How much wood do you burn?

[Dexter]

I heat about 2250 sq ft. I am near Denver/Boulder. 45 degrees in day, & 20 at night is typical. 3.3 cords.

However, we just got new windows, stucco, and insulation in attice (house was falling apart). Less burning this year. Unless it gets REALLY cold, we expect 2.5 to 2.75 cords.

Jotul F-600 dog.

Dexter

 

[Danno77]

For giggles I looked up my therm usage on the gas companies website. From 9/28-4/30 for the past three years I averaged about 136,375,700BTUs for the winter. this is the amount of BTUs that I actually used for heat given an 85% efficient furnace. Even with those numbers in the past I've been chilly in the house, especially on a drafty day. (Still working on those window restorations!)

if I estimate that my cordwood has about 19Mbtus (mix of many things) and I assume that i'm getting 75% efficiency from my theoretical new stove (let's also assume I have enough stoves to actually heat this place) then I would need 9.57 cords of wood to heat my 3200sq ft house. (and even then I'd still be using a little supplemental electric heat.

If I had an 85% woodstove then that would reduce fuel usage by over two cords, BTW......

So, I can easily see how someone would be burning more than 10 cords in a year with a really big old house.

 

[Danno77]

oh and if you burn pine you'd be burning 12.7 cords or 7 cords if it was white oak

 

[PapaDave]

First year here we burned 4 cords with a little nat. gas thrown in. Less than stellar wood. Mostly oak.
Second year, I shut the gas off, and we used just under 5 cords (14 face). Still less than stellar wood. My delivery guy got a call from me in March, but didn't start delivering until Aug., and yes, I made subsequent contact with him. Folks around here seem to start putting up there wood in Aug-Oct to burn that winter.
Last year, about the same as year # 2, but I also had a 10 cord log load delivered. My normal guy showed up on one of his deliveries, and said "I see you're gonna' start processing your own", to which I replied, YEP. I want DRY wood, not "seasoned" wood.

All the while, the wood has been SLOWLY getting dryer, and my technique in this 1985 Ashley is getting somewhat better?
THIS year, I hope to burn a little less due to the knowledge I've gained, and the drier wood. I discovered that the blower keeps the temps moderated better and seems to help the fire last a little longer. Not sure why. Maybe I'm hallucinating.
I guesstimate 2/3rd's cord/month on average, and usually start the end of Sept., and go as long as the first week of June. I like to be warm.
I've gone through almost a full cord since starting on Sept. 28th. Someone do the math. Thanks.
Hope I answered the question. I hate these dang tests.
Edit: Oh yeah, 1240 sq. ft. ranch, with the stove in an ell at one end of the house. I have a not to scale layout I did somewhere.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I heat about 2250 sq ft. I am near Denver/Boulder. 45 degrees in day, & 20 at night is typical. 3.3 cords.

However, we just got new windows, stucco, and insulation in attice (house was falling apart). Less burning this year. Unless it gets REALLY cold, we expect 2.5 to 2.75 cords.

Jotul F-600 dog.

Dexter

I'm envious. I wish I could get new windows.

 

[SolarAndWood]

then I would need 9.57 cords of wood to heat my 3200sq ft house.

So, I can easily see how someone would be burning more than 10 cords in a year with a really big old house.

Your math jives with my experience. It takes a while to get ahead when you need that much wood to keep the house warm.

 

[brokeburner]

I burn 5-6 cords a year but i keep it 80 degrees in the house. Drives my wife crazy being that warm but i hate the cold.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I burn about 4 in the house and 12 in the kiln every year. Probably burn an extra 2 in the kiln now that I do "bisque" fires as well.

So that's 4 plus twelve carry the naught, plus 2... and double naught with a remainder.

37 cord.

 

[d.n.f.]

Out west nobody has even heard of a face cord. When I moved out west I asked about it and people looked at me like I was drunk.

3 to 4 cords here.

 

[Adam_MA]

I installed my stove at the end of December last winter. I burned just shy of a cord from then until I stopped burning in the middle of March. I have 5 cords all set and ready to go for this year. It will be interesting to see how much I go through by the end of burning season. I have been burning for a few weeks now when it's cold, and have barely put a dent in my first 1/2 cord stack.

 

[Hurricane]

I was a weekend burner for many years, burned most weekends 24 hrs and when very cold out 24 hrs and burned a little over a cord a year.
I went to 24/7 last winter and did not burn my open fireplace because of lack of wood. I went through about 3 - 3 1/2 cords of less than optimal wood last winter. I expect to be in that range even using the open fireplace for ambiance every now and then. I also use about 400 gallons of oil a year in the shoulder seasons.

 

[breamer999]

I started this year to keep records so here are my vital stats:

1) I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada, average daytime January temp is -7c, overnight -15c
2) I live in a 1100 sq. foot log home, no basement, on sona tubes
3) I started burning softwood Oct 2nd. I have two large metal wood holders on either side of my stove, each 13cu feet of wood
4) I have a Regency Midsize stove, the 'Medium Model'
5) I have burned 91 cu feet of only softwood as of this morning

I typically burn softwood (Black spruce), which is free since it grows like mad on my 3.5 acres. Some trees are 45 feet tall and two feet in circumference. I am still clearing deadfall from hurrican Juan in 2003.

