How much wood?

[Rage_Perry]

OK, so I know all of the variables that come along with considering the answer to this question but I am going to throw it out there with, what I hope will be, the pertinent variables....

This winter has NOT been a good winter to judge how much wood I will need for a good "regular" central Iowa winter. It was a good winter to get accustomed to learning how the woodstove works but NOT good for judging amounts.

So my question is for all those in the IA, Southern Minn, Ill, Northern MO, NE, etc, area.

If you have a turn of the century house, 2 story, 1700 sq.ft house with better than average insulation/windows..... how many cords do you typically burn during a "regular" cold winter?

This winter was my first year so I didn't have any of my own wood ready so I bought everything. I went through only about 3 face cords. [4 loose loads in a 4x8x3 trailer].

So far I am starting to season 2 rows that are stacked 3wx20lx6h [about 2.8 cords] and then I have a 6wX8lX3h "box" made out of pallets that holds a "loose" 1.5 cords of shorts & uglies. I will burn the S&L's during the day [well, the wife will just throw them in as needed] and then I will reserve the nicely split stuff from the 2.8 cords for overnight & extended burns.

I want to believe that this is going to be enough for the winter but I am afraid that it might not be. If I have to buy another cord in the winter it won't be a big deal, but I would rather not.

So, what say y'all. How much to the rest of you in my region/house type go through each winter?

 

[Gark]

Seems more logical to buy wood now while it is cheaper and has a better chance to dry than to wait until winter when you run short and no wood is available, it is more expensive and wet. Why wait? If you end up with extra, you will be farther ahead for the following winter. Get more than enough now to be sure. IMHO. Assume you will need 5 or 6 full cords.

 

[Rage_Perry]

I am not opposed to buying now. Around here there is no difference in price from season to season. My wood supplier had PLENTY this year @ $70/load, or I could buy larger cuts at a slightly larger load for only $75, and it was all more walnut, hickory and oak. The $75 wood was not dry enough as the guy seasoned it covered or in an enclosed trailer so, yes, his would be best to buy now so that it has time to season. The $70 loads were definitely ripe for burning and were great, but the guy was really weird about pricing;

I took a pickup with a topper on it and that threw him off. If it didn't have the topper then he was easier able to see when a full bed was loaded, but he had a harder time with the topper. I told him that I'd give him $100 even if we just filled up to the top of the topper and he had a hard time calculating that one.

It is true that buying is easier to get ahead with, no question. I just started doing this on my own in hopes of NOT having to buy wood, but rather do it all myself.

 

[weatherguy]

If you have the room I would double what you have, you'll probably need 4 cords a year but its important to let the wood season. Thats the first thing I learned when I joined this board and Im finally getting ahead, Im up to 10 cords and Im going to get up to 12 cords which would be enough for 3 cold winters. Definately dont wait til winter because the wood wont be seasoned enough.

 

[onetracker]

i agree what's been said already. double what you've got. it won't go to waste. its understandable that you want to buy as little as possible, but you may have to bite the bullet the first year or two just to give yourself a chance to get a year ahead.

this is the 5th year in our new (old)house and i'm JUST now able to get 2 years ahead and without a hydraulic splitter i'm not so sure i could have done it. i just don't have the time. the next issue is a place to stack it all that's in the sun. that's essentially unsolvable unless i remove the forest. so i'll be shuttling 14/15 splits into the sun next year. great fun...moving it twice.

best of luck

 

[Backwoods Savage]

This winter has NOT been a good winter to judge how much wood I will need for a good "regular" central Iowa winter. It was a good winter to get accustomed to learning how the woodstove works but NOT good for judging amounts.

So my question is for all those in the IA, Southern Minn, Ill, Northern MO, NE, etc, area.

If you have a turn of the century house, 2 story, 1700 sq.ft house with better than average insulation/windows..... how many cords do you typically burn during a "regular" cold winter?

My best SWAG is that most folks burned about 2/3 of normal this winter. However, you stated face cord. Three face cord usually equal about a cord so this leads me to believe you did not use wood heat 100%. More normal would be 3-4 full cord per heating season.

 

[Rage_Perry]

...However, you stated face cord. Three face cord usually equal about a cord so this leads me to believe you did not use wood heat 100%. More normal would be 3-4 full cord per heating season.

OK, I am still learning my terms here, so "face cord" might not have been the best term. I had been given a trailer that had the dimensions of 4ft wide, 8ft long & about 3'4"high. I went and picked up 3 loose loads with that and one pickup load slightly heaping because of a topper.[Since then I have re-done the trailer and now it will fit one full true cord of wood]

We didn't have our woodburner installed until December 12th of '11 and I started burning that night. Up to this point things had been pretty warm. Even that night the low was only about 38. We had an extremely unseasonably warm winter, as did most states. Until that time we had not really used our furnace at all. Only a few nights in the evening did I use 2 space heaters, on low, just to take the edge off of our 2nd story while we slept. Other than that, we actually had the gas company call and ask if everything was alright since they noticed that we had not used ANY gas this winter.

Thanks for the input everyone.

I think what I am going to do, for the sake of time [my wife is due with our 4th child in about 4 weeks] is finish splitting what I have, get it stacked, and then buy the rest of what I will need to complete a 6x20x6 area. That will give me a total of around just over 5.5 cords of nice spits, and still have my loose 1.5 of shorts & uglies.

Then I am going to start cutting next years wood in this coming fall and only stack the rounds in a second 6x20x6 area, let them sit until spring and then just split/stack them all at the same time [with my bro-in-law's logsplitter] & be done with it until spring when I'll start it all over again. That way I can stay 1 year ahead of things....as I only have 1/3 acre to work with in a small town. While I do have a bigger yard I don't know that it would be necessary to really try and stay 2 years ahead. My neighbor is afraid I'll attract too many snakes that will eventually make their way over to his property.

I'll post pics of my stuff here in a day or two...

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Congratulations on that 4th child.

As for the snakes, we've never had a problem. One time I did find a milk snake near the wood pile but that is all. Down south I understand that is a big problem but not here.

 

[jeepmedic]

I live about 30 miles E of the Mississippi and La Crosse WI. This past winter we burned about 5-6 cords, but it was all wet wood since I moved in November and had no wood. This was our first outdoor boiler. The learning curve took about 2-3 months of heating, since you have to figure out the dampener setting, best ways to stack wood inside, best times to load, how to manage the coals.....ect. The first year is always the worst because of operator error, and you have to cut the current need, plus work on getting at least 2 years ahead!

This coming winter I have 8 cords split and stacked already. I have another 6-7 for winter 2013 that I am splitting now.

Best to plan 2 years ahead, in case you burn more than planned (you have extra then) or if you get hurt....Once you are two years ahead then you have to only plan on cutting one winters worth every 2 years to stay ahead.