new stove owner w/ questions

[coachgrd1]

I recently found this forum and there appears to be any number of you that may be able to answer a couple of questions I have regarding a new wood stove I had installed.

First, concerning the amount of wood I'll need...I plan to burn evenings, weekends, holidays and I may even fill it up before I leave for work on exceptionally cold days. Our purpose in purchasing the stove was not only to provide added warmth to the home but hopefully cut into the season's propane consumption. Our home is 2700 sq. ft. The stove is rated for up to 2200 sq. ft. It is rated for up to 52,000 BTU of heat using cord wood. I also got a blower unit on the stove. We are located in nw PA and while we don't get Minnesota cold, our winters are not easy but any stretch. I would expect to start burning in late Oct/early Nov and continue until mid to late March. Taking these things into consideration, how many cords should I prepare to have on hand for the season?

Secondly, I'm wondering what you all think of a deal I got the other day. I got a tandem axil load of seasoned hard wood (80% Cherry, 20% Birch.) Much of the wood needed cut to my stove size (my stove takes up to an 18 inch piece and the stuff I got was more like 18-22." Some pieces were split but 80-85% needed split an additional time after I cut them down to size length wise. After cutting it down to size and splitting it, I stacked it all and it totaled this: 3 rows, 4' high, 8' long (with the cut pieces being 16" long.) I also have the ends I cut off which obviously I will burn too. I paid $225 (including delivery) for this load. Should I consider this a good deal?

Thanks!
Gary

 

[kurtty]

I would conscider that a VERY good deal. But would changes in price so much from area to area. Here pine is cheap (60$) a coard and birch is about 100$ a coard, but 300km south of here its easily twice that price and farther north, It would be hard to sell firewood there is so much of it.

I say keep 5 or 6 coards on hand. That should do you especially if you have propane to burn along with it. But the total R-Value of your house would effect that alot too.

 

[wobdee]

You will need more wood than that 1 cord. How seasoned is it? Price seems high to me, but it can vary from state to state. Around here a cord of what they call dry Oak averages $150-$200. If you have the room for it, get at least 4 cords. Most people that burn 24/7 with a newer EPA rated stove go through 3-5 cords per season, and it's best to get 1 year ahead on your wood supply to make sure it's good and dry.

 

[Billy_Bob]

Dry seasoned wood burns easier. I would suggest stocking up this first year, then next year you will have a supply of dry seasoned wood. If you get too much, you can always use it next year. So get as much as you can depending on space and budget.

Also get kindling. This would be small pieces of wood which are easier to start burning. I have a pick-up truck load pile of this.

Then they have fire starter "squares" in stores which have wax or whatever on them. These will burn right away easily and get the kindling going, then the kindling will get the larger pieces going.

Also sort your trash. Separate paper from everything else. Keep the paper to help start fires.

Then be sure your woodstove was installed to building codes. Next contact your insurance company and add the woodstove to your policy. If it was not installed to code and is not added to your insurance policy, the insurance company does not have to pay for damage caused by a woodstove fire.

Of course installing it to code pretty much assures that it will not cause a fire!

Then get a fire extinguisher and place it near the woodstove. These things can have fires which are a thousand degrees or more! That is a raging fire inside your living room. Good to have a fire extinguisher nearby. I also have carbon monoxide detectors and plenty of smoke detectors in my house.

The insurance company may want to come take pictures of your stove. Best to have fire extinguisher(s) and smoke detectors in place before they arrive.

You can also get a fireproof hearth rug to place in front of the woodstove. These stoves will shoot out sparks when you open the door to put in more wood. I prefer the sprks fly onto my hearth rug than onto my carpeting. (Most sparks fly onto the hearth in front of the stove, but a few fly beyond that.)

When I first got my woodstove, I built a few fires which I felt were too hot and too large. (Learning curve.) I used a short spray of the fire extinguisher to reduce the heat a bit.

 

[jerseydevil]

my 2 cents

Here is a tip. When I get wood that is too long for my stove (18") I try to stack it as is and then once it is dry, I wait for winter ( when I don't have to worry about sweating to death) And then I am motivated by the cold to bring down a weeks worth of wood and I then cut it to lenghth, stack it and throw the stubby ends into a wheel barell or a drum(with a lid or cover to keep rain/snow out of).
Also, I find it useful to keep several 5 gallon buckets full of tightly stacked vertically, straight sticks. I cut them up in the fall, leaves them somewhere out of the way to dry, and in about a year I collect them, put them in buckets and cover them. They make great kindling, and it is a good way to clean up the yard. I also fill a 50 gallon drum with dry kindlling and cover that too.
I have learned a lot from this site, and you can too. I have to say the single most important thread I ever read was by blueridge mark, and showed how to build his sawbuck, which saves me tons of time and money.

 

[Poindexter]

A few items I can think of coach...

Have a pro chimney sweep check your flue sooner rather than later. Try to be home when the work gets done and ask the pro what to watch for as far as when it is time to sweep your chimney again. You can probably do the actual sweeping yourself and only have the pro out annually...

