You tell me how you push your stove.
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Huntindog1
Minister of Fire
Hog , I guess your right , there is a certain amount of btu's in the wood your burning. If you burn at a higher rate your gonna waste more btu's up the flue.
So getting the heat faster or getting it over the longer time span , there is only so many btu's in that load of wood in the stove.
Only thing I would say is after getting home from work and before loading up at bed time, I would like to get as much heat built up in the house as possible.
But that can cause another issue lots of coals. So I am thinking maybe use a wood that doesnt make coals during that time frame.
Reloading more often.
Using the bigger splits . . . and doing full loads.
Going for the better BTU wood when I find it in the stack.
And . . . using the oil boiler . . . I figure I don't rely on it that often . . . but when temps are near zero or sub zero it definitely helps even out the heat a bit better . . . figure it can't hurt things since I'm not in a contest to see who uses the least amount of oil/propane/natural gas, etc. . . . plus running some heat through the whole house should insure no frozen pipes anywhere.
Using the bigger splits . . . and doing full loads.
Going for the better BTU wood when I find it in the stack.
And . . . using the oil boiler . . . I figure I don't rely on it that often . . . but when temps are near zero or sub zero it definitely helps even out the heat a bit better . . . figure it can't hurt things since I'm not in a contest to see who uses the least amount of oil/propane/natural gas, etc. . . . plus running some heat through the whole house should insure no frozen pipes anywhere.
No pushing here, stove just does its thing. Only "problem" (not really that big of a problem to say) is with the increased cold, theres an increased draft and it runs about 75 degrees hotter than normal even with the air turned down more than normal. Did my normal routine, left for work last night and came home 17 hrs later still a solid amount of coals for a quick restart. Inside temps were maybe 3 to 4 degrees colder when i got home, but it was also below zero degrees F. Cant complain, love this wood stove. I thought for sure I was gonna come home to a 50 degree house after being away for 17 hours. I was very relieved and surprised when i open the door and it was still warm.
Laurent Cyr
Burning Hunk
It`s -24F right now. Was -41F last night.
Pretty hard to keep the temperature up in the house during these cold nights. Electric forced air kicked on at 67F on first floor. Jotul is in the basement and the warm air just isn`t finding its way upstairs, even with the fans and cut-outs in the floor. Benn cold like this since November. I`m running out of seasoned wood.
Time to think about having a second smaller stove on the first floor.
My wife will kill me.........
)
L.
Pretty hard to keep the temperature up in the house during these cold nights. Electric forced air kicked on at 67F on first floor. Jotul is in the basement and the warm air just isn`t finding its way upstairs, even with the fans and cut-outs in the floor. Benn cold like this since November. I`m running out of seasoned wood.
Time to think about having a second smaller stove on the first floor.
My wife will kill me.........
)L.
It`s -24F right now. Was -41F last night.
Pretty hard to keep the temperature up in the house during these cold nights. Electric forced air kicked on at 67F on first floor. Jotul is in the basement and the warm air just isn`t finding its way upstairs, even with the fans and cut-outs in the floor. Benn cold like this since November. I`m running out of seasoned wood.
Time to think about having a second smaller stove on the first floor.
My wife will kill me.........
L.
One would think just about any heat source is gonna struggle in -41, keepin a whole house in the mid 60s at that temperature is pretty impressive to me
Laurent Cyr
Burning Hunk
This is my first year with a wood stove. I don`t have the choice of good hardwood in my area. I have a wood lot, but most of the available wood is aspen and pine. I had 7 cords of 1 year seasoned aspen and pine. The burn season started early in November. I`m going through this wood really fast. The wood burns fast and hot. I burn 24/7, so now I`m pretty much out of seasoned wood. They sell hardwood around here, but at the price they are asking for, I might as well heat electric. And they don't deliver. And the stuff they sell is probably not dry anyway.
My only option is to go out and cut standing dead wood on my lot. But it needs to get a little warmer before I do that. It will be fun to bring that wood out on foot. There's 3-4 feet of snow in the bush, and I don't have a snowmobile. So, it'll be snowshoes and sled. Eesh! Live and learn. Next year, I'll be ready...
L.
My only option is to go out and cut standing dead wood on my lot. But it needs to get a little warmer before I do that. It will be fun to bring that wood out on foot. There's 3-4 feet of snow in the bush, and I don't have a snowmobile. So, it'll be snowshoes and sled. Eesh! Live and learn. Next year, I'll be ready...
L.
Laurent Cyr
Burning Hunk
For me, a cord is 4 foot high, 8 feet long and 16 inches. I`ve been through 7 cords of that.
When people on the forum talk about burning a cord of wood, do they mean a full cord (4x4x8) or a small cord?
