How my cold starts is to much.

[Burd]

I'm over here in Pa and I haven't see a winter like this. In a way its great that I'm burning less wood but Im sure going thruogh some fire starters. I can't tell you how many cold starts I had to do this winter alone . Today I'm going to fire the insert up AGAIN for the weekend but it looks like the temps will climb back up by mid week.
I use to be concerned on how I fired up the insert but it starting to be a pain in the @$#%.
Does any one else feel this way?

 

[mellow]

Yep, I have used 1 box of fat wood starters this year, matter fact need to go pickup another box before lowes puts them away for the year, I can usually get away with half a box of starters, but then again I burn more wood. Hands down would rather buy starters and deal with the nightly startups.

 

[corey21]

Yeah i know what you mean i have lost count of the fires i have started this winter

 

[BrowningBAR]

I am more surprised by the amount of people surprised by the winter in PA. This is my 8th winter here. The first four winters were very much like this (except with more snow). The last three were really damn cold. And this winter seems to be more seasonally average than anything.

Our normal high at this point is suppose to be 48°. Our next 10 days, including today, are 52, 44, 44, 54, 53, 50, 47, 47, 50, 51. That is an average of 49°.

Has this winter been more mild? Yes. But it is far closer to seasonally average than the last three winters where we would be 10-20° below seasonal temps for weeks at a time.

 

[Todd]

I still have half of my 30 pack of Superceaders left. It's been mild here as well but I adjust to the warmer weather by burning low and slow and still keep the stove burning 24/7.

 

[Fsappo]

I'm seeing it with those little starter bags for coal stokers. Typical year we sell 200-300. This year we are already at about 500. Lots of starts and stops.

 

[jeff_t]

I used to make 8-10 dozen firestarters in cardboard egg cartons every year when I was burning my furnace. I would also make 3-4 milk crates full of kindling from soft maple or ash. I was either coming home/waking up to a cold house, which is silly for a 6+ cu ft firebox, or letting it go out when outside temp hit mid 40s. I'd be going nuts by now and probably burning a lot of gas if the LP furnace worked.
I lit my new stove Dec 8, and let it go cold earlier this month to brush the chimney (kinda a waste of time :coolsmile:, but now I know). Grand total of two firestarters so far.

 

[wkpoor]

Even though is been a overall warm winter the last restart I did was late Oct. I just just keep small fires going on the warm days.

 

[Luv2BWarm]

Same here - burn 24/7 no matter what the temp outside. Leave a slow fire on a great bed of coals in the a.m. and return home 10 hrs later to coals that start right up.

 

[Burd]

What really sucks for me is that I'm out of pine witch I burn in this kind of weather Right now im burning up the oak witch I really hate doing. Come this sring Im having two more 80 ft pines taking down in the back. I would drop them my self but there to close to the garage so I'll have someone come with lift and top them. I really dont mind burning crap wood. I guess this weekend I'll be making more kindling have I said I've been going through alot of that to.

 

[Highbeam]

Griping about having to start so man fires is about typical for this part of the season. This is the time of year when burning wood can become a chore. Hang in there, we're almost to spring.

 

[jeff_t]

What really sucks for me is that I'm out of pine witch I burn in this kind of weather Right now im burning up the oak witch I really hate doing. Come this sring Im having two more 80 ft pines taking down in the back. I would drop them my self but there to close to the garage so I'll have someone come with lift and top them. I really dont mind burning crap wood. I guess this weekend I'll be making more kindling have I said I've been going through alot of that to.

I've been burning mostly oak, too. Mostly because I want it gone from where it is at, and I don't want to move it. I've got a two cord stack of ash and soft maple I could burn, but it's too purty to tear into at this point.

 

[Burd]

What really sucks for me is that I'm out of pine witch I burn in this kind of weather Right now im burning up the oak witch I really hate doing. Come this sring Im having two more 80 ft pines taking down in the back. I would drop them my self but there to close to the garage so I'll have someone come with lift and top them. I really dont mind burning crap wood. I guess this weekend I'll be making more kindling have I said I've been going through alot of that to.

I've been burning mostly oak, too. Mostly because I want it gone from where it is at, and I don't want to move it. I've got a two cord stack of ash and soft maple I could burn, but it's too purty to tear into at this point.

Man I here ya. There nothing wores then moving to the other side of the yard. When I get these trees topped Im going to have to move four cords this way the truck can get closer to the trees. Lucky Me

 

[firebroad]

Yep, I have used 1 box of fat wood starters this year, matter fact need to go pickup another box before lowes puts them away for the year, I can usually get away with half a box of starters, but then again I burn more wood. Hands down would rather buy starters and deal with the nightly startups.

I just ordered a 35lb box from Plow and Hearth for $40. Got to pay the tax, but got $1.99 shipping. I thought this was a good price.

 

[firebroad]

I'm over here in Pa and I haven't see a winter like this. In a way its great that I'm burning less wood but Im sure going thruogh some fire starters. I can't tell you how many cold starts I had to do this winter alone . Today I'm going to fire the insert up AGAIN for the weekend but it looks like the temps will climb back up by mid week.
I use to be concerned on how I fired up the insert but it starting to be a pain in the @$#%.
Does any one else feel this way?

