have used wood heat for 20+ years
Posted By: sm on 2005-12-15
In Reply to: RE: Outside woodburning stoves - anyone have one, how do you like it, and how expensive (sm) - Kris
and we have moved a lot, so had to install numerous times. My husband does it. You can spend a ton of $ on a stove, but we prefer the little inexpensive 'box' type stove. They radiate heat well, you can cook on them, control the 'draft', etc. THey put out a lot of heat. If you have a stove that needs a blower to distribute heat, you'll be in a lurch when the power goes out. Also, your stovepipe must go i think it is 4 ft taller than the high point of your roof in order to draw the air correctly. You must get the fire hot enough often to burn out the creosote or keep it from building up. Learning how to build a fire can be challenging -- but once its going, the coals generated will make it easy to keep going. and please make sure you use smoke alarms on each floor.
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Wood heat, here...
Good thing. It was 6 degrees here yesterday morning. Have enough wood stockpiled to last through this winter and halfway into next and I have a +2600 square foot farmhouse. Also have the LP tank full in case the furnace kicks in.
Now, before I pat myself on the back too hard, let me say that wood heat is a LOT of work and time-consuming and very very very messy. It's almost like a second job in some ways.
Wood heat here too
I'm so glad we got an outdoor wood furnace a few years back. We haven't had to buy/use LP for 4 winters now. I'll put up with the work as long as I don't have those high oil prices anymore.
yup, 52 here and between m-pause and wood heat
sometimes i purt near melt!!
Use mother nature's WOOD HEAT !!
and maybe get a down comforter for the back bedroom...
Can I come to your house? I miss wood heat (sm)
That was our only heat source for over 20 years. It started out as a backup heat source, but soon became our only source. We lived in a 5 room house back then and it heated the whole place. If it was 5 degrees outside, it was wonderful to walk into the house. It felt like a cozy warm blanket wrapping around you as soon as you opened the door. I was never cold. We kept a metal box fan behind it to blow the heat through the rest of the house, and a 30 gal soup pot on top filled with water for humidity. I even cooked a lot of meals on top. Had a whole set of cast iron pans, including the dutch oven. Meals were great. The only thing I didn't like was the "dirt" from the wood.
We now have forced hot air. I hate it. I'm always cold. I still have the wood stove but it's in the storage shed. Can't talk DH into installing it in the house. The only time I am warm is when I go up to the garage where my DH has an old Kenmore apartment size wood/coal kitchen stove that I bought for him a couple years ago. Guess where I spend all my free time...
No, have 2 wood stoves and 4 cords of wood that some old guy
s
Yes, we just put in a wood stove and turned off
the furnace out in the shop. We know of a guy who gives away free scrap wood, so we're heating the shop for free this year. That'll save quite a chunk of change. I wish we hadn't taken the wood stove out of the house, but it would have cost too much to bring it up to code. Other than that, put on more clothes, extra blankets on the beds, and turn the heat down.
Wood versus gas, if just using a fireplace
without having an insert or some type of blower most likely you will be better off using another heat source because of the heat loss through the fireplace, unless you aren't using any other heat source. We have gas heat and prices are expected to increase 70%. We had gas logs but had them removed because we couldn't afford to burn them even for the mood affect and that was a couple of years ago.
cord of wood, not cords.
4 cord of wood
Brother-in-law has been using outside wood furnace
for many, many years and loves it. It sits out back of their house less than 50 feet (I would guess) from their back door. They also cool their house with it (need an exchanger of some sort) and heat their pool water. He is pretty clever and worked out the plumbing for the pool by himself. They do have to spend part of their summer looking and cutting and hauling their wood supply but they think it is worth it. Hope this helps.
outdoor wood boilers
If you live in the north, where our temp is currently 11 degrees, investing in an outdoor wood boiler is the way to go. I don't think you can have them in the city, but if you live out of town, wood is definately cheaper than propane. We can fill our tank once a year (approximately $550)
I haven't put wood in microwave yet...LOL....nm
x
We are paying as we go.... We also have 2 wood stoves, BUT...
the problem you can run into is that your heating system won't call for heat because the inside of the house is warm, then the water in your heating pipes just sits and goes cold and can freeze and burst as it runs along some of the outer walls of the house. That happened to us last winter and cost 500 dollars to call a plumber out.
Had a flu shots ::knocking on wood:: and so far so good
Two little neighbor girls came over to play. They told me that they had been ill with the flu. I asked them to come back in a week to play (their mother will not let them come over now...).
