How many cords do you burn per winter?

[rdust]

I am surprised by how little some are able to burn and keep their houses warm!

I'm from Michigan so I have to make sure you know we're talking about real cords of wood not face cords correct? A lot people in this state say cord and mean 1/3 of a cord not a 4'x4'x8' cord. For me 3 2/3 cords in Michigan talk means about 11 face cords.

 

[Todd]

With the Vermont Casting cat stove I had I used to burn 2.5 cords to heat my house.
This year we changed to a Woodstock Fireview and now I am going to burn 3.25 cords. The bloomin thing consumes wood and doesn't throw any heat. I am very disappointed.

Something is not right. Could you elaborate on this, maybe start a new thread?

 

[paredown]

Well, we're running out of wood on this our first year of burning.

I find the calculation of "cordage" confusing--but I can say I cut and stacked a lot of wood. Probably around 3 to 4 cords. Then we bought a cord (which may or may not have been a whole cord...) We've burned 24-7 and I was especially grateful that we had the stove during our Nor'easter power outage last week.

Running the gas furnace as well, we were able to keep the badly insulated great room (~1000 sf) with a lot of single pane glass at a comfortable 68 deg. And this was with less than prime wood, and some learning going on! Cut our gas bill in half from last year--and we'll try to cut it in half again for next year by tackling some insulation, sealing, duct insulation and what have you...

Next year, I'll accurately measure and record. I'll also cut earlier, stack earlier and hopefully burn drier wood!

 

[PapaDave]

How many cords do you burn per winter. Please list all details that you care to. Stove type, wood type, House square feet, age, insulation, climate of your area, I’m especially interested in those who use only wood with no other heat source.

We've used 4 2/3 cord each of the last 2 winters. This is our 4th winter here, and am hoping to use a little less than that this winter. Mostly oak with some pine and soft maple. The stove is a 1985 Ashley steptop that when loaded to the gills (I don't do this anymore) will run WAAAAYYYYY too hot. I haven't gotten it to glow yet. :roll: Must still have an air leak somewhere.
House is about 1200 sq. ft., and only about r-11 in the attic, if that. Don't know when it was built. We're in Northern Michigan, and I turned off the gas and elec. to the wall furnace to see how we'd do without. That was winter of '07-08, hasn't been back on since.

 

[lazeedan]

I average about 3.5 cords per year. 1500 square foot ranch kept very warm. We use about 250-300 gallons of propane per year for hot water. cooking. and the furnace kicks on occasionally if we are gone too long or over night if in single digits or colder outside.

 

[rickw]

Will go through 3-4 cords this year, Fireview, 1800 sq ft, heating the top floor. About 1/2 of the wood was pine and pallets. Very good insulation on the top floor, new triple pane windows. When its cold the house temps range from 72 near the stove to 64 at the other end of the 65' long house; now with warmer weather its 75+ near the stove and maybe 70 at the other end. Will still probably burn 500 gal fuel oil heating the uninsulated basement and DHW. Insulating basement next year's project.

 

[fbelec]

burned 3.5 cord so far and on track like every year to burn 4 cord.
burning in a late 70's defiant and sometimes the basement in a late 80's hearthstone 2
burning oak, hard maple, poplar and my favorite locust. and not to dry cuz of the lack of a summer last year.
house is around 70 to 72 degrees
the house is a 1280 sq ranch. 1.5 inch in the walls and 2 layers of 1.5 inch insulation in the attic.
windows are good double pane.

 

[hareball]

I'll finish off the season with about 6 cords burned and so far about 30 gallons of oil, a face cord of Heineken, a few gallons of whiskey and brandy.
Burned about a cord of Cherry otherwise mostly all Oak.
Climate is the coast of South Jersey and temps were a bit under the average for the year.
Home was built in 1972 and the insulation I can only guess and say below average.
Heating with a Fisher Grandma Bear with 2 fans to draw the heat from where the stove is. Home is around 1700 sq ft.

+1...sweet...only a facecord of heineken? I liked that one!

Never in my life have I used the term "Face Cord". I thought that would be a good one for the first time. :coolmad:

 

[jmhpsu93]

House: 1923, 2900 sq. ft., three-story brick Georgian colonial with lousy insulation and good windows
Weather: humid, temperate mid-Atlantic climate; average about 4800 degree days; miserable winter this year
Heat Sources: oil boiler with cast iron radiators, electric oil-filled radiators in bedrooms for nights
Fuel Use: target 550-600 gallons oil this year, down from 800 last year (new stove in Feb 2009), down from 1400 first year in house
Stove: hearth-mounted, pitifully-undersized Hearthstone Phoenix (good stove, though); open fireplace (year...I know!); downstairs temps in low 70s usually, mid 60s upstairs
Wood Use: Looking to be about 6 cords of almost-seasoned wood this year, supplemented with about 3/4 cord equivalent Wood Brick Fuel
Goal: 5 cords fully seasoned wood, 400 gallons oil, something in open fireplace, better insulation, win the lottery

Still on the upward part of the learning curve and the getting wood seasoned curve.

