Would you have a stove if you didn't have a wood source?

[gthomas785]

I purchase about 80% of the wood I burn. I get green splits delivered and season them for 2-3 years. Much cheaper compared to the questionably "seasoned" wood for sale.
I don't have enough land or time to harvest all my wood, but I love the wood fire so much. It does still save a bunch of money compared to heating with gas and we can keep the house warmer. Also it's (mostly) carbon neutral.

 

[Ashful]

Good point on age eventually catching up to all of us. Age and other life situations will eventually impact burning habits. I'm also a cheapo so buying is still less attractive to me.

I've had several family members continue feeding stoves and fireplaces well into their 90's, most memorably my great-grandfather who was still keeping a fireplace going all day most days until he fell and broke a hip at age 95. In his case, he was not only felling and splitting enough for himself, but also enough to share a few cords with his son and grandson, on occasion.

You gotta wonder if it was the wood scrounging habit, along with all that went with it, that helped kept him young.

 

[Poindexter]

You gotta wonder if it was the wood scrounging habit, along with all that went with it, that helped kept him young.

I don't wonder or doubt about this at all. There are also some incredibly aged folks taking to the golf course daily, though golf is the more expensive hobby.

For the OP, I would absolutely continue to burn wood without a ready, easy source of fuel. The heat just feels the best to me when I am cold, and no dinosaur juice is needed.

 

[Crab]

I don't wonder or doubt about this at all. There are also some incredibly aged folks taking to the golf course daily, though golf is the more expensive hobby.

They gotta be tough to play golf in Fairbanks in January.

 

[abj1969]

when i first started burning i had a tree guy drop off wood that i'd cut and split. did that for years. these days with my rotating work schedule, may daughters naval sea cadets, her sports, her school functions and everything else i just don't have the time for it. i just pay a local guy to cut to my size, split and deliver my firewood now. all i have to do is stack it and burn it. costs more then doing it myself but i also don't have to spend all the time doing it time is money man. and paying for firewood its still cheaper then keeping the house at the wifes desired temps burring fuel oil. it works out well for us.

 

[begreen]

They gotta be tough to play golf in Fairbanks in January.

Does a long drive tend to shatter a golf ball at -50º

 

[Rob_Red]

I own two businesses and have a bunch of hobbies that I share with my family. My time is limited, so even though I had live on a wooded lot, I buy wood from a processor. It’s still leaps and bounds cheaper than paying for propane heat, and buying from a processor, gives me nice uniform splits and cuts.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

If I didnt have access to free wood.. Id still do it.. Id purchase wood in log lenth and process.. I might go that route when I get older.. well Im already older.. but Im talking really really older.. but not to the point were Im pushing a walker in the woods.. kinda old.. At that point Ill buy it split.. because well the heats just that good.. I also enjoy it.. processing and time outside with my kid..

 

[Ashful]

I might go that route when I get older.. well Im already older.. but Im talking really really older.. but not to the point were Im pushing a walker in the woods..

lol... now this, I have to see!

My former cutting partner was in his late 70's when a hereditary disease made him give it up. But those last few times out weren't far from what you describe. I did everything I could to just keep him on the tractor, skidding what I was felling and bucking.

 

[DBoon]

I enjoy being outside, and wood hauling, cutting, splitting and stacking is a great excuse to be outside and get some physical activity. I have 75 acres (50 acres wooded) but with lots of hills. There are probably only 10 acres that it is easy and safe to harvest downed wood from. Having said that, I have all the wood I need with that 10 acres of woods to harvest from along with the trees that get taken down close to my house. There is a lot that never gets processed.

When I am not physically able to do the work, I would probably buy a cord a year to have for emergencies, power outages, etc. That's probably a little less than half the rate I'm using right now (well-insulated house, and I am only burning during the coldest months of the year).

I designed the house with a very comfortable radiant floor heating system. I have no issues with using that when the time comes that I wish to burn less.

 

[GrumpyDad]

I have wooded property, but no heavy equipment, and I buy all of our wood locally. Firewood suppliers are dime-a-dozen around here, its easy enough to get ahead on it so it seasons properly. We also lose power occasionally so I would absolutely have a stove for heat in the winter.

Ours is a weekend/summer place, and having your power go out Friday evening kinda spoils being at your camp when it's 20 F out. Having a stove really helps, but our cast iron takes hours to heat up and even longer to get the other rooms warm. However, it keeps us up there vs having to turn around and come home. If this were our primary home, hell yea Id have a stove just for this purpose. Power outages are fairly common, although the local electric co is butchering trees that dare be anywhere near power lines absolutely crushing the beauty of the region.

 

[TheElementalCashew]

Ours is a weekend/summer place, and having your power go out Friday evening kinda spoils being at your camp when it's 20 F out. Having a stove really helps, but our cast iron takes hours to heat up and even longer to get the other rooms warm. However, it keeps us up there vs having to turn around and come home. If this were our primary home, hell yea Id have a stove just for this purpose. Power outages are fairly common, although the local electric co is butchering trees that dare be anywhere near power lines absolutely crushing the beauty of the region.

Yep, this is our primary house so the stove is running 24/7 in the winter. When the power goes out, the temps in our house don't change at all, this actually just happened early this morning and the house stayed nice and warm.
This is a steel stove though, so from a cold start it'll heat up pretty quickly.

 

[jpm995]

I only have a small wood stove [TN10] for my shed/gym/mancave. My neighbor's brother is a tree guy and he gives me many rounds for free. He even lets me use his splitter but i usually use a maul. Problem is storing it. I converted 3 pallets to mini sheds to store the wood but quickly filled them up. Even after a year the wood still isn't fully dry. I buy wood from Home Depot, use a log to get fire started then add my wood and scraps to get the shed warm. I'm still in learning mode, hope i'll get better with practice. I love the heat from the stove it's so comfortable.

 

[NHWS]

Costco 10'x20' carport-style canopies work reasonably well for wood storage. With a 8'x16' platform inside, each can store around 8 cords. Not pretty and can't handle very high winds or snow loads, but dry and relatively inexpensive.