Are you talking about putting a wood burning stove outside or one of
those furnance box things that you burn wood in and vent it to heat the house? If you are asking about the latter we don't have one, but have looked into it. They are about $5,000.00, but other than that I don't know anything about them.
Wood-fired brick oven pizza. nm
nm
I use Word 2000 and have had no problems. (knock on wood).
I used to run it with Microsoft Office, but had too many problems so got rid of MS Office and just run 2000. I have been lucky that when I get .tmp file, I can just delete it. I got so mad when that would happen I was always doing a system restore. What a mess. I got rid of the MS Office and things settled down. I hope this helps.
Found an old couple who were moving. Sold us 4 cords of wood for
x
Agree on the laminate, however, real wood is ruined by water too.
x
106 but its a dry heat.
dd
Heat or not sm
I've never cared to associate with nasty people and nasty people seem to dominate most MT boards.
heat
Im so sick and tired of this heat. This is our third heat wave. Supposed to be at least 104 today and 106 tomorrow. I cannot wait until the fall. I would give anything for rain right now. Urggggggg.. *smile*
In the heat???
I'm not the one who posted and I don't know where she lives, but have YOU ever tried walking 3 blocks when the temp is close to 120???
perhaps it is the heat? --sm
I don't know if it as hot there as it has been across the whole nation, but maybe he/she wants to get into some air conditioning, as it is too hot outside...just a thought. poor thing. Sorry you were scared though.
Take our heat
Too bad we can't have the best of both. Was 103 here yesterday in Portland, OR and we very rarely get that warm this early in the year. could not work after 1 o'clock yesterday because of the heat, so got up at 4 this morning. Better today low 90's but still plenty warm.
Good luck to you being from Oregon I know about the rain but right now wouldn't mind a little.
Patti
With the heat, I'm going to try nights
I think my favorite account is getting cleaned out first thing AM, so I'm going to try nights for a bit. Starting now!
Those of you who do nights regularly, any secrets to staying perky?
heat and animals
Thank you for keeping your animals inside. I do too. I have three dogs, four cats and two birds and they are right by my side. I do take the dogs out in the morning and hose them down, then they come into the house (what a mess..no biggie, I can clean it up, ya know?).
p.s.: careful not to heat too much
Now that fall is here and I'm having to use heat my
face is dry and itchy. I've started using a humidifier to add moisture in the air, but I need a lotion too. I have very sensitive skin too. I've used several OTC lotions and they haven't helped much. Looking for a good moisturizer for all over, but mostly for the face.
Anyone else have anxiety using heat?
I've had to turn on the old heater this past week and I must admit I'm feeling really nerrrrrvous about getting my bill! I'm afraid to keep it on for fear of a thousand dollar charge! Anyone else with "heating bill anxiety"? 
Heat anxiety
I live in AZ so our big bills are in the summer for the AC. I moved back to upstate NY for a few years and am back in AZ now. When in NY I almost froze and had huge electric bills, so I bought a little electric space heater and put it under my desk. It kept me toasty all day and I didn't have to crank up the heat in the entire house to stay thawed out. Give it a try! Heating costs have gone up everywhere this year because the poor oil companies really are hurting for money (HA). The little space heater will really do the trick and keep you toasty all winter. What part of the country are you in?
Heat anxiety--here's what I'm trying sm
Hubby wants the furnace on 67--too cold for me but we settled on 68. Last year we had it at 70. Our windows this year have all new caulking and loose windows are sealed shut, but that didn't seem to be enough. I bought a bunch of those 4.00 fleece blanket throws 50 x 60 " from Big Lots and some cafe rod clips from Walmart, enough to adequately cover all 20 windows. I cut the blankets in half and put 7 clips on each half, hung them on a standard rod and they cover the windows adequately for me. If you want more fluffiness, use 1 blanket and 14 rod clips for each panel. It really helps in keeping the sun out of my office which is way too hot during the day being on the south side but then gets cold at nights when I work, so the blankets keep out the drafts. So far, so good. We'll see if it helps on our gas charges. So far, they have us on budget billing and our bills are 72.00 a month. Hopefully, they will go down a little more. I'm going to try leaving them up in the summer to see if they keep out the heat and keep in the air conditioning. I priced the thermal rubber backed drapes and they were about 25.00 to 50.00 a window-a little bit more than I can spend right now.
Is it the Texas heat?
