Donnyj
Platinum Member
I guess the only other option would be coal. Something that will feed itself. Still have to load the hopper though. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
Wood Burning Add On Furnance (Price of Wood)
- Thread starter Scrounger
- Start date
Paddy
Veteran Member
How much is coal a ton? Very rare for S. IN to use coal.
We do produce quite a bit of coal though. I used to heat with wood, have 20 ac of hardwood. The work was not such an issue but the constant fear of fire...outside the stove!!
With my heat pump, I'm happy tp pay $1200 for the heat/year on 3400 sq foot home.
patrick
We do produce quite a bit of coal though. I used to heat with wood, have 20 ac of hardwood. The work was not such an issue but the constant fear of fire...outside the stove!!
With my heat pump, I'm happy tp pay $1200 for the heat/year on 3400 sq foot home.
patrick
Donnyj
Platinum Member
As I said in a earlier post, I'm no expert on coal. I'm guessing a ton to be around $150 to $180. Maybe someone with more experience will chime in. I was just trying to offer another solution. I forgot about wood pellets. That is another option for someone who has trouble lifting heavy objects. The bag of pellets may still be to much to lift. My personal experience with a heat pump was horrible. I spent over $1200 just to heat a townhouse, let alone 3400 sq. ft. I will pass on the heat pump option. I will burn wood and pocket the $1200 and buy some attachments for the tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
mrcaptainbob
Platinum Member
I'm in south central Michigan and we have a 3600 sq.ft., 140 yr old, DRAFTY two story. The main heat is pro-pain hydronic. I shut it off last October after I installed a Central Boiler wood burner. It has some options such as a waste oil injector, too, if you want to cover all the bases. Mine is located about a hundred feet from the house. It takes about 2x2x4 amount of wood per 24 hr period. I've burned aged oak, cherry and black walnut. I also tossed in fresh cut at times, too. It seems like this stove doesn't care! I put in one FEL's worth around mid-day every day. If the temp is 40 or higher it uses, of coarse, less. Am also using it to heat the domestic water. There's still about 75% of that 500G pro-pain tank still filled. I figure there's about 4 hrs of cuttin', splittin' and stacking to cover one week's worth of heat.
Farmwithjunk
Super Member
I've read everyones thoughts, and agree with many, disagree with a few, and have a few of my own.
In the spirit of peace and harmony, I'll forego stating my disagreements.
Wood isn't cheap, no matter if you BUY it or CUT it yourself. It's generally inefficient, unless you have an expensive system to take full advantage of the heat produced.
But what heat source ISN'T expensive?
The age-old arguement of "time is money" is often brought up in regards to cutting, splitting, stacking and burning wood. My take on that? The time I spend cutting and splitting wood is a trade-off for a lower gas bill. The time I spend would generally not be "bill-able hours" anyway. (At work or on the farm) I still split my wood the old fashioned way. (Maul/axe/tired back) That's no fun, especially when we burn 12 to 14 rick (1/2 cord for you non Kentuckians) a year. (Plus 4 or 5 MORE ricks per year in the shop)
We heat the house with natural gas. (Remember when that was "CHEAP, dependable gas" ?) There are two fireplaces in the house also. (Living room and family room) Whenever one of us is home, there's a fire in one or BOTH fireplaces. I can keep the furnace from running in all but the coldest of weather with a good hot fire.
Our gas provider, LG&E, was approved for a 74% rate increase last summer. They later came back and lowered that increase to 45%. (Can you say "Marketing Ploy"?) Last year at this time, we paid average bills (gas and electric combined) averaging around $120 I opened last months bill yesterday afternoon. $256! (OK math experts, tell me how a 45% increase DOUBLES your bill?)
