I'm a real man now.

[HotRodKush]

My wife and I just moved into a house upstate, and like many houses in this area it has a wood burning stove installed for heating purposes. To help reduce our heating costs, and because I have delusions of being Paul Bunyan, I've been aching to try my hand at heating the house with the stove.

Few weeks ago a tree fell down at a neighbor's house, and I struck a deal that I could take the wood for free if I chopped it up and got it off his property. With my father in law and his log splitter, we spent a day splitting the tree into pieces, and I spent the next 2 days hauling wood to our place.

I'm just sorry we didn't do this earlier - it's 20 degrees outside, and 75 inside with the wood burning stove blowing hot air around. That's with no other heating source. Took about a half hour to heat up the downstairs, and another hour or so to heat up the rest of the house. Best part is, once the fire simmers down, the embers keep the heat going for hours - doesn't need constant maintenance other than an occasional check-in.

Next year, this year's wood will be dry so it'll be even more effective. This year I'll have to use the fresh-cut wood which is still a bit moist and doesn't burn quite as hot. Either way, it's free!

Just thought I'd share. If anyone has considered using a stove to heat their garage I'd definitely recommend it - fast heat, smells good, and doesn't use oil or gas.

 

[jay50]

so, you just now discovered that wood is a good source for heating a house....imagine that..

 

[LEVE]

Ah wood... warms you five times:

• When you cut it
• When you stack it
• When you haul it in the house
• When you burn it in the stove.

Wood heat is wonderful.

 

[daveroy]

Using green wood for winter heat... make sure you get your chimney checked/cleaned. Creosote will build up faster burning green wood. Chimney fires are not cool!

 

[JC23]

Now, on to food - grow or bow?

 

[HotRodKush]

so, you just now discovered that wood is a good source for heating a house....imagine that..

Nope, but I finally got the chance to make use of that knowledge now that we have a place with a wood burning stove. Never lived in a place where that was a possibility before.

 

[DanCo]

Avoid burning Pine wood, the pine sap is not good

 

[HotRodKush]

Using green wood for winter heat... make sure you get your chimney checked/cleaned. Creosote will build up faster burning green wood. Chimney fires are not cool!

I just cleaned out the chimney last week, but I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. I know that fresh wood isn't the best as far as heating or burning, so I'll watch out for any signs of build-up inside the chimney.

 

[ambenz]

The recommend adding these to your fire to help prevent cresote build-up.

 

[johno]

I just cleaned out the chimney last week, but I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. I know that fresh wood isn't the best as far as heating or burning, so I'll watch out for any signs of build-up inside the chimney.

I heated with wood for years. I cleaned te chimney every month, like clockwork. No ifs or ands, never had any problem.

Fyi, wood smoke will discolor your walls.

 

[scott_one]

Ah wood... warms you five times:

• When you cut it
• When you stack it
• When you haul it in the house
• When you burn it in the stove.

Wood heat is wonderful.

What's the 5th time?

 

[bmwpower]

I heated with wood for years. I cleaned te chimney every month, like clockwork. No ifs or ands, never had any problem.

Fyi, wood smoke will discolor your walls.

Every month?? Geez. Why so often?

 

[Red Green]

Ah wood... warms you five times:

• When you cut it
• When you stack it
• When you haul it in the house
• When you burn it in the stove.

Wood heat is wonderful.

What's the 5th time?

He forgot about when you split it. Then load it in the truck after you split it to get it to the house. So there are 6 times.

 

[rsanter]

just keep in mind that when you burn the heat rises up the chimeny
to make up for that air, cold air is drawn in through leaks in doors, windows and such.
to make the best use of your wood heating you need a system that will get as much heat into your space as you can. wood stove, or even a firewood rach that heats up and gets some airflow though it improves efficiency

bob

 

[tdkkart]

He forgot about when you split it. Then load it in the truck after you split it to get it to the house. So there are 6 times.

Forgot about loading it out of the woods,
Unload, stack at the woodshed.
Unstack, split, restack.
Unstack, reload, haul to house.
Stack in wood rack.
Unstack, haul in house
Burn, scoop ashes, haul back out of house.

 

[larry_g]

I've heated with wood for 25+ years. I've found that if you build your fire and let it roar with the door open for a bit it will keep the chimny clear. You have to do this daily. Do not do this to clean out a chimney that is full of ****.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[tdkkart]

The recommend adding these to your fire to help prevent cresote build-up.

Have you ever seen creosote??
Have you seen how it collects in a chimney when you burn the wrong wood too wet and too cold(which most people do).

Unless that thing is a stick of dynamite it's not gonna burn creosote off by putting it in the firebox.

 

[D.J.]

Guys I count seven times!
1.When you cut it
2.When you load it in your truck or trailer
3. When you unload it
4. When you split it
5. When you stack it
6. When you haul it in the house
7. When you burn it in the stove.
________
Coach Handbags

 

[tdkkart]

just keep in mind that when you burn the heat rises up the chimeny
to make up for that air, cold air is drawn in through leaks in doors, windows and such.
to make the best use of your wood heating you need a system that will get as much heat into your space as you can. wood stove, or even a firewood rach that heats up and gets some airflow though it improves efficiency

Heh, right after we moved into our present house(first one with a fireplace) a couple years ago, I went to the reading room to sit for a spell. Just happened to have a fire going in the fireplace as it was cold as hell outside. Of course we've got the doors open so that we get the full effect of teh crackling fire.

As I'm sitting there I'm thinking "wow, it's cold in here, where the hell is that draft coming from??

I soon realized that the draft was cold air falling down out of the bathroom vent fan, landing right in my lap.
WTF??

I later realized that we had horrendous drafts coming in alot of places when we had a roaring fire in the fireplace.
I've also noticed that if you have the damper open while scooping ashes that the dust created goes right up the chimney.

Yes, that chimney pipe is a great big vertical vacuum sucking heat out, and sucking cold air into your home from all directions.

It's pretty, and not much else.

 

[csp]

Avoid burning Pine wood, the pine sap is not good

It's not a problem if you keep the fire hot. Around here, pine is about all there is to burn. A hot fire and an annual cleaning of the chimney is all that's needed. My parents have been burning pine in their wood stove since 1972 without issue.

 

[LithuanianMan]

Anyone ever heard of outside air feed? There was a good video about it on Davidsfarm channel on YouTube until they shut his channel down.... bastards.

Anyway when I build my shop I am going to heat it with wood. It's easy to make a pipe with one end to where your stove is going to be and the other end outside to **** in air when your pour the floor. Just add a little fan motor, maybe make a filter on the outside end, and connect it to your stove.

Sorry if I got off-topic, or "hijacked the thread" as you guys call it.

 

[klogan121]

Lithuanian-- X2 on the fresh air feed pipe. I read other posts on here on putting a fan to the air intake also. There are many ways to make wood stoves more efficient. Look for a thread on GJ- Barrel Stove... lots of ideas on efficiency!

Rite-on topic, mon!!

 

[LithuanianMan]

Lithuanian-- X2 on the fresh air feed pipe. I read other posts on here on putting a fan to the air intake also. There are many ways to make wood stoves more efficient. Look for a thread on GJ- Barrel Stove... lots of ideas on efficiency!

Rite-on topic, mon!!

Cool Anyone seen the Davidsfarm video on his high efficiency woodstove? I watched it a couple times... Great stuff. If only YouTube would give him his account back...