I think I'm about to install an insert in my old, nonfunctional fireplace. I've never lived in a house with a woodstove, so I don't have much experience to base guesses on. Right now I'm planning a small, roofed wood rack on an old patio, and could use some insight as to how big it should be.
The house is in western PA, around 1400 sq. ft, brick with double-pane windows and moderately-well insulated. The stove probably something similar to an Osburn 2000 (2.1 cubic feet). I'm sure we'd enjoy somewhat frequent fires on chilly evenings, maybe loading it up to burn over night, but I don't expect it to be our primary heat source. If you had to guess (because you have to. I insist.) how much wood might we go through in an average winter?
We live in an old suburb full of mature trees, so opportunities to gather free wood are not uncommon. I'd like to do some of that, so I'll need extra space to store wood while it dries. How long does it typically take to dry freshly-cut hardwood? If I cut wood in the summer of 2012, for example, and stacked it under cover, would it be ready to burn during the winter of 2013-14, or might I have to wait longer?
The house is in western PA, around 1400 sq. ft, brick with double-pane windows and moderately-well insulated. The stove probably something similar to an Osburn 2000 (2.1 cubic feet). I'm sure we'd enjoy somewhat frequent fires on chilly evenings, maybe loading it up to burn over night, but I don't expect it to be our primary heat source. If you had to guess (because you have to. I insist.) how much wood might we go through in an average winter?
We live in an old suburb full of mature trees, so opportunities to gather free wood are not uncommon. I'd like to do some of that, so I'll need extra space to store wood while it dries. How long does it typically take to dry freshly-cut hardwood? If I cut wood in the summer of 2012, for example, and stacked it under cover, would it be ready to burn during the winter of 2013-14, or might I have to wait longer?