This year's wood totals

[Ashful]

For the first time since Halloween and Hurricane Sandy the snapdisk on my insert opened and the fan shut down... Another season ends. Total hours of using the boiler for heat: 0.0

I moved another cord of wood up to the house yesterday afternoon. I decided that when that's done, so am I.

Well, the heating season will continue another two months here, but seeing as I've moved my last cord of seasoned wood up to the house, I'm ready to post my totals for this year:

wood: 5.5 cords
oil: 860 gallons (projected)

I've burned just less than 5 cords of that total so far, but the rest will surely find its way into the stove before May 1, and then it's done. I'm currently at 775 gallons of oil, with 90% of our heating degree days in the rear-view.

 

[Trktrd]

2 Cords here. And every time I think we're done we get another cold snap.

 

[Machria]

Wow, that's alot of wood AND OIL!!

I burned 1.5 to 2 cords (since Dec 21 when installed stove) and a grand total of 150 gallons of oil! I normally burned about 500-600 gallons per winter. So I saved aprox 400 gallons of oil, at $4 per gallon = $1,600 saved. 3 or 4 more years and my install will be paid for. Then another year to pay for a new splitter (cost of about about $1k) and some incidentals, and I'm on to MAKING MONEY with my stove!!

I told ya it is a money maker!

 

[HotCoals]

2.5 cords.
Less then last season at this point.
I'm thinking because I had a lot of black walnut.

 

[PapaDave]

I base my use on worst case scenario.
So, I've got another 2.5 months or more of burning to do....maybe.
ETA: Just over 4 cord used so far, I think, and I'd love to keep the total under 5. Not sure that's going to happen. I'd rather be warm than save the wood.

 

[KaptJaq]

I used about 4 cords of good oak. I have some shoulder season wood for now until mid-April but no more 24/7 burns. Small fire in the evening to keep the chill out UNLESS mother nature sends another deep chill.

KaptJaq

 

[Machria]

I used about 4 cords of good oak. I have some shoulder season wood for now until mid-April but no more 24/7 burns. Small fire in the evening to keep the chill out UNLESS mother nature sends another deep chill.

KaptJaq

What about in the summer??? As I mentioned in the other thread, I'll be running my AC at full blast all summer, and I'll light a fire to take the chill out when needed!

 

[KaptJaq]

What about in the summer??? As I mentioned in the other thread, I'll be running my AC at full blast all summer, and I'll light a fire to take the chill out when needed!

I had a "roommate" (just in case my wife reads this, we are still friends) that, during the summer would turn on the AC full blast. If she got cold during the night, rather than get out of bed, she would turn on the electric blanket.

There are some places I would just rather not go.

KaptJaq

 

[NortheastAl]

Just about 2 cord from when the stove was installed at the end of Dec. to now. It's 51° outside right now, and raining. Just started a fire a few minutes ago to get the chill out. I've gotten used to it being 75°+ in the house. Man, I've done and spoiled us!

 

[Ashful]

Wow, that's alot of wood AND OIL!!

...Then another year to pay for a new splitter (cost of about about $1k) and some incidentals, and I'm on to MAKING MONEY with my stove!! !

The previous owners were using an obscene amount of oil (1700+ gallons per year), with six heating zones on the boiler all set to 70F around the clock, plus about 500 gallons of propane per year between heating the garage with a direct vent heater and running two gas fireplaces. I figured their yearly heating bill at more than $7000.

Turning off the two propane fireplaces (actually replaced one with my second Jotul woodstove), only running the garage heat when I'm working out there, and swapping old-skool thermostats for programmable stat's, I got down to 1400 gal. oil + 100 gal. propane in my first year in the house.

With one stove running since October, and a second one since January, I'm already down to 860 gal. oil + 100 gal. propane. With two stoves running the full year, next year I hope to be closer to 700 gal. oil + 100 gal. propane, although I'll be installing three new mini-split heat pump systems (we're expanding!) to heat new areas... so the electric will go up a bit.

You will never make money with a wood stove... just spend less!

 

[blujacket]

2.25 cords so far

 

[Augie]

Put in Stove two weeks before Thanksgiving. Wood was not totally seasoned so I expect that my number will drop, or remain the same with better wood/longer season next year. So far Im at 2.5-3 cord as far as I can tell. Natural gas is the same as summer since the furnace hasn't come on except for once or twice when I was gone for the night.

