Wood Stoves: what's new in the world of wood heat.

[Manuel Garcia O'Kely]

Originally Posted by Srbenda

Peach wood? I don't see that used very much!

If you burned 2 cords of pine last winter, one cord of hardwood will probably provide just about as much BTU value.

Peach..yea, Grand Junction area is lousy with peach trees and like all fruit trees they get too old and have to be replaced.

Wood guy suggested at least 2:1, maybe better. We should have plenty of wood - truth be told we normally only need the wood to take the chill off in the AM until right around Christmas, then maybe thru January when we get the really cold nights a bit more. With 800 SF, a Vermont Castings Defiant is like mega-overkill.

[Piston]

Originally Posted by Manuel Garcia O'Kely

With 800 SF, a Vermont Castings Defiant is like mega-overkill.

YA IT IS!
But hey, better to be overkill than not have enough heat on that cold winter day when the electricity is out! You might wanna stick with burning pine except for the coldest days. It may be more comfortable when you load that stove up with wood that will only give you half the amount of heat, and probably still plenty.

[kobudo28]

BTU's per cord by wood type. Notice where apple is on the list.

http://www.outdoor-wood-furnace-boiler.com/wood_species_BTUs.htm

[Piston]

Originally Posted by kobudo28

BTU's per cord by wood type. Notice where apple is on the list.

http://www.outdoor-wood-furnace-boiler.com/wood_species_BTUs.htm

Check this one out as well. http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm
It's very accurate for wood burning since it takes into account 20% moisture content, vs. completely dry wood like most charts state.
(Also tons more useful woodburning info on that site.)

[Manuel Garcia O'Kely]

Originally Posted by Piston

YA IT IS!
But hey, better to be overkill than not have enough heat on that cold winter day when the electricity is out! You might wanna stick with burning pine except for the coldest days. It may be more comfortable when you load that stove up with wood that will only give you half the amount of heat, and probably still plenty.

Well, we have NEVER loaded this thing up to capacity - we would melt the windows out of the house!

Actually, the way it works is that we light a roarer first thing in AM, chuck in a couple chunks of Oak and let it just coast - we have used Oak before, we know not to overload it - the Oak burns and burns in this stove - the coals last 6 hours or more some days.

Pine is great wood for this stove and it's plentiful here as well - but then so is Aspen - which is like burning newspaper....

[Piston]

My Dad has had a Defiant since I can remember, that is one hell of a stove. His basement get's close 90 sometimes!

[Manuel Garcia O'Kely]

Originally Posted by Piston

My Dad has had a Defiant since I can remember, that is one hell of a stove. His basement get's close 90 sometimes!

Well, they have been making them since the early 70's as they appear in The Last Whole Earth Catalogue. I got mine when my mom bought a ranch and there was a dusty stove parked in the corner, abandoned. All in one piece, I recognized it by name and begged her to save it for my future cabin - like 15 years ago. Finally, I had a place where I could put it to use.

[A-Bone]

Originally Posted by Manuel Garcia O'Kely

. With 800 SF, a Vermont Castings Defiant is like mega-overkill.

Uhhh.. yeah.... that is a heat producing monster....

I grew up with a Defiant in an old rambling house in New Hampshire... the main living room hovered around what felt like 130 degrees and I could write my name in the frost on the window in my room upstairs at the other end of the house... Gawd I don't miss that house...

[A-Bone]

Originally Posted by Piston

YA IT IS!
But hey, better to be overkill than not have enough heat on that cold winter day when the electricity is out!

Yes an no.. an oversized stove can lead to increased creosote buildup and an increased potential for a chimney fire because users have to throttle them back so much to maintain comfort in the house that they smolder..

I know that sounds a little preachy.. but I am saying it because a properly sized stove is important not just for comfort but also for your safety..

A decent stove store should be able to do a load calulation that takes a number of variables into consideration to size a stove properly..

[Manuel Garcia O'Kely]

Originally Posted by A-Bone

Yes an no.. an oversized stove can lead to increased creosote buildup and an increased potential for a chimney fire because users have to throttle them back so much to maintain comfort in the house that they smolder..

I know that sounds a little preachy.. but I am saying it because a properly sized stove is important not just for comfort but also for your safety..

A decent stove store should be able to do a load calulation that takes a number of variables into consideration to size a stove properly..

True dat...I use a flue temperature thermometer and am careful to fire it up to the HOT zone at least once per day and I keep it in the best operational temp range - we let it burn out rather than fill it and choke it down - I don't like to have the fireplace smoke a lot anyway, so it's a small fire in a big box, kept hot. It does not work the way they are 'supposed to' in that sense due to the massive oversize.

My only defense is that it was free, and the stove that was in the place was garbage due to horrible mis-use....from the looks of it, this stove will outlast the house.

[vwboomer]

Split some wood today. It's been sitting in the yard for a year and a half. bunch of what I'm told is black locust, some walnut, some ash. It's good to get back to it.

I would go through a ton of kindling due to the inefficiencies of my furnace and lack of someone home 24 hours a day.

I've found that a few squirts of diesel gets things going easily and with less matchstick making in the basement every day.

[small_e_900]

Originally Posted by vwboomer

I've found that a few squirts of diesel gets things going easily and with less matchstick making in the basement every day.

If your stove is a catalytic type, the diesel will kill the catalyst, which will cut your stove's efficiency in half.

Not that I'm against using Girl Scout Juice to start a fire outside or anything.

[Manuel Garcia O'Kely]

Well, we lit the stove this AM, wife said it was chilly. I love the feel of a wood stoves heat.

[vwboomer]

Originally Posted by small_e_900

If your stove is a catalytic type, the diesel will kill the catalyst, which will cut your stove's efficiency in half.

Not that I'm against using Girl Scout Juice to start a fire outside or anything.

nah nothing efficient about my furnace it's a Hotblast. I assume they named it so because it blasts heat right out the chimney

I have a barometric damper and a thermocouple installed to monitor temps, I think I get about as much out of the furnace as is possible.

[A-Bone]

Originally Posted by Manuel Garcia O'Kely

True dat...I use a flue temperature thermometer and am careful to fire it up to the HOT zone at least once per day and I keep it in the best operational temp range - we let it burn out rather than fill it and choke it down - I don't like to have the fireplace smoke a lot anyway, so it's a small fire in a big box, kept hot. It does not work the way they are 'supposed to' in that sense due to the massive oversize.

My only defense is that it was free, and the stove that was in the place was garbage due to horrible mis-use....from the looks of it, this stove will outlast the house.

That's the way to run it... Small fire, burning hot... rather than a big fire smouldering....

Free is tough to beat..especailly if you only occationaly use it.. You're right that you would never make up buying a new stove vs a free one... The good news if it ever gets too hot, you can just open a window for a few mintues.....

Originally Posted by Manuel Garcia O'Kely

Well, we lit the stove this AM, wife said it was chilly. I love the feel of a wood stoves heat. .

Just lit a fire this AM too in the small stove in the den... Not cold enough for the big stove.. but perfect for the small one today... Nothing like a fire on a cool, raw, rainy day....

Going to head out to the barn to finish the last stacking of the season that I was supposed to finish a couple weeks ago ... but its been too warm .... 6 cords....DONE!!! well almost.. back in a bit...