What is 'shoulder season'?

Shoulder season is the late fall and early spring when it's cool but not cold like it is in mid winter. Some people are prepared enough to have some soft woods and other lower BTU woods to use during those times when you don't need max heat output.

I've only seen the term here.

Based on context it seems to mean that time of year when you don't need a fire 24/7, you only need it, say, 4 hours per day. So you're starting a new fire every day (or at least every chilly fall and spring day). Versus just throwing more wood in the fire (or the coals) and never letting it cool down.

Sam

If you were to plot a graph of how much heat production you need versus months of the year, you would find that the fall and spring are considerably lower BTU's per hour compared with mid-winter. Since you don't burn at all over the summer, the curve rises and falls 'real sudden' at the beginning and the end, just like your arms hanging down. So it does resemble 'shoulders' with a big, blockish 'head' in the middle.

Clearly the term has been explained, but I wanted to chime in that in one "what is shoulder season" thread a couple of years ago, there was an indication that the term may have actually originated in the travel industry sector. Again, it would refer to the shape of a graphed curve, plotting the demand for travel. I have no way of verifying the accuracy of such a claim, however.

I use 'shoulder season' to indicate the season when I break out the maul and split wood. I think this leads to some confusion.

It is when it is too warm to have a fire, but too cold not to have a fire.

When you Google "shoulder season", almost all of the responses relate to the travel industry, and it seems to be a widely accepted term. No need for conjecture anymore...just Google.

lukem said:

It is when it is too warm to have a fire, but too cold not to have a fire.

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Bingo! Ha! Cheers!

lukem said:

It is when it is too warm to have a fire, but too cold not to have a fire.

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That there is funny )

lukem said:

It is when it is too warm to have a fire, but too cold not to have a fire.

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There ya go- the definitive answer. :lol:

Shoulder season is when it's still warm enough to split wood wearing a tank top and your shoulders are exposed. When Winter comes, you have to wear more clothing and only your head is sticking out. :cheese:

We use the term often at work to refer to the time of year when there is not much cooling or heating load.

I like Lukem's definition.

The term is widely used in the utility industry too. Obviously, natural gas usage experiences the exact same shoulder season as we burners do. The profile of water and electric usage is almost exactly opposite that of natural gas where the 'head' is the peak of the summer and shoulders are closer to the summer months.

Lukem nailed it.

I like to think of it as if I'm crossing a road. Shoulders on the right and left would be fall/spring require less heating load and the middle of the road is the meat of the winter requiring the good stuff.

So...summer = elbow season ???

olsonbri said:

I don't get it. Does this mean the coming winter's wood (assumption)? I can be as dense as a mesquite trunk.

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Don't worry - I had never heard of a "shoulder season" before I joined up here, and I've only been cutting/burning wood all my life.

jatoxico said:

Shoulder season is the late fall and early spring when it's cool but not cold like it is in mid winter. Some people are prepared enough to have some soft woods and other lower BTU woods to use during those times when you don't need max heat output.

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Yeah. . . the rest of us are "prepared enough" to shut down the vent when we don't need "max heat output"

Wood Duck said:

I use 'shoulder season' to indicate the season when I break out the maul and split wood. I think this leads to some confusion.

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:lol:

The shoulder season is when I have no problem keeping an overnight burn on a load of pine.