+1. Amy and I heated our home in Ohio with a wood fired boiler and it was a PITA, especially the bugs in the wood in the basement thing. Basement bugs become first floor bugs pretty quick.
Any of you guys burn wood too?
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+1. Amy and I heated our home in Ohio with a wood fired boiler and it was a PITA, especially the bugs in the wood in the basement thing. Basement bugs become first floor bugs pretty quick.
TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
1 wood stove is great, but having two becomes a pain in coordination. When I want to go to bed 1 stove is ready to be loaded but the other isn't, vice versa in the morning when I want to load quick and go to work. But 1 wood stove and 1 pellet stove is working well. I don't have to mess with getting them synchronized. I've never had a problem with bugs in any of the wood I've seasoned (I did however have some ant issues with wood I bought mid winter and tried to burn right away). But I've had nothing but problems with this pellet stove, and still haven't figured out what ails it. I think its my vent setup, but not entirely sure. Pellet stoves seem a lot more finicky to me. I may be the odd one out there, but I've had 3 different wood stoves without any burn problems but getting my pellet stove to burn right has really been aggravating. If I had my own woods again, my primary heater would be a single larger woodstove capable of all day+ burns. But for now, its nice to have both options.
One question I have for the people that have burned wood:
Did any of you ever own a very tiny "parlor" style stove? Or did you mainly use a larger type of stove that could heat 2,000 square feet? The big stove would take a lot of filling up but burn longer time, I suppose.
I think that in other parts of the world, like Japan and Europe they use tiny wood stoves in various rooms. That facinates me because they cut real small kindling (even use a table saw) and stack it up for winter use. Ends up looking like a stacked fence instead of a woodpile. It is so different from the American concept of a large woodburning stove and big logs stacked up.
I often see in catalogs the tiny wood burners that are used in boats, but these are very small and super expensive. (too expensive)
I wonder if a person could do a tiny parlor stove and cut up pallets for kindling. I mean you can get pallets for free. And I wonder if you could add anti creosote additive to the burn once in a while. This would only be a stove that someone would use in one room: like a basement or living room. I cannot practically do wood burning at this time in my life. Rooms are too small in my house and I dont have any time to cut wood but if life changes, i keep wood stoves in mind. I never grew up with woodstoves and country living. I was from a suburban neighborhood so everything is learning from the first time.
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Val,
The bigger the fire box equates to more wood and longer burn times. Many stoves rated for larger spaces still need fed every 4 to 8 hrs no matter what in all honesty. It depends on the outside temps and the quality or mix of wood you are burning. I do like burning wood and it is a cheap heat source. I also like to state the truth as to not mislead with false high hopes. Some single stoves can produce long burn times but many of these are stated under ideal and not real world actual average use. Fishing tales.
I will put it this way. Many pellet burners are former wood slaves. Why?
As for the little stacks of foreign wood.... It does not require much to heat a 10' x 5' box, home, sleeping tube or whatever it is they call their palaces. Many in other areas of the world can not sustain much more than a tent and an old bicycle. People in other parts are fortunate and many take it for granted until it starts beating up the good old wallet. There are granolas living in the US in straw and mud huts heating with rocket stoves also. Google rocket mass heaters. Neat concept but only half way practical for very small domains.
A $4,000 tiny stove and pushing it for use on a boat is just ridiculous. Fire and water do not mix well IMO. Neither does fire and a rocking boat made of combustibles. One good thing. It won't burn long.
Wood burners come in all sizes and like pellet stoves I tend to go bigger than the rating if you want a shot at them actually heating when you need them to comfortably. My little Acorn stove is small and I caught it about 8 or so years ago at TSC on a spring sale for about $99 if I recall correctly. It's good for one larger room not often used but will heat it up well if fed. Think it's rated for 1,100 SQ FT. I do an area of 800 SQ FT. At times that is a major workout for that small wood stove. If I had to keep that area warm all winter it would have a much larger stove throttled down to slow burns.
