Save $$$ - Heat with Wood

[LD1]

I cut alot of firewood. Rather enjoy it. But dont use it for heat in the house. Not cost effective at all.

I bought the hose a few years ago, with baseboard heaters only. But had a chimney in good shape.

After a rather mild november and having a $400 electric bill that month, I expedited putting in a wood burner.

Heated with wood for 2 winters and about 6 cord of wood each winter. What a mess in the house. Bugs, ashes, uneven heat, etc. And no AC in the summer other than the two widow AC units. Which also produced and equally uneven cooling.

Installed geothermal. Nearest guess is it cost me about $100 per month in the 6 months of winter, and in the summer to cool the whole house costs no more than the window AC units did.

Still enjoy cutting firewood. Sell it for $160/cord. So I sell the 6 cords I would have had to burn in the house....take that money.....and gladly give to the power company so they can keep me warm. No more mess, no worry of fire, no concern about the wife keeping fire going when I am at work for 12 hrs....etc.

If one factors the current cost of a central air system, or even the current prices of propane, and what the current cost of a cord of wood is,....wood dont save money IMO. I am just glad there are still many that heat with wood.....so I can make them my customers and sell to them.

 

[jk96]

What got me thinking about this was cleaning my chimney a couple weeks ago. Due to a real complicated roof layout, it was a real challenge to get safely onto the roof. The two easy routes I tried didn't work because I was hitting my head on an adjacent eave (with chunky pointy 4x6 rafter tails) while trying to get from the ladder onto the roof (which is tricky enough as it is). Finally ended up running my 28' ladder up to an eave right over the top of a wall with six windows -- it's the part of our house with a cathedral ceiling. I really wanted to avoid that wall because one wrong move and I would have busted out a lot of windows, but I had no choice.

Of course a 28' ladder is tough for one person to handle, so I used the tractor front loader (with a lot of straps to brace the ladder) to support the weight of the ladder while I got it into position. Worked well but I had a few pucker moments and probably wouldn't try that approach again.

Four hours later I finally get onto the roof, and used a rope to hoist up a 6' ladder to get me up to the chimney, as well as a small ladder stabilizer platform I made and a backpack with some tools. While hoisting the ladder up, I banged it into a window and almost had a heart attack, but thankfully no glass breakage. Only took me 15 minutes to clean the chimney, inspect everything, etc. All good.

The rain pan at the top of the chimney chase is rusting pretty bad, and will need to be replaced next year probably (will save that for a summer project). I got on the walkie talkie and had my wife send up a bottle of rust converter and paint brush to paint on the rain pan and maybe slow down the rust. That worked OK but of course I spilled a little down the side of the chimney.

Got all my gear down, climbed down the ladder, untied my safety lines, and put everything away. In total, about a six hour project just to clean the chimney!

Next year I am either going to cut an access hatch from the attic to get me directly onto the roof, or rent a towable boom lift (about $150 per day plus fees/taxes from Ahern rental). Heck, at about $15,000 cost brand new, I may come out ahead in the long run to buy a towable boom lift or a used 4x4 boom lift. Either boom lift option will require me to bring in some dirt/gravel and grade a flat path around the back side of the house since it's quite a slope there now.

Here's a photo of the six window $$$ zone where I ended up running the ladder. You can see other access points to each side where I was stymied by rafter tails getting off the ladder. Chimney is on the far right hidden behind tree branches in photo.

View attachment 529630

Here's the arrangement on the roof once I got up there:

View attachment 529629

My wife said only I would have been nuts enough to go through this debacle, versus paying someone else $400 to clean the chimney for us. I don't think they would have gotten on the roof any easier. But really, if it only takes a $15,000 boom lift to save me $400 per year, that's not bad for a wood heating arrangement. Will only take me 37.5 years to cover the cost of the boom lift.... If I can use the lift for other maintenance like power-washing and painting, or tree trimming, I can probably write off the cost in about 25 years....

Curious why you are not cleaning from the bottom up. We have a 32ft flu. Chimney guy comes every other year and cleans with a drill, brush, and extensions. Runs a camera up when done to check the work and flu condition. All done from the ground at $150 per cleaning.

 

[MGH PA]

I grew up heating with wood and have done so with my home since I owned it (for 9years). The wood has always been free, I just need to cut, split and stack. I do enjoy the satisfaction of heating my home through hard work and that it's great for power outages. With that being said, it takes up a lot of what little free time I have with a little one at home. When we build, I'm going Geothermal coupled with a modern tight building envelope. I may still put in a wood furnace to supplement or to heat a shop, but I don't want to depend on wood anymore.

 

[IXLR8]

s219- Around here a towable lift is also about $150/day, there have been several times I really could have used one. BUT- you need to show proof of liability insurance over $1Million, so that leaves me out.

