Why I Have A Wood Stove

[toddnic]

how many words per minute did you type? that sure is a lot of coffee!

30 oz's isn't even a whole pot.... That's just enough to get me going in the morning ! Actually, 30 oz's is my normal morning consumption..... And, do you know that it is full of great antioxidants?!?!?

 

[begreen]

You'd get along well with my wife. She was weaned on coffee as a baby. I think you'd also like Colombia. They love coffee there and drink a lot. Fortunately their coffee is very good.

 

[toddnic]

You'd get along well with my wife. She was weaned on coffee as a baby. I think you'd also like Colombia. They love coffee there and drink a lot. Fortunately their coffee is very good.

I've had the profound privilege of drinking coffee all over the world. From rural villages in Kenya; throughout Africa,the Middle East and SE Asia; to various parts of Central America. My best cup of coffee was in the small village of Santa Maria on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. After a half hour trip across the foggy lake on a banana boat, it took about 20 minutes to get the cup of coffee at a small hotel.....they had to roast the coffee beans to make my coffee . If there is such a place a "coffee heaven," that was it!

 

[Dobish]

I've had the profound privilege of drinking coffee all over the world. From rural villages in Kenya; throughout Africa,the Middle East and SE Asia; to various parts of Central America. My best cup of coffee was in the small village of Santa Maria on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. After a half hour trip across the foggy lake on a banana boat, it took about 20 minutes to get the cup of coffee at a small hotel.....they had to roast the coffee beans to make my coffee . If there is such a place a "coffee heaven," that was it!

I was down in the dominican over thanksgiving, and they had some great coffee too. Every morning when I got up, there was a cup ready for me...

what i found interesting is in the evenings, they would take the leftover coffee and pour it through the pot instead of water to make more coffee... no wonder they are all up until 3-4am

 

[St. Coemgen]

Why do I have wood stoves?

Because I just like heating with wood.

And because there is no other option for us but electric. Sure, we could use the electric heaters. And on occasion the wife likes them to take a bit of the morning chill off before the stoves get raging again.

But really, it is because wood heat is just lovely. It is something very real. Physically. Visually. Acoustically. Spiritually.

 

[georgepds]

I've heated with wood (mostly) since 1990. Propane used to be the backup, now it is the two split duct heat pumps ( they get their energy from the solar panels)

A few years ago I changed my Jotul smoke dragon for a wood stock progress hybrid, this dropped wood consumption by about half ( from ~4 to ~2 chords/year). The old Jotul had two modes: blast furnace and Antartic winter. The WPH is more uniform in its heat, we can easily keep it at 72 all day

In the 80's and 90's it wasn't unusual for the electric to go out for days at a time. That disappeared in the 00's. The town bought water and sewer onto the island, and with that amenity came the rich. My guess is they were able to pressure the electric company into better winter reliability. In any event, new distribution poles and wires were mounted on the causeway to the island,and winter storm electric downtime went way down

 

[firefighterjake]

I think sometimes , it's all in how well prepared someone is for the cold and snow . If you have 4 cords of dry oak and maple along with a quality wood stove in a well insulated home , you kind of look foward to the winter ........ Plus if you are an outdoor kind of person , what's not to like ?

Ps - having an old tractor to push the snow around is kind of fun too ...........

+1 . . . If you're living in a drafty house and cringe every time your oil furnace fires up and spend most weekends in semi-hibernation watching TV re-runs then Winter with the snow and cold can seem mighty long and dreadful . . .

If you're living in a moderately tight/insulated (or very tight/insulated home) and have a large stash of seasoned firewood and enjoy spending your weekends outside snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing, etc. then you look forward to the change of season with the slightly more relaxed pace and outdoor activities that can only be done in the snow.

 

[Squisher]

Without winter I'd be broke. I do snow plow contracting and chimney sweeping.

So wood heat to me means a lot besides just the benefits and enjoyment of my own.

Some people notice the view, trees, flowers, wildlife, etc when they are out and about. I notice chimneys and parking lots. Lol.

 

[begreen]

I've had the profound privilege of drinking coffee all over the world. From rural villages in Kenya; throughout Africa,the Middle East and SE Asia; to various parts of Central America. My best cup of coffee was in the small village of Santa Maria on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. After a half hour trip across the foggy lake on a banana boat, it took about 20 minutes to get the cup of coffee at a small hotel.....they had to roast the coffee beans to make my coffee . If there is such a place a "coffee heaven," that was it!

Local farmers in Colombia also tend to save the best beans for themselves. They hand wash and roast them. Done right the result is superb.

 

[KodiakII]

Snow rarely knocks our power out, freezing rain on the other hand is too often an occurrence for my liking!

 

[RFarm]

We had 12" over the weekend hear in N. Ga. The power was out in the county, but not at my casa - 4.5KW of PV solar and a well fed stove, no sweat - except for the occasional 80 F interior temps!

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Why i have a wood stove.
I use to heat with oil.. still can if i turn the thermostat on. I havent used alot of oil in the past, like 1500 dollers for a winter when prices were high. I got more than upset when big oil jacked up the prices a few years back then posted record profits. I would keep my thermostat low as no to rip through oil. I never let my home be cold but watched what we did. Wood is so much better. I have an endless supply.. i am sitting on 12 cords CSS, 6 cords in rounds ready to split, and i just dont think about it at all. The savings is there as to keep my home like this would be more than i spent before. In 2 years my stove is paid for, so i am ahead. I have seasonal work, so i have plenty of time to split. I have alot of equipment due to my job , which makes it easy. My sone likes the outdoors like me and its something that he and i do together..
Thats better than any money savings... My home is way more comfortable, i can have it at any temp i want, and my son likes to do it with me...
Thats the value of wood heat to me

 

[toddnic]

My sone likes the outdoors like me and its something that he and i do together..
Thats better than any money savings... My home is way more comfortable, i can have it at any temp i want, and my son likes to do it with me...

