reduce heating bill with Wood Stove

[Gunny]

If you've got the trees, a wood stove and the tools, and you want to burn wood, do it! Yes, you can spend enough money on different things to make it a long term pay off on investment, but you have to consider that the other things would also have some other uses other then just wood burning. I heated with wood for several years, until it got to be almost impossible to get the house insured, but I do heat my garage and woodworking shop with wood today. I split wood by hand for years, but ran across a good deal on a used splitter and since it would make life a little easier on me, I bought it!, same for the newer chainsaw, it was bigger and cut faster than my old one, but it made life a little easier on me.
In heating the shops with firewood, I don't really think in terms of the money saved, even though I have to be saving quite a bit, since both buildings are large, but I like the outdoor exercise and I get to keep the shops as warm as I want them to be, for just a little work that is done when I don't really have anything "important" to do.

It's kind of like having all the equipment needed to raise a garden, then buying all the seeds, plants, fertilizers, etc, then investing all the personal time to tend it and everybody wants to talk about all those "free" vegetables you've got down there.

 

[Michelle K linnane]

Hey Guys
Those of us who burn wood WE DO know the savings. Taking dead falls out of hedgerows does not take a lot of time I might
have about 25 hours in my wood for the year. And I had all the equipment already. All I know what I would of spent for fuel oil
in the past two years would be $4770. Well my gas and oil for chain saws and quad comes out to about $150 for when I am
doing wood. So I know what I am a savings and I will not bother to argue with anyone, over this point.

As for the Polaris Sportsman 400 costing $4900 well...not so much up here; my 500 cost almost double that in '01.

If I read your note right it said you spent double on a 500 quad which is $9800 in 2001. I think that is a great deal
of money for a ATV espically 12 years ago. In 2004 I only paid $8000 for my 6 wheel gater with lift bed. Like you said to each their own.

I will say one thing. Before I would spend $9,800 for a quad, man that is a lot of money. Wow espically in 2001.
I would get a UTV. You will get a lot more work out of a UTV then a quad, assuming you just do not ride around
on it. If you shop around you can find more for your money. Like you said to each their own.

 

[ericher69]

Hey Guys Those of us who burn wood WE DO know the savings. Taking dead falls out of hedgerows does not take a lot of time I might have about 25 hours in my wood for the year. And I had all the equipment already. All I know what I would of spent for fuel oil in the past two years would be $4770. Well my gas and oil for chain saws and quad comes out to about $150 for when I am doing wood. So I know what I am a savings and I will not bother to argue with anyone, over this point. As for the Polaris Sportsman 400 costing $4900 well...not so much up here; my 500 cost almost double that in '01. If I read your note right it said you spent double on a 500 quad which is $9800 in 2001. I think that is a great deal of money for a ATV espically 12 years ago. In 2004 I only paid $8000 for my 6 wheel gater with lift bed. Like you said to each their own. I will say one thing. Before I would spend $9,800 for a quad, man that is a lot of money. Wow espically in 2001. I would get a UTV. You will get a lot more work out of a UTV then a quad, assuming you just do not ride around on it. If you shop around you can find more for your money. Like you said to each their own.

Yup keep on telling yourself that...still doesn't make it fact.

$9700 taxes in for an ATV in '01:yup;would I do it again? Nope was a mistake and I have no problem admitting that. Wasteful; young and impressionable.

UTV; great if you need it or think you do!

$4470 over 2 heating seasons is major $$

Questions; 1. Is there something wrong with the
Furnace
2. Is your home drafty?
3. Is your home huge?
4. Could you have an oil leak?

I'm on natural gas F/A and a cold month may run me $160 and that's with heating the shop at least a week in the month. House temp 74 or 26deg
and shop about 65 or 18ish.

