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Home heating totally with wood

Started by Wood Shed, November 29, 2019, 01:05:18 PM

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chevytaHOE5674

Heat entirely with wood at the current house. Bought another farm with a house that we are remodeling currently and just installed a high efficiency boiler and for what its costing to heat that place I have zero plans to install the OWB over there. 

The more we expand the farm the less time and energy i have to cut wood, and all the wood would need to be hauled 10 miles to the new house. For what it costs to fell, skid, cut, split, haul, and stack, I can write a check for the propane and stay just as warm without killing myself to find time to make firewood.

Al_Smith

I could if I had to which I have done during  several storm conditions .However this time of the year with the weather ,1st of December I've yet to light the fire .If it's not in the 20's that thing will  run you out or cause you to sit around in your undies .Trust me two 70 some years olds in the buff is not a pretty sight . :D 

bodagocreek2


jmur1

Fireplace Insert (wood) with oil furnace backup in house.  1500 square feet -heats perfect warm in main area and cool in bedrooms.  Fill about 4 to 5 times a day
Small stove (wood) with propane backup in shop.  900 square feet -toasty if you want it.  Fill 2 to 3 times a day.
Unless we go away, the backups are not running.  Identical units as below.  Although I should mention our insert is ducted by a basement fan to reduce upstairs noise.



 



 

Last year I built a geo-well for cooling and ran a heat exchanger in the furnace duct.  I am considering the installation of an OWB (or building one).  This would use the pre-installed heat exchanger.  Need to close out some other projects before I start this one!  
jmur1
Easy does it

Logging logginglogging

Quote from: Wood Shed on November 29, 2019, 01:05:18 PM
How many can say they heat their home totally with wood?  I have since 2006 but having retired recently my wife and I plan to spend the coldest part of the winter elsewhere.  I have at least three neighbors about my same age that did burn wood doing the same now.  I guess change happens, always.
My father has always only done wood, and with our new house we built my wife and I have only heated with wood. LOL Stupid insurance said we had to have a back up source, I bought two cheap electric heaters that would never even heat one room and said there ya go...lol Never even hooked em up.
We heat solely with wood!!

Traci

When we started burning wood with an old woodchuck that was given to us we had backup propane. Got a bill from propane company stating it was a rental fee of $100 in that we didn't use enough propane. So, I told them to come and get the tank and we went 100% wood for 10 years or more.  Once kids were grown and woodchuck needed replaced (about 5 years ago) we went 100% electric and now debating on an outdoor burner. I very much miss the constant heat and the smell. I just don't think we can recoup the $$ as we want to leave the cold within 5 years and head somewhere warm. A 65 degree house is cold as we are trying to keep electric bill low. Decisions. Decisions.
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."
Robert Brault

Rebarb

I'm retired and every home I've owned was heated with wood, current home is mainly hydronic but with additional heat exchanger with CB 5036.

Having the same issue as some others.
The wife and I like to travel to warmer climates in winter but I worry to much about the boiler.

Letting the heatpump cycle through the heat exchanger does prevent freeze up.
I tried letting a family member tend the boiler while we were away....FIASCO.

Al_Smith

I've taken a beating in the past from propane jobbers .I'm thinking about a standby generator and  propane furnace as a back up to my geo-thermal .Lady fair and myself might take a notion to go a little south during the colder months of winter .If we do I'll own the tank .Nobody will ever hold my feet to the fire ever again .
There was a time I lived pay check to pay check .Those days are in the past .I call the shots now . 8)

chet

Quote from: Al_Smith on December 05, 2019, 12:33:32 PMThere was a time I lived pay check to pay check .Those days are in the past .I call the shots now . 8)
smiley_thumbsup  I'm with ya brother  ;D
I am a true TREE HUGGER, if I didnt I would fall out!  chet the RETIRED arborist

EtOtw

Childhood oil furnace burnt out winter February I was 11 or so In Massachusetts we lived in a big converted barn with a kit garage added over the summer my folks on one end and my grandparents on the other got wood stoves wed burn 16 to 22 chord a year easy cut and split  by me my brothers and my dad and we used a maul to split till after I moved they got pellet stove now I think and I'm in ga so mostly I just deal 

Peter Drouin

 

 
Wood forever, #2 barrel, good for 20 years. It will burn what ever I put in it, up to 3' long. Even when it goes out, It will keep the house at 70 for 2 days.
Even will burn nee wood.

