Does anyone agree??

[jlow]

Installed my Equinox last January and spent the remainder of last winter and spring scrounging for wood to burn. Lots of work and I burned wood that was not properly seasoned. Learning from all of you what needed to be done for this winter, I went out and cut, split and stacked 8.5 cords last spring. Mostly ash, elm, cherry, mulberry, birch and spruce. My home is 2900 sq. ft and I have begun to have morning burns to get the house from 65 to 74 before noon. It will then take till 10pm to get down to 70 for bedtime. My wife says that we may not have enough for the whole season. I think we will and I feel that all my hard labor this past 7 months has led me to this moment where I can heat my home for free basically and keep it as warm as I like. I am not going to worry about what I have left in the spring. If I need to buy a couple of face cords then I will. I have saved enough to not worry about it. The reason for putting this stove in is so I don't need to worry and I will not this year. I have already accumulated a couple of cords for 2010-2011. I have enjoyed the morning fires and the speed in whch the properly seasoned wood heats up the EQ more rapidly. No smoke out of the chimney and very little ash. Fires up quick and nevers struggles. What a joy. Anyone else throw caution to the wind and just enjoy the fruits of their labor? I sure hope so.

Jeff

 

[Wet1]

Your wife thinks you're going to go through more than 8.5 cords this season? Even at 2900 sq ft, I would hope not!

If you have the time /wood, burn whenever you feel the slightest chill! :cheese:

 

[Slow1]

Boy - that is a lot of wood to burn through in one season with a good modern stove.

I'd like to have that much stacked and ready to burn for one year as I know I would have some left to carry over. Would certainly make shoulder season more fun and allow throwing caution to the wind.

Will be interesting to see just how much you go through - please do update next spring as to how much you have left

 

[edthedawg]

Jeff,

I would be shocked if you put 8.5 thru that sucker. Granted it's an EQ so it'll be hungry. But if you stretch the burn normally, you oughta be fine. We had mid-season OMG!'s last year too, thinking we'd run out of 4 cords for the Heritage, and we did just fine. Only question is how well your this-year-split wood is actually seasoned. If not truly well, you'll burn more than desired. But since you noted clear and clean exhaust, I'm doubtin' you have such a problem

 

[jlow]

Everything that I split this spring was deadfall and already in the seasoning process. I bought a moisture meter and I am between 16-18 on the wood I tested after it was split again. Once again a recommendation from posts on this forum.

 

[pen]

If I went through that much wood I would quit and buy oil!

pen

 

[SolarAndWood]

Even at $2.06/gal, oil equivalent to 8.5 cords would be painful.

 

[Todd]

Sounds like your good to go. Keep track of how much you burn so you get a good idea for next year and also keep cutting more when you have the time to try and get a year ahead of the game.

 

[Corey]

... all my hard labor this past 7 months has led me to this moment where I can heat my home for free ...

Jeff

LOL! Yes, "free".

 

[weatherguy]

I guess its a first time burner thing, I got almost 6 cords and was going to get 2 more, I get them for $150 a cord from my BIL and I figure if I dont need it this year its all the more seasoned for next.
Now if I could just get the dam thing installed.

 

[Highbeam]

It is not crazy to use 8.5 cords in that stove. The winter before last I shoved 7 cords through a heritage which is about half as big as your EQ. It is possible but not likely that you will use all 8.5. Whatever you used last year, you should double that and have that much wood going into the winter. Doing this allows you time to heal if you break your leg and also allows plenty of extra wood for burning.

I got carried away this year and have 16 cords all put up this winter. You can bet that I am burning whenever I feel a bit chilly or would like to watch a fire.

 

[katwillny]

Burn baby burn. if you go through 8 cords a season you are in very cold climate. Not to mention that you shouldnt burn so much due to efficiency on the stove itself.
Happy Burning!!

 

[runandjump]

Go for it!! I'm in the same boat. Just today, the wife said that she was a little cool so........ I told here to light it up. She through in 2 small splits and all was well. The EQ seems to be very controlable. I'm ready to see what it will do with a good load of wood on a realy cold day. So as all have said..... ENJOY the fruits of your labor and realize that you are no longer relying on "The Man". You Are The Man

 

[greythorn3]

I know heating with natural gas is cheaper then it will be with wood only if im buying it, but that is why i want to use wood, for them really cold cold cold days.. and maybe stick it to the gas man i hate relying on anyone but myself.