Armed with all this info, I can only guess that since we're home and awake only 1/3 of the day, my wood fire is saving at best, 33% of the gas portion of the bill. That would amount to approx. $70 a month. In that typical month, we burn 3 ricks of wood. That in turn, amounts to about $25 per rick in energy savings. That rick takes me a couple hours to cut and split (on a GOOD day) Add a couple more hours to haul it in and stack. Figure the cost of a good chainsaw, gas, oil, a few maul handles, and a yearly visit to the chiropractor, and I'm "making" about $.75 an hour cutting wood.
My point?
I'd be FAR better off staying at work a few hours extra each week, drawing a few bucks in overtime, then just turning up the T-stat and using that sacred gas.
But then who'd clean up the downed trees in my woods?
In the spirit of peace and harmony, I'll forego stating my disagreements.
Wood isn't cheap, no matter if you BUY it or CUT it yourself. It's generally inefficient, unless you have an expensive system to take full advantage of the heat produced.
But what heat source ISN'T expensive?
The age-old arguement of "time is money" is often brought up in regards to cutting, splitting, stacking and burning wood. My take on that? The time I spend cutting and splitting wood is a trade-off for a lower gas bill. The time I spend would generally not be "bill-able hours" anyway. (At work or on the farm) I still split my wood the old fashioned way. (Maul/axe/tired back) That's no fun, especially when we burn 12 to 14 rick (1/2 cord for you non Kentuckians) a year. (Plus 4 or 5 MORE ricks per year in the shop)
We heat the house with natural gas. (Remember when that was "CHEAP, dependable gas" ?) There are two fireplaces in the house also. (Living room and family room) Whenever one of us is home, there's a fire in one or BOTH fireplaces. I can keep the furnace from running in all but the coldest of weather with a good hot fire.
Our gas provider, LG&E, was approved for a 74% rate increase last summer. They later came back and lowered that increase to 45%. (Can you say "Marketing Ploy"?) Last year at this time, we paid average bills (gas and electric combined) averaging around $120 I opened last months bill yesterday afternoon. $256! (OK math experts, tell me how a 45% increase DOUBLES your bill?)
Armed with all this info, I can only guess that since we're home and awake only 1/3 of the day, my wood fire is saving at best, 33% of the gas portion of the bill. That would amount to approx. $70 a month. In that typical month, we burn 3 ricks of wood. That in turn, amounts to about $25 per rick in energy savings. That rick takes me a couple hours to cut and split (on a GOOD day) Add a couple more hours to haul it in and stack. Figure the cost of a good chainsaw, gas, oil, a few maul handles, and a yearly visit to the chiropractor, and I'm "making" about $.75 an hour cutting wood.
My point?
I'd be FAR better off staying at work a few hours extra each week, drawing a few bucks in overtime, then just turning up the T-stat and using that sacred gas.
But then who'd clean up the downed trees in my woods?
TheKid
Gold Member
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Oh no -- Wood is not Free! )</font>
All depends on where you look. I've got a tree trimming company about a mile from my house that has all the free wood you could want. It's already cut in 18 to 24" lengths so all you have to do is pick it up and split it. They probably have 50 to 75 cords worth just sitting there.
All depends on where you look. I've got a tree trimming company about a mile from my house that has all the free wood you could want. It's already cut in 18 to 24" lengths so all you have to do is pick it up and split it. They probably have 50 to 75 cords worth just sitting there.
Buck
Platinum Member
They must make some nice money given the value of that wood.
RalphVa
Super Member
- Joined
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I used to burn wood at both our Vermont and NJ houses. Bought the first cord at both houses but was able to scrounge all the wood after that. There was usually some clearing going on wherever they were building houses in NJ. Plenty of wood about just in downed or need-to-take-down trees in Vermont.
Only burned about a cord of wood each place. Vermont house was only for vacation with very low level electric heat as backup. NJ house was on oil heat as primary, with the thermostat set at 55. Wood stove was in our family room in the basement, which often ran about 80 at night. Only in our last 2 years there out of 20 did our heat + hot water bill go slightly above $400 for the year. Neighbors often were paying that and more/month in the winter.
