stretching your firewood supply

[Megunticook]

So it has been consistently quite cold here in Maine this year, similar to last year. Lots of single digit and subzero nights. We heat exclusively with wood so the firewood stack is shrinking fast. I'm getting more focussed now on burning with maximum efficiency, trying to extend the time between reloads and get the most I can out of each load. If I'm not careful I'm going to run out by March (we have a minisplit for backup and I have a bunch of red oak under cover for next year that was harvested last winter, rather not dip into that unless I really need to).

Curious if others have experimented with ways to "stretch" your wood supply as much as possible. Some things I've been playing around with:

• Smaller loads (3 medium splits), then "coast" on the coals as long as possible before reloading
• Minimize running with damper open (mostly just on cold starts and briefly on reloads)
• Stop feeding fire mid-late morning on sunny days (we get lots of solar gain)
• Close off unused rooms (both kids are out of the house now, so their bedrooms)

Love to hear other ideas here on what works to stretch the wood supply.

Anyone else running low? I've never bought wood in my life and I'm not about to start! Need to harvest more this winter for next year, maybe get a year or two ahead on things.

 

[MRD1985]

So it has been consistently quite cold here in Maine this year, similar to last year. Lots of single digit and subzero nights. We heat exclusively with wood so the firewood stack is shrinking fast. I'm getting more focussed now on burning with maximum efficiency, trying to extend the time between reloads and get the most I can out of each load. If I'm not careful I'm going to run out by March (we have a minisplit for backup and I have a bunch of red oak under cover for next year that was harvested last winter, rather not dip into that unless I really need to).

Curious if others have experimented with ways to "stretch" your wood supply as much as possible. Some things I've been playing around with:

• Smaller loads (3 medium splits), then "coast" on the coals as long as possible before reloading
• Minimize running with damper open (mostly just on cold starts and briefly on reloads)
• Let stove go out mid-late morning on sunny days (we get lots of solar gain)
• Close off unused rooms (both kids are out of the house now, so their bedrooms)

Love to hear other ideas here on what works to stretch the wood supply.

Anyone else running low? I've never bought wood in my life and I'm not about to start! Need to harvest more this winter for next year, maybe get a year or two ahead on things.

I try to stay at least 2 years ahead. I burn “junk” during the day (cut offs, uglies, etc) and save the nice splits for nights and mornings

 

[Eman85]

You need to harvest wood this year for 3 years from now. Sounds like you have 2 choices buy wood or turn the furnace on. Any wood you buy now is usually good to burn in a few years unless someone is selling gourmet firewood, cheaper to turn the furnace on.

 

[Megunticook]

You need to harvest wood this year for 3 years from now. Sounds like you have 2 choices buy wood or turn the furnace on. Any wood you buy now is usually good to burn in a few years unless someone is selling gourmet firewood, cheaper to turn the furnace on.

We don't have a furnace, just the minisplit. Works fine in shoulder season but will struggle to keep the house comfortable in colder weather.

I can dip into next year's wood if I need to, just rather let that season another year.

Definitely need to up my firewood production!

 

[bigealta]

Yup it's very simple. More wood CSS. I've got the same issue down here in NJ.
My back yard has numerous stacked splits all over the place.
Everyone thinks i'm a crazy hoarder. In reality i'm 3 cords short of where i should be.

 

[John Lehet]

I’m exactly with you, OP, and also doing all the things you outline. It’s been MUCH colder than recent average winters here in Vermont, though not particularly colder than winters of some decades ago. It’s throwing everyone off their expectations. Lots of local people are much farther through the wood pile than expected. I wasted a bit of wood getting used to the new Progress Hybrid, putting in bigger loads than I really needed to. I’m finding with smaller fires it’s very nearly just as warm in here.
I’m already almost done with my very dry wood and am hitting ash cut, split, and stacked in the shed in the summer. That wood (warmed and split and tested in the middle) seems to be about 20% on the edges of the splits but more like 25% in the middle. It still seems to burn OK. I’ve got some of it stacked indoors.
When I get through the summer cut ash, I guess it’s going to be mini splits, at least a lot more, because the next step is September/October cut ash. I started cutting it longer when I put my deposit down on the Progress Hybrid on 9/9, so if it’s short, it’s at least closer to dry. Still all short stuff in sight. The late summer/early fall was extraordinarily dry and warm, so, better drying weather than usual anyway. I’ve got a few cords of hard maple I cut in November, but that’s probably going to be way too wet. It’s in the sun and wind with a cover, so who knows.

 

[EbS-P]

Long under wear, sweater, hats, fingerless gloves and warm slippers. Skip that evening fire and go to bed. You need to burn wood or spend money to create heat. Don’t burn money😉

 

[John Lehet]

Found another stretch of nice dry wood under some semi-dry ash. Usually strict organization of the wood shed doesn’t matter so much. This year though. In summer I’m going to put up some strapping or something as a divider between the wet/dry halves of the shed. I’m also going to build an addition so I can get farther ahead.

If it does get dire, I’m going to burn in evening and overnight. Will still be warm in the morning, then mini splits for the warmer part of the day, more or less standard practice in milder weather, except the old stove didn’t go overnight. 18 pounds of wood is an overnight fire and a warm house in the morning, so no big deal. And that saves the mini splits from working in the colder and less efficient hours.

 

[Dieselhead]

If worse comes to worst you can buy some manufactured bricks widely available to supplement your logs in each load.

 

[John Lehet]

I have a friend with an Ideal Steel who was cutting ash for his this-year firewood in August/September while I was cutting ash for next year’s. I emailed him to see how it’s gone, but he hasn’t written back. In any case, I won’t get to the stuff I cut as late as he was cutting in any case. He’s usually much more on top of it, but this year it slipped.

 

[fao1989]

I try to stay at least 2 years ahead. I burn “junk” during the day (cut offs, uglies, etc) and save the nice splits for nights and mornings

Same here

 

[John Lehet]

In November I was 2 years ahead, not counting this year’s dry wood. But I’m starting to nibble at the beginning of that year 2. No crisis yet, but spring isn’t here.