Post pictures of your woodpile/splitting area

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That is all mostly red oak. There is some gun, maple and walnut in there but not much. It’s mostly cut from 16-18 inches long. My stove will take a 22” piece and I split some for my parents which will take 18” pieces.
Thanks for the reply. I still can't imagine a stove 2x as deep as mine..

It's a great pile of wood
 
My hot blast 1557m will take a 26" 24" is my max cut length, and shorted (I cut) is 20". I'll toss about whatever smaller in it if I'm working around the house. It doesnt like to burn right with the smaller pieces till it has a real good coal bed going.
 

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Are OWBs used in Australia?

Just curious.

Philbert
I've never seen one, and can't find anything on google either. we use gas ducted heating (an outdoor gar flame heats up air passed through tubes that are surrounded by the flame and the air is pumped into the house via ducting and vents. usually the air is recirculated. that's probably the equivelent design, just with a different fuel..?

isn't it annoying having to go outside to check and feed the fire?

if the house has a pitched roof and just a standard wood heater, we might install ducting to suck warm air from the room with the fire and pump it into other rooms. they are fairly cheap systems. (note that Australian houses usually do not have a basement or attic - just the house, and most are free standing/detached/ranch houses.
 
we use gas ducted heating (an outdoor gar flame heats up air passed through tubes that are surrounded by the flame and the air is pumped into the house via ducting and vents. usually the air is recirculated. that's probably the equivelent design, just with a different fuel..?

isn't it annoying having to go outside to check and feed the fire?
There are a few guys that have an outdoor wood furnace that heats air to be ducted into a building, though every one that I personally know of is a home built version.

OWB's are generally an unpressurized water jacket surrounding a firebox. Heated water is pumped through an insulated line into the building. There it runs through a heat exchanger in a forced air furnace or in a radiant heat system (lots of options and variations here.) When the building calls for heat, the system is turned on and you can tell no difference to the type of fuel used. It can also be plumbed to heat domestic hot water through another heat exchanger. Then it returns to the OWB. The pump can run 24/7 or less commonly it runs only when the house calls for heat.

I typically check mine twice a day - once first thing in the morning and once again before bed - more often when I'm home. I try to add just enough wood to get to the next fill. Right now that may be an armload of splits. Extreme cold that may be the 32" diameter x 42" depth firebox full. When the water temp drops, air is allowed into the firebox via a damper and most often a fan. And so it cycles with the water temp.

For ME, it's not annoying to go outside to tend it. I have other chores to do anyway. But OWB's are not for everyone or every situation. The trade offs that are an advantage to me may be a disadvantage to others. Mine makes me smile every day and I wouldn't trade it though.
 
There are a few guys that have an outdoor wood furnace that heats air to be ducted into a building, though every one that I personally know of is a home built version.

OWB's are generally an unpressurized water jacket surrounding a firebox. Heated water is pumped through an insulated line into the building. There it runs through a heat exchanger in a forced air furnace or in a radiant heat system (lots of options and variations here.) When the building calls for heat, the system is turned on and you can tell no difference to the type of fuel used. It can also be plumbed to heat domestic hot water through another heat exchanger. Then it returns to the OWB. The pump can run 24/7 or less commonly it runs only when the house calls for heat.

I typically check mine twice a day - once first thing in the morning and once again before bed - more often when I'm home. I try to add just enough wood to get to the next fill. Right now that may be an armload of splits. Extreme cold that may be the 32" diameter x 42" depth firebox full. When the water temp drops, air is allowed into the firebox via a damper and most often a fan. And so it cycles with the water temp.

For ME, it's not annoying to go outside to tend it. I have other chores to do anyway. But OWB's are not for everyone or every situation. The trade offs that are an advantage to me may be a disadvantage to others. Mine makes me smile every day and I wouldn't trade it though.
it sounds like an interesting system. Some people i know (and @trains is one of them) have a wood stove that heats the house, does the cooking, and heats the hot water, and these can be set up to do things like under floor or radiator heating and alike.
 
My life, and my posts are getting repetitive. Yesterday was a gorgeous mid-Winter day here in PA, bright sun, temps in the 20's and I was entertaining my 4 year old grandson. Eventually he got cold and went in the house, and Scout and I split the last of my sawed wood (well except my chopping block).
View attachment 891190

And, if it's Monday - It must be snowing. Had hoped to get this little load moved and stacked before it got lost in the next round of Winter weather.
View attachment 891191

Curious if anyone has a secret for keeping the ATV seat clear while working in the snow. I had an old towel in the shed I laid over it while loading, that was partially effective.
I was going to say I do the same thing with a beach towel or old rain coat. But if you really want to keep it nice for when you are done, get one of the "Dumpster in a Bag" from Lowes or Home Depot. They are $29 and pretty darn near indestructible. When you start back, fold it in half and put it over the cart with a couple splits on top.
vzn203c.jpg
 
Our first stove was a Russo insert. It had about 14inches back in the fireplace, a seal around the opening, and about 12 inches out on the hearth. I could load it straight in, and stack the wood tight to the sides and top. It would get 12 hour burns, no problem. It would take 22" wood, but I cut mine to 18", if I cut it to 22" I'd get more black on the window. With so much steel sitting on the hearth we often had to keep windows in that room cracked with temps below freezing. It was still goin strong after 30 years. Then my wife said she wanted a prettier stove that was flush to the fireplace. So, I went out and spent $5000 on a Yotul, complete installed. It's a prettier stove, and it's a nice stove. But, does not do the job of the old Russo. It's only about 13" deep and 25" wide. So, I can't pack it tight. I have to make a pile like 3,2,1 or the pile falls down against the door as it burns. I only get 4-5 hour burns out of this one. If I cut my wood to 25" I might get a little more efficiency out of it. But, All of my wood customers take 18" and I'm not going to cut different lengths.
 
My life, and my posts are getting repetitive. Yesterday was a gorgeous mid-Winter day here in PA, bright sun, temps in the 20's and I was entertaining my 4 year old grandson. Eventually he got cold and went in the house, and Scout and I split the last of my sawed wood (well except my chopping block).
View attachment 891190

And, if it's Monday - It must be snowing. Had hoped to get this little load moved and stacked before it got lost in the next round of Winter weather.
View attachment 891191

Curious if anyone has a secret for keeping the ATV seat clear while working in the snow. I had an old towel in the shed I laid over it while loading, that was partially effective.
I keep a couple towels in the bonet for such things. Wipe the seat off of the forklift or the quad. As you say, it kind of works.
My posts and photos are getting repetitive also.
I like to see what others are doing, so keep coming back, and occasionally try and start a new thread to change it up.
I need to cut and split some to restock the wood shed. Three maybe four cord worth.
 
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Here's the woodlot this morning... the ground finally dried out enough to skid up some of the logs I've got down in the woods. Skidded logs all day this past Sunday...


DSCN1022.JPG


DSCN1032.JPGThis photo above is where I'm at right now... taking lunch break. 4 tanks of gas through the 55 already getting everything bucked up... getting the smaller stuff done first, then the 372 will get to finish the job on the bigger stuff.
 

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