Still have my old Stihl chain saw. It's about 35 now and still starts and runs fine. Only parts have been maybe one spark plug, one additional bar (14 vs. 16 bought with it) and recently a new chain. New ones (009L) are a tad CHEAPER than what I paid for it.
Ralph
Only burned about a cord of wood each place. Vermont house was only for vacation with very low level electric heat as backup. NJ house was on oil heat as primary, with the thermostat set at 55. Wood stove was in our family room in the basement, which often ran about 80 at night. Only in our last 2 years there out of 20 did our heat + hot water bill go slightly above $400 for the year. Neighbors often were paying that and more/month in the winter.
Still have my old Stihl chain saw. It's about 35 now and still starts and runs fine. Only parts have been maybe one spark plug, one additional bar (14 vs. 16 bought with it) and recently a new chain. New ones (009L) are a tad CHEAPER than what I paid for it.
Ralph
Theowegian
Gold Member
Your post said you wanted to add a second source of heat and implied that WOOD was your first choice....well...
I burn wood for heat. My system has a Monarch Add-a-Furnace tied into the warm air ducts right next to my propane furnace. My wood furnace is my primary system
and the propane furnace is backup heat. I burn about 3-4 full cords per winter.
I estimate that we save $1000 per year compared to propane costs.
But here is my point, finally.
It really depends on what kind of wood heat that you are thinking about.
For example, exactly what kind of existing heat system do you have? Are you going to completely replace the old system or just add a (hot air) furnace? Or just buy a wood stove for a cold area of the house or ??? do you just want to burn wood?
Beenthere, talked about the huge startup costs for beginning to burn wood. He's probably correct.
However, my suggestion is to tell us exactly what kind of heating system you have right now and let us suggest how to AUGMENT your existing system cost efficiently. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Burning wood is satisfying and can save money, but there are some big startup costs if you're at the very beginning of a conversion from gas to wood burning...
dwight
I burn wood for heat. My system has a Monarch Add-a-Furnace tied into the warm air ducts right next to my propane furnace. My wood furnace is my primary system
and the propane furnace is backup heat. I burn about 3-4 full cords per winter.
I estimate that we save $1000 per year compared to propane costs.
But here is my point, finally.
It really depends on what kind of wood heat that you are thinking about.
For example, exactly what kind of existing heat system do you have? Are you going to completely replace the old system or just add a (hot air) furnace? Or just buy a wood stove for a cold area of the house or ??? do you just want to burn wood?
Beenthere, talked about the huge startup costs for beginning to burn wood. He's probably correct.
However, my suggestion is to tell us exactly what kind of heating system you have right now and let us suggest how to AUGMENT your existing system cost efficiently. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Burning wood is satisfying and can save money, but there are some big startup costs if you're at the very beginning of a conversion from gas to wood burning...
dwight
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Scrounger
Platinum Member
Dwight
My primary heat is forced air propane like yours. I have two heaters, one in the attic and one in the basement. I plan to add the second furnance as the add on source. I'm thinking more coal now over wood since the storage issues of wood and the cost of wood is a big concern.
I think I'll be able to heat the basement, garage, first floor and just let hot air rise to the second floor. We have a huge open foyer that lets massive amounts of heat up the hallways.
I'm doing the research, and a coal pellet with a stoker seems like the way to go. Coal is dirt cheap around here and it can be dumped thru a basement window to a wooden hopper that I need to figure out how to build.
My primary heat is forced air propane like yours. I have two heaters, one in the attic and one in the basement. I plan to add the second furnance as the add on source. I'm thinking more coal now over wood since the storage issues of wood and the cost of wood is a big concern.
I think I'll be able to heat the basement, garage, first floor and just let hot air rise to the second floor. We have a huge open foyer that lets massive amounts of heat up the hallways.
I'm doing the research, and a coal pellet with a stoker seems like the way to go. Coal is dirt cheap around here and it can be dumped thru a basement window to a wooden hopper that I need to figure out how to build.