 

[turnkey4099]

Sounds about right, just missed the value of all the time spent cutting, hauling, splitting, stacking, carrying and then carrying the ashes out.

But I log that cost down as a plus. Maintain health and no need for a gymn membership.

Just came in from a trip to where I'm clearcutting a willow bush for a farmer. 3 1/2 hours just cutting/piling brush. Great, enjkoyable time.

 

[turnkey4099]

What got me thinking about this was cleaning my chimney a couple weeks ago. Due to a real complicated roof layout, it was a real challenge to get safely onto the roof. The two easy routes I tried didn't work because I was hitting my head on an adjacent eave (with chunky pointy 4x6 rafter tails) while trying to get from the ladder onto the roof (which is tricky enough as it is). Finally ended up running my 28' ladder up to an eave right over the top of a wall with six windows -- it's the part of our house with a cathedral ceiling. I really wanted to avoid that wall because one wrong move and I would have busted out a lot of windows, but I had no choice.

Of course a 28' ladder is tough for one person to handle, so I used the tractor front loader (with a lot of straps to brace the ladder) to support the weight of the ladder while I got it into position. Worked well but I had a few pucker moments and probably wouldn't try that approach again.

Four hours later I finally get onto the roof, and used a rope to hoist up a 6' ladder to get me up to the chimney, as well as a small ladder stabilizer platform I made and a backpack with some tools. While hoisting the ladder up, I banged it into a window and almost had a heart attack, but thankfully no glass breakage. Only took me 15 minutes to clean the chimney, inspect everything, etc. All good.

The rain pan at the top of the chimney chase is rusting pretty bad, and will need to be replaced next year probably (will save that for a summer project). I got on the walkie talkie and had my wife send up a bottle of rust converter and paint brush to paint on the rain pan and maybe slow down the rust. That worked OK but of course I spilled a little down the side of the chimney.

Got all my gear down, climbed down the ladder, untied my safety lines, and put everything away. In total, about a six hour project just to clean the chimney!

Next year I am either going to cut an access hatch from the attic to get me directly onto the roof, or rent a towable boom lift (about $150 per day plus fees/taxes from Ahern rental). Heck, at about $15,000 cost brand new, I may come out ahead in the long run to buy a towable boom lift or a used 4x4 boom lift. Either boom lift option will require me to bring in some dirt/gravel and grade a flat path around the back side of the house since it's quite a slope there now.

Here's a photo of the six window $$$ zone where I ended up running the ladder. You can see other access points to each side where I was stymied by rafter tails getting off the ladder. Chimney is on the far right hidden behind tree branches in photo.

View attachment 529630

Here's the arrangement on the roof once I got up there:

View attachment 529629

My wife said only I would have been nuts enough to go through this debacle, versus paying someone else $400 to clean the chimney for us. I don't think they would have gotten on the roof any easier. But really, if it only takes a $15,000 boom lift to save me $400 per year, that's not bad for a wood heating arrangement. Will only take me 37.5 years to cover the cost of the boom lift.... If I can use the lift for other maintenance like power-washing and painting, or tree trimming, I can probably write off the cost in about 25 years....

Or go into a chimney cleaning service

 

[Deere Dude]

What got me thinking about this was cleaning my chimney a couple weeks ago. Due to a real complicated roof layout, it was a real challenge to get safely onto the roof.
Got all my gear down, climbed down the ladder, untied my safety lines, and put everything away. In total, about a six hour project just to clean the chimney!

Next year I am either going to cut an access hatch from the attic to get me directly onto the roof, or rent a towable boom lift (about $150 per day plus fees/taxes from Ahern rental)....

That is what I would do. Cut an access hole and just leave the ladder and its platform right inside. Easy Peasy Japan Easy.

 

[kenmac]

That's the reason I pulled my gas logs out and put a wood burning fireplace in. The gas logs are quick and give you the warm cozy feeling, but 5 seconds after they go out it is cold. A wood burner heats up but when off, it still gives residual heat.

Best $36,388 I spent.

Yeah, all that heat goes right up the chimney ! Mine continues to give off heat from the logs that were heated when they were on..
I have no chimney for all that heat to go into the atmosphere, and no mess to clean up.

Mine are 100% efficient .. No chimney..

 

[LouNY]

That痴 why I have a coal insert....stove was ~$1700, parts over the 10 years ~$300...coal each year is about $300....figure in an all electric house my savings every year is $1500 or so.

I also have a coal insert, my 3 tons of coal was $720 this year, but is saves me several hundred gallons of oil.
Not much of a dollar saving but I tend to keep it a lot warmer which my wife likes then the oil furnace would be set at.

 

[dodge man]

I remember a spread sheet someone posted a few years ago with costs to heat. If I remember Wood was pretty cost effective. I think it also assumed you paid for wood. I think this assumes a modern wood furnace.

In my case I would already have a chainsaw bu5 not likely a splitter.