Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: Jerry Jr.]
#6716272
01/04/20 12:01 PM
01/04/20 12:01 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,519 james bay frontierOnt.
Boco
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,519
james bay frontierOnt.
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Yes,when mixing green wood, I build a hot fire at the camp and burn out the creosote once in the fall.
Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: Jerry Jr.]
#6716306
01/04/20 12:36 PM
01/04/20 12:36 PM
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Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 2,230 Priest River, Idaho USA
SundanceMtnMan
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Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 2,230
Priest River, Idaho USA
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I have burned wood my entire life. Western larch,douglas (red) fir and paper birch are considered the best firewood around here but I burn it all. I have a lot of cottonwood and ponderosa (bull) pine on my property so they are burnt a lot. We don't have any hardwoods. I have fairly hot fires so don't worry about creosote. Creosote is made worse by burning green wood or restricting the air by shutting down your stove so the fire just smolders. I clean my chimney once a year. If the house gets too hot we let the fire go out or open a window. The house got too hot on Thursday so didn't even start a fire yesterday. Why criticize how a man conducts his affairs? If you don't agree don't associate with him, if you don't like the house rules don't go to that house. JMO.
"They Say Nothing is Impossible, But, I Do Nothing Every Day."
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: Hatchetman]
#6716316
01/04/20 12:42 PM
01/04/20 12:42 PM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,175 McGrath, AK
white17
"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
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"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,175
McGrath, AK
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White, I would guess your wood burning experience has been with aspen, spruce/pine or birch. For a midwesterner, that is all crap wood. I burn a little aspen and birch myself and it always amazes me how you can have a roaring fire going in the furnace and it just doesn't seem to heat the house very well. If you are used to getting it up to 70+ in the house you will be making many trips to the furnace to stoke it up and even then it just seems to struggle to actually heat things up. You wouldn't think burning good hardwood would put out that much more heat but it does. I can see why you wouldn't want to loose any heat from your place burning that kind of wood not to mention you have a lot more cold than we do. I burn about 5-6 full cords every year to heat my place. If i had all soft wood i'm sure it would be twice that at least, hence a lot more wood to handle in and out. I could see if that's all that was available it would make wood burning a real PIA.
Yeah I only burn dry birch. Spruce and cottonwood burn too quickly, leave too much ash, and don't have the BTU's per cord that birch does. I would love to have access to some real hardwood I keep 2-3 years ahead on my wood supply. I have three woodsheds and rotate from year to year. I keep about two weeks worth of wood on my deck so I don't have to trek to the woodshed at all hours. When I open my door at today's temperature, a white cloud billows in. Lets say it takes me 5 seconds to go through the door and another 7 seconds to come back inside with an arm load of wood. In that time the temperature in my house will drop 2 degrees and take another 15-30 minutes to recover. Firewood has a cost of $350 per cord and up......depending on the species. You don't leave any door open very long here. That's the reason most houses have an arctic entry....so there is no door open directly to the outside.
Mean As Nails
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: Jerry Jr.]
#6716318
01/04/20 12:44 PM
01/04/20 12:44 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,519 james bay frontierOnt.
Boco
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,519
james bay frontierOnt.
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In the north here,there are usually stands of fire killed spruce on or near the trapline.This is the best firewood,as far as collecting.It has no bark is dry and sound(not rotten)and light to transport with the skidoo.And unlimited supply,there for the taking whenever needed,and splits beautifully. I like to burn fire killed black spruce. Fire killed pine is OK but has a lot of tar in it.It is good if you want to make some pine tar.
Last edited by Boco; 01/04/20 12:46 PM.
Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: white17]
#6716340
01/04/20 01:04 PM
01/04/20 01:04 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,082 SEPA
Lugnut
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,082
SEPA
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White, I would guess your wood burning experience has been with aspen, spruce/pine or birch. For a midwesterner, that is all crap wood. I burn a little aspen and birch myself and it always amazes me how you can have a roaring fire going in the furnace and it just doesn't seem to heat the house very well. If you are used to getting it up to 70+ in the house you will be making many trips to the furnace to stoke it up and even then it just seems to struggle to actually heat things up. You wouldn't think burning good hardwood would put out that much more heat but it does. I can see why you wouldn't want to loose any heat from your place burning that kind of wood not to mention you have a lot more cold than we do. I burn about 5-6 full cords every year to heat my place. If i had all soft wood i'm sure it would be twice that at least, hence a lot more wood to handle in and out. I could see if that's all that was available it would make wood burning a real PIA.
Yeah I only burn dry birch. Spruce and cottonwood burn to quickly, leave too much ash, and don't have the BTU's per cord that birch does. I would love to have access to some real hardwood I keep 2-3 years ahead on my wood supply. I have three woodsheds and rotate from year to year. I keep about two weeks worth of wood on my deck so I don't have to trek to the woodshed at all hours. When I open my door at today's temperature, a white cloud billows in. Lets say it takes me 5 seconds to go through the door and another 7 seconds to come back inside with an arm load of wood. In that time the temperature in my house will drop 2 degrees and take another 15-30 minutes to recover. Firewood has a cost of $350 per cord and up......depending on the species. You don't leave any door open very long here. That's the reason most houses have an arctic entry....so there is no door open directly to the outside. You live in weather conditions that would be considered extreme by most of us White. Here in southeast Pennsylvania I consider single digits pretty cold and we only see below zero a few times each winter if that. Maybe if we got as cold as you I'd start yelling at people to "CLOSE THE DOOR!"