Just saying that oil bill seems high++

 

[crazyal]

$4470 for heating oil over two years is a little over 600 gallons per year. That's not out of the norm for an average house in a colder New England climate. Once you start to figure in that heating with Propane or heating oil is not cheap and once you get outside of the city and don't have the option of natural gas then you can see why wood or pellet stoves actually do save money.

 

[cartod]

I am building a 3500 sq ft home and the entire thing will be heated with wood, however no wood will be burnt in the house. I put in a heatmaster 10,000e outdoor wood boiler. The floors are radiant heat as well as heat exchangers in the hvac and hot water tank. When we cleared the lot we took out enough wood for several years of wood. This is the first time I've used an wood boiler. Looking forward to years of free heat and plenty of excercise.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Nice place. I would love to have that kind of wood heat.

 

[ericher69]

I am building a 3500 sq ft home and the entire thing will be heated with wood, however no wood will be burnt in the house. I put in a heatmaster 10,000e outdoor wood boiler. The floors are radiant heat as well as heat exchangers in the hvac and hot water tank. When we cleared the lot we took out enough wood for several years of wood. This is the first time I've used an wood boiler. Looking forward to years of free heat and plenty of excercise.

Nice!

Do you have a back-up heat system such as oil?

 

[cartod]

Nice!

Do you have a back-up heat system such as oil?

Yes, the back up is a natural gas boiler that is in the basement. It will kick in and do the same job should the fire go out in the wood boiler. The 2 systems are joined through an 80 plate water to water heat exchanger since the wood boiler is on a non pressurized water system and the natural gas is on pressurized. Natural gas will also back up the electric since we have been without power for days/weeks before in the past.

 

[Michelle K linnane]

Cartod You will love your radiant heat I have my in my barn I heat about 3720sq feet heated with radiant heat use propane for that system. The outdoor boilers do use a lot of wood but if it is available and no mess in the house I understand why you are doing it. Even with good insulation my house is on a crawl space and I have R22 in the floors, r21 in walls and R44 in the ceiling it still takes about 600 gallons a year to heat. Your house is very nice and very big it will lot to heat a big area like that. Outdoor boiler will keep your fuel costs down for sure. More than likely the outdoor wood stove will pay for it self in about 3 or 4 years( with that much square footage).
My Barn is insultated with R44 in ceiling, R21 in the walls and radiant barrier and insulation of about R18 in the floors. I have about 23 cubic yards on concrete in the barn and when that mass gets warm it stays warm. My kennel or barn is the perfect application for Radiant heat and I love it when I build my retirement home it will be on a slab with Radiant heat. I LOVE IT.

 

[cartod]

Cartod You will love your radiant heat I have my in my barn I heat about 3720sq feet heated with radiant heat use propane for that system. The outdoor boilers do use a lot of wood but if it is available and no mess in the house I understand why you are doing it. Even with good insulation my house is on a crawl space and I have R22 in the floors, r21 in walls and R44 in the ceiling it still takes about 600 gallons a year to heat. Your house is very nice and very big it will lot to heat a big area like that. Outdoor boiler will keep your fuel costs down for sure. More than likely the outdoor wood stove will pay for it self in about 3 or 4 years( with that much square footage).
My Barn is insultated with R44 in ceiling, R21 in the walls and radiant barrier and insulation of about R18 in the floors. I have about 23 cubic yards on concrete in the barn and when that mass gets warm it stays warm. My kennel or barn is the perfect application for Radiant heat and I love it when I build my retirement home it will be on a slab with Radiant heat. I LOVE IT.

Thanks for the info, there is 60 yards of concrete in the house/garage with insulation below it. The 10,000e wood boiler is very conservative on wood and can get by with just one loading a day in normal winter conditions. It will also burn coal, rail road ties, wet wood etc. I am figuring 6-8 cords a year but am prepared for more. I have never been in radiant heat home, but folks tell me it's the berries. We built with 2x6 walls and used Andersen A-series windows to help keep it tight. The high ceilings will surely not help things, but it's our dream house and we are only doing this once!