? isit only the foolish that heat with wood?

[chipper1]

This going to be my first winter in a loooong time with out wood heat. I don't think heat is going to be cheap. In my house with wood stove, my electric bill ran around $100-$125 month. I heated with wood and had a heat exchanger on the stove for hot water. Since moving into the RV in Sept, I sort of at first thought I would come out all right on the propane. 2-30lb tanks lasted a month and cost $25 to refill. Electricity was about $120, mostly for the AC. Second month about the same cost. Then the temps dropped. Going thru 1-30lb gas bottle a week (about $12.50) and it aint even real cold yet. Gas company is supposed to bring me a 100 gal tank to hook to the RV. Getting up at midnite and changing gas bottles has already gotten old. How come you never run out during the daytime. RV has a electric furnace as well as gas. To slow down the gas consumption, we try use electric heat during the day and switch to gas heat before we go to bed. The electric furnace just doesn't put out enough BTU's. We also have an electric fireplace, I think it puts out more heat than the electric furnace, but the heat doesn't get all the way back to the bed room. I haven't gotten my next electric bill yet, but I expect it to be pretty high. Once I get a look at the bill, I will be able to decide which is cheaper, gas or electric. Wonder how hard it would be to take the electric fireplace out and swap in a small wood stove. Wonder how long it would take to burn my rv to the ground. Oh well, I'll get thru this winter some how and hopefully be back to burning wood before snow flys next winter.

Just get an OWB, then you'll have hot water too, it's a small investment lol.

 

[muddstopper]

Just get an OWB, then you'll have hot water too, it's a small investment lol.

I don't know if your joking or not, but I actually thought about it. Being as I am living in a RV, I just haven't figured out how to hook a OWB up. I have about 7 full cords of wood piled up I moved when I sold my house. That would keep the owb running for a while. I think I will search YouTube and see what I can find. I know somebody has done or tried it.

 

[chipper1]

I don't know if your joking or not, but I actually thought about it. Being as I am living in a RV, I just haven't figured out how to hook a OWB up. I have about 7 full cords of wood piled up I moved when I sold my house. That would keep the owb running for a while. I think I will search YouTube and see what I can find. I know somebody has done or tried it.

I'd do it, why not if its on your land and you can run them where you are. Just need a coil and a fan setup with a thermostat like the ones some guys use in a shop only smaller/quieter.

 

[muddstopper]

I'd do it, why not if its on your land and you can run them where you are. Just need a coil and a fan setup with a thermostat like the ones some guys use in a shop only smaller/quieter.

If I could figure some way of connecting to the existing duct work without having to tear everything out from under the rv, I might consider it, but for just a few months this winter, I aint sure the effort is worth it. Right now, I think underpinning the rv will give me the biggest roi.

 

[chipper1]

If I could figure some way of connecting to the existing duct work without having to tear everything out from under the rv, I might consider it, but for just a few months this winter, I aint sure the effort is worth it. Right now, I think underpinning the rv will give me the biggest roi.

Have you seen the wood stove/furnaces that guys use that are outdoors, they connect them to the house with ductwork.
Maybe sell the wood and buy a pellet stove, that would give you a bit more control of the heat.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

Have you seen the wood stove/furnaces that guys use that are outdoors, they connect them to the house with ductwork.
Maybe sell the wood and buy a pellet stove, that would give you a bit more control of the heat.

I suggested an outdoor furnace to some folks I know who live in a converted school bus. They did it up nicely with spray foam insulation etc, but the woodstove inside takes up a lot of space and requires fiddling with the draft control, etc. I thought a furnace outside would be pretty slick.

 

[chipper1]

I suggested an outdoor furnace to some folks I know who live in a converted school bus. They did it up nicely with spray foam insulation etc, but the woodstove inside takes up a lot of space and requires fiddling with the draft control, etc. I thought a furnace outside would be pretty slick.

The one I am talking about is an odd setup as it's real similar to the ones you'd put in the basement, but it's setup for square duct if I rememberer right, it's been a while since I've seen that type.

How you liking yours, is it better this season after the mods.

 

[babybart]

Have you seen the wood stove/furnaces that guys use that are outdoors, they connect them to the house with ductwork.
Maybe sell the wood and buy a pellet stove, that would give you a bit more control of the heat.

I second the pellet stove idea. The one that was in my house when I bought it is now in my 26x26 garage. keeps it very comfortable. Most of them are mobile home rated I believe. Simple to vent as well.

 

[svk]

I’ll tell you, the extra heat off the boiler sure makes the house feel warmer.

We keep our bedroom thermostat at 62 so when I walk out into the hall way I’m greeted with a warm updraft of air when heating with wood versus a cold downdraft when heating with gas or electric.

 

[Ryan'smilling]

The one I am talking about is an odd setup as it's real similar to the ones you'd put in the basement, but it's setup for square duct if I rememberer right, it's been a while since I've seen that type.

How you liking yours, is it better this season after the mods.

Mine has been great this year. Our old furnace (Yukon Klondike) had an electric plenum heater installed in it, which I moved over to the Kuuma early in November. Now that I have a backup heat source integrated into the system, I love the Kuuma considerably more. Previously I was having a little issue where the house would be a little chilly (like 66, terrible right?) In the early morning. I'd get up and put a load of wood in that would give us some heat to bring the house back where I wanted it, but then we'd get a bunch of solar gain when the sun got a little higher and the house would be 76+ degrees.

With the plenum heater, the house will stay 68 or 70 (whatever I want) overnight. The electric only kicks on a few times, but it's enough to avoid the dip. Then I don't need as big of a load in the morning, and I avoid cooking us out. The electricity for that heater is $.07/kwh, so the cost shouldn't be too bad. Also, since it uses the Kuuma's blower, and blows air past the wood furnace, it is just kinda giving a boost, but using preheated air.

