Wood burning efficiency

Silvercreek Farmer · #1 12/08/06, 08:43 AM

To all those who burn more than, say, 3-4 cords per winter. Do you think your house is insulated/sealed very well? Seems like there are many people around here that burn tons of wood because their houses are so drafty. One would think that it would be well worth the effort to insulate and seal the house to offset some of the of cutting, hauling, splitting, carrying, burning, and the cleaning out of ash. Also seems like they willingly invest in a bigger splitter, chainsaw, pickup, trailer, ect, while not even looking at why they "need" these things, perhaps even just a better woodstove would do the trick. Perhaps, they just truly enjoy the work, but even then wouldn't it be better to increase your efficiency, then if you still feel the burning desire to cut wood (pun fully intended), just do it and give it to the 90 year olds down the road who can't do it for themselves any more. Right now I burn about 2 cords per winter, granted our weather is pretty mild, but even in the coldest climes I don't think you would need more than about 10 with the proper woodstove and a well insulated house. Don't get me wrong, I love cutting and burning wood, my biggest fear is that if I ever build that well insulated, passive solar house, that I won't get to burn wood anymore! Just a thought...

michiganfarmer · #2 12/08/06, 09:02 AM

My house is drafty. There is a company around here that can pressurise the house, and take thermal pictures outside to show you where the drafts are. Id really like to get that done, but it costs more than my winter wood, and money is tight so I just keep burnning lots of wood. My indorr forced air furnace is much more efficient than the outdoor wood furnace I built, but it takes so much more time to process the wood, and the indoor furnace has to be filled every 3 hours VS once a day for the outdoor furnace.

I am thinking about putting some wood in my basement next year, and useing the indoor furnace during mild temperatures to save wood. That outdoor wood furnace likes wood way to much for my liking.

WisJim · #3 12/08/06, 09:03 AM

We have been sealing and insulating our 100+ year old farmhouse over the 17+ years we have lived in it. Every time we do any remodeling, we do what is needed to make it better insulated and more energy efficient. Better windows, additional insulation, vapor barriers, etc. We have added living space, made the house warmer and more comfortable, and burn much less wood that we did 15 years ago. I like wood heat, but cutting and splitting and hauling wood is not my favorite activity.

We use 6 full cords or less each year in NW Wisconsin, in an old 2 story farmhouse. That includes some cooking on the wood range, too.

Silvercreek Farmer · #4 12/08/06, 09:07 AM

Michiganfarmer, the thermal pictures are very cool, I want them too! In the meantime I just got busy with the caulk, spray foam, and weather stripping, they don't cost much at all and I am sure that they have make a huge difference.

**Cabin Fever** · #5 12/08/06, 09:13 AM

Matt you are so correct! Our home has 6" insulated walls, double-pane insulated windows and R-40 in the attic...we can be gone for 11 hours in the middle of the winter (to our jobs) and the temp in the house may drop only 10ºF. Our home's interior is also 100% wood (wood ceilings, wood walls, and wood floors). I believe all that wood that helps with heating, too. Wood just feels warmer.

Another important factor for wood heat, especially for those who use a wood stove or insert, is to have a house design that is conducive to this type of heating system. Generally, an open design with louvered doors (or doors that are left open) and an open hallway that goes from the room that has the woodstove straight thru the house. All the other rooms in the house should connect into that hallway or better yet connect to the room with the woodstove.

suitcase_sally · #6 12/08/06, 09:21 AM

If your house is TOO airtight you will experience a lot of back draft. The wood has to have air to burn.

