Any Gen-X’ers heating with wood?

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We deserve our own thread right?

I’ve always burned wood as a supplement to propane and electric and in the fireplace which partially heats the house. Also sauna heat at the cabin.

This will be my first winter at this place burning only wood. I shut off the electric boiler in October and with the rates they are charging these days I don’t plan to turn it in any time soon. I have automatic propane backup for the wood furnace in the event we leave or if the fire burns down during bitter cold.
 
We deserve our own thread right?

I’ve always burned wood as a supplement to propane and electric and in the fireplace which partially heats the house. Also sauna heat at the cabin.

This will be my first winter at this place burning only wood. I shut off the electric boiler in October and with the rates they are charging these days I don’t plan to turn it in any time soon. I have automatic propane backup for the wood furnace in the event we leave or if the fire burns down during bitter cold.
I was born in 73. Growing up we had a wood stove to help cut down on the heating bills.

I’ve heated strictly with wood for about 10 years. It’s natural gas here, with my time involved, equipment, etc, I’m sure I’m losing my money. I do it because I enjoy it and gives a feeling of self sustenance. It also helps instill some work ethic into the children.
 
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I was born in 73. Growing up we had a wood stove to help cut down on the heating bills.

I’ve heated strictly with wood for about 10 years. It’s natural gas here, with my time involved, equipment, etc, I’m sure I’m losing my money. I do it because I enjoy it and gives a feeling of self sustenance. It also helps instill some work ethic into the children.
im right there with you. My kids help me stack and move wood and I know it’s one of the best things they can do: work. I remember when I bought the woodstove, I didn’t own a chainsaw or anything to split firewood with. And I bought my first chainsaw and realized I found one of my favorite hobbies! I love knowing that if the power goes out, my wife and children will stay warm.
 
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im right there with you. My kids help me stack and move wood and I know it’s one of the best things they can do: work. I remember when I bought the woodstove, I didn’t own a chainsaw or anything to split firewood with. And I bought my first chainsaw and realized I found one of my favorite hobbies! I love knowing that if the power goes out, my wife and children will stay warm.


Yeah man, it’s great for kids. That’s for sure.

About 8 years ago here in NJ we had a nasty snow/Ice storm in October when most of the trees still had leaves. There were trees and power lines down everywhere. Our area was without power for awhile. We had all sorts of neighbors stopping over to warm up in our nice toasty house.

Good times when you have your ass covered.
 
We heat and get all hot water from the OWB now. Propane co loved to hit us every year with a fine for not using enough propane, made us use the wood stove more. Wood stove is our back up if the power goes out along with a coal stove in the basement. I was out this morning before the storm filling up a skid crate of wood for the OWB for the week.
 
Oooo me! Pick me!!

I grew up helping my grandfather split (by hand) and stack firewood. When I was strong enough, I started running a saw - some early 90s McCullogh with a 16"bar.

At 91, he is still at it running his MS362 and log splitter. He has 12 cords of oak ready to go for this winter. It keeps him active and gives him something to do during the summer to stay out of my grandmother's hair (she's 93).

Now, my kids are helping me and looking forward to being strong enough to run their own saws.
 
Yeah man, it’s great for kids. That’s for sure.

About 8 years ago here in NJ we had a nasty snow/Ice storm in October when most of the trees still had leaves. There were trees and power lines down everywhere. Our area was without power for awhile. We had all sorts of neighbors stopping over to warm up in our nice toasty house.

Good times when you have your ass covered.
I remember that storm. We got nailed by it in central PA also. We had newborn twins that were only months old at the time. The house we were in at the time didn't have a stove, BUT I did setup a generator. We were the only house on the block with power (and a running boiler) for about 2 days. My lovely wife thouht I was crazy when I bought the generator. She grew up in the area and doesn't remember ever losing power. Well, there we were.... and I quote, while talking to her sister, "he's not so crazy after all". Since then, she is always thinking about backup systems for stuff. The stove, while we use it as our main heat source, is really a backup to the boiler, and she is happy that we have it.
 