 

[pellet9999]

so much for conservation and excess. 2-3 cords a winter max should be the Law.

 

[SteveKG]

Man, 8+ cords. I can't even think about it. We use 2-3 a year [including hot water, domestic, all year]. This is high in the Rockies, so you must really be cold. Well, that is one big house, too. Good luck. You will need to come up with a plan to be able to physically handle that much cutting/hauling/splitting/stacking. Man. But, enjoy your heat. I can't imagine switching back to anything else.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

so much for conservation and excess. 2-3 cords a winter max should be the Law.

Hey, Pellet Stove, go buy another ton.

 

[Highbeam]

so much for conservation and excess. 2-3 cords a winter max should be the Law.

Well let's see, you could either let the wood rot on the forest floor or use it to warm your home.

 

[PunKid8888]

I only have 2 cords and I am thinking I really need 2.5 cords for a full winter, but I am burning when ever I get a chill or an itch. I bought the stove for 2 reasons. 1 because it is economical/green, and 2 because I enjoy burning wood. When I do get low on wood I will start burning oil and save one face cord in case of a power outage (yea 6 days no power last year with a pellet stove, was not fun)

Burn away

 

[Rockey]

I heated our house last year with 100% wood heat. Our house is 2700 sq ft and the insert on the 1st floor works fine until it gets around 15 degrees then I had to fire up the Englander in the basement for supplemental heat. At that point I was heat ing about 4000 sq ft. I was expecting to go thru about 10 cord but ended up using 6-7 cord. Your in a colder climate than I am and i think a lot of it will come down to how dry the wood is and how good you get at using the stove efficiently. 8.5 cords should be enough. Is your house well insulated?

 

[SolarAndWood]

How does that new shed of yours look full? Enjoy the fruits of your labor, just remember that there are only about 272 stove loads in there.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Installed my Equinox last January and spent the remainder of last winter and spring scrounging for wood to burn. Lots of work and I burned wood that was not properly seasoned. Learning from all of you what needed to be done for this winter, I went out and cut, split and stacked 8.5 cords last spring. Mostly ash, elm, cherry, mulberry, birch and spruce. My home is 2900 sq. ft and I have begun to have morning burns to get the house from 65 to 74 before noon. It will then take till 10pm to get down to 70 for bedtime. My wife says that we may not have enough for the whole season. I think we will and I feel that all my hard labor this past 7 months has led me to this moment where I can heat my home for free basically and keep it as warm as I like. I am not going to worry about what I have left in the spring. If I need to buy a couple of face cords then I will. I have saved enough to not worry about it. The reason for putting this stove in is so I don't need to worry and I will not this year. I have already accumulated a couple of cords for 2010-2011. I have enjoyed the morning fires and the speed in whch the properly seasoned wood heats up the EQ more rapidly. No smoke out of the chimney and very little ash. Fires up quick and nevers struggles. What a joy. Anyone else throw caution to the wind and just enjoy the fruits of their labor? I sure hope so.

Jeff

Wow, 8.5 cords from one stove in one season seems like a lot even if the stove is quite large. I have an older (and not as efficient) stove that I ran 24/7 last year and only ate up 'only' 4.5 cords.

 

[Ratman]

It is not crazy to use 8.5 cords in that stove. The winter before last I shoved 7 cords through a heritage which is about half as big as your EQ. It is possible but not likely that you will use all 8.5. Whatever you used last year, you should double that and have that much wood going into the winter. Doing this allows you time to heal if you break your leg and also allows plenty of extra wood for burning.

I got carried away this year and have 16 cords all put up this winter. You can bet that I am burning whenever I feel a bit chilly or would like to watch a fire.

OMG...crazy forum
I've posted pictures and specs of my old woodstove on here plenty of times and only the Webmaster had something positive to say about it in regards to overall performance and efficiency.
90% of the members that replied were laughing too hard at it to author anything that wasn't of the WiseGuy variety; and some of you are actually burning 8 or more cords yearly in an average size woodstove!
Again, OMG!
My old crappy woodmonster should consume its 3 cord max this year without turning the oil heat on more than $150. worth.

I agree with Edthedawg, BrowningBAR and pen, you'll probably burn about 1/2 that.

 

[North of 60]

so much for conservation and excess. 2-3 cords a winter max should be the Law.

You have got to be joking, I hope.

 

[BrowningBAR]

so much for conservation and excess. 2-3 cords a winter max should be the Law.

I just noticed this post.

Cute. Is this a gimmick or are you serious?