In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

What's Your Backup or 'Real' Heat Source ?

Discussion in 'Modern EPA Stoves and Fireplaces' started by Dumf, Feb 17, 2020.

  1. Locust Post

    Locust Post

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    NG hot water boiler, just put a new one in about 4 years ago. Wood insert carries about 75 percent of the heat load.
     
  2. Well Seasoned

    Well Seasoned Administrator

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    Wood stove 24/7, pellet during SS or when it's -30°F and im burning down alot of coals in the woodstove, oil, really never. It kicked on twice this winter for about 20 minutes. Used about 30 gallons the past 3 years. Thermostat set for 58°F
     
  3. coreboy83

    coreboy83

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    Daikin 96% variable speed, 2 stage, 60k furnace hooked to NG.
     
  4. billb3

    billb3

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    I'm really not surprised that statistically wood heat for primary heat is down and wood heat for supplemental heat is up. Supplemental can be defined many ways.

    High efficiency oil boilers supplying heat and domestic hot water as oil is still the cheapest way to make hot water here where nat gas is not available, and up until very recently natural gas was not available on our street. Nat gas ends up about $1.41 a therm here. Which is usually still a little less than HHO where it is available, many have nat gas. Electric is about 24-29¢ depending on how much you use. Talking about homes, not apartments. Most apartments don't have options for wood or pellet heat.

    Selling a house here would be damm near impossible if it didn't have an automatic heat source.

    I can heat my house 100% with wood heat but a small house with a small stove, the boiler usually is heating up the radiators at 5-6 AM . More so when it is very cold outside.
    My mom's house, she can heat her whole house with the wood stove until it gets real cold out but she has to push the stove but she hasn't been as attentive this year. Not 100% sure why, but at 87 if you don't feel like it you don't.
     
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2020
  5. Marshel54

    Marshel54

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    Old poorly insulated farm house here with electric baseboard and water heater. Since starting burning wood my electric bill has varied maybe $20 from summer to winter. My mom moved in last winter and keeps her room at 80*. The winter bill is now runs $70 above my summer bill. I would be ahead of the game even if I had to buy all my wood.
    Stove room thermostat is turned off. The adjacent room to the stove room, kitchen, is set at 50* and doesn't come on at nights until the temps. get into the negative range.
     
  6. Gpsfool

    Gpsfool

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    I have natural gas hot water base board heat. Stat set to 66. It rarely fires off on its own. I start it up a few times a month to make sure all still functions.
     
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  7. chris

    chris

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    lp forced air and hot water, generally set to 65 on furnace. nc 30 provides for whole house mostly 24/7. been cheating lately FA set to 72 but all vents in basement open. NC 30 still pulling the 24/7 but I need to keep basement above 55 so I can work down there. i have only used 144 gallons of lp all Fall & Winter as of first week in Feb. Hot water heater likely using most of that it's only 28 years old and a standing pilot type. Set one notch above vacation. it is usually a few degrees warmer over by Horkin , I am 2 counties west of and a little further north (Dodge Cty) and he is closer to the big pond.( Lake Mich.) course that can be a double edged sword at times. There is NG about a 1/2 mile away at Cty Y road. Cost prohibitive to bring by me.
     
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  8. hovlandhomestead

    hovlandhomestead

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    We had an LP water boiler with baseboard up north, but our primary heat was our wood stove.

    Here at home we have forced air gas furnace which we like set at 68f, and a fireplace with glass doors, which is not useful for heating the downstairs to any degree, other than the family room on cold winter days/evenings. It is nice for us to enjoy a fire most weekends during the winter, but I will be correcting the situation with an insert at some point sooner or later. We get a good solar gain from large south facing windows so on days like today our furnace is not firing very often.

    Up north at our off grid cabin on the piece of our old property we kept when we moved we only have a wood stove, which keeps us plenty warm and toasty during our fall, winter and spring stays there. Plus we have our woods for cutting of aspen, black ash and birch. Every other year I also buy 3 cords of cut and split sugar maple/birch mix from our logger neighbors, which they also deliver. Price is $375 for a very healthy 1.5 cord load.
     