And I thought it was just me....!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Yup. I've seen plenty of warm winters and winters with little snow but this year really takes the cake. I've never seen anything like this and I've never had to start so many fires from scratch as we did this year. Light a fire and just let it die out. Wait until house becomes cool and light another....

 

[blwncrewchief]

Agree with all the above. I have done more starts this year than I planned to do in 10 years. I think I have split up more kindling pieces than regular splits would make 5 cords. I have lived here for almost 40 years and have seen allot of mild winters before but nothing like this. We haven't had the ground covered with snow for more than 3 days this whole winter. Last year I didn't see the ground for 3 months. I can grab a shovel and did a hole in the yard, normally the frost is 18-24" deep this time of year. It has been so wet/warm with constant freeze/thaw that my property is sand and I had to put the truck in 4wd to get back to my outbuilding last week because of the mud. By the way, that mud was my yard until this winter, ugh. Next week is suppose to be lows of 28-30* with highs of 44-48* with rain/snow 5 of the next 7 days. This winter just sucks. I would much rather be back to last winter with 2 feet of snow on the ground right now and I truly never thought I would say that.

 

[Gark]

This is normal for us, we don' t burn 24 X 7 in normal winters. Nights and weekends only. Lots of cold starts every winter. I even burn the stove real hot in moderate temps (40's) sometimes hoping the wife will get too warm and lose some clothing, but she usually just opens a door or window. Dangit.

 

[rdust]

Since December I've had two cold starts. One when I was away for Christmas and the other to run the brush up the chimney. Burning in the BK makes this wood burning thing much easier.

 

[ScotO]

I lit one fire in October and she's been going ever since. Sure I let it die down, sometimes til there's one or two real coals in it (probably around 6 times since October) but it has never gone totally out. I don't use fatwood or SC's, I make my own starters and haven't had to make any this year. I split a bunch of yellow pine into slivers around 8' long (from palletwood) and have a box of them in the basement for re-kindles. Yes it has been the most ridiculous winter I have ever seen, crazy crazy CRAZY weather. But it's also the least amount of wood I have ever burned, too. I'm at around 5 cord for the entire season (we heat our 3000 sq. ft. house 24/7 with wood) so I am pretty happy about that. My fear is that I think we are going to pay for this winter over the spring and summer. I'm predicting cool, wet dreary weather here in central PA all summer. I sure hope I'm wrong.......

 

[Wood Duck]

I am more surprised by the amount of people surprised by the winter in PA. This is my 8th winter here. The first four winters were very much like this (except with more snow). The last three were really damn cold. And this winter seems to be more seasonally average than anything.

Our normal high at this point is suppose to be 48°. Our next 10 days, including today, are 52, 44, 44, 54, 53, 50, 47, 47, 50, 51. That is an average of 49°.

Has this winter been more mild? Yes. But it is far closer to seasonally average than the last three winters where we would be 10-20° below seasonal temps for weeks at a time.

This year seems exceptional only for lack of any real snow here. There are plenty of winters where we don't have consistent snow on the ground and where we have warm temperatures, but snowstorms stick in your memory so that is what we remember. This winter hasn't had any real snowstorms here. it isn't too late, I guess, but it is getting less and less likely that we will have a blizzard.

 

[Burd]

Agree with all the above. I have done more starts this year than I planned to do in 10 years. I think I have split up more kindling pieces than regular splits would make 5 cords. I have lived here for almost 40 years and have seen allot of mild winters before but nothing like this. We haven't had the ground covered with snow for more than 3 days this whole winter. Last year I didn't see the ground for 3 months. I can grab a shovel and did a hole in the yard, normally the frost is 18-24" deep this time of year. It has been so wet/warm with constant freeze/thaw that my property is sand and I had to put the truck in 4wd to get back to my outbuilding last week because of the mud. By the way, that mud was my yard until this winter, ugh. Next week is suppose to be lows of 28-30* with highs of 44-48* with rain/snow 5 of the next 7 days. This winter just sucks. I would much rather be back to last winter with 2 feet of snow on the ground right now and I truly never thought I would say that.

I couldnt say it any better

 

[BrotherBart]

Restarts around here are just a fact of life. Fifties in daytime and sunny and twenties at night just happen a whole lot. There is a special place in heaven for Thomas for inventing Super Cedars.

The last two winters were the only times I have been able to just load and go for months at a time.

 

[Burd]

I lit one fire in October and she's been going ever since. Sure I let it die down, sometimes til there's one or two real coals in it (probably around 6 times since October) but it has never gone totally out. I don't use fatwood or SC's, I make my own starters and haven't had to make any this year. I split a bunch of yellow pine into slivers around 8' long (from palletwood) and have a box of them in the basement for re-kindles. Yes it has been the most ridiculous winter I have ever seen, crazy crazy CRAZY weather. But it's also the least amount of wood I have ever burned, too. I'm at around 5 cord for the entire season (we heat our 3000 sq. ft. house 24/7 with wood) so I am pretty happy about that. My fear is that I think we are going to pay for this winter over the spring and summer. I'm predicting cool, wet dreary weather here in central PA all summer. I sure hope I'm iwrong.......

Me to

 

[moody]

yes i had to restart my fire almost every nite where it is warmer in the days i have not done many 24 7 fires this year , im more worried about the flue build up because of the restarts because cooler smoke going up the flue every nite . ill find out when i clean my flue this year.