Workshop: Why Use Wood Heat ?
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I grew up heating with wood and have many good memories of splitting and hauling wood with my dad in his old pick up truck. I plan to instill a good work ethic in my three daughters and encourage them to work with me splitting, cutting and hauling wood to the house. Right now the 4 and 6 yo pick up wood from the truck and carry it to the wood racks. I want them to enjoy the outdoors and take pride in what they can do for themselves and not rely on others to do for them and understand that not everything in life is easy.
I like the self reliance of being able to provide heat and comfort to my family with my two hands and not simply turning a button to adjust the thermostat. I like the outdoors and exercise I get from cutting trees down and hauling them.
I consider myself an environmentalist and believe that in the overall scheme of things that burning a renewable resource like wood is less polluting and better for the earth than a fossil fuel.
I like the self reliance of being able to provide heat and comfort to my family with my two hands and not simply turning a button to adjust the thermostat. I like the outdoors and exercise I get from cutting trees down and hauling them.
I consider myself an environmentalist and believe that in the overall scheme of things that burning a renewable resource like wood is less polluting and better for the earth than a fossil fuel.
DavidV
New Member
Having a large pile of wood gives me a sense of independence and security. If the power goes out (and it does every winter) my family is warm. Cutting the wood and splitting it is a chore.....but it brings me together with my boys. Burning wood in the dead of winter allows me to raise the temperature of the stove room higher than I could afford to raise it with other fuels. It also creats a central room that brings my family together. Everyone congregates in the stove room because it's so warm. And there is something wonderful about coming in from the cold and waming up in front of the stove.
Lumber-Jack
Minister of Fire
I don't believe you BB. If I felt a pain in my backside about all the stuff that goes along with wood burning I wouldn't be hanging out in a forum like this,,, let alone be a Moderator of such a forum.BrotherBart said:It's a pain in the butt but since it is the only heat, I do it so that we don't freeze.
Surely you jest?
Thanks all for the comments: many were reasons that are usually unstated and perceptive for using wood.
Some will be quoted in the program ( you're all anonymous behind the avatar, no worry ):
Bobbin for the observation on class bias about wood burning. Well put.
Danno, Backwoods,joshlaugh, davidv, stump_branch, and midwestcoast--all excellent posts.
A part of the program is where wood use is NOT appropriate: urban/urban-suburban, geographic inversion locations, and where burning is done the wrong way too close to neighbors.
It's rural here. More forested land than any other part of North America and more woodlands now since two generations ago. We are fortunate.
Appreciate the help. :exclaim:
Some will be quoted in the program ( you're all anonymous behind the avatar, no worry ):
Bobbin for the observation on class bias about wood burning. Well put.
Danno, Backwoods,joshlaugh, davidv, stump_branch, and midwestcoast--all excellent posts.
A part of the program is where wood use is NOT appropriate: urban/urban-suburban, geographic inversion locations, and where burning is done the wrong way too close to neighbors.
It's rural here. More forested land than any other part of North America and more woodlands now since two generations ago. We are fortunate.
Appreciate the help. :exclaim:
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
fjord, I agree there were many good posts on this subject. I especially liked the theme of family working and enjoying this together. Too many times we see, hear or read of family break-ups so reading these posts where families work together and even simply sit and enjoy the warm fire in their homes is simply great. Our country needs more of this and less of the family break-ups.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Milton Findley
Feeling the Heat
I read and enjoyed every word of every post. At my house the wood supply is from a garden supply store that has a contract with the city of Milwaukee to take down dead trees in the parks and rights of way. It is delivered and stacked for what I think is a reasonable price. I will never get back the investment I am making in purchasing and installing the stove through savings on heat or fuel and I don't care.
The fire provides nourishment for the poet within me.
The fire provides nourishment for the poet within me.
Milt said:
I don't know your specifics, but you might actually want to put paper to pencil. I have calculated that buying wood at $150 per cord, I would still save 50% off of propane heat. The payback is obviously longer than providing wood for yourself, but I think in many cases it WILL give a payback, even if the wood is purchased.
Why heat with wood?
Because, in New England that is the (historically) standard choice of fuel. Coal, oil, and gas are an aberration from a historic perspective. As we evolve and learn, we develop low-emissions, high efficiency stoves to replace open fireplaces. We develop better tools (chainsaws replacing misery-whips) and learn how to use them better.
Demonstrating that we are capable of learning and conscious thought. And physical work.
