat it up really warm and it does not cost anything more. That and a nice pine fire just smells nice
Airplanedoc
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There are options for wood heat that don't include a fireplace
Varmintman
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I would also add if you throw a big pot of water on top of the stove you can get some humidity in the house. I live in a high desert and brother the winters are dry
miker1529 said:
Just look them up type outside wood boiler in google mine will burn for 10 to 13 hour with a full loaded box and the feed fan going. Depending on the type of wood . Ie skid wood 4-5 hr. , aged oak with a little white pine 14 hours
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TNGabe
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I'd love to have something more efficient. We've just got an old stove, but I'm waiting til we decide if we're moving before I upgrade.
Grannyknot
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TNGabe, i've heated with wood for 10 years, and haven't run our heat pump in 3 years.
I have a fisher grandpa bear stove, which has a massive firebox, but the trick is to get your house as warm as possible just before bed, then throw a bunch of wood on, shut the vents 95% closed, and the damper 90% closed.
I usually get up around 6am to a 67* house and a massive pile of coals in the stove that are begging for more wood.
Another thing is to make sure to burn good hardwoods that have seasoned for 2+ years. Oak, Ash, & hickory that has been cut, split, & stacked for 3 years will ignite faster, burn slower, all the while producing more BTUs, less ashes, & less smoke.
Sorry for the long winded response, I enjoy wood heating almost as much as beer.
I have a fisher grandpa bear stove, which has a massive firebox, but the trick is to get your house as warm as possible just before bed, then throw a bunch of wood on, shut the vents 95% closed, and the damper 90% closed.
I usually get up around 6am to a 67* house and a massive pile of coals in the stove that are begging for more wood.
Another thing is to make sure to burn good hardwoods that have seasoned for 2+ years. Oak, Ash, & hickory that has been cut, split, & stacked for 3 years will ignite faster, burn slower, all the while producing more BTUs, less ashes, & less smoke.
Sorry for the long winded response, I enjoy wood heating almost as much as beer.
purplehaze
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If you are a DIYer search for "rocket mass heater stoves". They are very efficient and use a lot less wood. You tube has easy to follow construction videos along with cooking stoves that work the same way. Permies.com has tons of info on this subject along with a forum.
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This guy will go all night . . .
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jungatheart
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Don't like to have a fire at night, when I'm sleeping. I'm paranoid about fire and breathing smoke so I wake to a cold house (about 60*). Doesn't take that long to heat it up.
jwwbrennan
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Wood heat is popular with everyone in this house. I like splitting, stacking and all those other fun fall bits. My wife likes it warmer, she sits closer, I like it cooler so not so close.
Awhile back we were merrily enjoying wood heat while neglecting the radiant floor boiler (not in use at the time) which froze and cracked during a particularly cold, windy period. That knocked the savings out of burning wood.
Anyone have a Viessmann? I have a new one on order.
Awhile back we were merrily enjoying wood heat while neglecting the radiant floor boiler (not in use at the time) which froze and cracked during a particularly cold, windy period. That knocked the savings out of burning wood.
Anyone have a Viessmann? I have a new one on order.
Grizz
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I once woke up and my water bottle was completely frozen, never again!
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TNGabe
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Yeah, my stove and wood leave a lot to be desired, but the the price was right. We've got an old suburban stove, it's in the basement. I don't have the duct work for it, and I burn scrap blocks from the pallet factory. On the bright side, I might be the first person to ever use the word 'pallet' correctly on HBT and heating the house is just this side of free.
Since folks are posting stove pics, I'll hafta go down and get a picture of our Moore's Airtight Heater. A gift from my wife's aunt, it's quite a beaut and I hope to have it restored one day.
Since folks are posting stove pics, I'll hafta go down and get a picture of our Moore's Airtight Heater. A gift from my wife's aunt, it's quite a beaut and I hope to have it restored one day.
I heat with coal. I shake it down at night, and in the morning, and then just keep the hopper full. And then every other day empty the ash bin. One fan plus convection keeps most of the house comfortable
we have a wood burning insert in our fireplace. far better then a fireplace (80% efficient) but not as good as an actual wood stove. burn 10-15 face cords a year depending on the length of winter in northern Ontario. house is 1800 square feet and cost us about $100/month for wood heat(cutting, splitting, tools, and man hours) and $600-800/month for electricity. so needless to say, it's all wood heat unless we leave for a day or so. we have a small kettle on the insert for humidity.
jwwbrennan
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Beautiful neck of the woods. We had a place near Halls Lake. We bought a stove and ordered a cord of wood to get started. The guy delivered a face cord at the price I thought we were paying for a cord. From then on we cut our own. I knew there were face cords but I was unfamiliar with referring to them by just their last name. The stuff of memories, those halcyon days.
We have a wood burning stove insert for the fireplace. Its great for heating and cooking when the power goes out. Still have a natural gas furnace but that isn't big enough to keep the house warm when it drops below 10F outside. So when work sends me out of town during the cold, I have to make sure there is enough split wood or SWMBO gives me a welcome home reception that's chillier than the house.
I love burning the wood but there are days that splitting really sucks.
I love burning the wood but there are days that splitting really sucks.