I did see that @JRHAWK9 modified his to have a variable speed blower instead of just a 2 speed, which would be cool, but beyond my current skill set. Maybe someday I'll tackle that.

One cool thing I discovered with the Kuuma is that if I load the thing 100% full at bedtime and leave the computer set to low, I can wake up in the morning and turn off the computer (shut the damper), push the coals back all the way, toss a little ash on top of the coals, and still have coals at bedtime 24 hours after adding wood the previous time.

 

[chipper1]

Mine has been great this year. Our old furnace (Yukon Klondike) had an electric plenum heater installed in it, which I moved over to the Kuuma early in November. Now that I have a backup heat source integrated into the system, I love the Kuuma considerably more. Previously I was having a little issue where the house would be a little chilly (like 66, terrible right?) In the early morning. I'd get up and put a load of wood in that would give us some heat to bring the house back where I wanted it, but then we'd get a bunch of solar gain when the sun got a little higher and the house would be 76+ degrees.

With the plenum heater, the house will stay 68 or 70 (whatever I want) overnight. The electric only kicks on a few times, but it's enough to avoid the dip. Then I don't need as big of a load in the morning, and I avoid cooking us out. The electricity for that heater is $.07/kwh, so the cost shouldn't be too bad. Also, since it uses the Kuuma's blower, and blows air past the wood furnace, it is just kinda giving a boost, but using preheated air.

I did see that @JRHAWK9 modified his to have a variable speed blower instead of just a 2 speed, which would be cool, but beyond my current skill set. Maybe someday I'll tackle that.

One cool thing I discovered with the Kuuma is that if I load the thing 100% full at bedtime and leave the computer set to low, I can wake up in the morning and turn off the computer (shut the damper), push the coals back all the way, toss a little ash on top of the coals, and still have coals at bedtime 24 hours after adding wood the previous time.

Glad you got it working well for you.
When I start doing our basement and I'm ready to install a high efficiency furnace then I will be looking for something like that kuuma. We have an 80% furnace upstairs now that I've never fired in the 10yrs we've been here. We are in a doublewide trailer on a 9' basement, I'd like to have heat in the basement once I get to working on it.

 

[Mad Professor]

So you put no value on your time? Can't say I do either with wood as I enjoy the work......but, if you don't think about the time value it's hard to really value. The next step in your analogy is "I've got a saw for other reasons, a pickup already and a maul" so my firewood cost is a few gallons of pre-mix.

Time on this earth is priceless.

But if is use my time cutting and splitting wood, by hand, my time produces a benefit in fuel, and another in fitness. I can't split wood like when I was a 25 year old, but I can still swing a 20-lb sledge if I need to.

 

[Mad Professor]

This going to be my first winter in a loooong time with out wood heat. I don't think heat is going to be cheap. In my house with wood stove, my electric bill ran around $100-$125 month. I heated with wood and had a heat exchanger on the stove for hot water. Since moving into the RV in Sept, I sort of at first thought I would come out all right on the propane. 2-30lb tanks lasted a month and cost $25 to refill. Electricity was about $120, mostly for the AC. Second month about the same cost. Then the temps dropped. Going thru 1-30lb gas bottle a week (about $12.50) and it aint even real cold yet. Gas company is supposed to bring me a 100 gal tank to hook to the RV. Getting up at midnite and changing gas bottles has already gotten old. How come you never run out during the daytime. RV has a electric furnace as well as gas. To slow down the gas consumption, we try use electric heat during the day and switch to gas heat before we go to bed. The electric furnace just doesn't put out enough BTU's. We also have an electric fireplace, I think it puts out more heat than the electric furnace, but the heat doesn't get all the way back to the bed room. I haven't gotten my next electric bill yet, but I expect it to be pretty high. Once I get a look at the bill, I will be able to decide which is cheaper, gas or electric. Wonder how hard it would be to take the electric fireplace out and swap in a small wood stove. Wonder how long it would take to burn my rv to the ground. Oh well, I'll get thru this winter some how and hopefully be back to burning wood before snow flys next winter.

You need a new RV with a woodstove!!!

 

[chipper1]

You need a new RV with a woodstove!!!

View attachment 777458

View attachment 777458

Now you have me thinking, I already have the shed with a front porch, just need the back porch .

 

[Odog]

My house has ceiling heat and a wood stove. Ceiling heat sucks. In the 20+ years I’ve been burning wood I could have probably spent the money I used on fuel and saws to pay for a new heating system, BUT there were quite a few lean years where we didn’t have much money and cutting wood kept us warm and selling extra wood earned a little extra money for Christmas for my girls. I’ll always have a wood stove, even when I build my new house.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Yes, my place has nothing but pine and boxelder. I have to beg, scrounge, pull in favors and fight for the good hardwood I get. Doing pretty well this year but nothing cut for next yet. So, yes, stupid.

 

[sb47]

Yep using a free renewable fuel source that nature will convert to Co2 naturally is highly foolish.

 

[muddstopper]

You need a new RV with a woodstove!!!

View attachment 777458

View attachment 777458

I wish I had seen this before I bought the one I have now.

 

[svk]

The guy who used the tree length logs in his barrel stove also had a wood stove in his van. Gotta wonder how that drafted going down the road....

 

[chucker]

The guy who used the tree length logs in his barrel stove also had a wood stove in his van. Gotta wonder how that drafted going down the road....

i would come to guess that it, the van was/is a parked model if not burned down... as its against the law/common sense to travel the roads with open flames!