I think we may have worked for the same lady! She never had the AC on in her office except for a unit in the room with the phone equipment to keep it cool, so my husband used to say that it must be the heat frying her brain cells. If it isn't the same lady, it's a real clone. I don't work for her anymore, either!
lighting and heat
Those are excellent ideas! I'm printing all these ideas and will check into some of them. You're right....moving the office would be the most reasonable (and free!). 
heat/electricity, etc.
My office is upstairs in my house. I work nights, so I have the settings on my automatic thermostat lower at night to be more efficient. However, with the office upstairs, it is always warmer (heat rises), so even when the rest of the house is cooler, I am just comfy.
Also, have heard that when not using the computer, it is still using energy if it is turned on, so when going to be away from computer for a while, remember to turn it off.
Also, in my master bedroom, I have found this room gets very cold, especially at night on cold nights. I think this is caused by the fact that it is in the corner of my house, with 2 large outside walls, and is also located above the garage (which is colder). I purchased a small electric (porcelain I think or something like that) for about $30, and I don't think it uses that much electricity. It has a thermostat system, so will cycle on and off to keep the room at the set temperature. This works great for this room, as I keep the door closed.
Good luck!
A billion degrees, but it's a dry heat.
temp+heat index= HOT!
Heat index here Sunday (according to National Weather Service) was 126°! 97° temp and 77% humidity = 126. Not sure how they got that figure, but it was during the county fair parade, and some high school kids marching barely made it the 3 mile route. Kids and I escaped to a movie theater!
Considering the heat index is 107 here today....
Shorts and a tank top work for a lot here today. I myself wear shorts and tank tops that I find from DKNY, Liz Claiborne, etc. So they aren't junior clothing and are appropriate. Just because I am 47 doesn't mean that I need to put a sack over my head or this body which is in great shape, considering I've had four children, and a hysterectomy. Still a size 8 and will continue to be a size 8. :)
Management just can't stand the heat
You are one who seems to be spewing venom here. You are the one who needs to "get over yourself." Fortunately, this is America and we have a right to express our feelings, just as you have the right not to read them.
95 with heat index of 100, but hope
is on the way, cool front due tomorrow with lows in the 50s and highs in the 80s.
Not a bit, especially here in the northeast. Heat is a way of life. nm
d
Heat anxiety solution
I have "electricity" anxiety all the time and especially in winter when I use my electric heater. What I do is shut off the power (at the breaker box) to my electric water heater. I turn it on a few minutes before I'm going to wash dishes or take a bath. I also keep all the lights off except in the room I am working in. I am single so I am able to do this without an argument from anyone.
Ice first, heat later. Continue to move around some.
Bed rest is not actually recommended anymore. Avoid riding in moving vehicles as that will be the most painful time, trust me.
I think those descriptions are for electric and gas (heat)...
Not internet. Internet is different because it is not based off of square footage. To me, that would sound like because my living room is larger than my office, I use the internet more in my living room, which is untrue.... Plus, I never use the internet in my bathroom or kitchen.
I write off the percentage that I use it, that is how my tax guy said to.... I mostly use the internet for personal use about an hour a night and a couple hours on weekends. Otherwise it is work only. That is where I get the figure for 75% work, 25% pleasure use.
Sure, come on over. We're getting a break in the heat today.
nm
Ditto, electric went from $120 to $205 in this nonstop heat!- nm
x
I get migraines if my head gets cold. I keep the heat
around 67 at night, cut it down to about 65 during the day. Gas prices have come down significantly in the last couple of weeks, so while we can expect gas bills to be higher this year than last, it won't be the whopping bill it was expected to be earlier. Also I use gas for heat, so my gas bill will go up, but my electric bill will be lower so it will balance out. I also cook a lot during the winter and I leave my oven open after I'm through cooking to let that extra heat into the house. We've weatherstripped, caulked all the windows/doors, got those foam things for all the sockets and light switches on outside walls, and added extra insulation in attic. If bill does get out of hand we have a fireplace and we'll just shut off part of the house.
Fortunately in my area we have had a very mild fall thus far and today is the first day we've had heat on all day.
So much anxiety that I haven't even turned heat on
x
But, yes to all that you have and the room, electric, heat, just remember though
you have to keep the house for at least a year or two once you start claiming it, if you think you may move in the next year, don't take the write off, just on your text books, software, computer, that you can but not the room itself. See your CPA for further details as to why.
I agree! My bill was $324.00 for gas heat. I couldn't believe my eyes! NM
Want to talk about hot? It was 107 here yesterday and we have a heat advisory again today here in
Oklahoma. Now, that's what I call hot.
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