For some, the experimentation, and the discipline involved in living harmoniously with the seasons is a reward. We are active participants, not just passengers.
Because, in New England that is the (historically) standard choice of fuel. Coal, oil, and gas are an aberration from a historic perspective. As we evolve and learn, we develop low-emissions, high efficiency stoves to replace open fireplaces. We develop better tools (chainsaws replacing misery-whips) and learn how to use them better.
Demonstrating that we are capable of learning and conscious thought. And physical work.
For some, the experimentation, and the discipline involved in living harmoniously with the seasons is a reward. We are active participants, not just passengers.
WOODplay
Member
-Exercise gets people out of the house and away from the video games and internet.
-Free heat
-Free cooking
-Renewable fuel
-Widely available free fuel
-Self-reliant or off the grid
-Romantic glow
-new stoves give off almost no smoke
And I'm just getting warmed UP!
-Free heat
-Free cooking
-Renewable fuel
-Widely available free fuel
-Self-reliant or off the grid
-Romantic glow
-new stoves give off almost no smoke
And I'm just getting warmed UP!
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Why do I heat with wood?
Well first off folks should know what I'm not . .. and I say this with no disrespect to anyone here.
I'm not an environmentalist out to save the world by using only renewable resources . . .
I'm not so poor that my only choice is to heat with wood, freeze to death or rely on state and federal heating assistance to struggle throught the winter . . .
I'm not so rich that I have a second vacation home where I have a fancy schmancy stove that I use every other weekend . . .
I'm not trying to make a political statement or point about not being as dependent on foreign oil . . .
I'm not a guy with so much time on his hands that he needs a new hobby . . .
What I am is a regular, 40-year-old white male (fat belly and balding included) who bought a woodstove a few years ago when he saw the price of oil increasing to over $4 a gallon . . . a guy who even today realizes that we will never see the days of 79 cent a gallon oil or even $1.39 a gallon heating oil . . . and a guy who realizes that even if I had to purchase my wood I would still be further ahead financially when you're looking at oil selling for close to $3 a gallon these days.
I am a regular Mainiac who realizes that it is not a matter of "if" you will lose power during the winter in Maine, but rather "when" and "for how long" . . . a guy who struggled to heat a house for several days when the 1998 Ice Storm took out the power lines in town . . . a guy who remembered that event, remembered borrowing a small kerosene heater that barely warmed up the house, remembered looking all over for a gasoline powered generator to hook up to the oil boiler in a frantic effort to keep the water lines from freezing -- a guy who resolved that some day he would get a woodstove and would never, ever have to worry about having to see his wife bundle in multiple layers to try to keep warm . . . a guy who said he would never have to send his step-daughter away to stay with friends so she could at least be warm.
I am a regular guy who likes to watch football on a large plasma TV as much as anyone else . . . but I am also a guy who finds working with wood to not be work . . . since there is something different about being outside on those crisp Fall days . . . there is something about splitting wood or stacking wood neatly that just seems to allow one to get back to a simpler time . . . it allows a man a chance to unwind and destress . . . heating with wood is work . . . make no mistake . . . but it is a different kind of work . . . it is work that many folks find enjoyable.
I am not an environmentalist . . . I have a SUV . . . and I have an ATV and a snowmobile . . . but I also recycle . . . and compost . . . and believe that it is not wrong to have a few guilty pleasures and toys in life . . . but at the same time I believe in trying to make this world a better place for our children and grandchildren . . . and I believe that burning wood in a modern woodstove is far cleaner than burning oil in my oil boiler . . . and if the truth be told . . . even today I find myself looking up at my chimney while a fire rages inside the woodstove . . . and it brings a smile to my face.
I am a Republican . . . with Democrat tendencies . . . but I am not a politician. I do not care what the Republicans or Democrats say or do . . . and realize that in the end being in the middle class I will most likely get the short end of the proverbial stick. What I do care about is knowing that in terms of foreign policy and relationships with other countries . . . I do not have to worry if OPEC decides to raise the prices on oil . . . or if a country suddenly decides they do not want to supply oil to the U.S. I will be warm regardless.
