How much wood do you burn?

[Marley5]

CB 5036 heating 4600 sq ft home, radiant....7 cords in western VA from Nov-mar.

 

[Multifaceted]

Our home is approximately 1,800 sq ft, split-level with a masonry chimney and steel-lined flue. The chimney runs slightly off-center from out home, the wood stove is on the lower level in our den area. We live in South-Central Pennsylvania, in the foothills of the Appalachians. We also live on a hill near a valley, so lots of micro-climatation.

Our Stove is on older early 90's era Dutchwest Federal Airtight with a catalytic combuster. We also have a fairly efficient heat pump that kicks on when the stat reaches below 66F (19C), which is often while we are away from home. While the stove can put out some great heat, it does not get very long burns even when chocked down and re-burning, or even with some dense fuel wood like Black Locust. Often I'll stuff the firebox over some coals before bed, then wake up at 0530 to a dying coal bed but still warm stove. BY then the house will have dropped a degree or two, but on a work day I'll just let it die and stoke it up again when I get home from work. Right now we burn mostly Ash and Cherry, with a smattering of Black Locust; all of my oak and hickory are still seasoning, and I still have a mountain of oak rounds remaining to split and stack.

On average, we seem to burn about 3-4 cords per season. I rebuilt my stove earlier this year so it's running much more efficiently, and I suspect that we'll burn closer to 3 cords this season, unless it is ridiculously cold this winter. Again, we do not burn constantly; except for on the weekends when we are home most of the time. During the day at work the heat pump keeps the house at 66F, and it is relatively well insulated.

 

[Blue Oaks]

I wish I only burnt 6-8 cords a winter . I'm at 22-24 full cords a winter in Northern Michigan. My boiler forced air heats a 4100sqft house, in floor 3600sqft shop full time, and dhw. So for the volume being heated in my climate for 6 months, I don't think it's bad at all. If I ran the natural gas, I'd be $800-1000 a month to be equally cozy.

Holy Toledo! That's a lot of wood, and a lot of space to heat. Where I live, that 24 cords of wood would cost just under $10k so I'd probably burn more natural gas. Of course I don't have a natural gas line to my house.

I've got about 1600 sq/ft and burn 2 to 3 cords during winter. Average days in Jan are 50 degrees during the day, and 30 at night. Plain old cracklin' fireplace.

 

[muddstopper]

I have always just estimated my wood useage at around 4 cords a year. I aquired one of those 6wheel stock carts a year ago I use to roll the wood from the basement door next to the stove. The cart, by best estimate, will hold about 1/5 of a cord and that will pretty much last about a week. I usually burn non stop for about 18wks with the occassional fire during cool spells. The numbers work out to 3.6 full cords, not counting the cool spell fires. So I guess my original estimate is was pretty close after all. If you ever get a chance to get one of those 6wheel stock carts, I highly recommend it for a firewood caddy. I am looking for a few more. You can just roll them to your basement door, load to the max and then move them where you want them. Helps keep the trash dropping down from carrying wood and saves a ton of steps from the door to the stove. The one I have came from a Dollar General store. The local store has several dozen out back, but wont sale or let me have any. Bummer!

 

[jrider]

8-10 cords a year of low grade fuel...a lot of partially rotten/punky stuff. Pine, poplar, silver maple for most of it and maybe some oak cutoffs in the mix. This is all a by product of selling 120+ cords most years so it's really just junk. Heating 3000 square feet of house built in 1978. Window in the bedroom is never fully closed all winter. Heat generally 72-74 in the house.

 

[Streblerm]

Im impressed that the epa stove saved you about 3 full cords a year. Thats really cool.

Does the epa stove keep your house warmer as well? or do you keep the heat level about the same, you just happened to use less wood?


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The old defiant, fully loaded, would make good heat for maybe 4 hours and if I was lucky I'd still have coals after 6-8. The Englander will make good heat for 6-8 hours with coals for 10-12 but with only 3-5 logs. It's hard to say which made more heat. The Defiant made a ton of it but only for a short period of time and it was more than I needed. If you would try and choke it down it just smoked like crazy. The Englander makes more than an adequate amount of heat but it is more controllable . I'm sure I could make the stove room 80 degrees with the Englander if I wanted, but I don't.

The bigger part of using less wood was definitely the stove. Over the years I've also learned to make smaller fires and not reload as often.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

My Yukon Klondike furnace will go through a buttload of wood if I'm home to load it. I'm sure I could fit 7 cords of oak through there in a winter. House is probably 1200 square feet. Log home with vaulted ceilings.

Ordered a Lamppa Vapor Fire 100 a couple weeks ago pretty excited.

 

[Jwilliams]

2300 sq ft bilevel In northeastern pa Harman tl300. Usually burn from halloween till April or when ever it’s warm enough to no longer need heat and usually use 4-5 cord

 

[rancher2]

I burn between 10-15 cords a year in my Garn run it year around for domestic water. House is three story old farm house newer windows and insulation about 4,000 square feet we heat 2,500 of it all the time 30x60 shop also. We haven't bought propane in 10 years. Clothes dryer on propane and if I get lazy in the summer the hot water heater will kick on propane once in a while.

