I have burnt about the same as any other winter so far. My insert cannot heat my entire house so I've been running it the same as any other winter. My consumption goes up if the heating season lingers on and I continue burning regularly to May. Last winter lingered, the winter before I think the fire was out permanently by the second week of March.
That's Sweet Scotty! I'm not sure how the old Grandma would keep up if we seen -20* here. , although it's not the stove but this early 60's drafty house. I did reinsulate the attic's so I think we'd be OK. The coldest we seen it here this year was the goose egg, 0* But as I've said in the past to many on the forums, it doesn't do bad at all for being 35 years old…. But I did chew up some wood from the norm
3 1/4 cord vs. less than 2 cords of real wood plus lots of 2x4 cutoffs last year. I'm sure I'll be up close to 4 by the end of the year. Still, the furnace has stayed off except for a weekend or two away from home. Without the jotul, I probably would've used close to $3000 of heating oil this year. That justifies some wood toys, doesn't it?
I've burned very little this season too Nate. The wood just wasn't dry nuff. Less than a 1/2 cord at the most. I'm planning 3 cords/year too.
I have burned less this year because it's been warmer this winter than in the past. We did see some -20* temp around Christmas and I had the stove running full bore, but we also had 50* temps in January! While the rest of the US was freezing, we were just about running around at the beach shirtless
We've had winters here in Maine like you had this year. I hate it. When it's cold, bring the snow… not hot water rain that freezes at night. Not good.
Yeah I know, I grew up in Maine and my family all lives there still. Stove going pretty good tonight. -5*... Brrr for March!
We use about 4 cord for an average winter. We're starting on #6 now. Normally we only run the one stove but it just wasn't able to keep up this season so we had to fire up the insert. Makes a big difference on usage when you're running two. We're getting into the upper 40's/low 50's for the next couple days then back to cold next week with a chance of a rain/snow mix around mid-week. I'll spend most of today splitting to start rebuilding the stash.
I had 5 cord of seasoned which was 5+ year supply burning just weekends and at night ( overnite burn restart in the morning, not many coals left at 5PM ) But then I added a 2 and a 3 cu ft stove. I have 1/3 oak left and about a 1/4 cord pine left for this year. Next year's wood has been field tested.
Ok so what am I doing wrong. I am around 7 or 8 cords nearly twice most of you. I have around a 2200 square foot house that I try to keep around 70° or so. I have an old all nighter big moe in the basement. I load it around 3 times a day with my wife putting a few pieces in sometimes. Anything I can do to cut down on wood used or is this average? Located in southern Pa.
See a few reasons here.. Good sized home heated from basement.. Inefficient old non-epa stove.. Possibly less than idea insulation.. Heating from main level of home with an efficient stove will probably reduce your wood use by less than half.. Oh and make sure your wood is dry or you will use more wood driving out moisture.. Ray
Do you have a stove thermometer on you stove and pipe? Also, I know a small bit about those stoves, do or did someone ever put a baffle in yours? If not, you're loosing about "ALOT" of heat up the stack. Next, are you burning GOOD seasoned wood? and are you burning many small pieces or good size splits or rounds? With your big Moe, you need to get a good coal bed established "then" throw on the "big" boy pieces. Many variables with that stove but easy to figure out! . I got some experience with the old smoke dragons, I'll be glad to help you through things if needed Oh, and lastly, what condition is your fire brick inside?
Ray and Dave are spot on but don't get sucked into others reports of wood consumption as there are far too many variables to draw any conclusions. Use your own situation as a baseline and decide what you want to accomplish. For example, my wife and I bought our house in 2005. The previous owner burned 4000 gallons of lp/yr at a contract rate of $3.25/gallon. BLM says to divide gallons of propane by 200 to arrive at cords of wood...so a little over 18. We burned 14 our first year and still had backup/supplemental heat. We are now down to burning 7-8 cord a year and didn't have supplemental heat until last weekend. There are a bunch of steps we took but to get there but dry wood (got to 3 yrs ahead after 6 years trying), air sealing and a big efficient stove in the middle of the living space made the biggest impact by far especially when you consider investment cost.
You guys all bring up good points. The house was built in 1977 and seems to be insulated ok. I am planning on window/door replacement within the year or so. The stove is not baffled, firebrick looks good, no real good way to put the stove upstairs. I do have a stovepipe thermometer. Try to burn large pieces mostly on top of coals like stated. You did catch me though I have only been in the house 2 winters now and am not far enough ahead on good dry wood working like crazy to get their though.