Finally, I am like every other human being on this planet . . . there is something about fire that draws us to it. The dancing flames, the color, the crackling of a fire, the smell of the smoke on a clear winter's night . . . for me there are many reasons why I started to heat with wood and many reasons why I continue to heat with wood . . . but perhaps the best reason is that there is no other means of heating that can reward the base senses as a woodfire -- the sight of the multi-colored flames dancing in the firebox, the smell of apple and cinnamon potpourri simmering on the stove top, the sound of the crackling and snapping of the wood, the unique taste of food cooked in or on a woodstove (although this is rare for me) and perhaps best of all there is the feel of that heat that washes and surrounds one self -- the heat that reminds one of being outside on a warm summer day.
Yes, there are some drawbacks to heating with wood . . . make no mistake.
You may need to have space to store the wood.
Some folks do not run their stoves properly and burn inefficiently . . . and pollute the air.
There is a mess.
There is a signficant outlay of time.
Truth be told . . . there is also a certain amount of fire danger.
There is the inconvenience aspect of not being able to just dial up the thermostat and have the heat come on instantly and stay at that temp.
There are also some folks who may not be able to heat their entire home with a single woodstove.
However, as can be seen here . . . for many of us the postive attributes of heating with wood far outweigh the negative aspects.
Well first off folks should know what I'm not . .. and I say this with no disrespect to anyone here.
I'm not an environmentalist out to save the world by using only renewable resources . . .
I'm not so poor that my only choice is to heat with wood, freeze to death or rely on state and federal heating assistance to struggle throught the winter . . .
I'm not so rich that I have a second vacation home where I have a fancy schmancy stove that I use every other weekend . . .
I'm not trying to make a political statement or point about not being as dependent on foreign oil . . .
I'm not a guy with so much time on his hands that he needs a new hobby . . .
What I am is a regular, 40-year-old white male (fat belly and balding included) who bought a woodstove a few years ago when he saw the price of oil increasing to over $4 a gallon . . . a guy who even today realizes that we will never see the days of 79 cent a gallon oil or even $1.39 a gallon heating oil . . . and a guy who realizes that even if I had to purchase my wood I would still be further ahead financially when you're looking at oil selling for close to $3 a gallon these days.
I am a regular Mainiac who realizes that it is not a matter of "if" you will lose power during the winter in Maine, but rather "when" and "for how long" . . . a guy who struggled to heat a house for several days when the 1998 Ice Storm took out the power lines in town . . . a guy who remembered that event, remembered borrowing a small kerosene heater that barely warmed up the house, remembered looking all over for a gasoline powered generator to hook up to the oil boiler in a frantic effort to keep the water lines from freezing -- a guy who resolved that some day he would get a woodstove and would never, ever have to worry about having to see his wife bundle in multiple layers to try to keep warm . . . a guy who said he would never have to send his step-daughter away to stay with friends so she could at least be warm.
I am a regular guy who likes to watch football on a large plasma TV as much as anyone else . . . but I am also a guy who finds working with wood to not be work . . . since there is something different about being outside on those crisp Fall days . . . there is something about splitting wood or stacking wood neatly that just seems to allow one to get back to a simpler time . . . it allows a man a chance to unwind and destress . . . heating with wood is work . . . make no mistake . . . but it is a different kind of work . . . it is work that many folks find enjoyable.
I am not an environmentalist . . . I have a SUV . . . and I have an ATV and a snowmobile . . . but I also recycle . . . and compost . . . and believe that it is not wrong to have a few guilty pleasures and toys in life . . . but at the same time I believe in trying to make this world a better place for our children and grandchildren . . . and I believe that burning wood in a modern woodstove is far cleaner than burning oil in my oil boiler . . . and if the truth be told . . . even today I find myself looking up at my chimney while a fire rages inside the woodstove . . . and it brings a smile to my face.
I am a Republican . . . with Democrat tendencies . . . but I am not a politician. I do not care what the Republicans or Democrats say or do . . . and realize that in the end being in the middle class I will most likely get the short end of the proverbial stick. What I do care about is knowing that in terms of foreign policy and relationships with other countries . . . I do not have to worry if OPEC decides to raise the prices on oil . . . or if a country suddenly decides they do not want to supply oil to the U.S. I will be warm regardless.
Finally, I am like every other human being on this planet . . . there is something about fire that draws us to it. The dancing flames, the color, the crackling of a fire, the smell of the smoke on a clear winter's night . . . for me there are many reasons why I started to heat with wood and many reasons why I continue to heat with wood . . . but perhaps the best reason is that there is no other means of heating that can reward the base senses as a woodfire -- the sight of the multi-colored flames dancing in the firebox, the smell of apple and cinnamon potpourri simmering on the stove top, the sound of the crackling and snapping of the wood, the unique taste of food cooked in or on a woodstove (although this is rare for me) and perhaps best of all there is the feel of that heat that washes and surrounds one self -- the heat that reminds one of being outside on a warm summer day.
