Just curious, how much wood per year, type, kind of stove, cost for wood, ect. I burn about 4-5 cords of oak, season it at least three years, have a Norwegian ceramic steel Jotl brand stove, loads from top or front, heat about a 3000sq ft house with it by using a ceiling fan to spread out the heat. Power bill runs about $75 a month in winter months. Wood is free but for me working my ass off for it, split it all by hand. Clean chimney three times a season.  How bout ya'll?

rk

I bought 3 ricks for this winter.  We just turned on the heat for the first time tonight.  I live with two girls who were bitching all day about being cold.  Put on some clothes then and shut up.  I could go all winter with gas heat.  

Years ago. I just cut it as I went along.


After I got out of the army, I lived in a tipi for over a year.

In Alaska, I cabined it for a winter or 2.

I'm going to give it a shot this year. With natural gas prices going up I'll be damn if I pay $200+ dollars a month this winter.  I just picked up a United States Stove Company "King" stove.  It's suppost to heat 1200 sq. feet and it'll make the family room well into the mid-90's in just a under an hour after I fire it up.  When dad had the house built he had duct work with a fan put in above where the wood stove goes and vented back to the back rooms of the house so I can fire up the stove and turn on the fan and pull the warm air to the back of the house.  Pretty smart guy, wasn't he.  Now I've just got to find some place to cut some wood before I run out of trees in my front yard,LOL.  

I heat with natural gas.

Locating, cutting, loading, unloading, stacking, toting etc. wood is to much of a pain in the butt.  (I still have to do all of this crap as my wife's parents heat with wood and most of the time need my help)

If you are having to buy the wood it is too expensive around here about $125 a cord delivered.  I can buy a lot of natural gas for $625(the equivalent to your 4-5 cords).

Wood pellet stove here, convenience & cleanliness, but have used wood and have a fireplace and woodstove under wraps for shtf backup. we'd usually go through 3 cord in a "normal" NW winter, more if it's colder, 20'F or below for more than a month. add another cord or so for that. That's for about a 1500 sf fairly well insulated house at the time. We've got plenty of firewood on the property so we sell wood too.  If you've got a national forest nearby check & see if you can cut there, we can get 5 cord here for $5 per if I remember right.

i rarely turn on the heat at all [:D]

Q:  How many of Ya'll heat with wood?

A: No, I am sorry to report that heat does absolutely nothing for me in that regard...

i never turn on the heat [wave]





hawaii

You mean what kind of wood did Al Pacino use in Heat?

Couldn't resist!

I think it as $10per. If you enjoy the work & exercise, and have the vehicles and tools (and some help) it is THE way to go about it.

Have a 2nd home in the Sierras, only use a cord+ / winter. Have an air-circulating insert that does wonders. Cut the fans off after 20mins, when ~800sq' main space is t-shirt hot.

[img]http://home.earthlink.net/~rayra/rpftemp/fireplaceencl.jpg[/img] [img]http://home.earthlink.net/~rayra/rpftemp/fannage.jpg[/img] [img]http://home.earthlink.net/~rayra/rpftemp/fireplaceendplate.jpg[/img] [img]http://home.earthlink.net/~rayra/rpftemp/fireplacewmantle.jpg[/img]

The last shows the heinous condition of the stone, 50yrs of soot and poor repairs. Intend to sandblast the stone clean, and replace that spackle with some proper chinking. Just got the place a couple years ago, been working on it ever since.
What's this got to do with heating costs? Nothing :)

We have for years. We use 4-8 cords a year. Weather depending. We pay the USFS $10 a cord to cut dead and down trees. Also have live wood cutting areas. I prefer the green trees to cut  they're everywhere, no real hunting once you're in that permit area. But it's heavier to handle and more weight on your vehicle. Although its a lot easier to cut. Also a lot easier on your saw.

I have a Hearthstone stove. It works great. I have my own woods, so wood is not an issue. [b]axl[/b], you seriously need to consider a log splitter. I used to do it all by hand til 5 years ago. Picked up a 26 ton splitter and it is one of the wiser decisions I've made.

Has anyone tried one of those corn burning fireplaces.  Supposed to be very clean, economical and efficent.  I grew up in a home with a wood burner as the source of heat.  Spent my childhood cutting and splitting wood, now I sell it to others (firewood).  

I will not use it myself because I had a bad experience with a fire (faulty flue liner allowed wall to catch fire.  Ended up having to build new home.  Also, my whole family has had problems with chronic sinus infections.  I can't help but wonder if there's some sort of relationship between the wood burned and the health issues.