OWB wood usage & square footage

[milkie62]

CB middle sized one.2600 sq ft ,73 degrees in house.HW baseboard.8-9 cord of mostly pine and poplar.

 

[milkie62]

My backup is more wood!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[milkie62]

Why is it if you heat with wood people ask what you have for backup heat ?I ask them what they have for backup heat with their oil furnace.Power does go out in the winter.My neighbor also has a outdoor boiler and we check each others and fill them if one of us happens to go away during the winter.

 

[046]

can't speak for anyone else... but I have not lit the pilot light for gas furnace since installing fireplace insert. (3 seasons)

my custom JUCA insert operates independent of existing natural gas furnace. gas furnace is fully operational... if I should need a backup.

What I am curious about is, of the people with indoor stoves, how many have a normal furnace as a back up and does it kick on sometimes. I'm not trying to start anything, but the two people that I personally know that have had wood stoves also had a furnace that would start up over nite or when they were away from the house all day. One has switched to a Central Boiler and really likes it. Like I said, not trying to start anything, just curious.

Sam

 

[carney19]

Why is it if you heat with wood people ask what you have for backup heat ?I ask them what they have for backup heat with their oil furnace.Power does go out in the winter.My neighbor also has a outdoor boiler and we check each others and fill them if one of us happens to go away during the winter.

I was thinking the same thing. I personally have never ran any propane through my forced air propane furnace since I built my house. It isn't even plumbed! I keep my unfinished (and unused mostly) basement floor heat at 75 degrees and my upstairs forced air at about 73. I love it. The best heat I have ever experienced. I too have neighbors that keep an eye out for me...and I for them.

Even if I am "down", it takes a very long time to lose that floor temp.

 

[barkeatr]

FACE cords or full cords

I have a central boiler with a long buried pipe to the house.

I burn 4-5 face cords a month in the dead of winter, here in very upstate NY. I assume everyone is talking face cords when the word cord is used?

barkeatr

 

[tawilson]

I have a central boiler with a long buried pipe to the house.

I burn 4-5 face cords a month in the dead of winter, here in very upstate NY. I assume everyone is talking face cords when the word cord is used?

barkeatr

Not necessarily. I lurked and read a lot before making my first post. Welcome. If you go upstate far enough you end up in Northern NY, right?

 

[barkeatr]

lurking and wood use

thanks for the welcome, ya, ive been lurking since 2006. this is a valuble resource!

Yesuh, if you go upstate far enough you get to upstate..you said it right. Im seveal miles off the canadien border..not that far from malone winter is very long and cold. leaves are changing...as Im sure they are in Theresa also.

thanks again

 

[abohac]

A lot of you posted your answers in a few different threads. I am curious to see what Outdoor Wood Burners everyone is using and mainly how much wood you are using a year and how much square footage you are heating. There seems to be a big difference in what is being used. Post away!

I have a Woodmaster (the size bigger than the 4400). Had it about 7 years. I heat a 7 year old house that is very well insulated with foam and 2x6 walls and brick. House is 3300 sq ft. I heat my basement floor, my garage floor and my wood and tiled floors. I heat my potable water until about July (when my wood pile runs out). All total about 20 to 25 face cords per year. House is 72 degrees and so is the garage and basement.

 

[046]

most everyone uses standard Cord 4' x 4' x 8'
http://www.woodheat.org/firewood/cord.htm

3x face cords = one cord

I have a central boiler with a long buried pipe to the house.

I burn 4-5 face cords a month in the dead of winter, here in very upstate NY. I assume everyone is talking face cords when the word cord is used?

barkeatr

 

[ms310]

thats alot of wood

numbers posted in this thread disagree with only a 20-25% increase in wood consumption.

based upon AS regulars feedback... OWB is 9-12 cords VS inside wood stove 3-5 cords
part of that difference is OWB's are also supporting hot water need for the winter.

there's a major difference between someone posting an article favoring or against OWB vs having a bunch of AS regulars posting feedback on their actual usage coupled with real life conditions their OWB is operating under.

I'll take feedback from AS regulars over articles any day!!!

9-12 cords is a lot of wood for an outdoor boiler, i dont know what these guys are burning to come up with some of their numbers but i figure i am at 7 and run year around with mine mostly burning ash. I am known to take a dead rooten stuff of the ground and put it in there the one tree last year i cut up i could stick my finger into it about 2" it was rotten and wet but i could not see leaving it there to rot. As far as the amount of ashes that i had for the year i would say one wheelbarrow full and that is it i have been just spreading them on the ground at the ash auger outlet and havent had to clean any up! My brother in law has another brand owb i would say that he uses close to 10 face cord a month in the middle of winter and his ash pile each time i drop off a 7 face cord load to him is probabley about 2 wheel barrows per 7 cord.