Oct-Nov-1/2 of Dec -> Black spruce
Last 1/2 of Dec, Jan, Feb -> Some hardwood and Birch (poor mans hardwood)
March-Apr-May -> Softwood

I am thinking 1 cord of hardwood and 3 softwood for the year

 

[breamer999]

Stove pic with empty wood holders (pic is a collectors item, since these guys are rarely empty)

 

[WoodMann]

I burn Pinon here, but the climate is mild enough that I don't have to burn 24x7 but there is the occasional arctic snap that necessitates a 24x7, that's when I really start eating up wood. I'd say on average so far is about 1 1/2 cords a season as I'm not a veteran burner but I've got a good 2 1/2 yars under my belt.........

 

[potter]

4 cords of mix of maple/ ash last year, which was my first 24/7.
About a triaxle load of "edgings" in my kiln, which also uses fuel oil.
More wood in the house and less firing (pots) since the baby arrived.

 

[Dexter]

Hey...Do our Canadian friends burn Imperial Cords? Heh, heh heh...

Dexter

 

[breamer999]

The universal cord....just a standard 4x4x8

No city 'face cords' here :O)

 

[joefrompa]

Thought I'd ressurect this thread since it was helpful to me, and made me up my expected consumption (goal is to provide 24/7 heat all winter unless needing to pop on the furnace to heat the basement or because of cold snap).

I'm getting a 2.2 cubic foot Lopi Republic Insert put into a 2300 square foot home (will close off ~200 square feet of the house completely). Attic is r-38 insulated, house is well-sealed, casement windows, 2 story mid-70s colonial.

My expectation now is that I'm goingt to need 2.5 cords to burn non-stop December 1st-March 1st, and then another .5-1 cord to heat November and March, depending on the weather.

My hope here is to burn 100 gallons of heating oil or less (about half my tank) for the entire winter

 

[burleymike]

Last year I burned 4 cords and that is after the cat failed in my old insert. However I had sinus surgery in February so no wood burning for the whole month and we took a month long trip in December. The electric bill for those two months was scary. That was heating 1600 sq ft with uninsulated basement, a well insulated attic and walls. I expect to use 4 cord this winter since the new stove should be at least 30% more efficient than the old one and I plan to burn it for the whole winter.

My wood cutting buddy called and wants to go get another cord for himself and that means 1 for me as well. I already have 3 but need at least one more. I would not mind 5 though just to be sure. I really hate to have to buy half seasoned wood.

 

[BrotherBart]

Getting used to heating with a new stove is gonna cook off a cord more than you are planning on burning. But after that three cords should get it done.

 

[joefrompa]

Totally agree. I was just told a neighbor will give me 6 huge rounds from a just removed tree too... they are about 36" round by 20" deep each....mentally cutting them and stacking them, that should make for a cord of relatively fresh wood to play with

 

[Got Wood]

Totally agree. I was just told a neighbor will give me 6 huge rounds from a just removed tree too... they are about 36" round by 20" deep each....mentally cutting them and stacking them, that should make for a cord of relatively fresh wood to play with

Just yesterday I split 3 huge maple rounds that had to be 36"+ I got 8 wheel barrow loads out of them. Didnt stack yet though. Good work out too using all my weapons (saw to noodle, wedges/maul.Fiskars to break down into manageable sizes to put the Huskee to work)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Totally agree. I was just told a neighbor will give me 6 huge rounds from a just removed tree too... they are about 36" round by 20" deep each....mentally cutting them and stacking them, that should make for a cord of relatively fresh wood to play with

Are you saying you will burn that wood this winter? Not good for sure. Wood needs time and wind to dry and just getting the wood now will not make for good burning this winter.

 

[joefrompa]

All kidding aside, I thought I'd evaluate the wood as to whether or not to burn a little. I've seen freshly felled trees that burned great.

Well, i think I just found my first truly unseasoned wood. I'm rolling about 1500-2000 pounds of this wood onto my property, and I decided to take my new-ish fiskars super splitting axe to it.

BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM

10 strikes, and not a single one sunk in. Every chop bounced off the wood. Barely left a mark. Not even a sign of cracks.

This tree was, tops 35 years old (age of development). I've struck this axe into oak, ironwood, and lots of other stuff...and it always sunk in, even if it didn't crack it.

This stuff it just bounced right off of. What causes that? Will it go away once the wood dries out a bit?

 

[SufficientSelf.com]

Great thread!

I'm in a really moderate climate, in a pretty small house which is insulated pretty well. We have a huge 30 year old completely inefficient wood stove, and even with that I doubt we go through more than 1-2 cords a season. (does that disqualify me from participating in this forum? )

I know wood needs to season for a long time to adequately dry out. We had some oak trees taken down back in May to prep for our solar panel install. Based on everything I've read here, that's not enough time for wood to dry out. Well, I went outside and see the ends of the logs all split / cracked, and when I bang them together they sound kinda hollow to me. Is it possible that during a super hot summer with enough retaliation they could be dry in such a short amount of time? Without a fancy meter, how do I check moisture content... or at least gauge if they are okay to burn?