wood heat

[coolpete1]

how many of you guys use wood heat to heat your houses ? and what type of stove/fireplace do you have? these gas bills are getting crazy.

[CaberTosser]

We don't heat with wood exclusively, but we supplement with it a good bit. I went through probably 2 full cords of firewood this winter. I have a Quadra-Fire 7100 fireplace, its a built-in and has levers to control the intake air so one can set the combustion rate to suit. I love the heat and strangely enough enjoy the wood gathering & splitting chores.

[fretman57]

I find chopping wood to be very therapeutic, especially when I was married!

[a little redneck]

I have a Yotul Oslo 500. I go through probably 7-8 cords in a year, furnace usually only runs in the early morning. My gas charge is $20-40 per month, plus all of the riders and fees (we also have a gas range). The only wood I buy is birch or apple which I bought two years ago. The apple is for my outdoor forno oven, the birch is to start the stove, once it is running I burn spruce, poplar, elm, ash, and maple. The heat from the stove is nice.

I like the whole process of getting wood and processing it to burn. Another option is to get a pellet stove... they'll run for 16 hours on one filling, and are the go to source of heat in the north.

[Peterupnorth]

95% wood, 4% electric, 1% diesel. Price of diesel has obsoleted furnaces up north. Burnt almost half a log truck load this winter. Use a Blaze King in the basement.
Over the last 10 years most people in my area of the Peace have gone to wood. A lot of them are now moving towards outdoor furnaces so they can heat their shops as well.

[coolpete1]

awesome , thanks guys , we got some property in bc and there is no gas in the area so its wood and propane and i like the freeness of wood ! i think i'm gonna install a wood stove in my house here first to shake my dependency on atco after last months $330 bill .

[curtz]

We burn when were home from work till we leave for work the next day. We have a BIS air tight, we love the heat its not the same as a furnace. Good exercise cutting wood and save money on the gas bill.

[CanuckShooter]

awesome , thanks guys , we got some property in bc and there is no gas in the area so its wood and propane and i like the freeness of wood ! i think i'm gonna install a wood stove in my house here first to shake my dependency on atco after last months $330 bill .

Wood isn't free by a long shot....:)

You need a chainsaw and safety equipment, a vehicle to haul your wood, a permit to cut, time...lots of time....a wood splitter or a good maul...a storage shed...then you have to factor in the cost of the stove and chimney...and don't forget when your insurance company finds out your rates go UP !! Add in fuel and chain oil, files.....wood isn't free. :)

[coolpete1]

Wood isn't free by a long shot....:)

You need a chainsaw and safety equipment, a vehicle to haul your wood, a permit to cut, time...lots of time....a wood splitter or a good maul...a storage shed...then you have to factor in the cost of the stove and chimney...and don't forget when your insurance company finds out your rates go UP !! Add in fuel and chain oil, files.....wood isn't free. :)

i have all those things ,except the wood splitter ,but i can build one fairly quick . how much more is the insurance ?

[calgarychef]

Do yourself a favour and look at "contra flow" or masonry wood heaters. Some of these are incredibly efficient. If I burn three arm loads of wood mine stays hot for 12 hours. The neighbours can't even see the smoke out of my chimney and I never have to clean the chimney because the intense heat in the secondary combustion chamber burns everything to ash before it gets up the chimney..

[winmag]

love wood heat and we keep it warm , try it on blood thinners:) heat totally by wood when ever possible[ wife stays home ] . The killer for getting your own wood is the truck fuel and the wear and tear on your rig and your body plus adverse conditions traveling to area's where you can cut . We source out two year old spruce blow downs, in some area,s you need frost in the ground to safely access, so you are cutting wood when you could be deer hunting , then there is a trailer to make it worth will , we heap the trailer and truck and had a small crane to lift the splitter into the truck plus a couple of snatch blocks, 250 feet 5/16 cable , chains, chokers, 2 saws, tire chains, tools etc. and best not forget something ! Now we get a logging truck delivered of logs and cut at our leisure and our body,s thank us , works out to 1100 to 1300 dollars a year depending how cold it gets, this is about what it cost getting our own wood on weekends were you can,t control the weather plus 15 hour days in the cold . We have a natural gas furnace, hot water heater and stove ,about 19 dollars a month plus charges :mad0030: and it would be more but we have no teenagers at home:sHa_shakeshout:

[zero]

i have all those things ,except the wood splitter ,but i can build one fairly quick . how much more is the insurance ?

looking around, 2400-3000yr is what we may be looking at.