Yes, there are some drawbacks to heating with wood . . . make no mistake.
You may need to have space to store the wood.
Some folks do not run their stoves properly and burn inefficiently . . . and pollute the air.
There is a mess.
There is a signficant outlay of time.
Truth be told . . . there is also a certain amount of fire danger.
There is the inconvenience aspect of not being able to just dial up the thermostat and have the heat come on instantly and stay at that temp.
There are also some folks who may not be able to heat their entire home with a single woodstove.
However, as can be seen here . . . for many of us the postive attributes of heating with wood far outweigh the negative aspects.
Well heck....this is quite a thread.
I think we should have awards for posting:
Most Romantic
Most Humorous
Most Practical
Most Poetic
Most Spritual
Most Clever
Best TearJerker
(Each category was inspired by one or more existing replies.) Er, except Brotherbart's. Maybe the Old Carmudgeon Award. (Huh!? Not on Hearth.com!)
I think we should have awards for posting:
Most Romantic
Most Humorous
Most Practical
Most Poetic
Most Spritual
Most Clever
Best TearJerker
(Each category was inspired by one or more existing replies.) Er, except Brotherbart's. Maybe the Old Carmudgeon Award. (Huh!? Not on Hearth.com!)
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
I'll throw my reasons in...
Its much more economical than propane. I buck the trend here as I use ~mostly~ solid fuel sources like BioBricks, although I do have a Cord stacked, about a third of which is actually usable this year. But even with buying commercially sold solid fuel, I still save a lot of money, and get the convenience of a clean, indoor-stored, and efficient fuel source.
I know this is awful subjective, but the heat is just "warmer". With every other heat source, with the notable exception of those old iron radiators, the purpose of the heating system is to warm air. Air is not very good at retaining heat. Woodstove heat is radiant heat. Sure, it heats air, but it heats all the solid mass around it, whether it be objects in the room like furniture, or the hearth it's installed in. All that solid mass is able to hold on to that energy and release it over time, and it just makes for a "warmer" feeling environment.
It actually makes use of that silly and ultimately useless hole in my wall that some folks call a fireplace.
I don't know if this is a negative or a positive, but with a woodstove, you "earn" your heat. You know where your heat comes from and you know what you have to do if you want to stay warm. (most of the one cord I do have outside was cut, bucked, and split from a tree-fall I had during last winter's storm).
A Woodstove is simple. There are no moving parts and no external dependencies, other than your fuel supply. Over the last two years I've experienced two week-long power outages due to storms in the dead of winter, and while my neighbors got out of Dodge for the comfort of the nearest Motel 6, my woodstove and a small 5000 watt generator kept my family in the comfort of our own home. This alone makes that woodstove worth it's weight in gold.
Its much more economical than propane. I buck the trend here as I use ~mostly~ solid fuel sources like BioBricks, although I do have a Cord stacked, about a third of which is actually usable this year. But even with buying commercially sold solid fuel, I still save a lot of money, and get the convenience of a clean, indoor-stored, and efficient fuel source.
I know this is awful subjective, but the heat is just "warmer". With every other heat source, with the notable exception of those old iron radiators, the purpose of the heating system is to warm air. Air is not very good at retaining heat. Woodstove heat is radiant heat. Sure, it heats air, but it heats all the solid mass around it, whether it be objects in the room like furniture, or the hearth it's installed in. All that solid mass is able to hold on to that energy and release it over time, and it just makes for a "warmer" feeling environment.
It actually makes use of that silly and ultimately useless hole in my wall that some folks call a fireplace.
I don't know if this is a negative or a positive, but with a woodstove, you "earn" your heat. You know where your heat comes from and you know what you have to do if you want to stay warm. (most of the one cord I do have outside was cut, bucked, and split from a tree-fall I had during last winter's storm).
A Woodstove is simple. There are no moving parts and no external dependencies, other than your fuel supply. Over the last two years I've experienced two week-long power outages due to storms in the dead of winter, and while my neighbors got out of Dodge for the comfort of the nearest Motel 6, my woodstove and a small 5000 watt generator kept my family in the comfort of our own home. This alone makes that woodstove worth it's weight in gold.
