How many cords will I need?

[MagdalenaP]

Hey all!

House: 1920's, two story, 1800sqft, recently insulated walls and attic.
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Stove: Regency f2400 (rated up to 2200sqft)

Would like to burn full time, ideas as to how much I might need?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Dataman]

Anything would be a guess. I used to heat 2200sq ft Rance with 3-4 cords with BK King.

 

[ratsrepus]

what he said

 

[bholler]

Hey all!

House: 1920's, two story, 1800sqft, recently insulated walls and attic.
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Stove: Regency f2400 (rated up to 2200sqft)

Would like to burn full time, ideas as to how much I might need?

Thank you in advance!

To many variables to give you a good estimate but i used to send 5 to 6 cords through a regency 3100 in a 2200 sqft 1920s victorian in central pa.

 

[saydinli]

I burn about 5 cords to heat 2800 sq/ft using a PE FP30. House is 6 years old and well insulated. Im in Southern Ontario as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tgumby4]

Do your research by what others with similar houses in your area are burning, then get two more cords to be to be one the safe side.

 

[Doc C]

I used to go though just under 3 cords in a well insulated Dutch Colonial that was 1987 square feet and an Englander 13.

We sold that house and I bought a house about the same size that is only a couple years old and only had enough time to get 3 cords of wood that is the right moisture content to burn in the BK Princess that is in the house.

Needless to say I’m a little stressed that I might be short on wood with only 3 cords. If I get down to 1 cord and it looks like I’ll be short then I’ll grab a pallet of the NIELS and start mixing them in a little at a time.

And we burn full time.

 

[jetsam]

I'd lay in about 15 cords if you're in a hardwood area, 10 if you only have access to softwood. Try to get a cord or two of softwood no matter what, because starting fires with wet oak is less fun than you might imagine.

The idea there is that if you burn 5 this year, you'll have 5 cords of softwood dry and ready for next year, or 5 cords of hardwood ready for 2 years out. Many softwoods can be ready to go in 1 year. Most hardwoods are best after 3 years.

You'll use the most wood the first year because you won't have properly dry wood and you won't be great at running your stove yet.

If your first year is this year, I'd suggest CSS'ing 5 cords of pine/fir for next year, and buying compressed wood logs for this year. No moisture worries there, and you can stretch those loads with a little suboptimal softwood to ease the sting of paying for wood.

 

[AlbergSteve]

We ran a Regency F2400 for 8 years in an open plan, 1800' house built in 1999. Burned about 3-4 cord a year.

 

[ratsrepus]

Hey all!

House: 1920's, two story, 1800sqft, recently insulated walls and attic.
Location: Southern Ontario, Canada
Stove: Regency f2400 (rated up to 2200sqft)

Would like to burn full time, ideas as to how much I might need?

Thank you in advance!

I started out this season with 6.5 cords, burning two stoves I might have some left in the spring. Last year had the same quantity starting out, of course didnt get the princess till December and and the ashford this spring. Hoping to burn much less, All indications so far is I will use less

 

[mcdougy]

Also remember that these folks are talking about full bush cords of wood not face cord that 100% of sellers in southern Ontario are advertising. Basic math is 3 face cord = a bush cord. So when they are saying 5 cord of wood it means 15 face cord if purchasing your wood.

 

[jetsam]

A cord is 4'x4'x8'.

A "face cord" is not even a unit of volume because the length of the splits isn't defined. Could be anything.

Wikipedia says it's illegal to sell firewood by the "face cord" in Canada. No idea if that's true, but good on them if it is.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_(unit)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_(unit)

 

[bholler]

A cord is 4'x4'x8'.

A "face cord" is not even a unit of volume because the length of the splits isn't defined. Could be anything.

Wikipedia says it's illegal to sell firewood by the "face cord" in Canada. No idea if that's true, but good on them if it is.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_(unit)

It is not legal in quite a few states here as well

 

[toddnic]

Hard to accurately estimate but probably somewhere between 3 to 6 cords depending upon how well the house is insulated.

 

[ratsrepus]

Also remember that these folks are talking about full bush cords of wood not face cord that 100% of sellers in southern Ontario are advertising. Basic math is 3 face cord = a bush cord. So when they are saying 5 cord of wood it means 15 face cord if purchasing your wood.

I dont dare say face cord on this site.