I remember that storm. We got nailed by it in central PA also. We had newborn twins that were only months old at the time. The house we were in at the time didn't have a stove, BUT I did setup a generator. We were the only house on the block with power (and a running boiler) for about 2 days. My lovely wife thouht I was crazy when I bought the generator. She grew up in the area and doesn't remember ever losing power. Well, there we were.... and I quote, while talking to her sister, "he's not so crazy after all". Since then, she is always thinking about backup systems for stuff. The stove, while we use it as our main heat source, is really a backup to the boiler, and she is happy that we have it.

Anytime my wife's pulls the "you're crazy" card, I kindly remind her that she married me, which brings into question the consitution of her own sanity.
 
Anytime my wife's pulls the "you're crazy" card, I kindly remind her that she married me, which brings into question the consitution of her own sanity.
It doesn't bother me. I've been called worse by people whose opinions I care about less.
 
In.

I do most of the work myself - wife doesn't get how I can be content swinging the Fiskars or running the splitter with earmuffs on for a couple of hours. Daughters help occasionally, more often when they need a task to refocus their attention from a behavioral issue. I try not to use firewood exclusively as a consequence though.

Seems to me that many here are gen x or baby boomer age, but that may be as a result of the younger ones being on The Facebook and not so much on forums. Forums are so 90's! :surprised3:
 
I am not a Democrat, so I don't label people, based on skin color, sex, or date of birth. I don't care if you were bron in the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, or are still a kid. If you are healthy, have a little free time, and access to some standing timber, you can save anywhere from 50 to 200 dollars a month on heating your house. If you aren't rich, you are stupid for not heating with wood.
 
I Identify as a Gen Xer lol. Burn 10- 12 full cords/year in my Hardy H2 cut and split and stacked by only me. Much of what I burn would have been burned as brush by my FIL who farms and spends his free time pushing brush and cleaning out fence rows. So I figure I’m making good use of the wood and CO 2 I’m releasing as heat for my house as it would have been a brush pile fire and wasted. Like others, I like to spend time outside and enjoy operating tractors and chainsaws so it’s win win for me.
 
I'm an X, I guess, or close enough. Dunno bout labels. But I burn 10+ cords a year. Selling more than that as well. Lots of older firewood sellers retired this season, leaving a niche for me.
Average wood buyer is 40-50 round here, FYI
 
When I was a kid we always burnt wood. I can remember going with my dad and loading the truck and trailer. Acres and acres of dutch elm killed wood.

In the mid 90's I heated with wood and fuel oil as my furnace was duel fuel. When I put a new basement in my new furnace was just fuel oil so I didn't burn wood for 10 years when fuel oil exploded. Put in two pellet stoves and did that for a number of years. Bought a OWB a few years ago and got back into burning. House stays at 72 and I don't shiver. Maybe burned 5 gallons of fuel oil in the last 5 plus years.
 
Seems to me that many here are gen x or baby boomer age, but that may be as a result of the younger ones being on The Facebook and not so much on forums. Forums are so 90's! :surprised3:

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as far as the younger generations go, Facebook is "for old people". The youngest generation most active on Facebook is Gen-Y (millennials); Gen-Z is almost exclusively mobile, so mostly Snapchat, Instagram, and other simpler formats. Heck, some young guys give me sh!t for using SMS text to communicate... as if that's as outdated as the phonebook ...

I still think that the forum format still works for younger generations of enthusiasts and/or hobbyists. Much like radio, some formats just don't die...
 
Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as far as the younger generations go, Facebook is "for old people". The youngest generation most active on Facebook is Gen-Y (millennials); Gen-Z is almost exclusively mobile, so mostly Snapchat, Instagram, and other simpler formats. Heck, some young guys give me sh!t for using SMS text to communicate... as if that's as outdated as the phonebook ...

I still think that the forum format still works for younger generations of enthusiasts and/or hobbyists. Much like radio, some formats just don't die...
Millennials is pretty much what I meant about Facebook - not many in gen z (or whatever they are) old enough to have their own place to heat with wood yet.

Forums may still continue to hold a niche market like radio or newspaper do. Some of the old forums are a shell of what they once were, probably in part because of competing forums, but also due to societal changes such as Facebook, Instagram, and other choices. Time marches on.
 
The problem with regular social media is that it’s almost impossible to have an ongoing thread or any type of topical discussion. Therefore forums will have a place unless they somehow are able to combine the formats into one site.
 
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