I hear you. It is indeed. If impossible, get some high quality compressed fuel to mix in with the wood.
pick up every pallet you see. free heat. scrounge around industrial parks, with permission to take any extra pallets. don't be afraid of pine, just doesn't last as long as harder wood. if you can afford canawick, eco bricks, ect, @ $275-300/ton do so. don't waste green wood, wait til it is dry. good luck
waste? when business was business years ago, I would cut up as much as a cord a year of quality dry hardwood. store it in my garage. pellet companies pickup large volume customers excess pallets. waste.I think it's a waste to burn pallets. I prefer to use them to lay on the ground before stacking the wood. Keeps the bottom layer of wood on the pile from getting soaked with moisture, rotting, etc. Usually have to replace them every 2-3 years. The best ones to use, if you can find them, are made out of some kind of plastic material and won't rot.
If I can get by this winter on 4 cord, I'll have spent $700 on fuel as opposed to the $1,800+ I spent every year on oil.
Yeah, $1800 Isnt bad, I was spending about $4,000 til I got my stove, now I spend about $1,500. This year I got a bigger stove and hope to cut that $1,500 down even more.Welcome!
If you've been spending $1,800 a year on oil in Mass, you either have a pretty tight house and/or you're pretty frugal with the thermometer. 4 cords seems reasonable, particularly if you spend some time studying optimal burning habits. You don't need to keep the stove loaded and burning hot all the time...build it, let it burn down, rebuild it, let it burn down... (not out). When I was first burning, I went through a lot more wood!
If you've been spending $1,800 a year on oil in Mass, you either have a pretty tight house and/or you're pretty frugal with the thermometer.
Something else to keep you warm could be electric radiators. We have a "propain" boiler and in order to keep from blowing through it we use a stove, insert, and 3 electric plug in radiators in the bed rooms. My electric has only gone up 20 over the summer per month and I burn all free wood from Craigslist and Facebook. Good luck!Yes. As the topic states, I've been forced into burning wood for primary heat. I know it'll be a huge challenge but I'm growing more confident as we move through the season.
Just to re-hash, our oil furnace crapped the bed this summer. It literally disintegrated due to rust. We have very little money to spend and replacing it was not an option. We opted to take advantage of our existing fireplace by installing an insert. I got pretty much the only one we could afford, the Century cw2500. It took maxing out our credit cards to buy and install.
When I started this thread, I had huge reservations. I thought we'd freeze to death this winter but as I gain more experience with the insert and learn what it can do and what it can't, I've become more and more confident.
My wife and I both like our home on the cooler side. Usually around 62°. So far, this little insert has kept the house way hotter than we are comfortable with. Hopefully, that will continue once the real cold weather arrives.
I'll second that, but we like the heated mattress pads better. Same thing but goes under your sheets. Of course the room air is still cold, but you'll be toasty.Take a look at electric blankets. They use an almost negligible amount of electricity per night and will keep you warm and toasty. My wife loves hers.
Split those pine pieces in half and check their moisture content. They probably dried some through the ends but may not be ready for this winter.
I split about a dozen of them today. They ranged in the 15-19%. Should pine be drier or is that good?
Yes. As the topic states, I've been forced into burning wood for primary heat. I know it'll be a huge challenge but I'm growing more confident as we move through the season.
Just to re-hash, our oil furnace crapped the bed this summer. It literally disintegrated due to rust. We have very little money to spend and replacing it was not an option. We opted to take advantage of our existing fireplace by installing an insert. I got pretty much the only one we could afford, the Century cw2500. It took maxing out our credit cards to buy and install.
When I started this thread, I had huge reservations. I thought we'd freeze to death this winter but as I gain more experience with the insert and learn what it can do and what it can't, I've become more and more confident.
My wife and I both like our home on the cooler side. Usually around 62°. So far, this little insert has kept the house way hotter than we are comfortable with. Hopefully, that will continue once the real cold weather arrives.
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