  9. 303Bourbon

    303Bourbon

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    Propane Furnace. Have it set to 58. I run it about once a month for 30 minutes to make sure it's working properly.
     
  10. trooper

    trooper

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    Wood is my real heat source, with a propane in-wall heater as "backup". I put backup in quotes because the propane heater hardly gets any use; in fact I turned it on recently to make things easier for my wife as I was gonna be out of town. Upon starting it up I smelled propane, called the propane supplier and they told me it was because my tank was near empty. I guess they put an odor at the end of the tank to remind you to fill-up. The supplier reminded me that the last time I got LP was in 2013 - the year I got my insert! :thumbs:

    Long answer I know, but I foresee using more propane as i get older. Luckily I was real ambitious when I bough the insert and created a nice 10 year supply or so. Now the only work is bringing the wood into the house, and stoking the fire in the middle of the night. I can see how folks with no wood supply might find it daunting to start heating with wood.
     
  11. lukem

    lukem

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    Option 1: Outdoor wood boiler
    Option 2: Wood Stove in the basement
    Option 3: Propane boiler
     
  12. tim117

    tim117

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    Oil boiler and hydronic baseboards. Electric hot water.
    Hopefully by next winter the boiler will be used even less than this one.
    I like this thread and seeing that some folks only heat with wood.
     
  13. Coaly

    Coaly

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    One wood stove, one coal stove. Each can be a back up for the other. Many years we burn wood only without starting the coal stove. Soon I will have a second wood stove in basement to heat lower level when needed. No central heat, automatic or thermostat controlled heat source, although each stove has a thermostat to control burn.

    Part time log home has wood only, but I wouldn't hesitate to live in it full time.
    Like my grandparents, I don't have a need for an automatic central heat source.

    Rental home I rent out next to me has coal stove in basement only. It was wood when I purchased it, I don't allow tenants to use wood.
    All 3 homes are good for power outages and heat cheap. Mine since I built it in 1987, next door since 1975 and log home since 1971.

    My other rentals that have central heat systems only are the problem.
     
  14. bert the turtle

    bert the turtle

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    I've got mini-split heat pumps for A/C. Haven't used them for heat since installing the wood stove 5 years ago.

    Not sure if wood stoves break down, but if it did, backup would be buy a new one.
     
  15. ReelFaster

    ReelFaster

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    Similar here, I don't get long enough burn times so the natural gas furnace will kick on early in the morning once maybe twice if it's super cold out. Thermostat set to 66
     
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  16. fstbck6706

    fstbck6706

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    I have a forced air furnace and a heat pump that contribute. We burn about 30 to 40 gallons of fuel a year. Stove works phenomenally well and my wife loves the heat compared to the furnace/heat pump.
     
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  17. Chazsbetterhalf

    Chazsbetterhalf

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    Pops look happy. Pretty fireplace.
     
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  18. Chazsbetterhalf

    Chazsbetterhalf

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    Primary is wood with a backup of fuel oil furnace. I like it warm. Upper 70s to 80. With the warm days we have been getting have been running the furnace during the day. Get up to a good bed of coals and might throw on a couple pieces to keep it going them evening we set the stove for the overnight burn. We have a 300 gallon fuel tank and it has been 2/3 years since we topped it off.
     
  19. RGrant

    RGrant

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    1200 square foot cape in Western Connecticut.
    Natural gas burner to forced hot air. Keep thermostat at 59.
    I think the furnace has kicked on 4 times this winter.
     
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  20. Woody Stover

    Woody Stover

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    "Real" heat is the first stove in my sig. Backup heat is the second stove in my sig. :)
    Plan 'C', get out the 40-year old quartz heater and bake more stuff in the electric oven..or go into town and get an oil-filled radiator heater.
    Wood heat is more "real" than gas or electric. If the chit were ever to hit the fan, wood'd be the only heat we'd have...until someone stole our stash. :confused:
    Before too long, I'll have a mini-split in here. Not worried about it not producing heat when it's cold out; Cold winters are evidently a thing of the past. o_O
     
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