 

[Mo Par]

2-1/2 cords more of less.

 

[Blue2ndaries]

I've used ~3.5 cords +-, which was a bit less than last year.

 

[begreen]

We're around 2.5 cords so far.

 

[charly]

3.5 cords of Silver Maple between the Fireview and the Esse Cook stove,, both running 24/7.. 1840's farm house , reframed and insulated by the former owner, 3 bedroom , 3 baths, I'd say about 1800 sq ft.

 

[Machria]

3.5 cords of Silver Maple between the Fireview and the Esse Cook stove,, both running 24/7..

How hard is it to keep the Esse running 24x7? And, is it a decent heater (less the cooking features!)?

 

[charly]

How hard is it to keep the Esse running 24x7? And, is it a decent heater (less the cooking features!)?

With the deep woodbox , the Esse always has coals... Yes it can really throw out some serious heat... Usually I run the stove with a STT of around 300-350... I believe Esse wants a max STT of 475... I've had it up to 425 and all that mass is throwing out some big heat... It also comes with some one inch thick cast coal grates with a nice big ash pan if you want to burn coal... When you use the oven side and even retains more heat in the stove, it again throws out more heat... I'm always trying to use the oven for something while I'm just using the stove for heat, seasoning cast iron or what have you... It's really a joy to have...nothing like baking bread or cooking a roast and heating your house at the same time... a very good feeling.. A few pictures of the wood that will fit in the Esse and the coal grates with the ash pan. .

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I just filled the wood rack that is on our porch. I figure there is still enough wood in the barn for one more fill. I do not think it will take more wood than that to get us through this heating season.

Like so many wood burners, our wood was less than ideal this year... Some of it was split and stacked in 2010 and some from 2009. Still, we managed to get through without too many problems. Haven't checked the chimney since last fall so hopefully we are okay.

All joking aside, when we bought the Fireview we were pleasantly surprised to find we could heat this old crate with only 3 cord of wood. Then a year ago last summer we added a room, added insulation, replaced windows and doors. So last winter we burned only around 2 cord of wood. Knowing that was such an unusual winter we were curious what this winter would bring. Knowing also that we were only 2 cord last winter I did not put a full 3 cord in the barn last fall. I have the figures somewhere but right now I don't know where. If I have to I'll remeasure where the wood was stacked to see how much but I'm thinking I put in roughly 2 1/2 cord. So that may be what we end up with.

I'll also add that we keep the house 80+ degrees all winter. I wonder how much oil it would take to do that?!

 

[Machria]

Backwoods,
Your wood was split in 09/10 and still isn't dry enough?

 

[Machria]

I had a "roommate" (just in case my wife reads this, we are still friends) .......

You sure you don't want to edit that to read: "I had a 'roomate" (just in case my wife reads this, were are NO LONGER FRIENDS).... ????

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Backwoods,
Your wood was split in 09/10 and still isn't dry enough?

Thought you might like that Machria.

 

[charly]

Between the Fireview and the Esse this is 5-7 days worth of wood.. Usually pull wood from one half and refill the other so one side is always sitting and drying.. Two buckets on the Kubota fills the rack.. This is just off my stove room,,convenient when it nasty cold out and blowing.

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

My house is about 1600sqft. I used about 3 cord since November in my insert.

My uncle heats 2 houses combined and when said and done will use about 16-18 cord in the OWB.

Are you sitting down.....my dentist heats his house and pool year round with OWB. His house and pool building is 5600 sqft. When said and done he will have used, I wish I can make this bold, 25 cord!!

 

[charly]

My house is about 1600sqft. I used about 3 cord since November in my insert.

My uncle heats 2 houses combined and when said and done will use about 16-18 cord in the OWB.

Are you sitting down.....my dentist heats his house and pool year round with OWB. His house and pool building is 5600 sqft. When said and done he will have used, I wish I can make this bold, 25 cord!!

I use to heat with an OWB at our other home,,12 cords a winter,,, no thanks! That got old after seven years! And I use to get an extra truck load of logs to be a year a head... One thing I learned was to do all the cutting and splitting and the winter months, a lot cooler!