wood heat, thinking about it

markbrown · September 27, 2005, 07:53:54 AM

fuel is up, the prices are the highest i have ever seen. I have heated with wod stove many years ago, and have been thinking about adding aone to this house. I have a good place in the layout and would convert to wood fired massonary oven in the future.

I do have access to a lot of good wood, maybe i should, but hate the mess.

glenn kangiser · September 27, 2005, 08:25:23 AM

It can be messy but massive amounts of heat are available nearly free.

I cut a cord and a half of dry Oak last Sunday. It is a bit of work too, but the other option is working hard to buy fossil fuel.

There are the outside wood boilers -etc but then you get into a lot of different problems and expense.

September 27, 2005, 08:10:56 PM

My insurance guy (well, the companies he represents) hates woodstoves. Such that there is a premium on that bill.

Fireplaces (Ken Kern actually likes Rumford) and masonry stoves are OK by the insurance people.

keyholefarmhouse · September 28, 2005, 05:23:25 AM

back to wood stoves. they are great for temp. and immediate heat, but what a pain in the long run. John wrote a good (realistic) evaluation on them long ago. Chain saws, trucks, lots of work, not to mention having to build and maintain a fire constantly.

John is a realist, I'd rather be hiking or doing something creative. Please put a lot of thought into design. super insulate, windows on the south, lots of orientation.

markbrown · September 28, 2005, 02:46:14 PM

i know, heated with wood on first house, had 2 kids, and wife did not work, money was tight, had a double 55 gal barrel stove in the basement, heated the hole house.

My new house has 11 inch thick walls R-40 and 4-40 in the ceiling, it is a ranch 32 x 92 and 400 galons of propane heats, cooks and hotwater for 3, if teens count twice it is 5.

i have chain saw and can cut wood out back and still thinking
but want that indor wood fired oven one day

Mark

September 28, 2005, 04:39:25 PM

I've only had a few years when I didn't have wood heat available if not in use.

I like to be able to back up to a hot wood stove and toast my buns.

Here is a pix of my wood fired clay oven in the front entry area but I want to build one into my hypocaust that will be heated without the fire being in it. (When I get that far).

Amanda_931 · September 28, 2005, 10:47:02 PM

I just noticed that the door is part of the big cat, not just a piece of wetted down wood stuck in there.

Neat.

glenn kangiser · September 28, 2005, 10:56:11 PM

The door is unstabilized cob also with a tree root embedded in it for a handle - fairly heavy - maybe 40 lbs. It is more durable than the wood and easy to repair.

keyholefarmhouse · September 29, 2005, 05:11:56 AM

I think teens should count three. If you have all the ingredients: wood, saw, truck, and like to play lumberjack, wood is at least a great (cheap) suppliment. There are all kinds of used stoves @ for cheap. Massonary ovens, or whatever the're called, are awsume. Isn't this what John has in his Saltbox? If you can engineer one into your home, with the R values you have, it could take the major load off. I think a back system is vital thogh. Who wants to build or maintain a fire when you have to?

September 29, 2005, 10:48:02 AM

My grandpa put in 10 cord of wood per year - house kept at about 90 degrees. My dad has the grandkids get wood - the house is plenty hot.

I need 3 or 4 cord per year or bad year - house is underground and usually not under 50 so if I can't get the wife to carry wood and build the fire or she's off working, I still won't freeze to death. --Hey, girls, ---lighten up -- I was just kidding- I get most of it.

All of the above are wood with no backup. Dads house used to have an oil stove but they got rid of it. Wood is the heat of choice for us. Cleans up dead and down wood and helps prevent forest fires too. Downside - a bit messy -- upside-- hot enough to run around the house nekkid in the winter.

:-/

I sometimes forget that many of the rest of you live in the civilized world. Sorry about that.

John Raabe · September 29, 2005, 11:35:15 AM

My house has been heated with wood since it was built in 1983.

http://www.jshow.com/y2k/listings/55.html

Being lazy, I now buy the 1.5 to 2 cords a year that I use. In addition to the old cast iron stove there are electric chill chasers in the bathrooms and the add on bedroom over the carport.

I love the smell of the wood and like the radiant heat source. I don't like the cutting, splitting, carrying and ash cleaning. Wood is a mixed bag — sometimes I think I should jump on the hydrocarbon bandwagon and get modern.

But, where I live, wood is sooooo... renewable that I can't even keep up with the production on my land alone.

Every 25 years or so I look a little smart having a wood stove. Those times might be coming around again.

Daddymem · September 29, 2005, 11:41:51 AM

Soooo what is the concensus on pellet/corn stoves?

Amanda_931 · September 29, 2005, 09:10:45 PM

Not for me.

I'd have to buy the corn, which may be erratically available in my area.

Pellet--and the chip mill people tell you that they use up waste wood.

As far as I know what happens is that they provide the loggers with a market for undersized logs--as in not waiting for them to mature.

That said I sometimes buy pellet fuel for cat litter and for the sawdust toilet.

markbrown · September 30, 2005, 05:24:28 AM

i am going to do it, and begin to plan the future wood fired oven, have to be warm and keep costs down, morning airr will be nippy a bitsoon,

the neighbor is stripping fodder from the cane for making molassas. will cut the tips and harvest soon, then it is to the press and cooker

mark