 :D :D :D ;)
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

B.C.C. Lapp

We heat our home totally with a wood stove and have done that since 1998.   I also cut wood for my daughters house where they heat about 75% with wood.  

Cant imagine any thing else. Wood heat is a dry comfortable heat.   And you never worry about holding the door wide open to let dogs in and out or even throwing a window or two open on days when it warms a little to get fresh air in the house. 

Ill cut wood to heat with as long as I can then Ill buy slabs cause they are cheap then someday I guess Ill have to buy cut and split wood.   But Ill always heat with wood.
Listen, or your tongue will make you deaf.

Bncyom33

I live in the north east and heat 100% with wood as well. When my house was built in the 1970's they put electric baseboards in as the heating source. Now while this is very convenient as far as no worries of upkeep on a furnace or having radiators etc. it is extremely expensive. About 3 months after buying the house I ripped out the open fireplace that was installed on the second floor that used about a cube of bricks, no additional support added from the floor below by the way and installed a large capacity wood stove. Nothing fancy and probably made in the 70's as well. No idea make or model, bought it used and it has no markings or nameplate to indicate manufacturer. This wood stove heated my entire 1500 square foot second floor with ease for many years. Like a lot have mentioned to the point that a window or two might have also been opened to prevent sitting around in the buff. For years I struggled with heating my downstairs which is the same square footage. I had a propane stove which was just as expensive as if I were to use the electric heat, I installed a pellet stove which while convenient only having to fill the hopper once a day can not hold a candle to the warmth and comfort a wood stove. Then I finally bit the bullet and hired a moving company who moved my 500 lb wood stove from upstairs to my downstairs. Again mind you I initially put this stove upstairs a lot younger in my youth and with friends. Even then it almost killed us. I got a through the wall kit and about 25' worth of Selkirk stainless double wall and installed it. I realized at that point why I hadn't done it earlier. Very expensive having to buy the sections of pipe, through the wall kit, hell the 45 degree angle pieces needed to kick the pipe out past my soffit was almost 250$ and you need two of those. Put a newer secondary burn wood stove upstairs in the old behemoth's place and have upped my wood consumption by almost half putting me at burning about 8 cords a year. I will tell you money well spent in all areas and I kick myself for not doing it sooner. I will usually by a picker load every 1.5 years and use the early spring and summer to buck and split. I can't imagine not having a wood stove. It is a tremendous amount of work if your not buying cords of wood from someone and doing it yourself but the enjoyment from splitting and stacking. I have really enjoyed. My wife tells me I'm crazy and can't see how someone would ever enjoy it but I honestly do.
Jonsereds 70e, CS2152,Stihl MS360, Poulan 655 Bp, poulan 3700 and a 25ton splitter

chet

42 years for me when this thread started, now 46 years and still haven't put in the propane backup.  :D
I am a true TREE HUGGER, if I didnt I would fall out!  chet the RETIRED arborist

kelLOGg

Peter, you'd better go see a dermatologist.  :D ;D :D ;D
Cook's MP-32, 20HP, 20' (modified w/ power feed, up/down, loader/turner)
DH kiln, CatClaw setter and sharpener, tandem trailer, log arch, tractor, thumb tacks

Southside

Great - now @Magicman is going to post photos of his feet and his two wheelbarrow loads of wood he burns per year!!   :D
Franklin buncher and skidder
JD Processor
Woodmizer LT Super 70 and LT35 sawmill, KD250 kiln, BMS 250 sharpener and setter
Riehl Edger
Woodmaster 725 and 4000 planner and moulder
Enough cows to ensure there is no spare time.
White Oak Meadows

Magicman

 :)  The way @Old Greenhorn has recently been using his imagination, maybe we need to get pictures of his knees.  :D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

rusticretreater

I bought a used woodmaster outdoor furnace, made my own piping with pex, shiny insulation and drain tile and plumbed it into a heat exchanger in the ducting.  Now the propane is a back up.  I don't even try to make a big fire it is so efficient.  Water, 5 gals of antifreeze and some conditioner.  It will pay for itself in less than 5 years.
Woodland Mills HM130 Max w/ Lap siding upgrade
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SwampDonkey