 

[wildbill7145]

Then the next variable to throw into the equation is whether you're buying slab wood or body wood. Lots of folks around here (SW Ontario) buy slab because it's roughly half the price of body wood. I used to get half and half delivered until about 2 years ago when I gave up on getting any slab. Moving and stacking now takes about half the time and I have to reload the stove way less often. Less bark as well.

In the 10yrs I've been buying fire wood, I've never once seen anyone advertising full cords of fire wood. It's definitely illegal to sell 'face cords', but that's all anyone sells around here. I have no idea why that's the case, other than maybe overall profit will be increased for the seller?

I can't imagine having to deal with 5 full cords of firewood every season. That would be a monumental task.

 

[byQ]

We ran a Regency F2400 for 8 years in an open plan, 1800' house built in 1999. Burned about 3-4 cord a year.

This sounds similar. You are going to be colder than Vancouver Island and you are probably going to use mostly fir and pine (?), so my guessimate would 5-6 cords fir/pine.

 

[jetsam]

I wouldn't have a problem with someone advertising face cords as long as they state how much wood it actually is.

"Face Cord" doesn't mean anything, but ''Face Cord: 48" x 96" x 18" ' contains a clear measurement of volume.

Wood buyers should be aware that volume varies quite a bit with the method used to stack it, too. I stack wood for drying, but if you restacked it for storage it would be quite a bit smaller. I keep lots of air space in my stacks by alternating directions on every row.

Only having fir and pine available is kind of good news for a new burner; that stuff can season in a year or less. I have more oak than pine in my stacks, but I love the pine for how easy it is.

In the very coldest parts of the winter, if I have to play catch-up with house temperature, it's pine time. Hot fire, no coals.

 

[bholler]

Then the next variable to throw into the equation is whether you're buying slab wood or body wood. Lots of folks around here (SW Ontario) buy slab because it's roughly half the price of body wood. I used to get half and half delivered until about 2 years ago when I gave up on getting any slab. Moving and stacking now takes about half the time and I have to reload the stove way less often. Less bark as well.

In the 10yrs I've been buying fire wood, I've never once seen anyone advertising full cords of fire wood. It's definitely illegal to sell 'face cords', but that's all anyone sells around here. I have no idea why that's the case, other than maybe overall profit will be increased for the seller?

I can't imagine having to deal with 5 full cords of firewood every season. That would be a monumental task.

What is body wood?

Can you only buy one lenght firewood in your area?

 

[ratsrepus]

I wouldn't have a problem with someone advertising face cords as long as they state how much wood it actually is.

"Face Cord" doesn't mean anything, but ''Face Cord: 48" x 96" x 18" ' contains a clear measurement of volume.

Wood buyers should be aware that volume varies quite a bit with the method used to stack it, too. I stack wood for drying, but if you restacked it for storage it would be quite a bit smaller. I keep lots of air space in my stacks by alternating directions on every row.

Only having fir and pine available is kind of good news for a new burner; that stuff can season in a year or less. I have more oak than pine in my stacks, but I love the pine for how easy it is.

In the very coldest parts of the winter, if I have to play catch-up with house temperature, it's pine time. Hot fire, no coals.

one assumes that when they buy a face cord, that its the measurements you stated

 

[wildbill7145]

What is body wood?

Can you only buy one lenght firewood in your area?

I think you guys call them "splits". Slab wood is basically what gets shaved off before the body wood goes to the mill. I'm not sure I'm explaining this correctly. I've never had anyone ask me what length of firewood I wanted. Basically it comes in varying lengths from roughly 12" to 16".

 

[Dobish]

3 times more than you think

 

[bholler]

I think you guys call them "splits". Slab wood is basically what gets shaved off before the body wood goes to the mill. I'm not sure I'm explaining this correctly. I've never had anyone ask me what length of firewood I wanted. Basically it comes in varying lengths from roughly 12" to 16".

Yes i know what slabwood is. But i have never heard the term body wood in reference to firewood or lumber milling

 

[wildbill7145]

Yes i know what slabwood is. But i have never heard the term body wood in reference to firewood or lumber milling

I guess like many things, it's just a regional thing? That's what they call it around here. Generally at least twice the price of slab.

 

[bholler]

I guess like many things, it's just a regional thing? That's what they call it around here. Generally at least twice the price of slab.

Well yes because slab is scrap wood without much use.