Keeping the house warm. In firewood mode full swing.

[snowwolfe]

Lit the stove once this season, for the last few days it has been in the 70's. All I can say is aging white oak for 2 years makes a HUGE difference in how good it burns. Last year when we used the stove at the end of the day the glass was completely covered with smoke soot. This year I burned the stove for 3 days straight and could still see the flames dance inside.

[funnyjim014]

Running it hot keeps soot off the glass. This early in the season I have a hard time keeping it clean. By mid Feb I burn it off, clear and clean lol

[MaryB]

even with wood pellets I get a dirty door glass, running hotter does it keep it clean. But I use a special wood stove glass cleaner once a week, it makes it easier to wipe soot off during the week.

[Shopdog]

1810 Federal period "repro" estate house.Been cover art several times for real estate rags.I built it from scratch before turning 30,yadayada.

Yukon combination furnace.Oil/wood.Loaded the wood tonight for the first time this season.It's down on the terrace level.Makes it stupid easy,all things considered.A very lite hint of woodsmoke wafts through the house when opening the door... only thing missing is frying bacon to complete the experience.

If we use NO oil,which we sort of have to force the issue.... it takes 3 1/2 cords for a typical Winter.Shot well over 100* at the registers.When all the kids were little,it was nothing to see them leaving an exterior door open in Jan... doh.Never cared?

[trails4u]

Shopdog.....I also run a Yukon, the Husky Eagle I, in South Carolina of all places. Yeah...I fight creosote in the fall and spring, and it runs us out of the house at times, but it beats the heck outta paying the propane man! 2 cords will get us through a mild winter......worst winter was about 3.5. Mine runs hot as well....when I let it.

[Shopdog]

Trails,I could be a commercial for them.Here's just one example;

Say,15 years ago.... nasty early Fall thunderstorm comes through.The house takes a direct hit.One of many problems it caused was it took out the board on the unit.Round 6 or 7 that evening I'm trying to figure out "why" the furnace is acting up.Just for a haha call the Yukon factory.The owner answers the phone.After explaining what happened,he walks me through a series of diagnostic checks...

He thinks about it for a few minutes and says the board is *****'d.Next day airs us a board....no charge!It was 100$ part,don't even want to know the shipping?

I've dealt with a LOT of companies over the last 40+ years in building biz.They have been a SOLID A+ class act group.We're a cpl years out on a new house,give you two guesses what heating system we're going with,haha.

[marlin39a]

I gave up on wood heat 5 yrs ago. Bad back, getting too old to cut and split. I went with a propane blue flame heater. Hose through the wall to a 100 lb. bottle. Perfect, instant heat.

[mold maker]

My parents had a 1950s coal/wood furnace and now its mine. In their later life, they installed an oil fired hot water system, and after about 30 years it became a money pit.
I replaced it with a Reni gas water heater rated for commercial use, and never looked back. I also use one for hot water.
The old coal/wood furnace still provides supplemental heat and server us well in case of power failure. The last trees I cut gave me 17 cords and still have 1/4th of it. My Dr. insists no more wood cutting.

[FISH4BUGS]

We burn wood as our sole source of heat. We do have a propane furnace for backup but it hasn't been on for years except for hot water.
Last year we burned 7 cords. This year I have 10 cords on the ground, stacked and covered. At my age (pushing 70) I can still work out doing the stacking, but i simply do not have the time to cut, split and stack all my wood. If I had the time I would buy tree length and a splitter and would do it all.
I buy from a local wood dealer, pay in full in the early spring and get delivery of 2 year old 18" split seasoned hardwood in the fall.
Our stove is a Jotul Norsk and heats a 1600 sf house very nicely. I work from home and keep it going all day.
I agree...there is nothing like a wood stove for heat. The cats all lie in front of it and snooze.
We just went through a 5 day power outage after the Halloween storm and it was really just a minor inconvenience. Generator and stove. Best pairing in the world.

[bob208]

we have a Harmon coal stove but it will burn wood too. just replaced the stove pipe this morning. it draws good now. the cats and dog like it. if not right around it the cats are on the steps where the heat goes upstairs.

[Lucky Joe]

Cut, chopped and burned wood my entire adult life. Now approaching 70 this April we decided to go Geothermal, costly perhaps but considering the money saved over the years, not bad. Monthly bill is surprisingly low and you can't beat the air conditioning that wood won't give you.

[owejia]

The smell of woodsmoke reminds me of deer hunting when young. Can remember walking back to the house and know a warm house and a warm hearty breakfast was waiting, Mom always had eggs, sauage ,ham or bacon with home made biscuits and gravy and fresh percolated coffee waiting. Had a wood furnace , made out of 55 gal. barrels in the basement to heat with. Good times. I heat with wood in a large wood furnace in my basement also. Will be 71 next week and still cut and split my own wood, use hydraulic splitter on my tractor, hope can continue doing this until I die. Love the smell of wood smoke. Can back up to the wood furnace and soak up the warmth no matter how cold I am, good for these old bones.

[725]

I use the deadfall and problem trees on the farm to heat much of the "winter season". Have a DS Circulator Wood/coal stove. Wood when it's "chilly" and coal when it's actually cold. I use about 4 tons of coal every two years. It's my real heat. Love it. Maybe $500 a year in heating costs. The man delivers it right into my bin and all I have to do is watch. Loosing electric or failure to get an oil / gas delivery is no longer an issue. The stove is a hand fire - no electricity used. Wonderful heat.

[Mal Paso]

In years past I'd be there right with you guys but fire got my house and logsplitter last year. The old house, built in the 60s, had windows that were even older and wood heat was necessary to do the heavy lifting. The new place is half the size, Tight, insulated, and all the glass is dual glaze. I thought I liked wood stoves but they take more space. Then there's the bugs and crud you bring into the house with the wood and the extra Dust from ash that escapes. I put in a propane furnace and to be totally decadent put the thermostat right next to the bed. A guy comes and fills the propane tank and sends me a bill. No Stacking Involved!!!!! How is it that I ever got so heavily invested in Wood Processing? LOL