who here has given up burning wood?

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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.

I'm in a similar situation and even only one season in, and I can already see that woodburning only makes sense to the extent that I enjoy it and the work that goes with it. I suspected as much before I even got started last fall. There's no way the modest savings over NG could pay for any sense of drudgery or sustained pain. But the nice thing about having an affordable alternative heat source is that woodburning is not a worrisome high-stakes responsibility; I can do just as much of it as I care to, and let the furnace pick up the slack.

My furnace had to pick up quite a bit of slack during my first winter, because the available wood was only sorta-dry, and I overlooked some important bits of insulation when installing the stove. I hope to do better the second year around, but it's not really for the money; it's more like a game.
 
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I have a propane furnace and was going thru $2000 worth of propane per winter and a house set at 60-62. Since I've been heating with wood I pay nothing but fuel cost to pick it up and cut it and keep the house at 70 now. My situation is unique bc my dad gave me his old chainsaw and get my wood for free from a friend.

The way I see it as far as time spent processing compared to getting paid for labor... I get my wood when I have time to and it's great exercise, unlike having a job and a fixed schedule that you have to work your life around. When I have free weekends I go out in the morning and cut and haul back the wood, done by the afternoon to do whatever I want. I split and stack it another time at home whenever I have a few hours free. It takes up as much time as you make it and work it in when you can.

Now on the other hand trying to get ahead 3-4 years is VERY time consuming!!! I've spent every free weekend I've had since last sept processing wood, but I'm almost there now and can soon sit back and enjoy all my hard work. Nothing is more satisfying and soothing than walking around my stacks in the yard. It's like money in the bank!

So back to the Money side of it, the way I see it if you want to save money or spend less you would evaluate your lifestyle and sacrifice in order to get ahead. That's how I see wood burning, I might be sacrificing some of my time to process wood but it saves me money and nothing is more rewarding than providing for yourself. There's my .02... Or 10!
 
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Well I suppose I just love it to much to quit. I have an all electric home with a electric forced air furnace. The electric here in SW PA is reasonable. I have a brunco 150 in the basement hooked into the ductwork that runs us out of the house all winter. I have a small pole building with a 10K watt electric ouellet heater that works great,BUT!! I just put in a lopi republic so I could enjoy the view and great heat from it. Cutting wood is hard work but I love it. To me its just another season, hunting, fishing,and wood cutting season. I would rather grab an old lawn chair after a days work and belly up to the lopi and drink some beer than sit on the beach. I am not sure if it saves me any money but I am sure it does in the long run.

There is nothing like a cold January day with the wind wipping around and near zero degree temps and the kids and wife complaining about being hot and we are opening windows up.
 
I have a propane furnace and was going thru $2000 worth of propane per winter and a house set at 60-62. Since I've been heating with wood I pay nothing but fuel cost to pick it up and cut it and keep the house at 70 now. My situation is unique bc my dad gave me his old chainsaw and get my wood for free from a friend.

The way I see it as far as time spent processing compared to getting paid for labor... I get my wood when I have time to and it's great exercise, unlike having a job and a fixed schedule that you have to work your life around. When I have free weekends I go out in the morning and cut and haul back the wood, done by the afternoon to do whatever I want. I split and stack it another time at home whenever I have a few hours free. It takes up as much time as you make it and work it in when you can.

Now on the other hand trying to get ahead 3-4 years is VERY time consuming!!! I've spent every free weekend I've had since last sept processing wood, but I'm almost there now and can soon sit back and enjoy all my hard work. Nothing is more satisfying and soothing than walking around my stacks in the yard. It's like money in the bank!

So back to the Money side of it, the way I see it if you want to save money or spend less you would evaluate your lifestyle and sacrifice in order to get ahead. That's how I see wood burning, I might be sacrificing some of my time to process wood but it saves me money and nothing is more rewarding than providing for yourself. There's my .02... Or 10!

Well said. I'm pretty much in the same situation. Jonsered I got for free from FIL and splitter I split the cost with my neighbor so was only 600.00 each. I've easily split 20 cords with it since I've gotten it. So in the end it costs me whatever fuel for saw and splitter. Nice now that some is getting dropped off for free in my driveway. And like trilifter said getting 3 years ahead was tough but fun and rewarding also.
 
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The thought of switching my basement stove to nat gas is getting stronger every year. I had a chance to buy a Woodstock Franklin for cheap last year but opted for a BLaze King instead. Sometimes i wish i went the other way. Burning two wood stoves can get old at times but I don't think I'd ever completely give up wood.
 
