How many cords of firewood needed?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Hope everyone has a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving!
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Every 5-6 hrs in this weather is short for a 2.6 cu ft firebox. 20 ft is a bit tall, but not crazily so.

Maybe you need a lot of heat because of a leaky home indeed. I'd spend time.and a little bit of dollars to air seal, and possibly insulate the attic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: boomfire
If your wood isn't well seasoned, you'll go through it faster. Well seasoned wood is inherently more efficient, but the ease with which the heat output of seasoned wood can be controlled also contributes to using less.

There's almost no chance unsplit logs sitting on the ground are seasoned. I've just cleared some hickory that was on the ground for two years, it was all over 35%. Limbs from the same storm that were snagged above ground were 23%, and even those I won't use for at least another year. If you have wood at 25%, it's not seasoned enough, something magical happens about 22%, the difference between wood at 25% and wood at 20% is astounding.

TE
 
That^^. I read back. started 4 months ago... Wood that is too wet.
 
If your wood isn't well seasoned, you'll go through it faster. Well seasoned wood is inherently more efficient, but the ease with which the heat output of seasoned wood can be controlled also contributes to using less.

There's almost no chance unsplit logs sitting on the ground are seasoned. I've just cleared some hickory that was on the ground for two years, it was all over 35%. Limbs from the same storm that were snagged above ground were 23%, and even those I won't use for at least another year. If you have wood at 25%, it's not seasoned enough, something magical happens about 22%, the difference between wood at 25% and wood at 20% is astounding.

TE

agreed. i use my moisture meter to check and currently burning wood that are only under 19%. Not touching the wood whose MC is higher.
 
I've just cleared some hickory that was on the ground for two years, it was all over 35%.
I have three stacks of 15' logs right now, from 2019/20, 2021, and 2022, which I've been itching to split, but waiting for some shed space to open up. Now that we're into the burn season, it won't be long until said space is available.

I'll dig out my moisture meter, and assuming the battery hasn't melted and destroyed the thing from sitting unused several years, I'll try to get some moisture readings when I split the 2019/20 pile. I never bothered with this before, as what I'm splitting now won't be burned until 2025/26. But given the way so many firewood sellers apply the "seasoned" word to wood that's been sitting in log form, it'd be interesting to see what numbers we get.
 
agreed. i use my moisture meter to check and currently burning wood that are only under 19%. Not touching the wood whose MC is higher.
I am puzzled. You had stated that 4 months ago you did not have wood.

How did you get to 19 pct already now?
 
I am puzzled. You had stated that 4 months ago you did not have wood.

How did you get to 19 pct already now?

Some local gave away free seasoned wood, some city folks bought a house in the neighborhood and didnt want all that firewood on the property which previous owner split and stacked for 2 seasons. i was able to pick up a cord there (others picked up the rest before i could get to it). Another cord I picked up from another neighbor, half of it is already seasoned, but other half has high moisture content. the logs were on the ground for 3-4 years (IIRC), most of it is seasoned but some of it is not. i cut split and stacked them nicely. That makes 2 cords.

There were quiet a few dead trees on my property (mostly ash, some pine and few oak), very dry, i tested them religiously. I also stacked these based on what i can burn now (low MC) vs what i know that I cant burn. I exclusively stacked pine separately.

I can post pictures if you like.
 
Last edited:
No need for pics. You're lucky. Get going on wood for next season and the one after that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: boomfire
No need for pics. You're lucky. Get going on wood for next season and the one after that.

Planning to restart my firewood collection activities in a week or so once the muzzleloader season (Hunting) is done. i didnt want to fire up chainsaw and start kicking up the deer when my neighbors are hunting.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RomanW
Lol, that's smart thinking
 
  • Like
Reactions: RomanW and boomfire
Lucky indeed to be able to get seasoned wood so easily. Glad to hear that you've got a meter and are using it too, there's no way that weight or sound or smell or taste can tell the difference between 23% and 20%, and that's where it matters. I'm a couple of years ahead, so I don't necessarily need to measure, but sometimes I want to see how different storage locations compare, or take some lesser species from a newer pile during shoulder season, or to sort new scrounges.

So that's the seasoned wood issue resolved, soon you'll be on to the "how do I move heat?" stage of wood burning.

TE
 
  • Like
Reactions: boomfire
Every 5-6 hrs in this weather is short for a 2.6 cu ft firebox. 20 ft is a bit tall, but not crazily so.

Maybe you need a lot of heat because of a leaky home indeed. I'd spend time.and a little bit of dollars to air seal, and possibly insulate the attic.
you just reminded me to order crawlspace vent covers.
 
