Home heating totally with wood

[Wood Shed]

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.

[47sawdust]

My wife and I both in our 70's.We heat entirely with wood ,cook stove and parlor stove.8 cord a year which I skid,buck split and have help with the stacking.

[hedgerow]

I am semi retired. Quit working in town two years ago and just farm now. We heat totally with wood. Had a leak on the Garn started last Dec and shut down in May and back up in July first time it was off in 10 years. If I had my way we wouldn't be around here in the winter and the propane would keep the pipes from freezing or I would just winterize every thing. Wife is still working in town and says she is not retiring any time in the near future. Guess I will keep feeding the Garn and working in the shop for the winter.

[upnut]

We are wood only, and have been for 30+ years. The biggest change has been our personal thermostats. Years ago, if the sweat was dripping off my nose the wife was just comfy. Now, when I'm about right she is opening windows and running a box fan to cool down....The kids like to warm up by the wood stove when they come home, tough to do with a forced air furnace. Hauled up another load today, failure is not an option...


 

Scott B.

[Wood Shed]

hedgerow,

You mentioned if you could leave winter behind you would "just winterize everything".  That got me thinking as one of my neighbors said he drained his OWB and leaves his propane furnace set high enough to keep the pipes from freezing.  We have taken winter vacations the last three years and just left the back up fuel oil boiler run set about 60 degrees with the circulator running to keep the OWB from freezing but I worry about a furnace failure that may cause the OWB to freeze.  Wish I could just winterize everything and leave with a lot less to worry about.  Could easily drain the OWB, but would that cause damage to my fourteen year old CB 6048 sitting empty?

[bluthum]

I've heated entirely with wood and passive solar exclusively for over 40 years. big deal. However my parents at 90+ and late 80's heat a large house exclusively with a wood stove and big wood cook stove. True gumption, that.

[thecfarm]

All wood here. Been that was since 2002. We did heat with oil the first 2 years.

[lxskllr]

If I was in the country, I certainly would. lately, I try to keep most of the heat by wood, but I'm not here to keep the wood stove going all day. Thermostat's on 48°, and it hasn't come on yet this year. Probably will if it gets cold.

[bulldozerjoe]

alll wood here, i do have propane back up..... But it never turns on

[gspren]

Wood Shed, I use boiler antifreeze in my OWB since we shut it down for 7-10 days every month through the winter while we go to our DE house, works great!

  As to heating entirely with wood, we did for years while we were working but now that we are retired I'm too busy, I sometimes think I need to hire someone to help me be retired. :D

[chet]

42 years of totally wood here. Going ta hafta bite da bullet someday and install propane backup, yup someday :D

[Pine Ridge]

We are wood only, and have been for 30+ years. The biggest change has been our personal thermostats. Years ago, if the sweat was dripping off my nose the wife was just comfy. Now, when I'm about right she is opening windows and running a box fan to cool down....The kids like to warm up by the wood stove when they come home, tough to do with a forced air furnace. Hauled up another load today, failure is not an option...


 

Scott B.

Same way here, i'm just right and she's got ceiling fans on and front door open, we heat with a fire chief outdoor forced air furnace and have a propane furnace for backup, hope i never have to use the propane furnace again.

[trapper]

use propane 2 weeks a year when we are on vacation.  Leave outdoor furnace pump on and  the water in the outdoor furnace stays at 40 degrees

[Wood Shed]

After reading all of your comments I am leaning towards just draining the OWB until we return in the spring.  I am sure not having to keep the OWB warm the rest of the winter will be better economically and less stress on my 25 year old backup fuel oil boiler.  Even if the fuel oil boiler fails we do have a heat pump that I will leave turned on as a last resort to keep the house plumbing from freezing.  As thecfarm (I think) once said "its just water" and I can easily drain it and refill when I return in the spring.

gspren,  you mentioned using OWB antifreeze, I am going to check that out too.

Thanks for all of your comments.   Wood Shed 

[hedgerow]

Wood Shed 
I guess I don't see the harm in draining your OWB. I probably wouldn't  drain my Garn as it has 2000 gallons of water in it and I have 3000 gallons in another tank both are spray foamed and in a building that is spray foamed in my one pole building. I have a lot invested in chemical treatment.  My lines to the house have antifreeze in them as I run heat exchangers and the water stays in the Garn barn. A small milk house heater in that building would keep the Garn from freezing. Even if my wife retires from town I don't see her wanting to go south for the winter. She likes the snow and the holidays around here too much. If I had my way my house would have wheels and when the cold started I would be heading south and wouldn't be back until it was time to plant corn. 

[Hilltop366]

You use to be able to get low temperature auto dialler so when your heat went out it would call you. Search Freezealarm.

[lxskllr]

With the caveat I don't know how an OWB works at all, one concern I'd have with draining the system is it causing seals(if there are any) to fail. Seems like things that should either wet or dry should always be wet or dry. When you change their state, bad things happen.