 

[mtcates]

House: 1923, 2900 sq. ft., three-story brick Georgian colonial with lousy insulation and good windows
Weather: humid, temperate mid-Atlantic climate; average about 4800 degree days; miserable winter this year
Heat Sources: oil boiler with cast iron radiators, electric oil-filled radiators in bedrooms for nights
Fuel Use: target 550-600 gallons oil this year, down from 800 last year (new stove in Feb 2009), down from 1400 first year in house
Stove: hearth-mounted, pitifully-undersized Hearthstone Phoenix (good stove, though); open fireplace (year...I know!); downstairs temps in low 70s usually, mid 60s upstairs
Wood Use: Looking to be about 6 cords of almost-seasoned wood this year, supplemented with about 3/4 cord equivalent Wood Brick Fuel
Goal: 5 cords fully seasoned wood, 400 gallons oil, something in open fireplace, better insulation, win the lottery

Still on the upward part of the learning curve and the getting wood seasoned curve.

Wow! 6 cords and 600 gallons of oil this year. I'll never complain again.

 

[REF1]

I used to do 8-10 cords in Maine - 3000+ sq'

I think I'll do around 2-3 here in VA - 1300 sq'

 

[Gunks]

A little over 3 cords a year. 1100 sq. ft. cottage with old windows. Ancient Jotual Combi Fire #1 (the work horse) and Jotual 3CB (used only when the temp drops to the teens).

 

[thewoodlands]

Zap, you had me going there. Heating about 3500 sq.ft. with that Lopi. Wow! Great stove! Magic stove. Then you casually drop:

We also have a pellet stove - Bought 2 ton (100 bags) in 09.

Oh, a pellet stove as well. Does that help at all? :cheese: JK


We have a basement install. No other heat source used. Total sq. ft., upstairs and down, about 2200'. Used about 4 cord/year to stay chilly over the last 18 winters burning in a clone of the Jotul 118, will likely burn about 5 cord in our first year using a different stove, an older non-EPA Vermont Castings stove to stay a toasty (for us) 72º.

Finally, enough gun.

The Lopi Liberty and the Pellet stove are both in the basement but the Lopi Liberty can heat the house without any problems on it's own. When we run the pellet stove the wood stove stays cold.

Zap

 

[KB007]

Burned about 1.5 cords in the old non-EPA stove in Nov and 1/2 of Dec. Used about 2 cords since Xmas to now in the new Nap 1450. Heating 1800 sqft bungalow with stove in fully finished / insulated basement. Furnace hasn't come on since -20C night in early Jan. Still have about 2 cords stacked ready for next year. If this early spiring keeps up, may stop burning pretty soon Hopefully will use about the same once the new Regency I3100 gets installed upstairs in LR.

Finished bucking all my log load last night, now I just got to split ans stack ~8 cords.

 

[logger]

Been burning 24-7 since mid-late October with the furnave OFF. On our 6th cord, and most peolpe go by face cords around here.

 

[fbelec]

can someone splain to me the diff. between facecord and a full cord. full cord = 128 cu
facecord =

 

[rdust]

can someone splain to me the diff. between facecord and a full cord. full cord = 128 cu
facecord =

Face cord is not a legal way to measure/sell wood IIRC. You have a cord and everything else is just a fraction of that cord. For most people a face cord is 4'x8'x16" which is a 1/3rd of a cord. The obvious problem with this is the length of the wood can vary.

 

[bobfeather]

newmac indoor wood furnace 1500 sq' house plus full basement
12 face cord ( 3-4 cord ) house is always too damn hot
except today as temp is plus 4 & furnace off
bob

 

[ChillyGator]

This winter (December, January, February) is going down as the coldest in more than 30 years in North Floirda. It will be the sixth coldest and fourth wettest according the National Weather Service. In early January temps dipped below freezing 14 days in a row, the old record was 13 (1966). Total rainfall was 23.98 inches (+ 9.89 above normal).

I've burned almost 2 cords so far and will let you know the final total when THE groan FINALLY LEAVES! :red: (low 30's next couple of nights....again)

 

[Adios Pantalones]

4 ish in the house, and 10-12 full cord in the kiln every year.

 

[laynes69]

2400 sq ft victorian home built in mid 1800's. 10' ceilings, good insulation, some areas of bad heat loss, 42 windows. So far we have used almost 6 cords since the beginning of October. House kept at 70 when it was -5 and 72-74 when its 10 and above. And kept the basment warm also. Burning in a Caddy wood furnace in the basement tied into the LP furnace. Used 40 gallons of LP with the gas furnace, gas dryer and gas stove. Saving 200 gallons of LP a month.

 

[summit]

1700 sq ft, all one floor, doin it w/ the summit by PE... 4 cords/ yr... closer to 3 - 3.5 this year due to a mild january/febuary... usually run about 30 gals oil/yr to supplement a little from the hot air furncae: this year maybe burned thru 5 gals... furnace never had to run at all

 

[btuser]

About 2 cords. Enough to take the chill out. If I had more time/help I'd burn more but its just not gonna happen.

 

[ihookem]

So far 2 2/3 cords ( 8 face cords) one face cord was popple and one boxelder. The rest was good wood. I will go through about 3 1/2 cords total this year. The furnace never goes on though.

 

[karl]

This has been a very cold winter here this year. I'll go through 3 dump truck loads of slab wood this year, and may run a little short. The last two years it has been about 6 cords. This year a little bit more, but I also put 40+ bags of R-30 in the attic over the existing R-19 I had. 2400 square foot ranch in Southern West Virginia.

I can't wait for spring.