Reducing my dependence on fossil fuel

[DavidAubke]

Unfortunately, we don't have enough land to sustain my firewood habit, which leaves me scrounging wood where ever I can. I do my best to stay a full season ahead, so it usually works out just fine.

This is an annual challenge for us as well. We heat our small house on 2.5 cords. We get a permit to harvest from the nearby national forest. For $20/year, we can clean up any fallen trees we want.

Maybe there's some kind of scrubbers you can put on the chimney to clean up the smoke.

Our catalytic stove does a good job of emitting no smoke. It can be burned low and slow and still there will be no visible smoke or odor from the chimney. The catalytic converter recovers a huge amount of heat as well. The only downside is that the element (~$120) must be replaced every three or four years.

 

[TripleR]

I sure wish people around here wanted wood, we have some big Oaks down and have had Hickory etc. lie and rot because no one would come and cut them up for the wood. I can't use a chainsaw safely anymore and quit burning wood.

 

[DavidAubke]

I sure wish people around here wanted wood, we have some big Oaks down and have had Hickory etc. lie and rot because no one would come and cut them up for the wood. I can't use a chainsaw safely anymore and quit burning wood.

By your avatar image, I'm figuring you don't live in S.E. Ohio, otherwise I'd be out tomorrow.

 

[TripleR]

By your avatar image, I'm figuring you don't live in S.E. Ohio, otherwise I'd be out tomorrow.

No, I live in SE Missouri, need to check my info as it use to show up.

We have 150 acres of woods on one property, about twenty on another and six on another.

I have a fireplace and a good supply of wood put back in case of emergencies. Our renters cut the wood for us when a tree blew down in one of the fields.

 

[NativeSon]

I'm with you guys. I've been building a new house the past couple of years and have no central heating system. The downstairs is open concept with a bedroom and bathroom and a Vermont Castings Vigilant heats it all well. I had the whole house spray foam insulated and the stuff is amazing. I do have a Rinnai wall-mounted heater but only use it on cold mornings like today when the woodstove would be too hot in a couple hours. I also put electric radiant mats under both bathroom tile floors and electric baseboard units in the kids' bedrooms upstairs but haven't needed them at all (mostly put them in just to satisfy 'the establishment'). I have 13 acres with plenty of hardwood, so the BX has been a workhorse. I only burned a little over 2 cords last winter, pretty good for northern New England. I'm using a "palletized" wood storage system so I can keep the wood in a sunny spot away from the house in summer and then move it with BX & forks close to the back door in the late fall.

For domestic hot water I installed a 30-tube solar collector feeding an 80 gallon storage tank; no conventional water heater. It works incredible, actually heating more water than I can use so I'm thinking of tapping a baseboard unit off it to dump some heat. I am super happy with my design, it's been working great. I love not paying for gas or oil.

Great looking home!

 

[Haywire]

I sure wish people around here wanted wood, we have some big Oaks down and have had Hickory etc. lie and rot because no one would come and cut them up for the wood. I can't use a chainsaw safely anymore and quit burning wood.

Too bad. I too would be knocking on your door and making lots of noise on your back 40.

I wish I had the room and money to build a proper drive-through wood shed (barn) that would hold about 30 cords stacked to chest height. I built a wood shed that will hold about 15, but it's stacked 8' high and I have to stand on one short run to get to the top of the next. It's gonna bite me in the butt sooner or later.

Ian

 

[TripleR]

Too bad. I too would be knocking on your door and making lots of noise on your back 40.

I wish I had the room and money to build a proper drive-through wood shed (barn) that would hold about 30 cords stacked to chest height. I built a wood shed that will hold about 15, but it's stacked 8' high and I have to stand on one short run to get to the top of the next. It's gonna bite me in the butt sooner or later.

Ian

I miss harvesting and burning wood as it was a family affair with kids, grandkids, and grandparents involved. It was a lot of work, but enjoyable.

A nice wood shed like that would be nice, we kept ours stacked in barns, sheds etc. that were pretty unhandy.

 

[Rob-D]

Radair, like the home!

I have a Tulikivi fireplace from Finland with a bake oven in it, the only problem is I'm older now and very sensitive to the smoke, it actually makes me sick so I don't use it often even though I have cut wood as a back up.

I'm looking into Geothermal and am getting bids now. I built this house back in 1992 and insulated it very well for the time (R55 ceilings, etc.) It's also a relatively small house, big houses multiply your heating needs drastically but I know some folks with lots of kids that can't avoid it.

My goal is to use geo and preheat the water with microhydro and wind to get it as high as possible before the compressor pumps it up to heating levels. It's going to be a busy summer and I'll post pics when it's done.

Rob

 

[crazyal]

I'm with you guys. I've been building a new house the past couple of years and have no central heating system. The downstairs is open concept with a bedroom and bathroom and a Vermont Castings Vigilant heats it all well. I had the whole house spray foam insulated and the stuff is amazing. I do have a Rinnai wall-mounted heater but only use it on cold mornings like today when the woodstove would be too hot in a couple hours. I also put electric radiant mats under both bathroom tile floors and electric baseboard units in the kids' bedrooms upstairs but haven't needed them at all (mostly put them in just to satisfy 'the establishment'). I have 13 acres with plenty of hardwood, so the BX has been a workhorse. I only burned a little over 2 cords last winter, pretty good for northern New England. I'm using a "palletized" wood storage system so I can keep the wood in a sunny spot away from the house in summer and then move it with BX & forks close to the back door in the late fall.

For domestic hot water I installed a 30-tube solar collector feeding an 80 gallon storage tank; no conventional water heater. It works incredible, actually heating more water than I can use so I'm thinking of tapping a baseboard unit off it to dump some heat. I am super happy with my design, it's been working great. I love not paying for gas or oil.

I've been thinking of adding a solar hot water system. I looked into it a little bit but never really found anyone who could give me an honest opinion as to how well they work in New England. I've heard the solar vac tubes will frost and not work when it's real cold. How well does it work in the colder months in winter? Honestly I probably would be happy having one that only worked from Mid April to Mid November reliably.

 

[crazyal]

Radair, like the home!

I have a Tulikivi fireplace from Finland with a bake oven in it, the only problem is I'm older now and very sensitive to the smoke, it actually makes me sick so I don't use it often even though I have cut wood as a back up.

I'm looking into Geothermal and am getting bids now. I built this house back in 1992 and insulated it very well for the time (R55 ceilings, etc.) It's also a relatively small house, big houses multiply your heating needs drastically but I know some folks with lots of kids that can't avoid it.

My goal is to use geo and preheat the water with microhydro and wind to get it as high as possible before the compressor pumps it up to heating levels. It's going to be a busy summer and I'll post pics when it's done.

Rob

Call it a pet pev of mine but when I see couples with 2800 sqf houses with central air saying they can't afford to live I just shake my head. It's one thing if you have a big family but otherwise a big house is just more to clean, keep up, and heat.