How Much Wood Do You Burn?

SO how long to you try to wait before burning wood? We try to make it to the first of November(put on lots of clothes), but usually it's the last week or so of October.

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It was written by John J. Rowlands and published in 1947, but he doesn't say what kind of wood he put back. Since he was in the north woods, a lot of it could have been coniferous though. Still seems like so much to me!

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Jessica

Homestead / Nature Journal ~ A path is made by walking it ~

October 31st is usually the beginning of winter here in coastal northern CA. Seriously, the first rain of the season is always on Halloween! We usually start building fires on that day, then we burn 'til about April.

I have only wood heat and average about a cord a month when we're burning all night and most, if not all, day. My woodstove is an old dinosaur that came with the house; it isn't airtight and so not very efficient. A lot depends, too, on if there is someone home during the day. The total amount for the year depends on how cold the winter is and how soon the weather warms up in the spring. This past spring, it was cool enough that I was still burning wood into the early part of June.

We've had three cool mornings this past week so I fired her up long enough to take the chill off and then let it go out.

I'm thinking about checking into a propane fireplace for backup; I know, then you're dependent on the market prices but since I have to buy my wood, too, I guess I'm dependent on those prices anyway. And if I heated with electric, I'd still be in the position of having to "buy" my heat. I just figure that it would be nice, on occasion, to flip a switch and have instant heat, you know, if the woodstove goes out or we come home to a cold house or something. Also, my youngest will be 18 in six years and, assuming he leaves home someday, I don't know how old I can be and be out there splittin' and haulin' in firewood.

I'd love to go solar (I actually have a good southern exposure) but don't see myself as ever having the money for that.

Janis

we burned about 3 1/2 cords last year. cheap, non airtight woodstove and an old drafty house that needs insulation desperately. Got a new (to us) woodstove that is airtight for this winter. By next winter the insulation will be redone. I've got about 2 cords of wood right now and would feel better with another one. So far I've gotten all our wood off freecycle and craigslist so all its cost us is the gas to go get it and some time. After next week I'll be on the lookout for another cord or two. We don't usually need to fire ours up till around the first of December and are thru with it sometime in March maybe April.

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Ginnie..
http://ginniequilts.blogspot.com/
You can say what you want about the South,
But you never hear of anyone retiring and moving North.

Well, there's a good chance that in 1947 the stove wasn't real airtight and probably the house wasn't as insulated as what most people have now. Come to think of it, the windows probably would have been cold too.

Michelle

We heat about 2500 sq feet with about 2 1/2 cord. Haven't used the central heat in 3 years. The basement is unheated but we circulate air through the greenhouse and a periferal underground air system. It might get to 55 down there during the coldest months. Since I work out of my basement I keep a small electic heater in one room to use during business hours.

im in clinton county ....wood here is running abour 55 bucks for 16 inch

seems like the real cold places use about 20 face cords.....up here heating season is from october til may....and the snow gets waist deep to a big indian....ick

About 25 cords to heat all winter, with only wood heat, on top of ridge that sees 30 below.

What Winter?? The Only wood we use is for Bar-b-ques. And thats Mesquite , Maybe 3 wheelbarrow loads. A year.