 

[Trapper_Pete]

southern Wisconsin
1909 1 1/2 story 1000sqf main floor the second floor is smaller so total is about 1400 sq feet mostly original windows with storms so not very well insulated the walls have blown insulation and the attic about 7 inches of rockwool I need more but first I need to replace all the nob and tube wiring

quadrafire 3100 step top middle of the south wall of the house 3-3.5 cord and 200 gallons of fuel oil .
my first year in the house 750 gallons of fuel oil it was 99 cents a gallon then and 2.99 a gallon now when oil spiked to 4 dollars a gallon in 2007 the stove and chimney and install was almost entirely paid for in one heating season with the savings.

 

[MNfarmer]

Central MN. I'm heating an old farmhouse with a Royall 6526 indoor boiler plus all the hot water. I've tinkered a bit with the boiler to get it to do what I want and it will keep the house at 75 even at 40 below. We probably do through 10-12 cord a winter of good dry wood.

 

[066blaster]

4-5 cords 2400 sq ft well insulated tri level, insert with daul blowers . electric heat in the living room might kick in if it drops below 10 degrees or i 'm too lazy to get up in the middle of the night, but not very often. No ductwork, no gas. so its pretty much wood heat or nothing

 

[Little Al]

My house is 2.1/2 stories Summer kitchen is 1/2 storey below ground floor not sure of the Sq metre space, have 3" Godin" stoves 1 14kw & 2 8/9kw the large stove had a heat exchanger fitted when I moved in, the flue passes through to the first floor with the heat ex is fitted on the 1st floor with a fan blowing out the hot air I purchased 2 more different make/type but still work well IIRC around €55 some 5 years back reduced the time from almost 3hrs to just over an hour to attain the same temp recon they save me some 3/4 cubic metres of wood per winter varies of cause (Weather)

 

[longbowch]

House is 1900sq ft on the main level, plus the basement. I have a Jensen add on furnace. Other than to make sure it works I don’t use the gas furnace. I burn about 10-12 cords a year. I will burn about anything. Mostly oak, cherry,ash, Locust.

 

[STLfirewood]

I have an 8’x20’ that burns 25-30 cords a year. This is my kiln. I run it all year. I heat it with a CB CL40. When it’s really cold I’ll load it full twice a day. My mom uses about 4 cords in her Quadrafire 7100 (I think that’s the model). I just put a wood stove in. I’m planning on 2 cords through it.

Scott

 

[bowtechmadman]

I heat 3800 sq. ft. quad level home and all our DHW in Northern Michigan with a Woodmaster 4400 OWB, pretty well insulated and keep thermostats set at 72. Burn approx. 10 cord a year. Mixed btw oak, ash, maple, cottonwood, cherry, sassafras. Burn the sassafras and cottonwood in spring/fall.

 

[tdiguy]

I've had a Avalon Rainier for almost 20 years now. 100 year old farm house with a 60k btu HE lp furnace as well. Usually use 800 gallons of LP and use the wood stove to keep the temp bearable. Furnace is set at 55 degrees. As for the amount of wood i burn, it depends on my ambition level, i would guess between 1-4 cords?

 

[TimberWolf530]

I have a 2000 sq ft ranch with an Englander NC30. I burn about 4-5 cords of hardwood from mid October - end of March. Last year, we needed to burn through mid April and I ran out of wood. Remember that your wood consumption will vary depending on the wood you burn. 5 cords of Ash, Oak, Hard Maple, Locust, Hickory, etc will produce a lot more BTU than 5 cords of Pine, Spruce, Soft Maple, Poplar, Willow, etc. So if I burn 5 cords of all hard wood, and you burn 8 of soft, I may still be using more BTU than you to heat my house.

 

[aokpops]

I have always just estimated my wood useage at around 4 cords a year. I aquired one of those 6wheel stock carts a year ago I use to roll the wood from the basement door next to the stove. The cart, by best estimate, will hold about 1/5 of a cord and that will pretty much last about a week. I usually burn non stop for about 18wks with the occassional fire during cool spells. The numbers work out to 3.6 full cords, not counting the cool spell fires. So I guess my original estimate is was pretty close after all. If you ever get a chance to get one of those 6wheel stock carts, I highly recommend it for a firewood caddy. I am looking for a few more. You can just roll them to your basement door, load to the max and then move them where you want them. Helps keep the trash dropping down from carrying wood and saves a ton of steps from the door to the stove. The one I have came from a Dollar General store. The local store has several dozen out back, but wont sale or let me have any. Bummer!

Have any pictures ?

 

[aokpops]

I have always just estimated my wood useage at around 4 cords a year. I aquired one of those 6wheel stock carts a year ago I use to roll the wood from the basement door next to the stove. The cart, by best estimate, will hold about 1/5 of a cord and that will pretty much last about a week. I usually burn non stop for about 18wks with the occassional fire during cool spells. The numbers work out to 3.6 full cords, not counting the cool spell fires. So I guess my original estimate is was pretty close after all. If you ever get a chance to get one of those 6wheel stock carts, I highly recommend it for a firewood caddy. I am looking for a few more. You can just roll them to your basement door, load to the max and then move them where you want them. Helps keep the trash dropping down from carrying wood and saves a ton of steps from the door to the stove. The one I have came from a Dollar General store. The local store has several dozen out back, but wont sale or let me have any. Bummer!

I burn 7 loads a year
Like to see the 6 wheel cart