keeping up with the polar vortex

[BoiledOver]

Largest burn day of the season was yesterday, 137 pounds. Definitely not the coldest of days but the wind was nonstop and gusting Thursday night and all of yesterday (Friday)..... 25 mph with gusts in the 50's. Today still windy but not a bad morning clearing the overnight snowfall. Now at 12:35 in the afternoon and the temp is dropping fast.

 

[flyingcow]

Boiled, just curious, where are you?

 

[infinitymike]

Boiled, just curious, where are you?

He's right there! LOL

 

[infinitymike]

Looks like another week of a polar vortexing

 

[infinitymike]

based on boil's signature he could be any where way north of here.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiga

 

[ihookem]

I have been using almost the same as other years. The reason is cause I load 3 times a day and keep the boiler @ 160-165. I have a 2200 sq ft ranch. I put 1000' of 1/2 " pex stapled under the floors in the basement. It keeps the living space @ about 66*. Back closet is 61* or so. The other day I got curious so I weighed my wood for 24 hrs. It came to 145 lbs. I figure 145 lbs @ 7,000 btu per lb @ 80% efficient EKO 25 comes to about 815,000 btus per day including hot water for 4 people. This comes to 33,800 btu per hr. @ -8 for a low and +8F fopr a high. So, I figure these BTU's are for an avr. of 0 *. with a bit of wind. Tonight is about -10 and tomorrow night will be -20 and very windy. I might have to do a test and turn the water to 170 or so to see if it keeps the house to temp.

 

[Fred61]

Ground hog day this weekend. According to the meteorologists at the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury you should have half your annual wood supply left on that day. How are you doing?

 

[Coal Reaper]

I will be cleaned out of all the wood i brought in for this year by the end of february. First year burner woes. Been mostly silver maple, ash, and black birch with the last cord i am on now being oak. Will have to tap into next years stash im sure and replace with ash. Almost 12,000#s run through the boiler since november. Would not have been many cords if it was the oak/hickory/black locust that i have lined up for future years. It will get better....

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Lowest the house got was 74 so far, but this summer better believe i will be insulating those cold spots i missed on the last go around. Fuel use up at least 20-30% .

 

[maple1]

I'm good. I've been burning almost exclusively white birch & windfall spruce so far, that I cut up & split this past spring & summer (some of the spruce not until early fall). Haven't touched the seam of 4 or 5 year old mostly hard maple yet that I've been saving. Don't think I'm halfway into my pile yet.

I'm surprised how far the birch & spruce took me. Don't know if it's the not charging storage as high as I did last year or what. But the house is no cooler, gotta like that.

 

[ihookem]

Maple one, I bett lowereing the storage temps save wood!! I dont have storage so I see when I run 165 it keeps the house the same temp as when I run 180 but it sure goes through more wood with very little difference. This is when I heated with a HX in the furnace. Also, I always thought the heating seasonis half done on January 21. I am a bit over half out of wood.

 

[arbutus]

I'm good. I've been burning almost exclusively white birch & windfall spruce so far, that I cut up & split this past spring & summer (some of the spruce not until early fall). Haven't touched the seam of 4 or 5 year old mostly hard maple yet that I've been saving. Don't think I'm halfway into my pile yet.

I'm surprised how far the birch & spruce took me. Don't know if it's the not charging storage as high as I did last year or what. But the house is no cooler, gotta like that.

Cut, split and stacked summer 2012 or 2013? Do you have an estimate on moisture content or just burning it?

 

[maple1]

Cut, split and stacked summer 2012 or 2013? Do you have an estimate on moisture content or just burning it?

Just this past summer. The spruce had been windfalled for a year or two - it was pretty dry when I split it, just took a couple months to finish it up. The white birch I cut in May/June, and split it pretty fine - someone who dropped by in the fall asked what I was going with all the toothpicks. It dried in no time. I re-split a few pieces after I got it inside when I started burning it in November, nothing above 22%. It's burning great. I do have a very good drying place, on top of an exposed windy hilltop. Which is good. My house is up there too though, which isn't that good this time of the year. Good for bug season though.