[zero]

Now we get a logging truck delivered of logs and cut at our leisure and our body,s thank us , works out to 1100 to 1300 dollars a year

whats the charge for a logging truck to drop off, and how much does it drop in one go?


We have heated with wood exclusively for the last twenty years. Last year, for the first time, I bought a logging truck load instead of hunting for it. As our area has been invaded by more and more recreational wood-burners, wood has become more difficult to find. The difference is that we don't just burn wood because we like the heat or because we don't want to pay for natural gas (not an option), we burn it to stay alive in the winter.
I put a pellet stove in last winter just to provide a constant heat when we are gone for a weekend and it has worked out fairly well. Surprisingly enough, the cheapest pine pellets burn hotter and cleaner than the premium hardwood pellets. Go figure. Leeper

same question to you, how much did you get from one truck/cost ?

[Leeper]

We have heated with wood exclusively for the last twenty years. Last year, for the first time, I bought a logging truck load instead of hunting for it. As our area has been invaded by more and more recreational wood-burners, wood has become more difficult to find. The difference is that we don't just burn wood because we like the heat or because we don't want to pay for natural gas (not an option), we burn it to stay alive in the winter.
I put a pellet stove in last winter just to provide a constant heat when we are gone for a weekend and it has worked out fairly well. Surprisingly enough, the cheapest pine pellets burn hotter and cleaner than the premium hardwood pellets. Go figure. Leeper

[riden]

i have all those things ,except the wood splitter ,but i can build one fairly quick . how much more is the insurance ?

Only your agent can answer that.Your rates will depend on how far you are from a hydrant or fire station. But it is going up, maybe big.

Remember, your heating bill is part of of the year and your insurance bill is 12 months. Then, as some have said, wood isn't free.......and if it is, most guys are burning a lot of gas in their pick up to get the free wood. The free wood, is a lot more work too. Their was one year I couldn't believe the gas I burnt in my pickup getting wood. A pickup load isn't much if you are running a wood stove in Jan.

I have a high efficiency gas furnace and a wood stove with access to very cheap poplar. I have a free log truck log in my field right now (I know I am lucky).

When you factor in insurance, I don't save a penny and I know it. But I really like the wood, and I feel the cold more than 10 years ago. Plus I enjoy it.

Make sure you crunch your numbers!

[benamen]

I use wood heat at my cabin. Currently have a couple of electric heaters but the main source of heat is the wood stove. Lots of blow downs close by so not costly to get a supply of good wood. Right now there are three nice pine trees less than a hundred yards away from the cabin that I have been eyeing up. Anyway, wood is a nice way to heat. Any wood applicance will throw lots of heat when it is cold. But you want something that will burn quite low when the weather warms up so you are not roasted from the heat. I like my Blaze King stove but there are others that will do a great job too
Friend of mine just added a wood stove last year and his insurance went up $400.00 a year.

[coolpete1]

i saw this , it looks pretty cool.
http://www.napoleonheatingandcooling.com/wp-content/uploads/Hybrid-Award-200.jpg

[Red Bullets]

Something else to consider... not sure where you are located but if you have access to coal, which is 25-30 bucks a ton, a stoker furnace beats wood. Way less effort involved.
I used a stoker coal furnace up until a few years ago. I only had to fill my furnace hopper every three days. Produced a steady even heat like wood. I heated a 1000 sq. ft. home year round for about 150 dollars a year. Used 4 to 5 tons of coal a year in my home. If I was still on the farm I would still be using coal. In my outbuildings I had brick lined upright stoves that I would get a bed of wood coals going in and then fill the stove with coal chunks and it would burn for 3/4 of the day. Even in my chick brooder I used a upright coal stove. Only had to maintain the stove once every 12 hours.

Even if you are installing a wood stove, look into getting one that is compatible with coal use too. Put in one or two big pieces of coal with the wood and a person doesn't have to feed the fire so often.

[winmag]

delivered stacked off ground driver cuts short bolts on delivery to set logs on ,your choice of wood we have spruce bone dry checked with moisture meter [ from CT] we have big logs, go to my site for a idea , 2800.00 tax in from slave lake about 17 to 19 bush cord done up ready for stove ...hope this helps...ps i am sure if you shop around and buy off season you can get it cheaper.