Joe Matthews
Member
1. I would never have my house @70 with my propane. $$$
2. I see trees out my window. tree = BTU"S
3. I get to pizz off my neighbors running my chainsaw at all hours.
4. Great enjoyment knowing my non burning neighbors house is 60 degrees inside while I am walking around in shorts.
2. I see trees out my window. tree = BTU"S
3. I get to pizz off my neighbors running my chainsaw at all hours.
4. Great enjoyment knowing my non burning neighbors house is 60 degrees inside while I am walking around in shorts.
Mad Tom said:
Yeah I have to admit to being entertained listening to the back up bell on the propane truck as it slowly backs up my neighbor's 800 foot driveway. :red:
Joe Matthews
Member
I have never actually heard it put quite this way, but this is a great point. People do not take into account how much of their "time" spent at work, is then spent on heating costs. For an investment of 1.5 hours this past weekend and the cost of about 2 gallons of gas I was able to bring home about one months worth of heating fuel in the form of wood. How many people can go to their normal job and say they earned enough money to heat their home for one month in 1.5 hours? Very few I would suspect. Not all wood collecting trips are that efficient, but for certian there is less time invested in heating with wood than time invested working to earn money to heat for the same time period using another fuel source...
Wallyworld
Member
Heating with wood keeps the dollars I spend for heat in my community. When its cold, nothing like a hot woodstove to thaw me out
dafattkidd
Minister of Fire
I heat with wood because I love the warmth of the wood heat. I can remember in December of 2009 it was in the lower thirties- maybe upper twenties and really gusty. I couldn't get the house above 64. It was a horrible feeling going to work knowing my wife and son were going to be cold. We used a few electric heaters to supplement some of the heat loss but it wasn't working well at all.
Now I welcome the super cold days. It's always warm in our house now. I am so grateful. I love relaxing on the couch in front of the stove.
All other reasons have been said:
-Save money on heating oil
-Renewable resource
-I love processing wood
-The satisfaction of knowing my hands and hard work heat this house, and keep my family comfortable
-I love the ambiance of the fire
Heating with wood is really one of my favorite things.
Now I welcome the super cold days. It's always warm in our house now. I am so grateful. I love relaxing on the couch in front of the stove.
All other reasons have been said:
-Save money on heating oil
-Renewable resource
-I love processing wood
-The satisfaction of knowing my hands and hard work heat this house, and keep my family comfortable
-I love the ambiance of the fire
Heating with wood is really one of my favorite things.
GatorDL55
Member
BrowningBAR
Minister of Fire
Quick debrief on the Wood Heat program last night.
The program starts with a summary of how we heat our place with wood: "...imagine your central furnace is shut down, thermostats off, it's 12 F out with a typical NW wind @ 15-20 kts and all you have are 2 wood stoves ......"
Most stove users attending had little idea of exactly what they have--cat, non cat, EPA or not--, how to burn cleanly, secondary combustion, flue configuration, etc...
All but one user have central heat set around 65 F. "But it never goes on," they say, though oil ( the primary heating fuel in Maine ) bills were in the mid to high teens per year including water heating.
All but one out of 19 attending, had little interest in harvesting their own fuel. They bought CSD ( now in the low $200's here/cord ). A short part of the program was on basic forestry, diversity, selection, management, ID, sustainability.
All had little concept of EPA stoves. I brought some glossy brochures for Lopi, Jotul, Morso---most had not been to a dealer in the past decade.
The best of the 'why' comments from you guys were eye-opening for many in the group. Good reactions.
Thx!
The program starts with a summary of how we heat our place with wood: "...imagine your central furnace is shut down, thermostats off, it's 12 F out with a typical NW wind @ 15-20 kts and all you have are 2 wood stoves ......"
Most stove users attending had little idea of exactly what they have--cat, non cat, EPA or not--, how to burn cleanly, secondary combustion, flue configuration, etc...
All but one user have central heat set around 65 F. "But it never goes on," they say, though oil ( the primary heating fuel in Maine ) bills were in the mid to high teens per year including water heating.
All but one out of 19 attending, had little interest in harvesting their own fuel. They bought CSD ( now in the low $200's here/cord ). A short part of the program was on basic forestry, diversity, selection, management, ID, sustainability.
All had little concept of EPA stoves. I brought some glossy brochures for Lopi, Jotul, Morso---most had not been to a dealer in the past decade.
The best of the 'why' comments from you guys were eye-opening for many in the group. Good reactions.
Thx!
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
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