How many of you guys/gals rely on your stove 100%?

We use the woodstove for 97%-98% of our heating needs. The only time the furnace is on is either when we are traveling or in the very early or late season just to take the chill out of the air. I purchased no propane last year and the tank is still on 80%. It will probably be years before I need to purchase any propane.

So, the folks saying they are heating 90-99% with wood are essentially saying they use other heat sources once every 3 months? That seems like a pretty random percentage rather than a calculated measure but maybe it's just a generalization?

As for myself, I'm new to heating with wood this year as this is our first home back in the northeast (lived in NC for several years but grew up in VT/NY and moved back for family) and I was only able to source about 2 cords of fully seasoned wood when we closed this Fall on the house.

But, to answer the question, I think I'll be about a 60/40 wood-to-oil mix this winter and hope to increase next year as I stockpile cut hardwood off our acreage here. I start a full sized fire as soon as I get home, when it hits full secondary burn I damp down and throw on the forced air fans (fans only) for about 2 hours and that brings the house up to a comfortable 65-68 and the large sunken living room where the stove is anywhere from 72-76 depending on the outside temp (room has lots of windows).

Realistically, though, I think with the combination of my wife and I both working full time and this chopped up old farmhouse layout I will be challenged to heat with wood 100% of the time.

Even split between wood stove and gas furnace. Limited run times with the stove only allows for night and weekend burning. Wish I had gone bigger when installing stove......

I certainly will be using less gas this winter to heat my home.

At the start of last season we were 100%. Put on a sweater in the far side of the house. The F500 did the job even in last years cold winter. I have even drier wood this year. I expect it to be better this year. Didn't pull the trigger on a liner for the chimney this summer but hope to next summer. Should be awesome with 2.5 year old oak and a proper draft!

99.999%. We have the vent free available for backup in extreme situations. It's not even lit at the moment, but we did light it and make sure it worked properly earlier, maybe mid October. No furnace, no electric baseboards. We had a boiler, but we tore it and the baseboards out when we bought the place-it was poorly winterized and the pipes were full of blowouts, we didn't trust the furnace. Plan to eventually put in a furnace or split so we can go on vacation/out of town if needed.

Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:

100% wood heat.

5 years now that I haven't seen the oil truck or a bill for oil. Added an electric HWH, the electric went up $40 a month (showers and dishes).

Way ahead of the game.

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Same deal. I bought the minimum oil order two novembers ago. Was Last time I saw the guy. Put in an 85gL. Electric hwh bill went up about the same as yours.

With the oil my whole house was kinda warm to save money. We still were chilly. And the hot water always ran out.

But now there is always a very toasty room in the house.

Hunker Down said:

That's is the exact plan we have. Have you estimated how many cords you are going to need. I don't ave a clue. I have a chord and a1/2 of not so seasoned wood. But I am learning to deal

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Yeah, you'll need more for sure. How big is your house and how well insulated? Our house is bigger than we need (3500 sq ft) with cathedral ceilings and open concept on main floor where the stove is...I am betting on 5 chords if it's an average winter, but we are okay with the "non-living areas" being 60 degrees. We like to have the main family room pretty toasty and whatever heat gets to the rest of the house, GREAT. Still working on moving the air around in the house. I figure if I've got a nice cozy living room and am paying less than $4000 to the propane company each year then I'm winning.

100% after last winters elec bill went from insane to just plain stupid. Love it and got a good wood source 1/2 mile from the house can't beat it

I use my wood stove 99.9%.My house is total electric.We use an electric heater in bathroom to warm it up before showers and getting ready for work.Will use an electric heater in the rest of the house in early fall and late spring if need to take chill off.If it has to run to much, I will start a quick fire in the stove to knock the chill off.

Between the Yukon wood/oil furnace and the lil woodstove in the FP we are 99.9% wood heat. The Yukon gets to "drink" very little, away for the weekend is about the only time

It is pretty cold in Ct tonight. 21 degrees. I had the pellet stove set on low this morning and the downstairs was around 67 but felt colder. So I fired up the woodstove too and soon as it was cruising I turned pellets off until about 7pm. When the misses came home I fired up pellets again on high for an hour and then set it back down to low at bedtime and Threw another log on the fire and it's 67 in my bedroom upstairs.