Planning to restart my firewood collection activities in a week or so once the muzzleloader season (Hunting) is done. i didnt want to fire up chainsaw and start kicking up the deer when my neighbors are hunting.
I guess I haven't taken specific notice of chainsaws, but in general, our deer seem to pay no mind to engine noises. My zero turn is loud as hell, and I still have to yell at the stupid beasts to get them to move out of my way while mowing. I've almost been hit a few times over the years, when I'm mowing where they want to be eating.

It's funny that as soon as I'm on foot, those not as familiar with me will run off, if I get within 50 yards of them. But on a mower or tractor, they seem oblivious to the fact that there's a potential hunter aboard.
 
  • Like
Reactions: boomfire
Lucky indeed to be able to get seasoned wood so easily. Glad to hear that you've got a meter and are using it too, there's no way that weight or sound or smell or taste can tell the difference between 23% and 20%, and that's where it matters. I'm a couple of years ahead, so I don't necessarily need to measure, but sometimes I want to see how different storage locations compare, or take some lesser species from a newer pile during shoulder season, or to sort new scrounges.

So that's the seasoned wood issue resolved, soon you'll be on to the "how do I move heat?" stage of wood burning.

TE
I definitely knew that the wood that I had delivered recently was MUCH better seasoned that all the years prior. The clunk, the weight of certain wood types that I know about what they should weigh when seasoned. I was SHOCKED when I split a piece and it came up at 19%. I said, no way... So I grabbed about 10 pieces of different wood and it was ALL under 20%, except the mighty oak of course which turned up around 22-23%.
I did not have the knowledge that I had to have wood sitting for seasons prior, so going into this heating season I'm just starting off with 1 cord and am already a face cord through. I was dumb and started to use my well seasoned wood in both my stove and fireplace. My fireplace will take anything, but obviously throws the best heat and burns better with well seasoned wood. I should have been using the wood I just had delivered for the fireplace and only using the well seasoned stuff for the stove.
This is at a weekend camp that we have been working on for quite awhile. So I dont use the wood all year, and many weekends throughout winter we have to skip going there because kids bring home colds, or we have family events etc.

Back in the day before I knew anything, I would throw wood that I had just delivered into the fireplace and would complain that it POPPED out on us too much into the ember screen, or it would just sit there sizzling until I would burn smaller pieces. I would also wonder why wood would be so heavy sometimes and so light other times. You learn alot being on these forums. It's AMAZING how well my fireplace will heat our living room with good wood. It's a hog though, and will gobble wood if you let it. SO I usually just burn 3-4 pieces at a time and until it gets to almost all broken up chunks/coals, then add 3-4 more. But like I said, it will burn super wet wood and still put out some heat and provide the ambiance that everyone loves. My dog really dislikes wet wood because of the sudden POP. She's a big dog but will jump up like a startled cat when that happens.
 
It's AMAZING how well my fireplace will heat our living room with good wood.
Fireplaces can be very good heaters, I actually heated my parents relatively large house with a fleet of them one winter in my late teens. They're great for heating the room they're in, to the point where I can understand why the many one- or two-room cabins of our forefathers were kept perfectly comfortable with a fireplace. Unfortunately, in a larger house, they draw massive amounts of cold make-up air thru every crevice around every window and door. This makes it difficult to heat the rooms not actually containing fireplaces, as all air flow is coming from them, with little warm air making it back that way.
 
Fireplaces can be very good heaters, I actually heated my parents relatively large house with a fleet of them one winter in my late teens. They're great for heating the room they're in, to the point where I can understand why the many one- or two-room cabins of our forefathers were kept perfectly comfortable with a fireplace. Unfortunately, in a larger house, they draw massive amounts of cold make-up air thru every crevice around every window and door. This makes it difficult to heat the rooms not actually containing fireplaces, as all air flow is coming from them, with little warm air making it back that way.
Yup. It usually only mostly radiant heat right? Mine is lined in some sort of metal that does seem to reflect heat back. I also have two cold air ducts inside the stone to the sides of the fireplace and then at the middle of the fireplace there are two vents that exit warm air. So that helps a lot. This cabin is very leaky. I have crawlspace vents that are stuck open so I'm covering those. It's also very poorly insulated. Where we have a wood stove it's very well insulated however I have about 15 , 6' windows. While they are effecient windows they still let cold air in
 
Yup. It usually only mostly radiant heat right? Mine is lined in some sort of metal that does seem to reflect heat back. I also have two cold air ducts inside the stone to the sides of the fireplace and then at the middle of the fireplace there are two vents that exit warm air. So that helps a lot. This cabin is very leaky. I have crawlspace vents that are stuck open so I'm covering those. It's also very poorly insulated. Where we have a wood stove it's very well insulated however I have about 15 , 6' windows. While they are effecient windows they still let cold air in
Yeah, I guess it would have to be radiant, you're certainly not getting much convection out of a passive fireplace, or conduction into a wood structure around it.