Spend a little time at your local library reading up on passive solar heating devices, specifically a thing called a thermosiphon. If you have a south facing wall and are somewhat handy with tools you can probably get 1 cord worth of btus out of a solar thingamajig for $225 this year, and have it already paid for next year when it might provide another cord worth of btu's. Depends on the weather and how your neighbors feel about having a black box on the side of your house and so on...

When he lived up around Albany, NY my dad planned on burning one cord per month to heat about the same area you are talking about.

HTH,
S

 

[coachgrd1]

I have to say the single most important thread I ever read was by blueridge mark, and showed how to build his sawbuck, which saves me tons of time and money.

I dug out the old thread and it would appear the blueridge mark no longer has his pics up as I all could see were red X's.

Anyone else want to add their $.02 on my questions? I am grateful to those of you who have already and welcome others!

-Gary

 

[Log Splitter]

I dug out the old thread and it would appear the blueridge mark no longer has his pics up as I all could see were red X's.

Anyone else want to add their $.02 on my questions? I am grateful to those of you who have already and welcome others!

-Gary

It's really hard to say, Coach. I heat my office at home 100% with wood. Last year I went through 7 face cords (4X8X16") keeping it warm. I'm in north Texas, but then the room is nearly 1000 sq ft and has two walls that are glass and a tile floor. So it's a really cold room, even thought the Texas winters are nothing like you get up there in PA. I also like it warm inside.

The point is the amount of wood you will burn depends on how cold a winter you have, how easy your home is to heat, how warm you want to keep it, and much you are home and burning wood.

You stated you will be burning part time. I'd say you at least need to triple your wood supply. If you have room to stack more, double that. Any wood left over at the end of the year will get you started the next season.

 

[IndyIan]

Hi Gary,
I wouldn't split your wood to finely. If it is wet splitting more does help it burn but it also burns more quickly especially if its dry.

We heated last winter with a similar stove to your and used about 2.5 cords but that was heating excusively with wood and not minding putting on a sweater. I could see using nearly twice as much wood if we were really worried about keeping the house a 78F all the time.

Ian

 

[OilHead]

Get on Craigs List . Try & find some free firewood. If you can get some 6-8" dia. limbs get them & split in half put in sun for the next 2 mo.. If you have a good bed of coals youll be able to toss some of those pieces on the fire without smokin up everything & getting to much build up of creasote. You may find some dry wood someone wants hauled off home sold etc.

 

[goof008]

I went thru about a face cord a week last year. But my stove is old and not real effecient. And it was run non-stop. I would suggest getting at least 2 more loads for this year. And if you get oak or something harder than cherry you will use less. If you cut your own, you should start to get next years wood cut/split/stacked. You need to stay at least a year ahead....I'm playing catch up right nowm yself, having been doing only a year.

 

[Austin1]

I live in a fairly cool climate and use 5 full cords to heat the home in winter main floor 1300sq feet. I also have to add about a cord for heating the workshop when working out there in the winter. I only have softwood to burn plus a little birch for really cold nights! I cut pine and spruce, both dead standing and fresh blow downs. The green wood takes at least 8 months to dry when cut and split{ I have very dry summers here}I like to keep 3 cords drying come April for the next winter the rest I cut as I need it dry dead pine ready to burn.I only have a 45minute drive and need a 5 dollar firewood permit. I figure about 40$ in gas and permit saves me about $200.00/250.00 in Natural gas in two months. Plus I get to be out in the woods with my hound and saws cutting wood.:chainsawguy:

 

[Sprig]

I dug out the old thread and it would appear the blueridge mark no longer has his pics up as I all could see were red X's.

Anyone else want to add their $.02 on my questions? I am grateful to those of you who have already and welcome others!

-Gary

Red X's, means its there but hidden, just right click on 'em and choose & Rclick on "Open", should do it fer ya

Size the gent is speaking of (origional thread starter) to heat should only require around 3-4 cord since he is using it a supplimental and not a primary heat source, but that said, its always nice to have extra
225US$ for a cord of mostly cherry wood does seem a bit on the high end to me btw, I'd be looking at some oak, locust, fir, to mix in there though, birch is fast & hot, cherry is hard and hot,
My 0.02$ worth fer da afternoon.



Serge

 

[slowp]

A woodshed is a good thing.

 

[logbutcher]

Get Splitting and Stacking NOW

Does your stove have a name ? Is it security classified ? :monkey:

Get going now to buck and split ...good for the body; just look around here at the physiques of the wood heaters.

Black cherry and paper/white birch are not the best species for your region, but they'll do for firewood. You have some great oak, hickory, ash there. Anyhow, Both cherry and birch have thick bark that will keep the wood wet if not "sliced" with your saw to make a "vent" groove in the bark to the cambium or wet wood layer. The birch and sometimes cherry will "pooch" or rot due to the impervious bark ( I'm well-educated to use big words you know ).
Buck it up, split it, then stack it in the open sun. Forget all the stuff about tarps: they just make a woodpile sauna. Done now ( that is an order :help: ), your wood should be ready for near firewood by November.
Be sure to put the wood in a dry place, NO tarps please, in the Fall.
Build your wood shed like the real wood burners do. :deadhorse: