What outside temp will you start to use your stove?

  • 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.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Lanningjw

Minister of Fire
Oct 15, 2008
514
Plymouth, Minnesota
What outside temp will you start to use your stove?

In my case its around 30 degrees.
I have limited space on my lot for storage of wood. I dont like wasting the wood. I use my heat pump and my NG furnace above 30, and below its game on for the insert. Halling all them splits in the house, shoveling a path way to the shed!
 
When the highs are in the 50s, that also means the lows are in the 30s. I will usually burn on day two of those temps. The first day, the stone in the house will retain the temps. After that, the stone has absorbed the outside temps and the house becomes cold.

So, it looks like Monday will be my first day to burn.
 
40F Outside is when my house starts getting cool and that's with no heat then i light the stove.
 
I burn when the house needs to get warmed up, not depending on the temp outside. I have had 3 fires so far because the house got down to about 62. Warmed it up to 72 within a couple hours and good to go. I'm on propane so my goal is to never turn on the furnace for any reason. I only ran it for about 10 total hours last winter.
 
I've had many fires over the last couple weeks. Weather was down to 40 at night but in the 60s and sunny during the day. I'd light a small, low fire before bed and be great until the next night.

Last night was a low of only 51 so no fire. I guess the cutoff is somewhere in a 40s for a low, but that greatly depends on what the daytimes temps get up to and if it is sunny.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rideau
Like sblat, I burn based on inside temp, not outside. Sunny days we get some solar gain and when we get these string of overcast days the house will cool down even if it isn't all that cold outside. My goal is to avoid using the central heat unless we are out of town and thus unable to tend the stove so if it cools down in the house 'too much' then I'll light a fire.

Now that "too cold" in the house is not a clear line - seems in the fall shoulder season I'll light up whenever I have a few moments and someone suggests the idea of being cold. I wont' necessarily burn much wood - not a "real" fire even - i.e. may not even put more than a couple handfuls of kindling size pieces and only get stove up to 200*. But come spring our tolerance for the cool increases about as fast as the desire to build extra fires decreases. I expect I'll have my first 'real' fire this weekend when the high outside is around 50 with lows in the 40's for two nights in a row and no sunshine.
 
I've been meaning to light a fire, but I just haven't gotten around to it. An extra blanket, a pullover fleece, keeping the windows closed have
been easier than bringing wood into the house and officially starting the burning year. That will probably end in the next couple of days as temps fall
into the low 50's for the highs and 20's for the lows.
 
I start burning when my wife starts turning on the thermostat and I hear the oil furnace kick on. If my kids would wear pants and shirts vs going around in their skivvies all day I could probably hold off until November, lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: osagebow and RAY_PA
As soon as the house starts feeling cool I burn. Right now I've been using the Esse cook stove to cook with so I have heat anyways. A win-win situation. Still working on my hearth pad for my new Woodstock Fireview. Right now the Esse is running the show;).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Backwoods Savage
I used to totally use inside temps to determine burning, all that matters is the temp of the room I'm in. Well, now that I have a cold burning cat stove I have a much better experience when drafts are higher which means temps in the 50s. So 59 and lower is the burn temp.
 
It dropped into the low 30s and high 20s here so I started a small fire in the morning. Didn't need much heat really but my wife loves our stove, as do I, so it's more for the ambiance than the heat right now. Full on burning starts when we stay in the 50s and temp drops in the house to mid 60s, so we will probably fire it up for heat, today or tomorrow.
 
Like others I go more by the inside temp . . . although the outside temp often factors in since oftentimes if it's cold outside it is or will be getting cold inside, especially if rain or snow is in the forecast.

I don't think I really have a set temp to burn at . . . if my wife or I am cold . . . the fire is lit . . . one nice thing about having plenty of wood and cheap heat . . . heck, a few years ago I had a small fire on July 3rd . . . obviously temps were not in the 30s or 40s, but it was overcast and the temp that day made the inside feel a bit chilly.

Generally, we like the temp inside in the high 60s to low 70s . . . so typically temps outside are around 40-50 when we start a fire . . . sometimes even into the low 60s.
 
Anything under 70 in the house is totally unacceptable in the middle of the winter. It's tolerated in the spring and fall if the sun will bring it up 70 by midday. If not, I'm smokin up the glass.

I used to totally use inside temps to determine burning, all that matters is the temp of the room I'm in. Well, now that I have a cold burning cat stove I have a much better experience when drafts are higher which means temps in the 50s. So 59 and lower is the burn temp.

Have you burned it yet?
 
When daytime high's are in the low 30's,above about 34 the heat pump does a good job
heating the stone in the walls up to last through the night, so around here that is
usually around november.
 
Usually 50's is when I start thinking about lighting up.
 
This time of the year I go by inside temp and what the expected outside high temp for the day is. I have a southern exposure and that helps. So, if inside temps is 64 and it's not going to be a sunny day and outside temps are around 60, I may light up to take the chill off.
 
  • Like
Reactions: milleo
I could care less out outside temperatures. For example, we might have a day of 50-55 as a high temperature but it is cloudy and windy. Pretty good change the fire will be in the stove that night. But if it is sunny and not much wind, the house will usually stay quite comfortable. These time I might get the stove ready so that in the morning all that is needed is to light the super cedar and warm the house a bit.

I've also noticed that if we get a decent January thaw that we just don't put much wood in the stove. Usually keep it going but barely. When it gets back up in the high 30's, it really does not take much wood to keep the house warm and if it get up to 50, you can bet the fire is out. So it all matters what the situation is.

We almost always keep our home temperature around 80 all winter long. Occasionally when I am gone from the house, like when I've been cutting wood, I'll call my wife on the two way radio and let her know it is time to get the stove really warm because I'm chilled to the bone. That is because she gets overheated easy so when I'm gone she opens windows but then it will suddenly hit her and she is cold but has to get the fire going then. I tell her to keep it going always in winter so we are not uncomfortable.

I have a definite problem especially with feet and legs. Even in July and August my feet and legs will be very cold so you can imagine what it is like during the winter.
 
I too will not be cold in my own house.....So if I feel cool I will light the stove....Loving every minute of it....:cool:
 
Unlike others I DO go by outside temp. We have full southern exposure and the house really heats up from solar gain this time of year. With temps in the 50s and full sun the house will hold 70 easily with no heat. My rule of thumb is on a cloudy day I will light up if the high is 45 or less... sunny day 40 poor less. For the overnight if the low is mid to high 30s I'll run a small load and let it burn out... when it gets below freezing then I will pack it to burn all night.

Ive worked out that if I burn outside those limits in this house its hard to keep from getting too hot for my blood inside (anything over 75 I can't stand, and I prefer 70 or less to sleep)

And I never burn before the gas company switches to the higher winter rates on Nov 1st
 
  • Like
Reactions: Shadow&Flame
As many have stated, for us its more about the inside temp. or dampness. Our stove is in our basements game room where we spend alot of time. Its often cold and damp feeling. We have had 4 fires this year and looking at the forecast, there will be more this weekend.
 
47 degrees by 7 PM outside and forecasted lows in the low 40's or colder and house temps around 70 and falling. That usually gives me plenty of time to get a fire going and settled before bed. Anything warmer I just let the furnace handle it. Now I said that I have had a fire already when it was in the 50's and lows in the mid 40's.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.