How many cords do the evening/weekenders go through a season?

[pulldownclaw]

Just trying to gauge if I need to keep chopping at night

 

[begreen]

Pretty ambiguous question, how big a house, how good a stove? In your climate, for a 2000 sf house with a decent stove I would guess about 2 cords.

 

[derbygreg]

Pretty ambiguous question, how big a house, how good a stove? In your climate, for a 2000 sf house with a decent stove I would guess about 2 cords.

That would be my guess too. Have not thought of Richmond, VA as very cold. The 10 day forcast there looks really nice.

 

[BrotherBart]

I am 90 miles North of him and have burned five cords like clockwork for over twenty years heating this place. And no, it isn't a barn. And the insulation is fine, thank you. We don't do sweaters and stuff in this house but when there is nothing else to heat the joint it takes ya some wood.

I hope to get it down to four this year with all of this fancy stove stuff. Probably ain't gonna happen.

 

[karl]

I'm with you on this one Bart. When I had a fireplace, I was a evening and weekend burner and didn't go through a alot of wood. I didn't get much heat either. Now that I'm about a month into burning my Summit, I can say it looks like I will end up using about a half a cord in November. This is my worse wood too. I wonder how many weekend/evening burners are really out there. That was my plan too, but when you feel the amount of heat these put out and how long they burn on a load of wood, you quickly start burning it more. Fire it up when you get home from work. Then at 11 or 12 you top it off before you go to bed. It's still got coals in it in the morning so you through some more wood on it. My evening burn just turned into 18 hours. I bet I'm pretty typical compared to alot of other newbie stove owners too. Oh yeah, and now really cold in the house means I throw a pair of socks on.

 

[BrotherBart]

I'm with you on this one Bart. When I had a fireplace, I was a evening and weekend burner and didn't go through a alot of wood. I didn't get much heat either. Now that I'm about a month into burning my Summit, I can say it looks like I will end up using about a half a cord in November. This is my worse wood too. I wonder how many weekend/evening burners are really out there. That was my plan too, but when you feel the amount of heat these put out and how long they burn on a load of wood, you quickly start burning it more. Fire it up when you get home from work. Then at 11 or 12 you top it off before you go to bed. It's still got coals in it in the morning so you through some more wood on it. My evening burn just turned into 18 hours. I bet I'm pretty typical compared to alot of other newbie stove owners too. Oh yeah, and now really cold in the house means I throw a pair of socks on.

Ah yes karl. I remember well a couple of months ago when you said that it must be colder here if I burned five a year. Enjoy that Summit my friend. Warm is good.

 

[begreen]

I am 90 miles North of him and have burned five cords like clockwork for over twenty years heating this place. And no, it isn't a barn. And the insulation is fine, thank you. We don't do sweaters and stuff in this house but when there is nothing else to heat the joint it takes ya some wood.

I hope to get it down to four this year with all of this fancy stove stuff. Probably ain't gonna happen.

Are you burning in one stove on just evenings and weekends?

 

[OldHickory]

I'm quite a bit south of you and I used to go through 4-5 cords in a pre-EPA furnace for primary heat. Now I'm running an EPA stove on some evenings and weekends and expect to go through 2-3 cords as supplementary heat (gas as primary heat but cutting it off when I'm home to burn). My guess would be that you would want 4 cords minimum if you are burning regularly.

 

[wahoowad]

I'm just up the road in Charlottesville, burning evenings and weekends. This is not my primary heat like Bro' Bart - I have a heatpump although my goal is to keep it from cycling on when I am home and have a fire going. Last year I used one cord but only because that was all I had seasoned! I ended up having to ration my remaining wood late winter and cool spring days. This year I have over twice that ready so we will see how it goes. I am hoping to not use it all so I can give some hickory an extra year to season, but probably will use more than I think I will right now.

A lot depends on your burning preferences. Weeknights I don't pack it full for an overnight burn - only on weekends or really cold nights. I have a medium/small stove in the Jotul 3CB - your stove may use more? I don't know.

 

[velvetfoot]

I'm figuring 4 cords.

 

[shaggymatt]

I concur on 3-4 cords. I am in Harrisburg PA, and just got a stove (Osburn 2400i) and bought three cords, probably more like three and a half. I have a four foot rack fully covered by the house, I've been through that already twice, so that should be about half a cord already used, thinking about getting even more.

 

[pulldownclaw]

I guess I better get out the work lights after the kids are tucked in bed!

I'm just feeling the crunch knowing that I'm right on the edge for getting stuff split for next year. Our house is 2700sf, and the Hampton is a 2.3cf firebox I think. Again, probably only burning evenings and weekends, but I know what some of you are saying, I will probably burn more than I expect, especially to try and keep the oil truck away from my house!

 

[begreen]

A lot are posting experiences in a colder climate, with bigger stoves and/or more frequent burning. I think if you have 2 dry cords you are going to be fine, but having 3 on hand is good insurance. However, if you start burning full time, that's a whole nother thing. Just try to keep burning dry wood only. And keep us posted on how it works out.

 

[myzamboni]

I'm burning about 1/2 the wood I was when I had an open fireplace and keeping the house 5-7 degrees warmer than I could with the fireplace for about twice as length of time I could with the fireplace (just further proof I was throwing heat up the chimney with the open fireplace).

It's still early, but I figure I won't even burn a full cord this season.

 

[velvetfoot]

I don't have any track of actual wood usage because I'm too unorganized but it seems like it's going a little fast.
I did some calcs this AM and it came out more than I thought.
My stove is a 1.9 ft3 capacity, so I'm figuring 1.5 ft3 actual.
I didn't used to load the stove before bedtime and leaving for work (nbobody home during the day), but I have been lately.
So, that would be 2 loads there plus 2 loads (or so) when we're there at night, plus even more on the weekend.
So, at 6ft3 a day average, and a cord containing 128 ft3, a cord should last 21 days.
That's not too long!

 

[ERPARKER]

Just trying to gauge if I need to keep chopping at night

I'm 90 miles north of you as well, in Arlington. Evenings and weekends only I've gone through about one 10' x 5' rack so far this season, which is about a half cord. I hope to make it through the winter on the 2 1/2 racks I have remaining, which would be just under two cords for the season, but we'll see. I have wood set aside for next season that I could burn this season, but would prefer not to.