But your fireplace sounds very similar to one my father built in an addition to our house in the 1980's, which added some forced convection. Metal firebox with brick floor, in a stone chase. He had some sort of blower setup, which would draw cool air into the sides of the stone chase, and blow it out thru other vents. I'm not sure if this is some custom thing he thought up on his own, or spec'd in by the makers of the metal firebox, I was just a kid helping dad lay up stone and do some of the surrounding carpentry.

He also put a fresh air intake into the floor of that fireplace, which dramatically improved the scenario I described in post #90 above.
 
Yeah, I guess it would have to be radiant, you're certainly not getting much convection out of a passive fireplace, or conduction into a wood structure around it.

But your fireplace sounds very similar to one my father built in an addition to our house in the 1980's, which added some forced convection. Metal firebox with brick floor, in a stone chase. He had some sort of blower setup, which would draw cool air into the sides of the stone chase, and blow it out thru other vents. I'm not sure if this is some custom thing he thought up on his own, or spec'd in by the makers of the metal firebox, I was just a kid helping dad lay up stone and do some of the surrounding carpentry.

He also put a fresh air intake into the floor of that fireplace, which dramatically improved the scenario I described in post #90 above.
The first fireplace I ever owned, I had a 20' chimney and it drafted horribly unless I cracked a window. I never understood that concept. I loved that fireplace though but we didnt really use it for heat. It was more 'to have a fire'. Wife would say "make a fire" and I would complain because the wood was downstairs, outside. But once it was on I loved it. I only used about a face cord per year, and I would pay $90 for fully seasoned from a local landscape supply place. It was a townhouse, and hauling the wood to the back was fun. I would put the wood in a garbage can with wheels, wheel it through the entrance to the back patio door then stack it on the cement patio floor.

When I came into these forums and saw people burning 3, 4, 8 cords of wood per season, I couldnt believe it. But I can see how if they use it as a primary source of heat for a larger home and multiple wood burning appliances AND have access to cheap wood. But all of that work, geesh.
 
3+ish cords here per year. Slightly less. But I enjoy it. In fact (your screen name), I thought it would get me away from dad duties every now and then.

That worked, for half a year. Now my kids want to help split wood... But I enjoy that too. Teaching my son how to. Seeing his strength and aim improve. My daughter too, though she's less taken by it.


My son asks me when (fiiiiinally) the next load arrives.... We had a large break as I got ahead with my (near) 9 cord shed early COVID, with one season of wood left in tarped racks. So last winter I didn't burn anything from my shed, and I had nothing to refill. Looking forward to this spring 😊
 
When I came into these forums and saw people burning 3, 4, 8 cords of wood per season, I couldnt believe it. But I can see how if they use it as a primary source of heat for a larger home and multiple wood burning appliances AND have access to cheap wood. But all of that work, geesh.
I'm trying to get down to 8 cords per season! Managed to stay under 8 for the first time last year, all prior years were closer to 10.
 
I'm trying to get down to 8 cords per season! Managed to stay under 8 for the first time last year, all prior years were closer to 10.
I envision you live in a 150 year old mansion then. You really need to consider hiring staff :)
 
  • Haha
Reactions: RomanW
.The honest answer is .. I don't know.. I dont know your house, and heat requirements.. I can say this for sure.. I go through the most wood come January, you may be loading everything 4/5 vs 5/6 hours. How windy will it be, how fast will you louse heat.. You really cant split enough wood at this point, you cant be sitting on enough. Youll learn over time what your average is and then make plans from there.. I burn anywhere from 3 to 4 cords per year.. im sitting on 14 cords CSS and about 4/5 cords in log length ready to be processed.. This process of being ahead is not an overnight journey.. keep plugging away and you'll get there.. ask questions and take the advice.. some people here really have alot of knowledge to share and pass on..

Your in PA harwoods are your friend like oak, hickory ,beach this stuff packs alot of BTUs.. the denser woods are higher BTUs per cord.. oak like 25 million, beach like 27 million BTUs per cord.. vs cherry at 20 million and popular at 14 million.. the better the wood the less reloading.. the better the wood the less processing.. I burn probably 80% oak.. the rest cherry.. less processing ... If you look at the above you would need almost 2 cords of poplar to equal 1 cord of oak..Youll have to load popular twice as often to get the same amount of heat.. so lear your woods.. that's a big start.. purchase log lenth and process your wood so you know what you have and you also know its seasoned properly..
But the poplar dries 2-3times faster than oak. It has its place and if in position to choose wet oak or dry poplar I’ll pick the poplar every time.
 
But the poplar dries 2-3times faster than oak. It has its place and if in position to choose wet oak or dry poplar I’ll pick the poplar every time.

ok.. never said anything bad about that species.. and nobody was given the choice between the 2 woods.. wet or dry
 
Last edited: