Im about to the point where i want to say F*** it....
heating with wood is cheap, sure, however i have a natural gas forced air furnace and a fairly well insulated home. savings per month range from 100-200$ in winter, 80$ on the shoulder season.
the only reason i keep doing it is because my dog loves to sit in front of the stove when its cooking away. how many hours do you guys put into each cord of wood you acquire? including splitting and stacking...
i should run the numbers and see how much time i am spending doing this, i bet i could get a part time job paying min wage and be ahead of spending the time prepping, cutting and splitting wood.
I am surprised it took so many posts to get a comment that BrotherBart gave. It was my first thought. If someone gave up on burning, why would they still come onto this forum?
To some, wood heat is all about money and nothing else. For those, if they can find something else that will heat their home to their comfort level and it would get them out of the work that is necessary for wood heat, but all means, they should sell that stove and hook up the furnace. No problem.
However, to most, wood heat is more than dollars. Sure, many do get into it just because the cost of heating is so high but I still think the majority who heat with wood love it. So many benefits to it.
1. Much better feeling heat that warms you to the bones.
2. A more steady heat. The heat is not turned on super hot to blow the air for a few minutes then when it stops you are cold. With wood heat you are, or should be comfortable all the time. Of course there are a few exceptions just like with other things but the exceptions are few.
3. Many get enormous enjoyment just watching the flames and a grand show it can give.
4. What happens when the electric goes out? Yes, many have generators, including one at our house. However we've never used it during the winter months yet. We do stay warm and don't even need a fan to circulate the heat.
5. You can stay warm at pretty much whatever level you aim for. Some say they are comfortable with house temperatures in the 60's. Most will aim to 70 or maybe 75 while others, like myself, keep the house temperature at 80 or more during the winter months and love it.
6. Putting up wood gives the body much exercise which the body needs to stay healthy. Many folks work at jobs where they do not get exercise. Some join gym clubs and such while others put up firewood. In addition, most of the work with firewood is done during the colder or at least cooler months. This means we get exercise at times when we don't have those other recreational things we do in the summer to keep active.
7. For those who have children, it is a great learning tool. The kids can start learning how to work at a young age (which all should do) and as they progress, they may begin using the saw or driving the vehicle that hauls the wood. Even before that, the kids can learn much just by being with dad and discussing how they might fell this tree or that one. Every tree that is cut should be discussed with the young ones right then. What are the possible hazards? Do we have a good escape route? Is there something that could go wrong as the tree is falling? etc. We know of folks how have taken this stand and eventually some kids have taken to selling firewood which has helped pay for their college education. Wow! Now he is paid for some education while he has to pay for the other. I'm not sure which is more valuable.
8. There are so many more benefits and/or reasons and I hope others add to this list but I'd like to say there is much more to this heating with wood than just keeping warm or saving some dollars. Perhaps my wife and I got this from being born and raised on dairy farms but there is just something about doing things for yourself. It gives great satisfaction knowing that my body and soul have put up this wood that will keep my family warm not only this winter but for many to come. We get that even when we might go to our garden and pick a dozen ears of sweet corn for dinner. The corn is fresh; it has not laid around all day and on top of that, we planted it and cultivated it ourselves. When we pick a bushel of peaches or apples or strawberries or raspberries or whatever and we have fresh fruit to eat plus extra to put up so we can continue to enjoy the "fruits of our labor" all year long, that is extremely satisfying and good for the soul. And I am not afraid to say that I never feel closer to God than when I have my hands in the dirt every spring and my hands are picking the fruit and vegetables and yes, also putting up firewood. Yes, my altar can be in the middle of the woods and I am at peace while there.
Sorry for the long post but it just sort of struck a cord.
