Temps are in the 50's today so I took the opportunity to clean the chimney and empty ashes, plus I cleaned the glass. In the meantime, our heat pump took over heating duties. House is set to 70* but it is just a "cold" heat. It is comfortable enough, but not the same as wood heat. Added to that, it is rainy and damp outside. We were cooking dinner and my wife asked if I would start a fire. 2 small pieces of ash, 2 pieces of red maple, a small piece of pine, and a handful of bark and scrap made the house comfortable. I love wood heat. Not even NG is as warm.
Its something to look forward to-after working all day in the cold-coming home and sitting by the woodstove with a book or playing cards or dozing off....
with you 100% on loving wood heat. Forced air furnaces are ok, but they just move air and don't heat up the floor, walls, chairs, sofas, etc., like a good wood stove. It should hit the 50s here for the next several days. That and your work sweeping the flue have inspired me to sweep mine in the next day or two.
I have a forced air wood furnace, and love to burn wood. I miss having one room that is very warm while I watch the fire, but our house is 70-80 everywhere when it's -20......enjoy
had a real similar day... wife had door open too... got down to 68 in house.... back to 76 now wife is dropping sweatshirt
So true. Also very funny, wife just mentioned how it feels cold in here with the natural gas heat going. It's 52 out.
So true-NG is my back up heat, I turned it on once this year just to ensure its working-with gas heat,, (other than drying me out horribly) the thing is when the heat cuts off the cold begins and my house is insulated so well I could prob heat it with a candle---as I posted in another thread, I love my $10.10 minimum charge gas bill every month (I cook with gas) and love moreso the 3 yr + plan...I burn what I want, when I want 24/7...and I'm just a nut bag wood hoarder right?
Hated hated hated heat pump heat. We bought out house in 2001, and it had a heat pump at the time. Never felt warm in the house, and the electric bills were silly. Twas a blessing (for a time) when the condenser unit fried itself during an ice storm a year later. Gave us an excuse to change to oil heat. Actually feels like heat! But, over time, the blessing became a curse especially when heating oil was $4 / gallon. Best decision we made with the house was to install an insert and go with wood heat. Also feels like heat, but without the empty bank account! We've not purchased heating oil since 2013, and the oil tank is still over half full!
Yup even when its mild out there, there is nothing like a little bit of wood heat. I will often burn a few small fires in June or September just because it feels so nice. I have forced air natural gas and although I like having the luxury of hitting that switch its nothing like the warmth me and the family get from a nice wood fire.
Older inefficient heat pumps often give modern heat pumps a bad reputation. Newer generation heat pumps are much more efficient and have been designed specifically for cold climates. Most heat pumps installed before 2010 required a backup heating source or had to be over-sized to provide 100% of the space heating needs. Still, even the newer ones never blow as hot of air as NG or electrical resistance heaters and furnaces and consequently take longer to heat up a house. And in my case, my wood stove is located in a large added on room of our house and this room sits on a concrete slab floor. Without the wood stove going in that room the room never gets comfortably warm when it's below freezing outside with the heat pump alone. I don't think I've ever burned in September, although I have been known to crank the stove up on a few of those cold rainy days in June, but I always open outside door.
I think what makes me really happy about using the wood stove is that I can heat it up to what ever temp I want and all it cost me is a little more wood. So when my wife says it is cold I do not worry about it. Just crank up the heat a little more with the stove. You got to love it.
Why do I love wood heat? Hum.... 1. I can get warm and stay warm (we keep it around 80 in winter months). 2. I save a ton of dollars (I wonder over the years how much we have saved but it is many thousands of $). 3. I can just throw another log or two in the stove to make the ladies begin to remove clothing. 4. I love working in the woods, splitting wood and yes, even stacking wood. What is there to not like? 5. I've met many, many new friends on the wood forum.
These are all good reasons but if we are listing them in order of priority let's be re-sequencing # 3
I can't even add much more here, you guys said it all. I guess I could add that, even with all the work it is, I wouldn't have it any other way. It's my lifestyle now and I hope to keep it that way long into the future...
It was in the 60's earlier today. Kind of funny when you're upset that it's too warm to run your stove. Of course some of it is the fact that it's too wet and rainy to work in the woods today. Add on top that I can't even feed my stove and drink coffee.
You also can't beat the satisfaction that comes from your own hard work. Where's the satisfaction in turning up the thermostat? It's like the difference between a tomato from the grocery store vs. one from your own garden.