Natural gas is relatively inexpensive right now, making it very attractive to those who compare prices. I do not have nat-gas where I live and very few homes in NW CT have access to the line. But I agree, firewood is way too much work for me. Some weeks I work 70-80 hours per week and I'll be damned if I am going to bust my ass on nice days in the summer to cut and split wood. I heat with a pellet stove and a wood stove, but in the wood stove I burn Envi Blocks. I also agree that there is nothing better than sitting in front of that big stove as it blasts out that radiant heat! Can't beat it. But if your numbers are right, then that is a lot of hard work for a measly $100/month savings. I am all for renewable energy, but nat-gas is making a good argument for some people today.
 
If I had natural gas where I live, I would probably have never contemplated burning wood for heat. Oil being what it costs, I was desperate to find a way to supplement my heat economically.
Flash forward to today, and I would not want to trade burning for anything. As other have said, it is comforting, inexpensive, and processing (even for us old broads who only move delivered wood and the occasional windfall or resplits) gets our bodies in order. I love working with it outside, even if it is just resizing or splitting and stacking it nicely. In short, wood burning is one of those things that makes me feel ALIVE.
On the other hand, it is messy, dirty, and takes up a lot of my little half acre. I have gotten lime disease, possibly from working with the stacks or windfalls. I brought insects into the house, and my grass suffers from ruts and worn spots. There are some days I feel a slave to the stove, constantly feeding it when I have other things to do.(usually not, though;))
When I am old and slurping down baby food and wearing diapers, I will probably quit burning--by then my heat pump will be installed. But I hope my marbles will only be half there, because I SURE AM GONNA MISS BURNIN'.:cool:
 
As others like BS have mentioned, so eloquently, its just plain good for the soul. Even when my feet, back, shoulders all hurt, I still wanna be out there. After a few weekdays at work when I feel like jumping off the roof, a couple hours on the wood pile that weekend brings me back down to earth. And as others have also mentioned, it doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. I have propane, wood, and a couple oil filled heaters. They all run to some extent. A nice fire on just the cold weekends is still a beautiful thing. One day I won't be able to do this, but as long as I can, I will, to whatever extent it's possible / makes sense at the time....
 
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Son just told me i have 12 -14 large dump trailers of free white oak coming,not sure what ill do with all that wood as a part time burner. I cant turn it down though, Guess iil have to turn into a full time burner.
 
.... BUT I've been questioning if it's worth it for ME to process wood. .... ;lol

I realized early on that for me to cut and split the wood was too much if I had to earn a living too at what I was good at. I figured if I had to do all that , I'd just not do it ( and this was back when the knees and other parts worked really well). So I decided to buy it geen in the spring (already cut to length and split) , stack it, and bring it in when I need it. I made this decision around 24 years ago, so far so good, I'm still heating with wood.

That said, like many here, I heat with wood because I like it, that bone penetrating heat in the dead of winter is just what I need to make it till spring
 
ID still burn if i had to buy my wood. May as well get the free stuff as long as i can. At least that will pay for the stove and set up cost.
 
A few of you talk about if you stopped cutting how you would have more time with your family.
I'd argue, that in the long run, being more active splitting and stacking is buying you MORE time with your family.
 
This was my first year burning. Bought a new Jotul 600 and love it! I didn`t have enough wood (only had 2 full cords, but still managed to save $800 on the electricity bill to heat the house. The wood got me through the rough part of the winter, till the end of February. We had a hard, cold winter with lows in the minus 58F. We don`t have natural gas here in the country. We`ve had a few winter storms in the past and did not have electricity for a full week. Yeah, we have a generator (everyone here has one), but I had to worry about having electric heater fans to heat some rooms while the hydro was out. Not any more! I am lucky and have enough dead wood to last more than a decade on my property. Now, if I had to buy wood, it would be another story. The wood here sells for $125 for a small cord. A full cord goes to $400 for unseasoned maple. At that price, it would not make fiscal sense to have a wood stove. In that case, if I didn`t have the free wood, I would have had a pellet stove.
To repeat what everyone else has said, there`s nothing like the heat from a wood stove, there`s nothing like the smell of chainsaw oïl, and the satisfaction of working hard CSS`ing the wood.
 
A few of you talk about if you stopped cutting how you would have more time with your family.
I'd argue, that in the long run, being more active splitting and stacking is buying you MORE time with your family.

Unless you're killed by a freak woodpile avalanche.
 
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I've always been a firebug.....since I was wee little. When my wife and I got married in '97, I started burning wood in my workshop. I loved being out there, it was a far better heat than the forced air gas furnace in the house.

When we bought this place off of my great-grandmother, it was a very dated house. No insulation, needed totally gutted and remodeled. And, once the kids started coming, we needed an addition.....a BIG addition.....