[ButchC]

100% wood here. We do have propane forced air backup that has never run other than every fall I run it to be certain it still works if needed.

[dave_dj1]

All winter with wood here, I do run the oil hot air furnace in the spring and fall to take the chill off as needed though.

[thecfarm]

@Wood Shed yes that was me. I think I was talking about topping off the OWB and it would overflow.

[Hilltop366]

All wood heat here since I built 2001. Tarm indoor boiler with in floor radiant. It has a second door that was designed to put a oil burner on (open wood door then close door with burner) but I have never installed it.

My insurance company was not sure about no backup.

"What are you going to do if the power goes out?"    Plug in the inverter and still have heat.

"What are you going to do if you go away?   I have three family members with in a mile.

[gspren]

Regarding anti-freeze, I ran my boiler without it for a few years and now I have used it 7+ years and the only downside I see is cost. My P&M holds about 100 gallons so for this area I bought a 55 gal drum plus the water for about a 50/50 mix, I have noticed absolutely no change in performance. If your boiler is a lot larger than that the cost could get crazy. I believe the one I use is Cryo-tec, probably spelled that wrong.

[Iwawoodwork]

We have heated with wood only using a Craft stove fireplace insert since 1991, just this year replaced the original blower fan, stove easily heats the main floor about 1500 sq. ft. When temp get into the 20's or lower I fire up the wood stove in the lower daylight basement to take the chill off. The house was built with ceiling heat (worthless and very expensive) that has not been used since 1991.We have enough wood on our 6.5 acres to keep supplied without buying any. we also live in a much milder climate are than many of you in the northern parts of the U.S. The last couple years I have hired a helper to help me fall, buck and move the wood from the hillsides to the wood storage area, in fact we just bucked up about a 1/2 cord today as we already had it on the ground. This is about 90% Doug fir and 10% oak.

[breederman]

We have used wood only for 30 years in a indoor hot air furnace. It has an oil burner in the same fire box as the wood that was never reliable when brand new. With retirement heading my way at breakneck speed I have started thinking about a propane back up furnace so we can chase warmer weather once in a while when the snow starts getting deep.

[barbender]

I'd have no qualms with draining my Heatmor owb down and leaving it sit, if needed. There's really nothing to go wrong. I'd be most concerned that it got drained completely. I just run straight water in mine. However, for the scenario the OP is describing I'd take a hard look at antifreeze. However, heating antifreeze (not the same stuff as automotive) isn't cheap when you're looking at systems that take several hundred gallons.

[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]

All wood since 1981.

[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

[Logging logginglogging]

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. 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.

[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]

There was a time I lived pay check to pay check .Those days are in the past .I call the shots now . 8)

  I'm with ya brother  ;D

[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 ;)

[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.

[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.

[chet]

42 years for me when this thread started, now 46 years and still haven't put in the propane backup.  :D

[kelLOGg]

Peter, you'd better go see a dermatologist.  :D ;D :D ;D

[Southside]

Great - now @Magicman is going to post photos of his feet and his two wheelbarrow loads of wood he burns per year!!   :D

[Magicman]

   The way @Old Greenhorn has recently been using his imagination, maybe we need to get pictures of his knees.  :D

[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.

[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

[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. 

[Old Greenhorn]

 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.)

[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.

[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]

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).

OK.........


 

[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.

[rusticretreater]

My Dad used a Buckstove fireplace insert.  There was a fan thermostat thing that was held to the back with a bolt that used to burn out frequently.  I finally just wired an on/off switch for him.  

[woodroe]

Wood and Sun only, 33 yrs now. Never installed a backup.
1500 sq ft home plus full basement, 4-5 cords on average, never more than 5. 
Wood comes from the lot, cut, limbed, twitched, bucked, split. Hard telling at what
point I'll have to put in some backup. But so far the price is right.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Started with wood in various configurations in 1974, Ashley automatic, home made hot air furnace, Vermont castings stove, Taylor outdoor boiler, Central Boiler Classic now, with both oil boiler and heat pump for backup
Did use just oil for a few years in the late 90s.
Getting lazy now and am considering biting the bullet and going all oil and heat pump.

[SwampDonkey]

Backup here was easy, on the side of the wood furnace. I've never used more than $30 of electric heat a month because it's not on very often and barely 5 minutes when on. I don't travel in the winter so I'm right here to throw wood in. ;D Today is a cool day in the 50's and it's never been on all though the daylight hours. I had my bedroom window up 3" all night. Going to be in the 70's Thursday. North wind came up since daylight so window is down, overcast since noon. 75F in here now, still comfy for me even if down to 70F. Heck, the AC will drive it down to 70F-75 range in summer heat so I have no complaints. :D Electric might come on tonight once or twice an hour dropping into the low 30's. I'll keep this up until I'm 75, then push buttons for heat. :D :D I'll close in the stairway to the second floor with a door, it will still get heat, but only forced air, no convection from the first floor. That'll cut the heat by 1/3-1/2 I figure. I heat 2900 sq feet, includes basement and 2 floors. My upper floor as 9'-14' ceilings. :D

[gspren]

Started with wood in various configurations in 1974, Ashley automatic, home made hot air furnace, Vermont castings stove, Taylor outdoor boiler, Central Boiler Classic now, with both oil boiler and heat pump for backup
Did use just oil for a few years in the late 90s.
Getting lazy now and am considering biting the bullet and going all oil and heat pump.

