How much wood can I expect to burn this winter?

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swimps

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imlay city mi
I have a norseman 2500 wood furnace. Newer home 2006, 2350 sq ft two story. We just installed the furnace two days ago and are still learning how to run it properly. We have it hooked into our duct work, and an outside chimney. We also have a barometric draft regulator. I was wondering if anyone in a simular situation might be able to tell me how much wood I can expect to use this winter.
 
Tricky Question

I think you need to give more specifics.

What temp do you keep your house?
What are the average temps of your winter?
How well insulated is your house?
Will it be your only source of heat?

You get the jest of it. That will be a really hard question to answer.:bang::bang:
 
I think you need to give more specifics.

What temp do you keep your house?
What are the average temps of your winter?
How well insulated is your house?
Will it be your only source of heat?

You get the jest of it. That will be a really hard question to answer.:bang::bang:

Don't forget to mention what type of wood you have access to. Hardwood vs softwood for starters but some of the guys out here can break it down further with specific wood species in addition to the other info tbow mentioned. I'm not one of those guys. :D
 
Don't forget to mention what type of wood you have access to. Hardwood vs softwood for starters but some of the guys out here can break it down further with specific wood species in addition to the other info tbow mentioned. I'm not one of those guys. :D

Yes thank you. I have oak and ash for now not sure exactly what kind. I keep my home at 68 degrees. I think its well insulated. 4 mo of 20 to 40 degree. 2 mo of -20 to 35 degree weather. I would like to use it as my only heat source. thanks for replying.
 
This one is a no brainer, the answer seems to be the same every year....

How much wood will I burn this year: "More than I have on hand right now." :)

Sorry folks no more callers we have a winner...


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hopefully he cut and split those 5 cords of red oak about this time last year !!doubtful,,,, id say 5 cords of anything burnable for now and focus on prime btu producing stuff before this winter is over ,for next year
 
Thank you to all that replied! Seems like 5 cords is the average. does that equal about 15 face cords?

To my original replier I think I sent you a private post. Didnt mean too. Sorry about that if I did.
 
Last edited:
A full cord is 2' X 4' X 16' which equals 128 cubic feet. Most people cut their wood 18" to 20" in length. I cut mine around 20" which would be 106 cubic feet. You should be able to get by on 5 face cords this winter.
 
A full cord is 2' X 4' X 16' which equals 128 cubic feet. Most people cut their wood 18" to 20" in length. I cut mine around 20" which would be 106 cubic feet. You should be able to get by on 5 face cords this winter.

ok great. thank you for the info!
 
I'm a couple of hundred miles north and I would say most with indoor stove burners burn 15-18 "face cord" a year. I go through more with my owb but it does more also like water and dryer. That is burning 24\7. 5 cord=15 face cord @ 16"
 
Face cord definitions vary by geographic region. For that reason when we are talking about volume and wood consumption we should avoid the term. Around me, a face cord is a 4X8 stack of indeterminate length, usually 16" which would make 3 face cords per cord.

I've noticed most of the people saying five cords are not living in the great white "mid north" like the OP and myself. I would also like to note that the Norseman 2500 is an EPA exempt furnace meaning it's efficiency is unrated and probably well under the current limit. I think you lose some efficiency with the ductwork of an add-on furnace. There's nothing wrong with all of this as long as you don't mind gathering lots of wood.

I can tell you that I heat a similar sized house that isn't particularly well insulated. I am burning a pre EPA rated cast iron wood stove and I am using between 6-8 cords per year. Since I started in September this year I'm sure it will be closer to 8. My parents heat a similar house (old, with below average insulation) with an add-on wood furnace similar to yours and they use between 10-12 cords per year.

If I were you. I would want to have at least 6 cords on hand ready to burn. If the wood is less than dry you will probably need more.

If you knew how much fuel you used last year to keep warm you could calculate the BTUs used and get an approximation in solid wood fuel just to see if anyone is in the ballpark. No matter what, I can't see you burning less than 4 full cords and possibly double that amount. Only time will tell. I know that when the wind is blowing and the temps start hitting the single digits, I can easily burn half a cord per week to stay warm.

Good luck and welcome to heating with wood.
 
Wow! you guys burn a lot of wood.
I have a similar sized house and heat it to around 75f, i live in Ontario Canada with a few months of very cold weather and still use on a bad winter 3 cord maybe 4 using a high efficiency wood stove.

When i first got my home it was 7 or 8 cord per season, but a quick check in the attic and a company that blows in insulation and wood totals became less than 1/2.

A couple 100$ in attic insulation VS over 1000$ in wood cost difference seems like a no brainer to me.
I think everyone should have a peek into the bat cave if they are heating with anything, 80% of people have never looked into the attic of the house they own.
 

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