I burned my first whole winter this year and just did my wood use tally. I live in southern MN and used about 4-5 cords in my Englander 30. At least half of the wood I had was dead standing elm, punky misc. and the other half (or less than half) was black walnut and maybe half a cord of ash. This season I scored around 8 cord of decent wood from a neighbor who is clearing a woods.The wood is about 25% sugar maple, 30 % hackberry and 15% hickory, the balance is like assorted maples and ash. Will I burn less next season with this wood?
Will I use much less wood next winter
- Thread starter trigrman
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Hard to say what the weather will be like next year. This year wasn't too cold so you may burn more wood even if it is higher quality.
Matt
Matt
You might burn less, probably not much to notice. EBL we had a crappy winter here in the midwest, cold and snow cover from December 1st on here in Iowa pretty much till the middle of march. You will burn more effiecently with good cured wood though.
Doesn't sound like it's getting much drying time. Get a couple of years ahead and then you'll see.
Assuming similar winter conditions, yes, you will burn less next year. First year woodburners almost always burn more wood while learning to run their stove and while enjoying the fire. Superior wood quality will only help reduce the consumption.
If you burn a NC30 for primary heat in MN I just can't see how you can get much lower though. Try to get at least 10 cords put up this year which should give you two season's worth of wood. That way if you break a leg you will have enough wood, if you have an especially hard winter you will have enough wood, and best of all you will have very dry wood after it has been seasoning two years.
If you burn a NC30 for primary heat in MN I just can't see how you can get much lower though. Try to get at least 10 cords put up this year which should give you two season's worth of wood. That way if you break a leg you will have enough wood, if you have an especially hard winter you will have enough wood, and best of all you will have very dry wood after it has been seasoning two years.
Highbeam said:
+1 and even more than 10 if you can pull it off sounds like 15 cords would put you 3 years ahead.
I think you will still burn at least the 4 cords and maybe more. I burn between 4 and 5 every year with one stove but never really calculate exactly how much based on wood type and winter conditions. The other stove goes through 1-2.
Welcome to the forum trigrman.
We did not have a very cold winter this year so you might burn about the same next year or slightly more. But you also very well might burn less. Highbeam was spot on with his assessment of new wood burners as they almost always tend to burn a lot more wood than normal their first year and sometimes their second year. Other posters are also spot on by stating that until you get at least 2 years ahead on your wood pile you won't get the maximum benefit out of your wood.
Time is firewood's best friend. Strive for 2 years ahead, which it sounds like you are doing and then strive for 3 years and then you can cut and burn any type of wood without fear that it is not dry. If you are 3 years ahead, you can laugh at the folks who have to use a moisture meter. It is totally unnecessary then. I've never owned one nor do I plan on owning one. I'd rather be ahead on the wood pile and not be concerned if the wood is dry enough or not.
btw, another nice thing about being 3 years ahead on your wood pile is that from then on, you only have to cut enough to replace what you burn that year. The first few years of wood burning are the hardest working years.
We did not have a very cold winter this year so you might burn about the same next year or slightly more. But you also very well might burn less. Highbeam was spot on with his assessment of new wood burners as they almost always tend to burn a lot more wood than normal their first year and sometimes their second year. Other posters are also spot on by stating that until you get at least 2 years ahead on your wood pile you won't get the maximum benefit out of your wood.
Time is firewood's best friend. Strive for 2 years ahead, which it sounds like you are doing and then strive for 3 years and then you can cut and burn any type of wood without fear that it is not dry. If you are 3 years ahead, you can laugh at the folks who have to use a moisture meter. It is totally unnecessary then. I've never owned one nor do I plan on owning one. I'd rather be ahead on the wood pile and not be concerned if the wood is dry enough or not.
btw, another nice thing about being 3 years ahead on your wood pile is that from then on, you only have to cut enough to replace what you burn that year. The first few years of wood burning are the hardest working years.
Thanks for your thoughts guys, We had a long winter here, I started burning in mid Oct. and had it lit until mid feb,and on and off after that. It is my primaryheat until it's really cold ,then NG, I have 2500sf of cut up rambler style house and heat does'nt travel well. I was thinking of doing an overhead 8" duct to the farthest section. There are three sections of house the stove is in the corner room of an L where two of the sections meet. Has anyone tied to force heat this way? The part that's coldest is on a slab.
Mid October to mid February? That's a super short season. Most years I am burning from late September through early June.
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