After heating with wood for many years I liked it but we travel so much between our main residence in PA to our vacation home in DE that when we sold the farm and downsized to two acres I gave up on wood. This winter I had the oil furnace in the PA house removed and changed to propane, so far I like it much better. In the DE house the main heat is heat pumps and a pellet stove. The only time the heat pumps aren't efficient is when we have been gone for a few weeks with the heat turned down to 55-58 when you get there and set it to 70 the heat strips kick in and they use a bunch of electric so that's when to fire up the pellet stove for a few hours. Many people say the heat pumps are good down to mid 30s and that's partially true but if the thermostat sees that it's more than 2-3 degrees colder in the house than the set point it will start the auxiliary heat strips to help it catch up. 

[cutterboy]

 I'll keep this up until I'm 75, then push buttons for heat. 

SD, you may find that when you reach 75 wood heat has become a habit that is hard to break. The heat wood produces is like no other. You might be surprised at what you can accomplish at 75. You have been an active man all your life so your chance of staying active and strong and healthy right through your 70s is very good.

[Magicman]

Lotsa things that I thought I would or would not do after I reached 75.  :

[doc henderson]

It is hard for most 50 year olds to imagine being 75.  I am learning slowly, year by year.

[SwampDonkey]

Nah, I'll be retired from firewood, personal choice. I'll have wood on hand for power outages. A couple of cord should do 20 years. :D Oh, probably cut a little for the shop I suppose, 2 or 3 cord should do the trick. ;D My grandfather on mom's side cut wood until he was 84, my uncle did most of the wood handling and cut'n by then. He still had wood heat to the end, which was another 3 years. He was blind the last 3 years, so hard to cut wood then. Reassess at 75, I may not be here to assess. :D :D

[Wood Shed]

Update.  There have been many changes but one thing remains, I still heat my home totally with wood.  The CB 6048 marches on without missing a beat, just finished it's seventeenth season.  While spending the winter or most of it out of state I just turned the house temp down to 60 degrees and let the oil fired boiler take over.  I left the OWB full of water and ran the circulating pump continuously.  The water temp in the oil fired backup was turned down to 110 degrees, warm enough to heat the under floor system that requires about 105 degrees.  Set up a method of monitoring the house temp with my phone that worked pretty well.  When I arrived back home in the spring the OWB temp was 100 degrees and within a few hours I was back to wood heat only.

That lasted for three years then at the end of our stay in 2021 we sold the winter home and moved everything back home.  Traumatic for my wife but a relief for me.  One thing I (we) have learned, home is a feeling you get deep inside, NOT a destination.  I was homesick from the minute we got there until the day we left, sounds childish but that is just how it felt.

So I will continue cutting and splitting wood.  Sure was easier when I didn't split anything but I do think burning split wood only is in my future one way or the other.

Thanks for all the replies.

[hedgerow]

We have been heating totally with wood since I installed the Garn in 2009. Shop, house and domestic water. Run it year around for domestic. Had to shut it down twice in that time frame to repair welds that failed and leaked. Both times it was in the coldest part of winter. Switch back to propane to get threw those times. Have been heating with wood on and off for forty years. When we lived at one of our other farms we used two wood stoves in that house and would use propane in the shoulder season's. I heated with used oil in that shop. As I am getting older and my health isn't the best I think if I ever have to replace the Garn I will switch back to propane. Getting 10-15 cord a year is getting to be a big job and it tough to find help. My two guys that help me are getting old like me. 

[SwampDonkey]

Up this way, your own wood is the cheapest route you can get of course. Second to that is electric. Electric is way cheaper than stove oil, propane, or any kind of gas. What little I use electric heat, it has been very cheap. I don't have to call anyone to fill a tank and is no up front cost, and no yoyo pricing games. ;)

[Spike60]

98% wood, with oil furnace backup that also does the hot water. Will keep it that way as long as possible. Have no target age or how many more years until I stop burning wood. Have always enjoyed the entire wood burning process, including the work involved. Plus it gives me a way to play with the saw collection.

That being said, the reality that the above mentioned work gets harder as the years add up can't be ignored. For me, the simplest adjustment is to just take it in smaller bites. No more all day wood cutting like 20 years ago. Couple hours at a time and it'll all get done.