Silvercreek Farmer · #7 12/08/06, 11:10 AM

Not to flame you Sally, but the excuse that a house may be come TOO airtight, is bunk. A house should be sealed as well as humanly possible so that ventilation can be controlled. Many older houses, no matter what you do, will never reach a point where a woodstove can not draw (provided you have a proper chimney), or the number of recommended air changes per hour will not take place. If you get a newer house sealed to the point where a stove cannot draw, it is easy enough to install an external intake. The number of air changes per hour can also be tested easily enough, and if there is insufficienct ventilation an air exchanger can be installed at a cost far less than the BTU's that would be escaping. It is pretty cool, when they do this type of test they can give you a figure that is a total of all your leaks, you could end up with a figure that is equivalent to leaving a large window open all winter!

WisJim · #8 12/08/06, 02:07 PM

We have always run a dryer duct or similar 3 to 6 inch vent to a point close to the door of the wood stove or furnace to supply outside combustion air to the furnace. I feel that is lots better than letting your house be drafty and unsealed just to get some ventilation. I like to be able to control the amount of ventilation in my house.

Silvercreek Farmer · #9 12/08/06, 03:11 PM

Hey, that reminds me, my fireplace (that my woodstove is installed in front of) has a outside air intake, I opened it last winter so that most of the incoming air would enter as close to the stove as possible. I have forgotten to do so this year, I will do it tonight... Thanks!

ldc · #10 12/08/06, 03:20 PM

In the 70's I lived in a big uninsulated Victorian rent house in the woods of New Jersey. We heated with wood, and the first winter we used 13 cords. The 2nd winter we put heat tape on all the pipes, and wrapped the house like a present with plastic. The second year was much more comfortable! The house was about 120 years old then. I agree with the post that said not having ventilation wasn't a problem! The first year, things blew across the room when it was windy outside!

ET1 SS · #11 12/08/06, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

To all those who burn more than, say, 3-4 cords per winter. Do you think your house is insulated/sealed very well? ...

I would think that if I were way down South, I would burn less too.

fixer1958 · #12 12/08/06, 08:01 PM

[QUOTE=ldc]In the 70's I lived in a big uninsulated Victorian rent house in the woods of New Jersey. We heated with wood, and the first winter we used 13 cords.QUOTE]

I know it was the 70's but that's approx, $2k at $150 a cord nowdays. If I burn more than 2 cords it's D@&$ cold. I wouldn't even want to think about cutting and hauling that much wood just for one winter. Victorian houses are cool but not that cool.

mwhit · #13 12/08/06, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

even in the coldest climes I don't think you would need more than about 10 with the proper woodstove and a well insulated house.

ROFL! You obviously haven't experienced a NNY winter

Sorry, but the thought of getting through a winter with 10 cords of wood really made me chuckle. My house is not new, but it's not that old-- it was built in 1964 and it was built well. My walls are very thick and it is well insulated. My windows aren't brand new, but they are decent Anderson windows and all of my walls/floors and ceilings are either cedar, pine, oak or some other undetermined hardwood

I could insulate, caulk, spray foam and weatherstrip every inch of my house (have done a great deal of it) and I'd still use alot of wood when the temps. stay well below zero for long periods of time (usually Jan. and Feb. are very cold) I've seen times when we did not reach 0*F for nearly a month. This past year I still was having a fire at night (and alot of days) until into June... then heating starts right back up with a fire at night in Aug/Sept.

We did put vents through a few of the walls-- we bought cold air vent covers, cut a square hole about 18 inches from the ceiling, put a section of heat duct in the space and a vent cover on the other side... it has helped keep the heat more even into other rooms of the house. Aside from that, I really do not see any problems with my home causing me to use excessive amounts of wood-- it just gets brutally cold.

One thing I could do to help keep it a little warmer would be to cut all of the big pines that surround me-- I would get alot more sun, but I would also have less of a windbreak from the breeze off the river and it would be alot hotter in the summer.

A final point-- the type of wood can make a big difference in how much we use.... a good shed full of beech, hickory, apple, sugar maple, white oak and ironwood will last longer than birch, ash, red maple, red oak and elm. They are decent firewood, but all hardwood is not the same! Unfortunately, we can't always determine which trees we will have to cut or what will be delivered.