Calling all Michiganders !

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Pallet Pete

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Since I have been a member I have noticed more Michigan members joining. I am curious why did you decided to burn wood to heat ? Where are you from in Michigan ?

I live in Ovid and chose to heat because honestly after growing up around it and then having a furnace well there is no comparison in warmth to a wood stove.

Pete
 
Lake Odessa here. Put in a OWB (Boo Hiss) about 7 years ago when Propane got high priced and we would go through 400 gals in 3-4 weeks when cold. When we built our house about 17-18 years ago we put in a ZC which we might have burnt 1 cord thru in all the years. Up until I put the OWB in I would always cut a couple of cord a year for my Father in Law. Although the OWBs get frowned upon here on Hearth.com I find I do not get much wood smoke out of it as long as I burn a lot of tires and garbage in it!:)

Gary
 
Gun Lake area here.
1. I'm cheap
2. I like chainsaws
3. The wife was always cold
4. I'm too lazy to go to the gym
5. I can buy a lot of saws for what propane would cost
6. Parents & Grand parents always had wood heat
7. I'd rather be outdoors
8. I'm cheap
9. Did I mention I'm cheap
10. TV makes me fat A C
 
4. I'm too lazy to go to the gym

ac, get that one out of there. You're gym is slightly unconventional in the modern world, but the workout pays YOU!

Pete, I walked into this house after we bought it and started burning wood shortly after(Sept. of '06). It was here, we were here.....seemed like the thing to do.
Got a lot of advice from my brother. Learned he's wrong on most of it, and started doing things the right way.:p
After various "adjustments" to the stove and wood, we're doing pretty good.:cool:
We're near Atlanta. Dennis knows the area.
 
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Sparta, MI here.

I've been burning wood for 11 years. I grew up with wood heat and it stuck. I also like fire, saws and I hate writing checks to the oil company.

I also have a pellet stove that runs during the day. My wife doesn't care for loading the wood stove, but has no problem dumping pellets in the hopper and pressing the on button. So it's pellets by day and cordwood at night and on weekends.
 
Northwest Barry county here. Our first home in Michigan (1992) had a 'heatilator' type fireplace, we graduated to a smoke dragon and now an EPA stove. I enjoy fresh air, less propane, being self sufficient, exercise, wood stacks, carbon neutral warmth and this website. My wife enjoys the constant heat and puts up with my hobby.
 
Northwest Barry county here. Our first home in Michigan (1992) had a 'heatilator' type fireplace, we graduated to a smoke dragon and now an EPA stove. I enjoy fresh air, less propane, being self sufficient, exercise, wood stacks, carbon neutral warmth and this website. My wife enjoys the constant heat and puts up with my hobby.

Where in NW Barry county if I may ask.We gotta just about be neighbors. A C
 
Pete, I heat with wood because it is a much more "even" heat; 99 lbs likes to keep the ol' T-stat up; I really don't mind "making" wood; I can usually find some "free" heat whenever/whereverI go in the woods; and currently am the proud owner of an OWB (3rd one) that not only heats the house through a forced air system but also heats 100% of the domestic water when it is lit. As far as where I live, I guess you could say that it is the object of every man's envy (especially you trolls)...Yup! You guessed it! In the good ol' U.P.! !!!!!
 
Holland, MI here. Started reading alot here at hearth.com before I ever thought of heating our home with wood, looking for a better use for our massive masonry fireplace.
I'm frugal/cheap. I love scrounging, putting a resource to use that was probably going to be wasted a lot of the times.
I like the hard work, I need the hard work, I'm in an office all day.
I like to be self sufficient. I like teaching the kids a simple way to help provide for themselves. It's starting to sink in.
I like the heat. Wife loves the heat and the low gas bills.
I like having a fire in the house.
Stacking is probably my favorite part of the work.
If you get near Holland, say hi.
 
Hello AC. We are on the south end of Duncan Lake. Not far away, can almost hear your 064 running from our yard. LOL.
 
Hello AC. We are on the south end of Duncan Lake. Not far away, can almost hear your 064 running from our yard. LOL.

Ha, relatively speaking we are neighbors. You off Patterson or Noffke Dr? I'm on Patterson 1/2 mile North of M 179.
When I get my 090 contra someday you will be able to hear it from there.;lol
 
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Stacking is probably my favorite part of the work.

I'll cut every last stick of your firewood on my dime & gas if you stack mine. I hate stacking. A C
 
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Holland, MI here. Started reading alot here at hearth.com before I ever thought of heating our home with wood, looking for a better use for our massive masonry fireplace.
I'm frugal/cheap. I love scrounging, putting a resource to use that was probably going to be wasted a lot of the times.
I like the hard work, I need the hard work, I'm in an office all day.
I like to be self sufficient. I like teaching the kids a simple way to help provide for themselves. It's starting to sink in.
I like the heat. Wife loves the heat and the low gas bills.
I like having a fire in the house.
Stacking is probably my favorite part of the work.
If you get near Holland, say hi.

Aussie I get out that way a couple of times a year it really is beautiful over your way. I agree being self sufficient is something a lot of people don't understand any more. It is a great thing to teach your kids. I have to agree with AC though stacking is a pain in the tush ! Lol For me it is because if it is not stacked right I have to do it again or my OCD wont let me sleep.

Pete
 
I've been burning wood so long I forgot why. :) Well, not really. We live near Chesaning. We've also lived near Gaylord and near Escanaba. We burn wood because we really like wood heat and want a warm house in the winter months. In addition, it saves us many, many dollars that we can keep in the bank and get no interest on. I've always loved all aspects of wood heating and our cutting season is now just about upon us once again.
 
Zeeland here.

We got into burning by accident / chance I'd say. We bought a house with a masonry fireplace. Figured out during our first burn that I wasn't going to get any heat out of that thing. Did a bit of researching ( much of it here on Hearth), and finally put in a PE Summit.

Next lesson learned was how important dry wood is :). Not that we are a little ahead on the wood, I'm loving it. We are not 24/7 burners, mostly just weekends and a night here and there during the week. Still haven't had a monthly gas bill over $50 since we put in the insert.

The wood workout has been a nice benefit, though I'm sporting a nice black thumb after being a little careless loading a good sized round into the trailer yesterday.

Steve
 
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