My son and I split a couple cords of locust and a cord of maple just last month for the 20/21 season. Love spending time with him, doing what we enjoy. I hope that we have many more years splitting wood, camping, hiking, and enjoying each other's time together. So glad that you and your son get to have a similar experience!

 

[sportbikerider78]

30 oz's isn't even a whole pot.... That's just enough to get me going in the morning ! Actually, 30 oz's is my normal morning consumption..... And, do you know that it is full of great antioxidants?!?!?

As far as burned bean juice goes, it is at the top of the list.

 

[Ashful]

Why I have a wood stove: because I like doing things the hard way.

If I ignore what I’ve spent on stoves, saws, splitter, multiple trailers, tractor, and other wood processing equipment, I could even say it saves me money. But in reality, I’m not sure that it has.

 

[Knots]

Why I have a wood stove: because I like doing things the hard way.

If I ignore what I’ve spent on stoves, saws, splitter, multiple trailers, tractor, and other wood processing equipment, I could even say it saves me money. But in reality, I’m not sure that it has.

This is true, but I still place high value on a simplistic heating system that uses fuel found on my property, especially when the storms come. I also probably keep the temperature a little higher with the wood stove than I would with other fuels. There's nothing like that felling of coming in on a cold snowy day from shoveling or snowshoeing and cozying up to the stove too...

 

[toddnic]

I also probably keep the temperature a little higher with the wood stove than I would with other fuels.

No doubt! My wife was always complaining about being cold when we used the propane furnace. She doesn't complain anymore

 

[kennyp2339]

Why I have a wood stove: because I like doing things the hard way.

If I ignore what I’ve spent on stoves, saws, splitter, multiple trailers, tractor, and other wood processing equipment, I could even say it saves me money. But in reality, I’m not sure that it has.

ball park cost for a new tractor, atv, trailers, wood stove, chimney, log splitter, chainsaw... 45k To be able to conquer anything and always have something to do on the weekends.. priceless

 

[firefighterjake]

I think I can honestly say burning wood has saved me money . . . maybe the payback rate has slowed up since 2008 when the heating oil prices were over $4 a gallon, but in really thinking about it . . .

Chainsaw: Until this year I had a Husky 350 that my wife gave me years ago as a Christmas gift for use in taking care of trees on our property. I did upgrade the saw this year, but it was a replacement saw as the Husky was a trade in (and as it turns out . . . the Husky was pretty well worn out according to the Amish shop owner.) I would own a chainsaw regardless of whether I cut with wood to take care of downed trees, large branches, etc.

Hydraulic splitter: OK, no doubt. I wouldn't own a splitter unless I burned wood.

Truck: Bought a truck in 2010 . . . but in truth I was thinking about trading in the 4Runner regardless as it was pretty much gutless when towing the ATVs, sleds, etc. and hooking up the trailer (combination sled/ATV/utility trailer already owned) was a pain when I needed to just pick up a sheet or two of plywood.

ATV: Have had an ATV for years.

Miscellaneous: I will admit I have purchased gas, oil, etc. for the saw, splitter, etc. . . . so that would be an additional expense I wouldn't have had if I did not burn wood.

However, I think since I avoid CAD and have not purchased a lot of gear that I still am (or will be) ahead of the game financially by burning wood . . . and this of course doesn't touch on the exercise I get, no worry about power outages, the view of the fire or the self-satisfaction I receive in seeing a well stocked woodshed.

 

[Woody Stover]

Why I have a wood stove: because I like doing things the hard way.
If I ignore what I’ve spent on stoves, saws, splitter, multiple trailers, tractor, and other wood processing equipment, I could even say it saves me money. But in reality, I’m not sure that it has.

True..but smoking out your knucklehead neighbors twice a day burning the creo out of these cat stoves when ramping up a fresh load with the air wide open and the box full of flame..it's hard to put a price tag on the joy that brings.

 

[Ashful]

True..but smoking out your knucklehead neighbors twice a day burning the creo out of these cat stoves when ramping up a fresh load with the air wide open and the box full of flame..it's hard to put a price tag on the joy that brings.

Maybe for some others, but I like my neighbors. There’s not a bad one, in the bunch.

Being on larger properties (at least for residential lots) helps a bit, we’re not exactly tripping over each other. If I inadvertently make a little smoke on start-up, they’re not going to be too bothered by it.

Let’s try to be considerate of our neighbors, lest they start suggesting West coast-style burning restrictions!

 

[Alpine1]

Because I can’t think of a winter without a wood fire.
Because dogs and wood stoves are better companions than some people I meet everyday.
Because I work indoors and CSS is a good excuse to stay outdoors.
Because I think it’s silly to spend 2500€s per year in oil when I can have 12-13 tons of wood for 13 €.
Because I’ve grown up with my granny woodcooker.
Because watching the flames is sometimes more entertaining than some tv shows.
And a lot more (good) reasons!

 

[Woody Stover]

I like my neighbors. There’s not a bad one, in the bunch.

Ours are nice too. They need to get on hearth.com though, and hone their wood-burning chops. One of 'em passed up the opportunity to buy the Buck 91 when we sold my MIL's house, and instead continues on with his old smoke-blower. Fortunately he is downwind, and doesn't burn much anyway. The other one has a cat stove but keeps opening the door every hour or so to toss in a few more splits. I try to get them up to speed..I was in their shoes until hearth wised me up. But you can only teach 'em so much if they don't wanna learn. At least I've gotten them on the dry-wood wagon..