Ready for winter?

jyoutz · Sep 28, 2022

Torvy said:
What's that? Winter doesn't exist down here.

Sure it does. You need to find your sweat shirts.

Jstpssng · Sep 28, 2022

Oaktree said:
We only keep the house 65 or so, let it get down into the upper 50s overnight (during heating season). Cold to some people, but comfortable for us. I find a 72º room to be incredibly stuffy.

I used to be like that, until I put in a wood stove. Now it's not uncommon to wake up after a few hours to close the windows.

ovrszd · Sep 28, 2022

I

Oaktree said:
Is this averaged over 12 months or just heating season? I bet some who heat with electricity or propane pay more than that during the winter. Can't speak for natural gas, never lived where it was available. Heating oil is high this year for sure, fortunately we use very little since our main heat source is a woodstove.
Our highest electric bill ever was last month's...~$75, this after a more than 100% rate increase that took effect 1st of August. Typically ours would be mid 40s summer, low 50s winter.

We only keep the house 65 or so, let it get down into the upper 50s overnight (during heating season). Cold to some people, but comfortable for us. I find a 72º room to be incredibly stuffy.

I've slept in some very uncomfortable situations.

Long term, 50s is miserable.

Larry Caldwell · Sep 29, 2022

My stove has a firebox big enough that a couple big pieces of hardwood will provide a nice bed of coals in the morning. Unlike other people, I cut and save small rounds from trees. Toss a half a dozen 2" rounds on the coals, open the draft, give it a few whoofs with a bellows, and the iron box is back up to heating temperature in about 20 minutes. By the time the sun comes up the rounds have burned to coals, so I close the draft and let the sun warm the house through the south windows. I can always feed the fire if it's cloudy.

A local tree service just dropped off a truckload of white oak. It was a big tree. I'm going to have to put some serious hours on the chainsaw to turn it into firewood, and may need to buy a rip chain. The pieces are huge. My 30" bar is going to need two cuts to get through it. I know what I'm going to be doing this winter.