 

[046]

with 7 cords year round... that's just about the best numbers posted so far...
folks posting 9-12 cords seem pretty knowledgeable.

how many square ft are you heating and what brand OWB?
gasifier?

9-12 cords is a lot of wood for an outdoor boiler, i dont know what these guys are burning to come up with some of their numbers but i figure i am at 7 and run year around with mine mostly burning ash. I am known to take a dead rooten stuff of the ground and put it in there the one tree last year i cut up i could stick my finger into it about 2" it was rotten and wet but i could not see leaving it there to rot. As far as the amount of ashes that i had for the year i would say one wheelbarrow full and that is it i have been just spreading them on the ground at the ash auger outlet and havent had to clean any up! My brother in law has another brand owb i would say that he uses close to 10 face cord a month in the middle of winter and his ash pile each time i drop off a 7 face cord load to him is probabley about 2 wheel barrows per 7 cord.

 

[abohac]

If you guys would, please list what you used for the underground pex. I've got a woodmaster 4400 coming the end of the month, and I used the wrapped insulated pex in 4" drain tile ~ basically the 'time saver' pex. I have good drainage, so hopefully it is gonna be good enough...

Thanks!

Chris

I used the stuff sold by the woodmaster dealer and I wish I would have spent a little more and used Kitec (ornage stuff with a vapor barrier). My pex contracts with heat and retracts with cold so far that I'm afraid that fitting are going to pull off (I went from the pex where it came into my house with copper to the heat exchangers). Go with a vapor barrier if you can ($$$) even though you don't need it.

 

[fourustircom]

Wood usage

At least we are not cutting 10 cord in a weekend. You do it when you can and try not to make a career out of it. Our main goal was to get the fire and the mess out of the house. As I'm cutting and splitting, I keep thinking of the price of fuel oil now and what it probably will be in the dead of winter. That keeps me going and feeling like I'm getting ahead.

 

[abohac]

Looks like mine!

Urecon, darned expensive but permament. Add the pex of your choice. A left over peice is below the stove inthe pic.

<IMG SRC=http://i19.tinypic.com/24mxj01.jpg>

Mr. Butch. I had to write to tell you that your set-up is almost exactly like mine,I ahve a 5500 but I put it on block like you did because I didn't want to bend over (plus it was easier hooking up in the back) plus I used that same urecon stuff that you did. didn't really think you'd care but I'm writing you anyway!

 

[milkie62]

I use 8-9 full cords of mostly pine and poplar since I get it for free and do not have to cut in my woodlot.I have 2600 sq ft with 22 ft high ceilings so I have quite a bit of cubic footage.I heat from 3rd week of October usually until end of April or 1st wk of May.I could probably go 1-2 cord less if I used hardwood.

 

[Mister Twister]

I use 8-9 full cords of mostly pine and poplar since I get it for free and do not have to cut in my woodlot.I have 2600 sq ft with 22 ft high ceilings so I have quite a bit of cubic footage.I heat from 3rd week of October usually until end of April or 1st wk of May.I could probably go 1-2 cord less if I used hardwood.

Milkie62,

Where are you in Upstate NY? I live in Blossvale NY Half way between Utica & Syracuse. I am installing a CB 5036 Classic going to be heating a smaller home. About 1200 Sq ft House, 1000 Sq ft garage and basement. Not sure how much I will use yet trying to gather up wood now.

 

[fourustircom]

Why split?

My brother-in-law doesn't split any wood, unless it's too big for the door. Besides proper drying of live hardwoods, is there a good reason for splitting wood?

Thanks!

 

[Marc]

My brother-in-law doesn't split any wood, unless it's too big for the door. Besides proper drying of live hardwoods, is there a good reason for splitting wood?

Thanks!

Needs to fit in the door. It does season quicker too. Also, most of the time it helps to be able to lift it... those are the reasons I split.

 

[LadyToysDream]

Central NY here........just south of Syracuse

We just put in a central boiler 5036 this summer.
Thermopex piping
House is 1248 sq ft
Going to be heating hot water and the house
Second setup is on furnace to heat garage with if we choose to.
Wood ready to go is seasoned hardwood

Been heating with propane furnace and using about 500 gallons
a year. Also using the propane for kitchen stove.
Hot water heater can still be run off electric if need be.
Inside furnace is still hooked to the propane for backup.
Forced air.
House was upgraded 2.5 yrs ago. All new windows, new shingles,
and new siding ( the thicker T1-11 )
We hope to heat with about 12 face cords or less
We know how much wood we bought but it is not stacked right now
but just in a big pile
House will be kept about 70 , like we did with the propane heat.
Furnace has been running a couple of weeks now for the hot water
and the furnace blower is kicking on once in awhile.
It's set at 65 degrees

I think we will be in good shape for this winter.
I hope to be able to tell the propane company how sorry
we are to downsize in the spring ............. :greenchainsaw: