What month do you usually start burning

[Bruce P]

Here in NjJusually gets cold in early Dec to about late March with Jan to mid March being the coldest. Usually still in the 40's or 50's at Thanksgiving so I would not burn on that Holiday

 

[Michael6268]

I light the coal stove up usually end of October early November and it doesn't go out until sometime in May. One match does it all. Light it once, and it goes all season. I love it! Here in central New Hampshire, it could be earlier sometimes. It's been down to 43 here a few times already, but up into the 90s quite regularly.

 

[kennyp2339]

I start the 1st 50deg day that its raining out, generally speaking I go 24/7 mid November, but there's no set time, only when the temps dip.

 

[BigCountryNY]

Right now there is no burning in sight. Temps during the day have been mid-to-upper 80s and lows have been 60-70 with a couple of 57s mixed in there. The house is still 72 degrees in the mornings, so we're set for now. Last year we broke in our new insert in late September but the wife and I were just excited to have our first fire in it since we installed it. This year we are anxious to break in the new 30NC, but won't be doing so until it's cool enough and we can leave the doors/windows open for the first few break-in fires. Like many of the others, we might have a sporadic fire here and there but most likely won't start really burning until late October.

 

[firefighterjake]

...ber

. . . ber . . . or brrrrrrrr. Either way works.

 

[NJ_Burner08002]

So it seems we all cold at the same time. October.

 

[begreen]

Part time burning usually starts at some point in October, but depending on the year it could be in Sept.. Full time, as soon as daytime temps drop into the lower-40s.

 

[hman]

Last year I had a couple of evening fires at the end of September.That is early for us.
By the middle of October we start having fires for sure.And by the end of the month daily fires.
24/7 for sure in November.

 

[05ramctd]

As soon as the Wife says she is cold and she gives me the look when I say "Just put a sweat shirt on or grab another blanket you already got four on the bed".
Then its time.

 

[Ashful]

As soon as the Wife says she is cold and she gives me the look when I say "Just put a sweat shirt on or grab another blanket you already got four on the bed".
Then its time.

One day my wife claims 70F is "freezing". The next day, 70F is "friggin' boiling". I can't keep track.

 

[begreen]

I get the same thing, though usually a few months apart.

 

[HisTreeNut]

Did not have the insert last year and used the fireplace to heat the chimney & about 6' from the fireplace [such a waste]. We had a couple of fires in October it really did not get cool enough until November to burn regularly. Can't wait to try out the new stove this year...been a really long time since I was excited for cold weather [would have to be since I was a little kid but prior to having to shovel the driveway...grew up in WNY and lived in an old farmhouse. The snow blower never worked so we had to shovel the driveway by hand...did not care for winter too much when that chore started, but I digress].
I am looking at mid-November as our probable 24/7 burn time...which means whenever in the Fall the wifey thinks 70 degrees is cold instead of warm, it will be time to start burning.

 

[northwinds]

I burn when I feel cold in the house--usually that is in September. This year, it's been unusually warm in September, but I'm sure the cold weather will eventually come this month. I'm just glad the air conditioning is finally off--really enjoying the last few cool nights.

 

[revdocjim]

This year July was the only month we didn't have any fires. June is rainy season here so the stove really helps to keep things dry and warm. By the end of August we get into the single digits (celcius) at night. Our house doesn't have any central heating, just a couple of vented kerosene heaters and the Napoleon 1400. Yesterday a big typhoon blew thru and so all my wood was soaked but I got a nice fire going anyway and it brought cheer and calm to an otherwise very stormy day! We live at about 1350 m. altitude.

 

[Swedishchef]

This year July was the only month we didn't have any fires. June is rainy season here so the stove really helps to keep things dry and warm. By the end of August we get into the single digits (celcius) at night. Our house doesn't have any central heating, just a couple of vented kerosene heaters and the Napoleon 1400. Yesterday a big typhoon blew thru and so all my wood was soaked but I got a nice fire going anyway and it brought cheer and calm to an otherwise very stormy day! We live at about 1350 m. altitude.

What kind of wood do you have in Japan at 4000 feet? Is it easy to source it? Hardwoods? I am curious

GOod for you! Fires calm most people as when the power goes out, that's the first question around here: how are we going to stay warm?!

Andrew

 

[revdocjim]

Last year was our first to live in the mountains, and subsequently to rely on a wood stove for our primary heat so in the summer and fall I was really scrambling to get whatever I could. Fortunately we were very fortunate. My wife came across a big pile of felled trees in the woods. We tracked it down and found out it was a city waterworks project so we contacted the right people at city office and got permission to take it all. A friend with a truck and crane helped me bring about 90 logs to my front yard and that kept me busy. Alas, much of it was softwood... we have lots of cedar and pine here. It's what the government planted after WWII when virtually every living tree in the country was cut down. But there was also a good deal of birch, which is somewhat better. Even though oak is quite abundant here, we found very little of it in that pile. But then during the winter we made a fortunate discovery. Once again it was my wife! She made frequent trips down to Tokyo to officiate HS basketball games and came across a huge pile of cut and cured wood with a sign saying, "Take all you want" so we did. It appears to be a gardening business and so they cut a lot of trees but don't want to pay to dispose of them. We must have filled our van with that wood 5 or 6 times during the winter and burned it much of the time. I can't tell you all the different types of wood because it was a big mix. But much of it was decent hard wood and most of it was quite dry. As a result, much of the wood I split in the fall didn't get used and is still on the racks in my yard.

