How many cords so far

[rancher2]

Mustang71
I don't what the exact amount of propane would be used to keep a family of four in hot water but 30 years ago at our other farm we put a new furance and ac in and switched to propane on the hot water and it lower our electric usage enough the REA came out and checked the meter because they thought I was back reading the meter. Our electric rate in Nebraska is fairly high. I have had my Garn for around 10 years and have shut it down a couple summers and my clothes drier runs on propane also and I am running the last 500 gallon tank fill from 10 years ago and it still has 50 percent left just look tonight.

 

[Mustang71]

I'm just using the wood furnace for heat but it saves a ton on propane. I did a post on heat pump water heaters a while ago for this same reason. I'm an hvac guy so this stuff interests me. Either way this standard electric tank will go when it goes. I'm assuming my water heater costs me about 40 dollars a month in electric maybe more so I'm curious about the other side...propane no natural gas out here.

 

[NSMaple1]

My $25/mo figure for electric hot water was for family of 4 (was 5 in the early years and not much difference in electricity), at $0.18/kwh.

That's for the summer months, when showers aren't quite so hot & not quite as long maybe as winter (for me at least) - and we don't use much hot water in the washing machine, mostly cold cycles.

But that use compares pretty directly vs. before when we heated it with oil (coil in boiler) at almost 1 gallon of oil per day - standby losses doing that are HUGE. I suspect there would be some heat losses up the chimney or out the vent with LP too?

All I know is that an electric tank heater costs way less that I thought it did and would all those years I was using oil - should have made the switch years ago.

 

[Mustang71]

Power vented tanks are not very efficient. They are less than 70 percent I believe. I'll just stick with what I have. I only use hot water for showers and dishes. I only used 20 percent of my propane last winter. I'm happy when it's less than one tank a year and I don't think that would be possible with a water heater.

 

[muddstopper]

I dont know how much gas it would take me to heat my water since I have never used it. What I do know is that when I first installed my heat exchanger on my wood stove, my power bill went down right at $50 a month. I dont know how that would compare to a gas water heater, but would guess that unless the gas saved me the same amount plus the cost of the gas, that would be pretty good. Only thing is, my wood stove dont run in the summer time, so It isnt heating any water. I guess I could put a killowatt meter on my electric water heater and track usage during the summer months to see just what it cost to heat water with electricity, but I would then have to install a gas water heater and check the cost of heating that way before I would know if I was saving any money. If I didnt have this house on the market, I would probably install a solar heater for water in the summer months and keep using wood in the winter

 

[Wood Doctor]

You guys are going to think I'm crazy. I brought in two more truckloads of rather dry but unsplit burr oak on Friday and Saturday. I cut it all to length on Friday, hauled in a full truckload and then picked up the rest on Saturday. The truck was growling both times, the humidity was through the roof, and I need a beer break.

 

[Mustang71]

I watch my neighbor cut and split firewood in the winter to heat his house and wonder y he doesn't prepare for winter in the summer. He's in his 70s maybe he can't take the heat. Seems foolish to me.

 

[rancher2]

Wood Doctor I too live in eastern Ne and we cut and split a lot of wood in the summer but the last week it has been way too hot. Trying to get the rest of the beans sprayed and road ditches mowed up. But we will get back to wood soon.

 

[user 122190]

Lots of peeps around here wait to late also. The good+easy stuff is best found as soon as the snow melts. Storm blown down on the road don't last long.

I watch my neighbor cut and split firewood in the winter to heat his house and wonder y he doesn't prepare for winter in the summer. He's in his 70s maybe he can't take the heat. Seems foolish to me.

 

[Mustang71]

I prefer the good easy stuff to add to next year's wood or the year after. I cut in the winter because it's easier. But it's like his chimney stops smoking and he's out there cutting and splitting another cord of wood. Seems crazy to me. He's had a downed tree in his yard for months and stihl hasn't cut it up.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Wood Doctor I too live in eastern Ne and we cut and split a lot of wood in the summer but the last week it has been way too hot. Trying to get the rest of the beans sprayed and road ditches mowed up. But we will get back to wood soon.