Eh...wot?
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: Jerry Jr.]
#6716407
01/04/20 02:04 PM
01/04/20 02:04 PM
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 7,240 West Michigan
Getting There
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trapper
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Posts: 7,240
West Michigan
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Is there a point here. All heat wood, coal, electric, heat pump, all cost money to use. JMO (they must have stopped saying are you born in a barn) LOL
------You are never to old to Vote!------ I guess the point was that most of us that heat with wood go out and get it, split and burn it. Those that heat with gas or electric have to pay for it each month. They see the $$$ flying out the door. Those that heat with wood just don't care or say 'put another log on the fire'. Did that last part put a song in your head? Yep! +++In Michigan you have to be 18 year old and registered to Vote+++
To Old U.S. Army 60-63 SGT.
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: Jerry Jr.]
#6716419
01/04/20 02:18 PM
01/04/20 02:18 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 21,049 St. Louis Co, Mo
BigBob
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St. Louis Co, Mo
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You can always tel the putz that never cut, split,. hauled, and stacked a cord of firewood in his life by the way he loves to pile the wood on and just has to keep poking at it to make it burn faster. GRRRRRR!!
Every kid needs a Dog and a Curmudgeon.
Remember Bowe Bergdahl, the traitor.
Beware! Jill Pudlewski, Ron Oates and Keven Begesse are liars and thiefs!
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: Jerry Jr.]
#6721777
01/09/20 01:15 AM
01/09/20 01:15 AM
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Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 1,482 Ne pa
Jerry Jr.
OP
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OP
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Joined: Jul 2016
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Ne pa
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Sorry for not getting back sooner but I was busy playing in the outdoors. BIG THANKS to all those that stuck up fore me!
The point was that most people that burn wood for heat are a bit more easy going. A bit more self sufficient if you will.
I am sure it is a bit different in a place with no trees and the temps dip into the negatives. Like - whatever during the day.
Funny thing is, if I figured in what my employer pays me for the time that I spend getting firewood I would be better off heating with other sources. The fact is I like going out in the woods and getting firewood. I like going out and getting firewood. I enjoy the time.
But then again I am young and dumb.
Time is more precious than gold if you know how to spend it .... but what do I know, I'm just a dumb farmer.~My Dad NRA LIFE MEMBER, Endowment Member
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: Jerry Jr.]
#6721981
01/09/20 09:27 AM
01/09/20 09:27 AM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,082 SEPA
Lugnut
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Posts: 20,082
SEPA
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I run two small businesses and don't always have time to process enough wood to heat at home all season. I'm also a miser and like to know how I can get the best bang for my buck.
My two heating options are fuel oil and wood, I have fuel-oil fired, forced air systems here at home and at camp as well as woodstoves at both places.
A cord of hardwood (mostly oak is what I buy) cost $200.00 delivered and gives me about 25,000,000 (twenty-five million) BTU's
A gallon of fuel oil gives about 139,000 BTU's so it would take about 180 gallons to equal a cord of wood. I just paid $2.70 per gallon for fuel oil at an apartment building I manage. That comes to $486.00, more than twice the amount of money for the same BTU's.
There is a bit of time and labor involved in moving the wood from where it is dumped in the driveway to where it is stacked on the porch. And there is extra work loading the fire three or four times a day and cleaning out the ashes once and a while. But, as I said above, I'm a miser, I'll do that relatively small amount of extra work to gain those savings.
I takes about five cords to heat my home during a normal heating season, that's $1,000.00 if I buy all my wood or $2,430.00 if I burn fuel oil for the heating season.
Eh...wot?
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: Boco]
#6722106
01/09/20 11:45 AM
01/09/20 11:45 AM
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 11,294 Maine, Aroostook
Posco
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 11,294
Maine, Aroostook
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A few sticks of tamarack in the stove and you'll be opening windows and doors.Tamarack burns so hot I mix it with a bit of green poplar. A logger friend of mine told me tamarack was his favorite as far as firewood goes. Said the same thing, it burns hot.
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: white17]
#6722256
01/09/20 01:28 PM
01/09/20 01:28 PM
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 11,294 Maine, Aroostook
Posco
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Joined: Nov 2017
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Maine, Aroostook
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The trouble is tamarack doesn't get bigger than 3-4 inches diameter Similar to that spindly black spruce? With the snow you guys have been getting, I wouldn't want to be trudging to a wood pile.
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: white17]
#6722296
01/09/20 01:52 PM
01/09/20 01:52 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,082 SEPA
Lugnut
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Joined: Dec 2006
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Inspired by Lug, I just ran those same calculations.
I use about 5 cords of birch during a heating season.
If I bought my wood at $350/cord that equals $1750 per season
The equivalent BTU values of oil would cost me $4105 per season So we would both pay about 140% more for fuel oil, interesting.
Eh...wot?
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Re: The problem with burning firewood.
[Re: white17]
#6722298
01/09/20 01:56 PM
01/09/20 01:56 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,216 Manitoba
Northof50
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Manitoba
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The trouble is tamarack doesn't get bigger than 3-4 inches diameter And my I note; Is a hundred years old in your region. Note that the northern wood grows slower and the dark winter ring is much denser, there is a lot ore BTU's in it than southern wood. Black Spruce from 60 *N vs 50*n has a differences of 10% more Btu's most numbers quoted are from southern equations. Another equation that has not been made is the Membership in the Health Club, so take that off the wood guys and put it on the fuel tab guys. But add to the wood guys bill a tub of Absorbine Jr
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