PDA

View Full Version : wood stove folks



wareagle69
04-25-2009, 03:20 PM
i was wondering this today while cutting more wood, how much do you store and how much do you burn a year?
when i bought the homestead there was enough wood to last two winters and most if next year it would seem
this year we burned about 8 cords, a chap from work said he burned 13 cords which seemed an aweful lot to me as we burned all day long here, so the question is as stated above

crashdive123
04-25-2009, 03:22 PM
When I lived in the Seattle area I burned 7 to 10 cords a year, depending on the type of wood. If all we had access to was pine, we went through a lot more.

wareagle69
04-25-2009, 03:27 PM
he claimed it was hard wood, but maybe he didn't know the bark by looking at it, could be why i guess

erunkiswldrnssurvival
04-25-2009, 03:31 PM
in michigan we used about 7-8 cord of birch and aspen. the house was well insulated.

wareagle69
04-25-2009, 03:52 PM
i have some oak and maple on my property but am hesitant to harvest them as they are useful in other ways, lots of aspen(poplar) some birch and lots of tammarack(larch) along with cedar and whitle, red pine ,spruce and balsam, oh and a fair bit of ash.
we are having the windows replaced next month so that should help out a bit
next question -does anyone know how much a tree will provide like how many do you think i should cut this year, of course i may just cut one a week and have plenty for next year, as you can see this is a learn as you go operation here, being raised up mostly a city boy, should see me learning about soil

Rick
04-25-2009, 06:36 PM
Okay, but you asked. Click on the link below.

"Cutting Firewood from Your Woodlot (http://extension.unh.edu/Forestry/Docs/Firewood_From_Your_Woodlot.pdf)"

RichNH
05-12-2009, 05:50 PM
If you are in New Hampshire, check well to do neighborhoods with large wooded lots behind them. The ice storm we had last December took a lot of trees down and the well to do neighborhoods typically have homes in them that were built with propane fireplaces, ie. no wood stoves. So the people in these neighborhoods typically regard downed trees as a nuisance, something to be hauled away by the town. I've totally stocked up for next year with this wood and haven't touched a single tree on my property yet. With all the trees I'm still aware of and have been given permission to take at my leisure, I'll have two winters worth of wood free for the taking and the price of gas to transport it.

We burn about 6 cords a year, we keep the house at 65 with propane baseboard heating and use the wood stoves to top that off. We heated exclusively with wood for the first 6 six years but got tired of that after awhile.

crashdive123
05-12-2009, 05:54 PM
The little weather episode we had here yesterday has provided a lot of firewood for many folks. The city picks up storm debris, but suggests that it be cut to certain dimensions (really bad storms it does not matter). So out in front of hundreds of homes today is cut firewood. Just take it home and split it.

RobertRogers
05-12-2009, 06:53 PM
I live in Northern New Hampshire, where hardwoods such as Sugar Maple, Yellow Birch, Beech, Ash, Oak etc are burned. Typically a home will use about 5 or 6 cords per year if that is its major source of heat. Of course this depends upon factors such as size of home, insulation, if people are home all day or not, etc and etc and etc.

If you live in an area where softwoods are the only real choice then it will likely take more wood to keep a home warm.

I prefer to let my wood dry for two years and burn it on the third year. This means there may be a maximum of 15 to 18 cords of wood stacked and drying in the back yard.

Most people I know are lucky to keep just one years worth of wood, basically burning it a little green. I feel this is short sighted. Problem is, the initial outlay to purchase some 15-cords of wood is prohibitive to some. But I feel, especially in these uncertain times, it is better than money in the bank.

Rick
05-13-2009, 08:19 AM
Robert - If you have a landfill nearby, check with them. I'll bet the professional tree trimming guys dump their trees there. I've found they are generally cut to length, have all types and are free for the taking. The landfill folks have already been paid and they are happy as a lark to give the wood away to save space. All that has to be done is split it.

aflineman
05-14-2009, 02:05 PM
When we had the stoves for our only cooking/heat, we went through about 5 to 6 cords of wood a season. Once in a blue moon we would go through more. We normally made sure we had about 10 ready to use when the season started, just in case.
With this place, I have about a cord set-up, but that is for my ourdoor fireplace. About the only thing I don't like about this place is no stove to heat/cook. Once I graduate and get back to working full time, I hope to get that changed.