And, it's not getting cooler anytime soon. I tried running a fan close to the splitter and mounted a beach umbrella over it. That helped a little, but by noon, the party was over. The humidity is off the wall. It reminds me of the weather I used to fight in Houston 40 years ago. That's why I left there and moved north, but this year it's worse here than in the lone star state. South Dakota even made it past 100 F. August could be cooler than July, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Logger nate]

5 cords lodge pole pine
5 cords p pine
1 cord white fir
3 cords spruce
1 cord red fir
1 cord tamarack, so far.
Spruce, pine, white fir mostly for camp fire wood bundles. Been 80-90 here but thankfully low humidity, you guys are tuffer than me cutting in high heat and humidity.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Several one cord deliveries, and a few people taking me up on the free wood racks with their order.
This morning I had half of a one cord delivery, and a 3/4 cord rack. Got side tracked by a buddy, and then delivered the second half cord. The guy had the first half cord stacked in the rack. Half cord plus two to four cubic feet. Yes! Not bad for loose thrown on a pallet. He was very happy, and I was.

I haven't cut or split for several days.
Waxing a twelve year old RV trailer, on the shade side. Spent some time by hand and just left finger streaks in the oxidation. Lots of effort, poor results.
Bought a buffer. That will put a grin on your face. Wax off by hand. Karate Kid style... More better, or is it more gooder? It's still an old trailer, dated by the graphics, but now I like it, a lot. Still a lot of work, but I like that too if it looks good when done. It's also a biggie to scratch off the to-do list.

Lists aren't my thing. They have a life of their own, measured in half life...
I read a quote. "Why does she think I need reminding every six months?"

 

[Wood Doctor]

Save some money by crib stacking (criss cross) the ends of the wood racks. That's how I do it. There really is no need for a special rack. Five minutes of crib stacking at the ends saves at least 50 bucks for everyone.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I'm trying to give the racks away and even that is hard. I used them with the forklift to set on a truck.
Maybe crib stacking is the reason the racks are hard to get rid of.

 

[muddstopper]

No wood work for me, just to hot. Been tinkering with the boat. Changed out the prop, gained 2mph. Not enough, put on a 60hp merc, speed jumped 5 more mph. Gone from 30.2 to 37.2 by the gps. Might run a bit faster if I can get by the porpoiseing. Might raise the motor another hole To see if that helps. I was shooting for 35mph, but since I blowed by that, might as well seek 40mph.

 

[Cowboy254]

5 cords lodge pole pine
5 cords p pine
1 cord white fir
3 cords spruce
1 cord red fir
1 cord tamarack, so far.
Spruce, pine, white fir mostly for camp fire wood bundles. Been 80-90 here but thankfully low humidity, you guys are tuffer than me cutting in high heat and humidity.

Isn't it only about 3 weeks ago you had snow? We had a little today, been cold. Relatively.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

60s here, humid though. My folks arrived earlier this week, so taking a partial vacation on wood.

Tore out carpet in my spare room, I'm helping my Dad put vinyl plank floorinf, turning it into my office. Then putting the same flooring in the master bed and bath. Carpet was wore out plus with allergies it's a bad choice.

 

[Logger nate]

Isn't it only about 3 weeks ago you had snow? We had a , little today, been cold. Relatively.

Lol, seems like only 3 weeks ago, it's prolly closer to 8 or 9 weeks ago.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I'm trying to give the racks away and even that is hard. I used them with the forklift to set on a truck.
Maybe crib stacking is the reason the racks are hard to get rid of.

Could be. Here's a schematic of what I try to do most of the time:

A former English teacher told me this was called crib stacking. The logs on the end will hold up an enormous height primarily because almost all of the force is vertical.