Wood here and solar heat. Electric back up. And I don't burn wood all day, I'd be a grease spot at 110 degrees. :D I stopped burning wood for the summer here on the weekend. It's 70F outside today, and thermometer in here says 80F. Window is up to and north wind. I've got 11.5 cord all stacked and drying, 9 of it cut last fall. Will cut 2024 wood this October-November. ;D I burnt 7-1/2 cords last winter, 2-1/2 left over. I have duct work on two floors and upper floor is insulated floor. 10 cords of wood off 70 acres a year is from thinning and might never get to it all, but trying my best. After all I did space it all before this, but it was little trees, and it was using a clearing saw. Been getting 3 years of wood on every acre so far and that is from spacing, not clear cutting. Round two. :D
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Stephen1

I'm back heating with wood. 30 years ago I heated an old farmhouse for 10 years with wood.
I built this new house and put in a Masonry Heater. 2 Fires a day keeps it toasty warm. Sunshine heats the place, too much sometimes so we have to watch the weather, sunny....no fire needed today. I have been using slab wood from my sawmill, cut and split, so its free in a way. 
I am wondering if it will burn better with split wood versus slab wood. Next year I will cut and split some wood from the sugar bush to compare. 
IDRY Vacum Kiln, LT40HDWide, BMS250 sharpener/setter 742b Bobcat, TCM forklift, Sthil 026,038, 461. 1952 TEA Fergusan Tractor

Old Greenhorn

Quote from: Magicman on May 07, 2023, 02:21:05 PM
:)  The way @Old Greenhorn has recently been using his imagination, maybe we need to get pictures of his knees.  :D
No just hang on a new york minute here; How did I get sucked into this? I'm just minding my own bidness reading along and out of nowhere somebody wants to see my knees? And what, may I ask, does my imagination have to do with anything? Even paranoids have enemies you know. ;D  There is nothing wrong with my imagination especially when it is provoked by others with nefarious intent. And for he record, there are no plans anytime soon to show my knees, they would blind a southern boy this time of year (cute, though they may be).
 "That's all I got to say about that." (F.G.)
Tom Lindtveit, Woodsman Forest Products
Oscar 328 Band Mill, Husky 350, 450, 562, & 372 (Clone), Mule 3010, and too many hand tools. :) Retired and trying to make a living to stay that way. NYLT Certified.
OK, maybe I'm the woodcutter now.
I work with wood, There is a rumor I might be a woodworker.

trapper

wood with propane backup the last 30 years. when the wood part of the duo fuel furnace started to burn out put in an outdoor burner about 20 years ago   put in new propane furnace 3 years ago but it is only used 2 weeks a year when we go on vacation. Only hobby sawyer but it puts my slabs to good use.
stihl ms241cm ms261cm  echo 310 400 suzuki  log arch made by stepson several logrite tools woodmizer LT30

peakbagger

I can heat with wood full time. I have an indoor wood boiler with thermal Storage. I heated exclusively with wood for a few years but got a minisplit for shoulder season as I have excess solar electric production and even with thermal storage, its not very efficient for just a bit of heat at night. I also have oil backup but the only time that runs is when I need to be gone for an extended period in cold weather. I havent bought oil in several years. 

Magicman

Quote from: Old Greenhorn on May 07, 2023, 05:58:12 PMAnd for he record, there are no plans anytime soon to show my knees, they would blind a southern boy this time of year (cute, though they may be).
OK.........


 
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Wlmedley

Around here seems like everyone got on the wood stove kick in the mid 70s.We had two stores that sold only stoves.One sold Buckstove and the other sold Black Bart.Both stores sold a lot of them.Didn't take long till most people decided it was to much work and both stores closed. I lived in a small house trailer at the time and bought a small Buckstove.Furnace didn't work so I had to keep stove going.When I built my house I bought the biggest Buckstove they made and have been heating with it since 1987.Have electric backup but the electric bill will send you to the woodshed and there better be wood in it  :laugh:Anyone here use a Buckstove? I have had good luck with mine.
Bill Medley WM 126-14hp , Husky372xp ,MF1020 ,Homemade log arch,Yamaha Grizzly 450,GMC2500,Oregon log splitter

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