I am happy not to worry about the stove running out at night, the pellet stove picks up the slack like a champ

The wood heat carries the muscle, the natural gas furnace fills in the blanks. Im different than many on hearth in that I have natural gas forced air heat that really isnt a bank breaker if I choose to use it. I choose to heat with wood because I like the callouses, sore back and the pride in knowing my btus came from the hard work of me and my family. If I want to flip a finger to the gas company or they decide they dont like me than I will be fine with what mother nature is willing to let me glean from the land.

BD (before daughter), the stove did 100%, with a heating blanket in the bedroom. AD (after daughter) we have a couple space heaters in there now.

But this year they aren't allowing the sole source exemption, which means I can't burn on Health Alert days. It's going to get interesting...

IDE like to heat 100% with wood but it aint happening here. It gets real cold and my house was not designed for it.

IDE say 75% on wood but the Gas forced air is used.

Two small kids here, I could technically get away with a better % but why be cool? I work outside and get enough cold during my working day/night.

Good for the people who can 100% heat with wood, but I don't think it's worth the odd cold morning or chilly evening to have a cost free winter.

Get the heating on. Be warm, laugh, smile and god bless.

Hoozie said:

BD (before daughter), the stove did 100%, with a heating blanket in the bedroom. AD (after daughter) we have a couple space heaters in there now.

But this year they aren't allowing the sole source exemption, which means I can't burn on Health Alert days. It's going to get interesting...

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So let me get this straight, if you have an EPA rated stove as your sole source of heat, the state of Oregon won't let you USE it on these Health Alert days? Do they really feel that the majority of our smog and atmosphere problems are stemming from efficient wood burning stoves? Seems like there should be an exception for those burning newer model stoves as their sole heat source. Maybe I can see it if you're burning an older model, but that's harsh...

nvanhar said:

So let me get this straight...

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The first few pages here give a pretty good overview of the situation. But I don't want to derail the thread

http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/planning/docs/kfalls/KFallsAttPlan2012.pdf

I live in an old stone house , can't understand how people survived in this place with just a fireplace small one at that.had to install ultimate stove heating alone with baseboards and wearing a tuque and coat cost $4000 going to try 80/20 on the wood side at least i"ll be comfortable

I bought oil for the entire season last year(1st time), because I was curious($4000). Missed the stove heat so this year put in an insert into fireplace and ordered progress hybrid from wood stock. for the main level. For years though had my grandpa in the basement and wired the fan control on my FHA furnace to move the air from a plenum I fabricated. worked wonderful. This next spring I am rebuilding the chimney and relining and May put a KUma furnace down there, since I want heat during power outage is my consideration in my area.
Since I am ahead with my wood supply. last year I sold a bunch to pay for my oil.

Very very close to 100% pellet stove in town and now at just about 100% wood stove in the remote location. We have to keep the HVAC furnace set at 50'F at the remote location when we aren't here to keep from freezing pipes. When we are here the wood stove carries the house. Typically the residual heat from running the woods stove for the weekend will hold the house above 50'F for a good part of the next week unless it is brutally cold (which does happen.)

The pellet stove carries the house in town unless we spend several consecutive days waaay below freezing 24/7 or below freezing for several days with no solar gain. In the event of a true, prolonged below freezing weather event, it is possible that the gas furnace will kick in to keep the house at 65'F. That happens rarely now, even during the coldest weather, now that we have the attic adequately insulated and we've addressed air leaks in the envelope of the house.

Hoozie said:

The first few pages here give a pretty good overview of the situation. But I don't want to derail the thread

http://www.deq.state.or.us/aq/planning/docs/kfalls/KFallsAttPlan2012.pdf

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Seems to me they are forcing you to not rely on wood. For the sake of forcing you to BUY oil, gas, propane?

JTRock said:

Seems to me they are forcing you to not rely on wood. For the sake of forcing you to BUY oil, gas, propane?

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I am busy compiling a list of places that I will not live. Klamath Falls Oregon just made the list. Shame, really, because I love Oregon. That being said, it is difficult to argue about an inversion layer set up- and I assume that's what the major problem is in Klamath Falls.

Inversions can be horrible. I grew up near the Clariton coke works (Coke is coal cooked to remove sulfur, benzene, etc.) in Pittsburgh. Horrific pollution when inversions happened.

We are trying to jump from 80% to 95% wood with the new IS. Running the heat pump a bit just to keep it happy.

NE WOOD BURNER said:

. For years though had my grandpa in the basement and wired the fan control on my FHA furnace to move the air from a plenum I fabricated. worked wonderful.

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Tell us more about this elderly relative heating system that worked so well for you!

I know my grandpa used to blow a lot of hot air himself...