Anyway, yeah...bummer for me.
When people on the forum talk about burning a cord of wood, do they mean a full cord (4x4x8) or a small cord?
Anyway, yeah...bummer for me.
In my area, people would refer to that as a face cord (1/3 of a cord).
7 face cords would be 2 and 1/3 actual cords of wood, which for being softwoods, isn't too bad for your area to this point in the winter in my opinion.
pen
Your small cord is usually called a face cord around here. (I'm too slow--pen finished as I typed)
You're dealing with some serious low temps. Best of luck. Post often. It makes the rest of us feel like it's not so cold outside.
Laurent Cyr
Burning Hunk
So, if I`m correct, most of you go through 3 full cords of wood per winter? Is that about right?
The temperatures we are having are extreme. With the wind chill factor, it`s more like -50 today.
I brought the dog in last night, because I find cold temperatures like that are just too hard on animals, even if they have an insulated dog house and heat lamp. The damp cold is hard on their joints.
When I brought the dog out this morning at 06:00am, you could hear the snap, crackle and pop happening out in the bush. Just a couple more days of this, and then the temperatures will be closer to 0. We usually get thes extremes in February. Jeez!!
The temperatures we are having are extreme. With the wind chill factor, it`s more like -50 today.
I brought the dog in last night, because I find cold temperatures like that are just too hard on animals, even if they have an insulated dog house and heat lamp. The damp cold is hard on their joints.
When I brought the dog out this morning at 06:00am, you could hear the snap, crackle and pop happening out in the bush. Just a couple more days of this, and then the temperatures will be closer to 0. We usually get thes extremes in February. Jeez!!
Your small cord is usually called a face cord around here. (I'm too slow--pen finished as I typed)
You're dealing with some serious low temps. Best of luck. Post often. It makes the rest of us feel like it's not so cold outside.
We are running the Fireview air set at "1" or even "1 1/4" instaed of the usual "3/4". Going with some flame in the box and glowing cat. This keeps the stovetop at around 600 for the first few hours rather than 500. Reloading every 6-7 hours, and dumping ash (into covered steel can) every other day rather than once a week. The furnace is helping too now. My old place is just too drafty for the Fireview to keep us comfortable in teen and single digit temps. I doubt more stove might do it either. We are just loosing too much. This is the first time we have had all 4 zones of heat running since some time in 2011 so I can't complain that much. Extended forecast calls for 40s and rain ate next week. We'll be back to wood heat only again.
Huntindog1
Minister of Fire
Machria
Minister of Fire
4 cords avg burn per winter around here? WOW!
That is alot of wood to be burnin... I don't think I could burn that much wood in the PH if I ran it 24x7, at full bore 7 days a week all winter. That just seems like alot to me.
That is alot of wood to be burnin... I don't think I could burn that much wood in the PH if I ran it 24x7, at full bore 7 days a week all winter. That just seems like alot to me.
Laurent Cyr
Burning Hunk
Well, I believe it for my part of the woods. I started heating with the wood stove on November 1, right after my install. Temperatures had dropped considerably by then. I know I`ll need to heat until at least April. That`s six months of heating 24/7. After 3 months of heating, I`m at 2 and 1/3 cords, heating with Aspen and pine.
L.
L.
I forgot something. I do that.
I suggested to my lovely wife that we start up the direct vent heater in the laundry room to help keep the back of the house a bit warmer until this cold snap goes away.
Her reply......"we'll be fine".
Have I mentioned that I love my wife?
Then later, she suggested that we turn on the kitchen oven to do the warming. It's electric.
I politely declined to do that.
Don't forget, ovens can be used to bake cookies and cakes, while they're keeping the house warm!
We take advantage of that. In this weather, something is going in the oven for supper. Gotta eat something anyway and a few extra btu's won't hurt a thing.
gmule
Feeling the Heat
Not really pushing the Fireview it just does it's thing
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I made the mistake of keeping too much ash in the nc 30 before this cold snap. Not only did that take up space but it prevented the abundance of coals from burning down fast enough.
I removed a ton of them tonight and now things are working the way they should. I also brought in 2 loads of black locust to mix with my oak so I'll be cruising at 700 for a few hours and then a full load before bed.
I removed a ton of them tonight and now things are working the way they should. I also brought in 2 loads of black locust to mix with my oak so I'll be cruising at 700 for a few hours and then a full load before bed.
I typically don't have run the stove at its top end range. What I am finding is that I don't open up the air intake to get the splits going. At 550 - 600*, I have been rake the coals to the back and the splits to the front and with in a few second they flaming. The temp drops for a bit but it starts raising again and cruises around 550.
Another question, Do you use the damper more or less in the cold?
Another question, Do you use the damper more or less in the cold?
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