The bigger the fire box equates to more wood and longer burn times. Many stoves rated for larger spaces still need fed every 4 to 8 hrs no matter what in all honesty. It depends on the outside temps and the quality or mix of wood you are burning. I do like burning wood and it is a cheap heat source. I also like to state the truth as to not mislead with false high hopes. Some single stoves can produce long burn times but many of these are stated under ideal and not real world actual average use. Fishing tales.
I will put it this way. Many pellet burners are former wood slaves. Why?
As for the little stacks of foreign wood.... It does not require much to heat a 10' x 5' box, home, sleeping tube or whatever it is they call their palaces. Many in other areas of the world can not sustain much more than a tent and an old bicycle. People in other parts are fortunate and many take it for granted until it starts beating up the good old wallet. There are granolas living in the US in straw and mud huts heating with rocket stoves also. Google rocket mass heaters. Neat concept but only half way practical for very small domains.
A $4,000 tiny stove and pushing it for use on a boat is just ridiculous. Fire and water do not mix well IMO. Neither does fire and a rocking boat made of combustibles. One good thing. It won't burn long.
Wood burners come in all sizes and like pellet stoves I tend to go bigger than the rating if you want a shot at them actually heating when you need them to comfortably. My little Acorn stove is small and I caught it about 8 or so years ago at TSC on a spring sale for about $99 if I recall correctly. It's good for one larger room not often used but will heat it up well if fed. Think it's rated for 1,100 SQ FT. I do an area of 800 SQ FT. At times that is a major workout for that small wood stove. If I had to keep that area warm all winter it would have a much larger stove throttled down to slow burns.
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alternativeheat
Minister of Fire
Bioburner
Moderator
It's also -16 here this morning. State proposing another sales tax increase. We're number 3 already for overall taxes and the city (loosely called that) is the highest per capita tax in state.
alternativeheat
Minister of Fire
Well if I ever burn wood again I believe I would own a powered splitter. I don't see me doing that just saying, I haven't burned wood in over 30 years now, burning lots of tons of coal between then and now. .It's 26f here this morning.
alternativeheat
Minister of Fire
A guy I know has an older small parlor stove. First it's air tight but he doesn't use that feature for fear of a chimney fire but that's his own personal issue. Second, it is small, you can't load it up well for long burns. Some modern stoves today will go quite a while but you have to pay nearly as much for one as a mid quality pellet stove. He is looking for a larger stove that is cheap, like Craigs list or someplace..
If I eve burned saw logs again, I'd just have a stove/furnace with a door opening large enough to accept whole logs and eliminate the splitter altogether.
Years ago when I lived in Ohio, our coal furnace in the basement (Iron Fireman) accepted a 14" diameter saw log, no issue. Everything burned and I never owned a wood splitter, didn't then and don't now.
rbart46
New Member
good morning....I have used my Vermont Castings Defiant every winter since 1977 when I bought it new at the factory store here in Vermont...had a Harman coal stove in the basement and usually ran between two and three tons on coal through it every winter....both use the same 8X12 lined chimney....this winter I have retired my coal stove and fitted a dandy Heatilator cab 50 in its place...except for the heat off the pellet stove being less intense, we are just as warm as usual...that defiant usually goes throughy three cords of beautiful local hardwood....I believe the wood stove is rated @ 50k btu...if my memory serves me.....it's ten below right now @ nine in the morning and the weatherman promises it to go down from there for tonight...better go find my dry sox....guess I'll keep both of 'em going....happy tuesday to you all...
My BIL has a small Jotul (I think) thats air tight and burns a long time and was very expensive...more than an average pellet stove. It's a creosote producer from what I see.
alternativeheat
Minister of Fire
Around here I saw a log burner I liked. It was a Nashua. It was used in an upholsterers shop. The guy ran it with the door open, stuck a long log in there and as it burned down he shoved it in a little further till he could close the door.. The fact that it burned logs was cool but I suspect Nashua wasn't thinking of his particular approach ! To my knowledge he never burned the place down.
