How far will I get this winter?

[mrfjsf]

Its only my second year burning. Last year, I was only able to burn on weekends and a few nights during the week here and there due to my schedule. I used roughly 1/2 to 2/3 of a cord so that isnt going to help me judge this year too well.

I have 2 1/2 to 3 cords of well seasoned Cherry, Ash and Black Locust. We have had very mild weather lately and its just now getting into the burning season. I plan on burning almost every day if I can help it and then tossing some bigger splits in throughout the night. Im not going to be 24/7 so I will have to relight everyday when I get home from work. My house is roughly 1500 sq ft. 2 story brick cape cod, not very well insulated. (working on that part)

I know it is impossible to tell exactly how much im going to use but im just trying to get a rough idea from you seasoned experts so I can plan for next year. For those not familiar with this area, it is burning season here through late march-early april depending.

I have another cord C/S/S waiting for next year, much of that was standing dead cherry so I could probably tap into that late into the burning season if completely necessary but id rather not.

If I had to take a stab at it id say im going to be about 1 to 1 1/2 cords short...

Let me know what you guys think.

 

[nate379]

I heated about same size house last year on about 3 cords. I expect same this year, maybe a little bit more as it's been colder.

Though my house is well sealed and insulated. I actually had to make an air vent to pull air from outside because when the dryer or bath fans were running it was hard to close the doors and it would pull smoke from the stove.

 

[cygnus]

Since this is my second official year of burning, I had a similar question. My question was how to best pace my burning to last the season as I use wood to offset furnace time. In either case, my quick analysis should roughly answer the question.

First, I downloaded the average monthly degree day data for my area in New Jersey. Your data will surely vary but will be close in turns of timeframe. I found that the mid-point of the heating season is Jan 20. 25% of the heating season ends on Dec 13 and 75% is done around Feb 25. Knowing how much wood I started with, I'm trying to burn about 25% of the year's wood no sooner than Dec 13, 50% no sooner than Jan 20, 75% no sooner than Feb 25 and ... You should know how far you'll get by judging how much wood you've burned by the 25% heating season mark. If you've burned 25.3% by then you won't make it, but that's just an estimate ;-)

Hope that helps.

 

[cptoneleg]

I put about 4 cords in shed and allways gets me through and I burn 7/24s, how much I have left depends on the winter.

 

[Wood Duck]

The question of how much wood would a woodburner burn comes up regularly. I think the answer seems to be about four cords on average if you're burning full time, more or less.

 

[bogydave]

4 cords. Any left over will be a good start on next years supply & be better drier wood.
Don't forget you need next years supply CSS now for it to be ready for next year.
Even standing dead wood needs some seasoning time split & stacked to be ready to go.
Too much for this year, is a good thing, left over is next years wood to be burned first.

 

[red oak]

4 cords is a good estimate, but only an estimate. One winter recently I burned over 6, so it really depends. Insulation, the layout and size of your house, your preferences, the dryness of your wood, all will adjust the amount you need up or down, not to mention the type of winter we have. Here in Va I usually plan to burn 5 cords but have always had a fair amount left over. I figure it's better to have too much than too little, as is true of many things in life!

 

[mrfjsf]

Thanks guys, I figured id be a little short this year...live and learn I guess! Looks like I better get to cuttin!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I agree on the 4 cord estimate. Seems quite common. So I say get 4 on hand for this year, next year and the year after. Then you'll have dry wood next year and you will definitely find that when you have dry wood, wood that has dried for 2 years, you will get more heat from the same amount of wood so that you'll actually burn less and stay warmer.

Also, if you haven't already, get some samples of the Super Cedars if you plan on lighting fires regularly. They are fantastic.

 

[cptoneleg]

I agree on the 4 cord estimate. Seems quite common. So I say get 4 on hand for this year, next year and the year after. Then you'll have dry wood next year and you will definitely find that when you have dry wood, wood that has dried for 2 years, you will get more heat from the same amount of wood so that you'll actually burn less and stay warmer.

Also, if you haven't already, get some samples of the Super Cedars if you plan on lighting fires regularly. They are fantastic.

I thought you just threw a match on your 8 yr old wood and you had instant heat.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Ask BK about that one. Or Woodstock. Yes, they found out how easy it was to light and it burns very nicely.

 

[egclassic]

You will probably go through more starting off with a cold stove each day.
I found that if, when I get home, and the stove is cold and the temp in the house dropped to my t-stat set point (67*), it takes one load of wood just to get the stove and items in the room warm.
But I have better wood this year (year #2) and found that just by sticking about four splits in when I leave for work now, the stove is still warm when I get home 9-10hrs later.

 

[gunnerpgh]

Approx 1.5-2 full cords/year burning 24/7 in the south hills of pgh. House is approx 900 sq feet and insulated.