Save $$$ - Heat with Wood

[turnkey4099]

It has been explained many times though out this thread.
1. Cheaper insurance.
2. No danger from fire/smoke in the house.
3. More even/balanced heat instead of a hot spot in the room with the wood burner.
4. Dont have to worry about the fire going out in the middle of the night, or when away 14hrs a day for work
5. No chimney to worry about or clean
6. No mess in the house. Dust, bark, ashes, bugs, etc
7. I am sure there are a few other good reasons to not want to burn wood, But I'll stop here for now

1. I don't pay any extra for having owod heat.
2. 41 years and I have only seen one instance of that that was fixed without even haveing to put the fire out.
3. Yep,...if you want to freeze at 68 degrees instead of a comfortable 75 plus. The variation is not very much at all.
4. 41 years and it has only gone out a few times and those were mostly due to forgetting to fill the stove when I left. Also wife was home and could feed the fire.
5. What worry? I clean it myself (15 minute job) once per year.
6. Yep, mess in the house is one point you got right. It really isn't thast bad anyhow as we keep a broom/custpan right by the stove.

I'll add one poistive to burning wood that hasn't been mention. Carbon footprint. Burning wood is a zero zum proposition as the net result is zero carbon footprint. What isn't burned will eventually rot (all lwood does eventually). All wood realeases its carbon content whether fro burning or rotting.

Keep straining. We get it that you abhor the idea of other people burning wood be it for nothing but the enjoyment or to save wood (how little that me be).

What next? Gonna object to people going fishing because the harvest isn't a paying proposition?

 

[turnkey4099]

That was my same scenario.

House had baseboard. Expensive.

Got through two winter's with wood. But did nothing for ac.

The cost of JUST and AC system was not much savings over a heat pump or geothermal.

So I chose Geo so I can heat AND cool with it.

I can now heat cheaper with Geo than I could with wood.

Sure it's a big upfront cost. And that certainly factors. But for me, I was looking at a big cost anyway wanting air conditioning.

My house had central heat (oil) AND a/c. I installed the wood heat. Cost around $900 stove and triple wall chimney.

 

[turnkey4099]

I looked into Geothermal, too expensive where I live, house is basically on a ledge and putting in the coils was going to be very expensive. I put in a mini-split system to give me heat in spring and fall, AC in the summer and I do wood for the winter months. Geothermal is going in my 'forever' home, but not this one. As far as I am concerned, when building a new home, first choice sould be geothermal.

Same here if I was to build. I'd probably still have a wood stove though

 

[Industrial Toys]

Maybe it's a lower carbon footprint, but there could be an air quality issue.

My friend although out in the country has a neighbor just feet away. That guy always, and I mean always has a fire going, winter and summer it seems. I could not live with that stink, living down wind, although I burn wood and often anything that will burn!

My Fire Chief told me, if your fire affects a neighbor, you have to put it out. I find this troubling, but a sign of the times.

 

[turnkey4099]

I agree. I'm only 70, but have 90 acres and a lot of trees that are good for nothing but firewood. I don't have to work at it 8 hours a day, but any time it's not raining I try to get out and work outside for a couple of hours. It keeps me strong. It keeps me active. It warms my house. I bought a Husquvarna chainsaw in 1995 that is still running fine,though I have replaced chains several times. It cost me $345. My wood splitter is by Armstrong, a 6 lb maul that works fine until I get winded. Then I tip a cup of coffee out of the thermos, sit in a stump and look at stuff. Years ago I worked harder at it, but I was younger then. I've heated with wood, on and off, since I was 14 years old. There are worse ways to spend your time.

For some pure fun, try the Fiskars Splitting AX ($63 at Wal Mart) I was wedge/sledge, maul for many, many years. Then the Fiskars X27 (now "Splitting ax") came out. never looked back. Almost totally replaced the splitting maul. First time I used it thought "This can't be doing what I'm seeing)

 

[LD1]

I have no vendetta against wood heat. Don't know how many times I have to say that.

Simply pointing out some of the downsides is no vendetta. But you conveniently forgot to quote me when I ALSO mention the upsides to burning as well.

And I don't understand why you always want to turn this into a debate about wood being better than alternatives.

I am not even arguing what is better.

It's simply about cost. And you can brag about how little money you spend cutting wood, and how cheap your saws and truck are. That is ancillary arguments.

And again, there is no doubt in my mind that many people do indeed save money with wood.

So forgetting all this arguing and bickering back and forth about nickel and dime stuff and let's start over.

My debate, and thus participation in this thread stems from the following:

Joe bob heats with propane. And he hates the bill. He is paying $1800 a season for propane.

Joe bob decides to burn wood. Forgetting upfront cost of setting up stove, cause it isn't relevant. And Joe Bob's saws and wood hauler run on pennies in the grand scheme.

So Joe Bob now proudly boasts about his new wood heat, and that by cutting and burning 8 cord of wood a year, that he is saving $1800 a year on heat.

Now this is what I am debating. Because Joe Bob's savings are NOT $1800 per year.

Joe Bob is only saving $1800 MINUS what the value of the wood is. What could he have sold it for?

That's it. Don't know how I can make it any clearer. If you heat with wood and like it, great. Just don't fool yourself about how much you are saving.

If you don't heat with wood, and enjoy what you have, that's great too. I don't care either way. Not trying to change anyone's method of heat. IE: no vendetta.

I heat my shop with wood. Grew up with wood heat. Heated my house the first two years with it, and still have the stove, chimney, etc in working order for backup for emergencies. I just choose not to use it, because my geothermal heats my whole house, for less money.

 

[Oldpath05]

"I have no vendetta against wood heat. Don't know how many times I have to say that."<<<<<<<<I think you better say it one more time, this time without your fingers crossed behind your back and raise your right hand or is it the left hand.

 

[Oldpath05]

"What next? Gonna object to people going fishing because the harvest isn't a paying proposition?"<<<Yes, what a complete waste of time when should be out cutting firewood so it be sold, so then you can go buy a Geothermal heat pump, and or oil for your oil furnace, propane for the propane furnace, wood pellets for the wood pellet furnace, remember firewood has value, can also be sold so you can buy imported fish sticks from China at your local Whole Food Store, or at Amazon.

 

[4570Man]

Point made. I grasped your concept a long time ago ( didn't say I completely agreed). How many people are going to only split wood to sale vs how many people burn wood.

 

[Egon]

Seems to have drifted a bit.

Now, if you have no money, a saw and an axe and access to wood at no cost with only your time involved how would you heat?? Sell the wood you harvest or buy a commercial source of heat?

If you work and pay taxes whatever is purchased is done by after tax money.