So, I did almost all of the work myself. Totally remodeled the house, top to bottom. New studs (yes, NEW STUDS IN THE EXTERIOR WALLS), R19 insulation in the walls, R45 in the ceilings. Everything done in the name of efficiency. I don't have a fat wallet, so I had to chain myself to the project and save every last cent I made to afford it.
And we literally DOUBLED the size of our house. At the time we did the addition, nat gas was expensive. We'd have been paying over 500-600 bucks a month (two gas furnaces on separate zones). It was a no-brainer for me......we put in a big Napoleon 1900p. And when I got around to the big living room remodel, we put in the Napoleon NZ3000. Those two stoves, when running in unison, will cook you out of the house easily......

In that time, a buddy of mine and I started doing tree removal on the side (a little bit of extra jingle in my pocket), and we both get all the firewood we need that way. Not to mention, we love burning wood. It's a lifestyle that, since I've been doing it so long, I couldn't and WOULDN'T want to live without......

I won't be worrying about any power outages with my stoves......usually they hit us in the winter, and if that's the case the refrigerated foods can sit in the shed.....;)
 
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While I havent given up on it completely....... I do run the N/G gas furnace more this year than years past.

Energy Independence, be able to heat during a power outage in Colder Climates (excludes the Tropics of Virginia :rolleyes: ) and having it nice and toasty is my reasoning.
 
It means too much to me as an emergency heat during storms to give up. When I look at the forecast and the big snow storm is coming, it's a huge comfort having that big wood pile. Or if energy prices spike.

As others mentioned, I keep the house warmer with wood than I would with other heat sources. That nice, steady heat is great too - no up and down with the thermostat.

I like cutting and splitting wood, it's great exercise and satisfying. If you don't like doing it, I could see where it would be a drudgery...
 
A few of you talk about if you stopped cutting how you would have more time with your family.
I'd argue, that in the long run, being more active splitting and stacking is buying you MORE time with your family.

Unless your kids are 4, 2, and 4 months, they are more work than help.
 
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Unless your kids are 4, 2, and 4 months, they are more work than help.

I don't think he's referring to the help they provide but that by staying active you will have more years to spend with them.

I don't personally buy into that since I don't think the activity is a good physical activity to keep the body strong. *I* personally think it tears the body up.(knees, backs, wrists, elbows etc) I think *my* heart rate is elevated much better by running, taking a brisk walk or biking. Regardless I enjoy the work, since 2009 I've processed who knows how many cords(40ish?) and don't think I'm in any better shape than I was before I started doing this. I know my back is in much worse shape(Micro D surgery 2011) but I can't blame that one all on the wood. ;lol
 
A lot has to do with genetics. Although most dairy farmers from 30 plus years go have since had knee replacement surgery. I won't be cutting, splitting and stacking every day, three times a day though either. Everything in balance and moderation; some things not at all.
 
Life without heating with wood are you Crazy!. I love Chainsaws, I love wood, and I love heating with Wood! There is no way that's it is not worth it either way to me or other people especially if your on a budget trying to save Money$$ or dollar bills or Greenery. If you have the extra Money for a Gas Fireplace or a Fake Fireplace you have money to burn, you might as well use those 20$ and $100.00 to start your fire, cause I feel rewarded for the work I do to save money and knowing I am heating my home!!! I don't take it personally I just feel good for the work I do!
 
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I just got an insert last year, but for me it's purely for pleasure and comfort. I'm planning on burning a cord a year, which basically means having a fire most every evening and occasionally during the day on a weekend. Discounting capital expenses for the insert itself, If I figure $200 for the wood and $200 for an annual chimney cleaning, I doubt I save that much on my NG bill, but hopefully I'm at least close to breaking even.
 
Well jkranes its a Comfort to you. Its not a main source of heat. Thats a lot of money just for a pleasure and comfort considering burning wood is 6-7 times cheaper then electricity and or gas. I have more time on my hands and I dont count my hourly work average, I just appreciate the heat given off by wood! Wood heat is different then an electric furnace, wood heat is what Native Americans and people of survival had no choice but to use to stay alive and cook there food. I am not a Survivalist but 3 days in 45 degree temperatures in your own house may change your mind with no power!
 
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Well jkranes its a Comfort to you. Its not a main source of heat. Thats a lot of money just for a pleasure and comfort considering burning wood is 6-7 times cheaper then electricity and or gas. I have more time on my hands and I dont count my hourly work average, I just appreciate the heat given off by wood! Wood heat is different then an electric furnace, wood heat is what Native Americans and people of survival had no choice but to use to stay alive and cook there food. I am not a Survivalist but 3 days in 45 degree temperatures in your own house may change your mind with no power!

Yeah, and when it drops further and it looks like the pipes might freeze, it puts a whole different perspective on things. Even with out a generator, if the power goes out in a winter storm, I can stay toasty warm, heat up some soup, and read a book instead of dealing with a crisis.
 
For me it's weekend stress release and exercise. A side benefit ithe fire view, heat and $ savings.
 
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