Cords Burned

[jokers]

I`m burning about 40 face cord, 18" - 20", in a Heatmor outdoor boiler. It`s all mixed hardwood but I usually have alot of cherry which burns too fast, and ash which isn`t alot better in my opinion. I`ve been coming across more hickory and maple over the last couple of years and I really like the maple which gives a nice long burn. In all fairness to the burn qualities of the different woods, I don`t worry about seasoning any of the wood, sometimes it goes right from stump to furnace so I end up burning more just to cook the moisture off, but the wood is cheap enough(free) that I don`t worry about it. I will, like dozerdan, burn any wood I`ve got but find that the softwoods and anything too punky isn`t worth taking home. I generally like to load my boiler twice a day and the junk wood just doesn`t make it. For the record I`m heating 2700 ft2 above grade and a 1300 finished walk out basement with radiant baseboard, and all of my domestic hotwater. It`s always windy here, just off Lake Ontario, and I`m located on top of a hill. It`s not quite as cold as Minnesota but daily winter temps run between 10 and 25° with a few weeks of way below zero thrown in just for kicks. We usually end of with a solid week or more of night time temps of -20 - -30. I was paying $1800 - $2000 per year for propane before I got the Heatmor. Russ

 

[sritzau]

I have to make a rough translation of pick-up trucks to garage-fulls to cords and I estimate I burn 6-8 cords of hardwood (primarily ash and oak) a year. I have 2600 ft2 of drafty old Connecticut farmhouse, but don't heat it all, and I let the stove (a Jotul Oslo) go out overnight.

For overnight heat and hot water, I use about 750 gallons of oil during our 6 month heating season. For 24 hour heating, I would estimate 8-12 cords for the same 6-month season (and about a 250 gallon reduction in oil usage).

Our stove is in the living room, and we watch it like TV all winter long. I wish I could say we have it all put up already, but I grab standing and recently-fallen dead "on-the-fly" perhaps more than I should.

 

[tony marks]

hey cj7 . i once had a bunch of that cotton wood givin to me. least thats what i thot it was. the one thing about this wood was i never got a wood stove to burn it.
i mean not at all. have i got it named wrong, or is this the way cottonwood is.

 

[Toddppm]

Sounds like cottonwood, burns about as good as wet toilet paper.
We've been burning about 2-4 cords a year, use it to heat just about all the time, small house. All hardwoods, free from removals we do. About the only time I spend in the living room is when the fires going watching it.

 

[deadtrees]

I have some cottonwood and it burns fine in a stove. It is well dried and I mix it with oak. It does not have a lot of heat value. If the fire dies down to just some coals A piece of cottonwood will get it going quickly. I also use it to start a fire because it will start easily while the stove temp is cold.

 

[eyolf]

I don't burn alot of cottonwood, but it isn't a whole lot different than aspen (popple), willow, basswood, etc. I like popple in the shop, or the barrel stove in my garage; quick hot fire, but quick to die down too, so you don't go back to the house and worry at the end of the evening. If Popple is bone dry, you can burn it for 10 years, and never have to clean your chimney.

Wet popple is bad, wet bam (balm-o'-gilead, or balsam poplar) is worse for acrid, smelly smoke. Wet basswood literally will not burn.

 

[CJ-7]

The cottonwood I burn is from an 18" branch taken down on my lot 6 years ago, made about 1 1/2 face cords. I had a lot of oak at the time so it was 4 years before I got around to burning it. Burns fine, but the coals don't last like oak. It takes about twice the amount of cottonwood to keep my fireplace going as it does oak.

 

[buckwheat]

6-7 full cords a year of mixed hardwoods - this winter it will be mostly oak. We have a 2800 ft2 two story that we heat with a Baker Double Eagle with a blower in the family room as primary. The house was built with oil forced air - last winter we used 23 gallons.
Nothing beats the warmth of a good wood fire on a damp cold night.

 

[Oregon_Rob]

When we first moved to the property, we lived in an old, un insulated farm house with a piece of ?&%$ wood stove that we couldn’t shut down. Load it up at 10-11 PM, get up at 1 AM and the front room would be 100°, bet up at 6 AM and the fire would be out and the room was 50°. Don’t even know how many cords we burned that year.
We then found a good Earth stove, the best locally made stoves in Oregon. And used that for the next 4 years. Much more comfortable, would burn over night and still have some coals left in the morning. We used 4-6 cords full time, per year. It just doesn’t get very cold where we live, at leas not for any extended periods of time. The coldest I have ever seen it in 36 years is 0°F and that was only one time.
Now we have a Manufactured home that is really well insulated, 6” in the walls, double windows and don’t have a stove, the old one would blow us out of our house. I have been thinking about an external furnace, but have other priorities at the moment.
Now I just cut wood for my wife's parents.

 

[Lobo]

Cords burned in a winter

Hi,

When referring to cords, are you guys talking about burning cords that are 8 ft. x 4 ft. x 16 inches or a full cord of 8 ft. x 4 ft. x 4 feet.
Burning 10 to 20 full cords a winter is one heck of a lot of firewood.

 

[Dennis]

I use up about 4-5 full cords a year... fir/spruce/pine/birch...as well as propane backup in the house and shop...

 

[John from Calif]

We use 2 cords of Almond per year in a Jotul stove. It is our main source of heat in Redondo Beach, Cal. No experience (or house) yet in Havila, Cal., camp fires only (oak).

 

[Auto tech]

Burn close to 20 full cords per year, most anything except willow. Have a central boiler outside wood burner with forced draft, firebox is roughly 4 ft. deep, 3 ft. wide, 4 ft. tall, surrounded by 385 gal. of water, works super. Heat a 2400 sq. ft. house, and a poorly insulated 1800 sq. ft. auto repair shop with 14 ft. ceiling & large overhead doors. Wood is sole heat source, haven't used fuel oil or natural gas since installation.

 

[daveb]

I burn about 7 cord a year in a forced hot air wood furnace, mostly red oak and hard maple

 

[timberwolf]

~4 full cords a year, use as little propane as I can for back up. Heating a new mid/high eficiciency house 2600 sqr inc bsmt.

Cut dead wood out off property and make up the balence with ironwood poplar and other less desirable, damaged or desiesed trees.

 

[Gypo Logger]

How's it goin there fella's? I burn approx. 7-8 cords of Stihls and Huskys, I simply stuff them down the chimney till its chock full from firebox to top of stainless flue. When I crank it up, its good for three days, which necessitates opening doors and windows.
However, the snow drifts in which doubles as a make shift fridge which cools the beverages to 45 degrees.
Gypo

 

[Ryan Willock]

ok John, i see the saws but WHAT is all that other crap???

 

[StIhL MaGnUm]

Good question John what is all that crap,it looks like you need to do some serious cleanup,if you want I'll let you borrow my whole tree chipper for a few days..

Later Rob..

 

[Gypo Logger]

Doug should be able to illuminate the picture to show the whole thing, I dont have the knowledge that he does, but I will ask him to smarten it up for us. RB is also good with the photography manipulation as well. You wont believe whats in that picture.
at least 100 saws and 1000's of bars.

Gypo

 

[Gypo Logger]

Is this any better? Actually its the entrance to Greffards saw shop.
Gypo