Blowing through the wood

Been burning a couple loads in the basement furnace. Makes the floors warmer and temps more even thru the house. Also lets me burn the BK a little lower, for more even temps.

Got a bit behind this afternoon, and came home to a 65 degree house. Between the stove and the furnace, which is disconnected from the ductwork and heating the basemwnt only, we've actually gained 7°. Pretty good, considering the drafts, 10° outside temp, and 30+ mph winds.

Got plenty of dry wood, but haven't been able to cut much. Gonna have to go double time when I can get in the woods. Only thing in my favor is the fact that the dead ash and elm I have to cut is pretty much dry enough to cut and burn, so after sitting in stacks all summer, it's good to go.

 

Big stove (PE Summit) small house (1200 sq ft) staying warm but the wood is going fast

 

Wow, that is some overkill on normal days but I'm sure it comes in times like this.
I'm heating 2.5-3 times more than that so you can imagine how I'm running through it.

 

Sounds like several here will be augmenting their wood supply for the future.

I listened to Backwoods Savage 's , 3 year plan several years ago.
Got there last year

If you need 3 cord of wood for the winter, have 4 ready to go.
Having a cushion supply of dry burnable wood, just in case. priceless

 

Just talked to my friend who lives an hour from me and heats with a wood furnace. He said since October he has burned through 8 cords of wood and only has enough for one more week.

Holy crap thats on a normal year anout two years worth of wood for me! I dont know how some of these guys do it. I ciuldnt even keep ip with cutting and splitting that much wood.

 

Wow.....nailed it Dave.
It's still possible to keep the house warm at 10, and even 5, but if I know the temps are dropping, I better start running the stove a little harder, then turn on the DV.
High of 12, and 14 right now, and we'll be fine.....but tonight, -7 and the stove and heater drill starts.
No warmup in store until next Friday. Brrrrr.

 

A week ago today, my Dad was helping me fill the woodbox, and we were just starting into the last row in this shed. He commented on how it would easily get me into February (50% in one shed, 50% in the other, and the traditional groundhog's day saying in mind). Then we started pushing harder this week due to the return of the cold, and here's what is left. 18' long, just under 6' tall, mostly 20" splits. Times like this remind me of the childhood story of the monkeys who play in the daytime and suffer at night (I didn't add attic insulation in mild weather, and then wish I had in the deep cold).



Forecast says 20's today and Monday, and then not again until Friday. I might be dipping into next year's supply at this rate.

 

I'm going through much less wood than last year but that's because I'm only burning one stove instead of two. 1.5 cord burned so far but my NG bill has also gone up. I was hoping to burn through about 2 cords per year but not with this kind of Winter.

 

Dave, I completely agree with you! Once those temps stay around for awhile my basement temps drop and the house get quite a bit harder to heat. If you think about it it though at -10 and 70 inside that's an 80 degree temperature differential and the wider the temp difference the quicker the heat wicks away .

 

We had our first below freezing night for a week
Down to 30°f this morning.
Clear & sunny
Will be interesting to see if the sun will heat us up much
It's only up to 10° angle, but nice to see blue sky

 

She's back! Time I load the Liberty & turn that pellet stove on, you can't beat her, you can only hope to maintain!
LOCATIONS...THE NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS AS WELL AS NORTHERN SAINT
LAWRENCE COUNTY OF NEW YORK.

* HAZARD TYPES...DANGEROUSLY COLD WIND CHILLS.

* WIND CHILL READINGS...AS LOW AS 34 BELOW DUE TO TEMPERATURES 12
BELOW TO 9 ABOVE ZERO...AND WEST WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH WITH
GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH.

* TIMING...TEMPERATURES WILL PLUMMET BELOW ZERO AFTER MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT...WITH WINDS REMAINING STRONG OUT OF THE WEST.

 

I have resorted to shoveling out hot coals so that I can reload quicker.
Next stove I get will have a deep bottom so there can be like 5" deep worth of coals if I like and still get lots of wood in the stove.

 

That looks miserable

 

Yes it does. I talked with a lady who lives up the street who use to heat with a Fisher stove, she told me they bought a new one with those tubes in it (her words) she hates it. She said they can't heat there house with it, she was dishing out spaghetti at the all you can eat, so I didn't have time to get more info.

My bet is the wood should be seasoned longer.

 

I hear that from a lot of people around here also. Almost makes me want to put a fisher in my house and give it a try.