My new pellet boiler is very nice. There's a reason why central heating is so popular. On the other hand, a wood fire is also very nice and makes the downstairs very toasty. The boiler evens out the heat in the house, without getting crazy about cranking the insert all the time. Not sure about the return on investment, but the project was fun. The wood fuel is still cheaper than pellets, delivered and log lengths and processed by me, but to tell the truth, it's kind of fun too.
It's fun for a while, until it's zero outside and you have to be out here prepping wood.... Fun the first 5 times or so, then not fun after that. It got to be the drudge after a while.
Warm weather activity for me, preferably either before or after black fly season, but never seems to work out that way. I always seem to be wearing a head net.
woodmakesheat
Feeling the Heat
Actually, I looked up the little rocket stoves...Ill look up more but my workplace is shorthanded, overworking me a lot so I constantly "gotta go to work". This would work good (not in a house) but if someone had a small hunting shed or trailer or maybe in a fishing hut? I'm talking about the beat RV trailers that get dragged in the woods for a hunting shack, or a very tiny 8 X 10 hunting cabin with a couch and table.Val,
The bigger the fire box equates to more wood and longer burn times. Many stoves rated for larger spaces still need fed every 4 to 8 hrs no matter what in all honesty. It depends on the outside temps and the quality or mix of wood you are burning. I do like burning wood and it is a cheap heat source. I also like to state the truth as to not mislead with false high hopes. Some single stoves can produce long burn times but many of these are stated under ideal and not real world actual average use. Fishing tales.
I will put it this way. Many pellet burners are former wood slaves. Why?
As for the little stacks of foreign wood.... It does not require much to heat a 10' x 5' box, home, sleeping tube or whatever it is they call their palaces. Many in other areas of the world can not sustain much more than a tent and an old bicycle. People in other parts are fortunate and many take it for granted until it starts beating up the good old wallet. There are granolas living in the US in straw and mud huts heating with rocket stoves also. Google rocket mass heaters. Neat concept but only half way practical for very small domains.
A $4,000 tiny stove and pushing it for use on a boat is just ridiculous. Fire and water do not mix well IMO. Neither does fire and a rocking boat made of combustibles. One good thing. It won't burn long.
Wood burners come in all sizes and like pellet stoves I tend to go bigger than the rating if you want a shot at them actually heating when you need them to comfortably. My little Acorn stove is small and I caught it about 8 or so years ago at TSC on a spring sale for about $99 if I recall correctly. It's good for one larger room not often used but will heat it up well if fed. Think it's rated for 1,100 SQ FT. I do an area of 800 SQ FT. At times that is a major workout for that small wood stove. If I had to keep that area warm all winter it would have a much larger stove throttled down to slow burns.
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Bioburner
Moderator
Wish I could find cheap ethanol. E85 is $1.56 at the pump but with gas in the mix is still to explosive for what I want to use it for. Maybe when local farm shows are next month will track something down.
Chrisnow86
Minister of Fire
I just like having this mechanical device that I throw a bag in once a day and it does all the work for me... Burning wood is fun as a hobbie but when it's your only source of heat it can get stressful...
I have a Hampton wood insert that I use for main house heating and a Castile pellet stove for the sunroom. Love both for different reasons and wouldn't trade either. Wife feels the same. She like the house 75+ in the winter. I burn about 5 cord each season. The Castile will keep my sunroom 70+ on days above 0. The pellet is very easy to use and I purchased a wireless programable remote with it. I have always been fascinated with wood burning dating back to my childhood watching my grandfather over feed his pot belly stove. With that said some people around here have outdoor wood stoves that heat their house, shop, pool, and water. If I had unlimited access to wood I'd probably eventually go with one of those.
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