Author Topic: Wood Heat Fans?  (Read 3012 times)

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Offline Alpinbogen

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Wood Heat Fans?
« on: August 01, 2010, 12:00:29 am »
Does anyone else enjoy heating their home with wood?  What's your stove?  We have Jotul's Rockland fireplace insert.  Between the built in blowers, the ceiling fan on reverse, and a floor vent, it keeps the whole house toasty in the winter...which is way beyond its manufacturer rating.  We try to burn as much as possible, though the furnace does kick on in the middle of the night as the fire dies, or when we're not so vigilant.  This week I cut a cord of oak (for next year) and my wife and I stacked all of our 6 cords of dry wood in a shed.  About 12 hours of exhausting work, with half just today.  I'm beat, but it will have been well worth it when the mercury drops.  I love a good fire, "warm" heat, and saving 75-85% off the gas bill.  ;)  Like bow wood, you can never have too much firewood dry and ready.    ;D
« Last Edit: August 01, 2010, 09:52:07 am by Alpinbogen »

Offline Pat B

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Re: Wood Heat Fans?
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2010, 12:36:34 am »
Wood has been my primary heat for over 30 years. We have a Fisher Momma Bear that heats our 2000sqft house with no problem. Last year we went through 5 cords of red oak(mostly). Had to buy the last one because I was down with a bad back and we had a cold, snowy winter.
  We very rarely use our back up heat.     I have lots of wood cut and ready but not all split yet. Probably need one more good tree but it won't get burned until late winter or early spring.
  We designed our house to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Sun room adds lots of heat on cold sunny days. Ceiling fans in every room and no a/c.
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Grunt

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Re: Wood Heat Fans?
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2010, 12:45:26 pm »
We heat with wood. I have a Consolidated Dutchwest backed up with a ceiling hung propane radiant in my 2250 sq ft studio  and a 1967 Vermont Castings in our house/ Lucy's studio. We went through at least six standing cords of oak last winter. My studio rarely gets above 55' in the winter.

Offline Outbackbob48

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Re: Wood Heat Fans?
« Reply #3 on: August 01, 2010, 01:44:20 pm »
I not so sure I enjoy wood heat but it is a savings over the price of fuel oil. I haven't burned a single drop of oil in the last 4 yrs. but wood heat is a lot of work. I have a Woodchuck indoor boiler that heats our baseboard hot water heating system. I use about 6to8 cord ayear Nov till May an sometimes in October an May it's cold in the house so bring a wool sweater if you stop by. Behind me is about 15 ton of wood that needs to be moved 3 more times, split ,stacked ,an brought in a wheelbarrow load at a time. I like wood heat but for anybody thinking about doing it reality check is alot of hardwork :o Bob

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Offline Alpinbogen

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Re: Wood Heat Fans?
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2010, 02:40:45 pm »
Bob, Nice wood pile.   ;D  Alot of that is nicely sized.  Split once, flip 90 degress, split again, and done.  You're right on the hard work and multiple moves.  1)  Cut it, haul it back, and throw it on a pile. 2) Then split it and toss it on another pile.  3) Then load it up, move it, dump it, and stack it somewhere dry.  4) Then move it indoors for burning.  Since I do all the splitting/storing at my in-laws property and only keep about a cord on hand at my house, I have another step in hauling small batches to my house, then carrying it in armloads to stack out back for use thoughout the winter.   :P  I really do love a nice fire...

Offline Jesse

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Re: Wood Heat Fans?
« Reply #5 on: August 01, 2010, 03:48:01 pm »
I love wood heat. I have a napoleon woodstove that looks like a fireplace. I can heat my house cheaply with it. It has a 7 hour burn time with just a small armful of wood. I bring one wheelbarrow to the house every 2 days and it keeps it at 80 deg. when its 0 deg. outside so not much work either. It burns so efficient that smoke does not come out the chimney just heat waves. I leave the windows open when it gets up around 20 deg. outside 
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Offline cracker

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Re: Wood Heat Fans?
« Reply #6 on: August 03, 2010, 09:57:45 pm »
Burning wood is definately a lot of work I heated with wood for 21 years finally got tired of all the sawing toting spliting stacking toting stacking inside oh and did I mntion toing. On the up side it's cheap heat for the price of upkeep on the ol saw and gas for saw and truck you got your self a renewable heat source.Ron
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Offline mullet

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Re: Wood Heat Fans?
« Reply #7 on: August 03, 2010, 10:11:47 pm »
 I've a wood stove in the livingroom I put in when we first moved in. We used it this year with all the freezes we had. I just brought home a couple of pallets from work each night and chained sawed between the nails. After that two weeks of freezing weather the AC got turned back on. ::)
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