Recently we have scored on a couple of large oak trees (Japanese oak) so I've been busy cutting and splitting it. It should be great a year from now. It takes a little hunting, but there is plenty of wood to be had since wood burning stoves are still somewhat of a novelty here in Japan, although one that is increasing in popularity rather rapidly. We live in the middle of a national forest so we aren't allowed to cut anything but we always have our eyes open for stuff that has already been cut. We have very large stands of birch here along with a large variety of other stuff.

 

[Ashful]

What kind of wood do you have in Japan at 4000 feet? Is it easy to source it? Hardwoods? I am curious

How many of these do you need to make a cord of wood?

 

[dafattkidd]

How many of these do you need to make a cord of wood?

Hahahahaha Ashful for the win!

 

[Swedishchef]

How many of these do you need to make a cord of wood?

1324.6

 

[Offset]

On occasion we will burn in late September, not so much for the cold but the dampness that seems to come along with cooling temperatures.

Usually by Canadian Thanksgiving we will have a fire on at least once a day, just to take the chill off.

Come November, unless the weather is really weird (and it has been) we have the stove going for the balance of the winter months.

My wife hates it. I need the warmth. I light the fire so I am in charge! Probably not.

 

[ddahlgren]

I burn cut up pallets for a quick hot fire early on late October for an hour or so in the evening. In late November switch over to coal and get a 12 hour burn that stays the same temp. before that a little wood and a little fuel oil if feeling lazy.

 

[Swedishchef]

My wife hates it. I need the warmth. I light the fire so I am in charge! Probably not.

Those are words that can save your life!

 

[Seanm]

Last year was our first to live in the mountains, and subsequently to rely on a wood stove for our primary heat so in the summer and fall I was really scrambling to get whatever I could. Fortunately we were very fortunate. My wife came across a big pile of felled trees in the woods. We tracked it down and found out it was a city waterworks project so we contacted the right people at city office and got permission to take it all. A friend with a truck and crane helped me bring about 90 logs to my front yard and that kept me busy. Alas, much of it was softwood... we have lots of cedar and pine here. It's what the government planted after WWII when virtually every living tree in the country was cut down. But there was also a good deal of birch, which is somewhat better. Even though oak is quite abundant here, we found very little of it in that pile. But then during the winter we made a fortunate discovery. Once again it was my wife! She made frequent trips down to Tokyo to officiate HS basketball games and came across a huge pile of cut and cured wood with a sign saying, "Take all you want" so we did. It appears to be a gardening business and so they cut a lot of trees but don't want to pay to dispose of them. We must have filled our van with that wood 5 or 6 times during the winter and burned it much of the time. I can't tell you all the different types of wood because it was a big mix. But much of it was decent hard wood and most of it was quite dry. As a result, much of the wood I split in the fall didn't get used and is still on the racks in my yard.

Recently we have scored on a couple of large oak trees (Japanese oak) so I've been busy cutting and splitting it. It should be great a year from now. It takes a little hunting, but there is plenty of wood to be had since wood burning stoves are still somewhat of a novelty here in Japan, although one that is increasing in popularity rather rapidly. We live in the middle of a national forest so we aren't allowed to cut anything but we always have our eyes open for stuff that has already been cut. We have very large stands of birch here along with a large variety of other stuff.

Welcome to the forum! Its nice to see wood burners from around the globe post their experiences. I spent almost 10 years in the 90s living in Whistler and had a roommate who was from Japan. She brought out a guide to Japanese ski resorts, I had a good read through it and was amazed at how many ski resorts the country had and also how much mountainous terrain there was. What kind of climate do you have at that elevation? do you get snow on the ground for any amount of time through the winter?

 

[revdocjim]

Japan is about 85% mountains. But almost the entire population lives in the flat 15% so it feels really crowded in the cities. Last winter our lowest temp was -20 C. Daytime highs usually hovered around 0 C. This summer our highest temp was around 28 C, but that was when it was a sweltering 38 C at the bottom of the mountain in the city of Maebashi. We had snow on the ground from mid-December thru early April. Accumulation in the open was about 50cm to 1m. Our lakes were frozen and open for ice fishing (smelt) from the first week of January thru the last day of March. This mountain is on the south-eastern edge of the mountains that run thru the middle of Japan in this area. That means we are the closest to the Pacific coast and the winter weather comes from China across the sea of Japan. So the back side of Japan gets very heavy snowfall, and on the Pacific side of the mountains where we are the snow is significantly less. We don't have any ski resorts on this mountain but all the mountains behind us (NW) have lots of skiing.

 

[HisTreeNut]

Supposed to get into the low 40's tonight with the possibility of 30's.
Joked with the wifey while at the store tonight that maybe we ought to make a small fire tonight just to knock the chill out of the old homestead. She seriously thought about it...
Almost...maybe the next cold snap...