Heating With Wood 3

[Jim_Alaska]

To Split or Not To Split:

Splitting your firewood has a lot to do with personal preference, your stove and the size of the logs you cut. Both dry and green wood will burn longer if it is not split. Green rounds are usually preferred for holding a fire overnight. Splitting can be done in three ways, one is with a hand held splitting maul and another is an electric or gas powered hydraulic log splitter. Some people like to use a steel wedge and a short handle two pound hammer. The hydraulic splitter is easier on you, but cost may be a consideration. You will spend anywhere from $400 to $1,000 for a splitter.

If you cut large trees the rounds will have to be split simply because you can’t get them in the door of the stove. As you progress through your first season heating with wood you will find short-cuts and learn that you can pick and choose the size of the trees you cut so that splitting is cut to a minimum.

You will most likely have to split a lot of your dry wood because it is mainly used as starter, for getting your green wood going and for fast heat. I try to leave my hardwood round and split as little as possible. This will depend a lot on the size of your stove and whether the rounds are too large. Remember that the larger the round the less you can carry into the house at one time. This can be a big issue for older people or people that have limitations.

It helps and makes splitting easier if you do it in cold weather. Cold makes the wood brittle and it splits a lot easier, if you are doing it by hand.

There are positive things to be said about harvesting your own wood. It is good physical exercise, gets you out in the fresh air and allows you time to enjoy God’s creation. Once your initial investment in tools is made, you can save quite a bit on heating cost by using wood. There is also the satisfaction of being able to provide for your heating needs by the sweat of your brow and not having to pay the high cost of other forms of heating.

I am sure I have not exhausted everything there is to know about this subject. Other folks may have different ways of doing things, or some other tips they have learned, hopefully they will chime in and tell us what they have learned.

[Alan]

1 hour ago, Jim_Alaska said:

Cold makes the wood brittle and it splits a lot easier, if you are doing it by hand.

Also, if you split the wood yourself, the wood heats you twice; the first time when you split it and the second time when you heat it.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Alan
grammer & heats

[Jim_Alaska]

Yes Alan, there is that aspect too. Stacking and hauling it from the wood pile is also a heat source.

[Ukulelemike]

OKay, heating with wood, homesteading, can't go by without a mention of rocket stove mass heaters. If you're not familiar with them, they're like wood stoves on steroids. The basic idea is to build a stove that has a vortex system, the 'rocket' part, that pulles the fine and heat into the chamber, then moves it about and out into a pipe system that has a structure, like a cobb bench, built around it. The pipe is usually about 10-12feet long and uses up all the fuel for heat, rather then expelling it as wasteful smoke-hence, there is no need for a chimney or stovepipe outside, as there's no smoke.

The hot pipe heats the mass, which can be sat on, of just heated to heat the house, and the rocket chamber heats as well. Because the chamber pulls in the fire, your feed is vertical, and the you can literally load full 6'-8' logs into it, and they slowly burn down at the bottom.  Load it right, you can heat all night. When the fire goes out, the mass can remain warm for a day or so.

Look here for how it works and some ideas. Also they sell plans. https://richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp

 

[DaveW]

Interesting unit - I've heard of them before but never really understood it, so thanks.

It would illegal where I am to have an unflued heater like that, so we would have to flue it, but that's no big deal.

I would be concerned about CO2 poisoning with it being unflued anyway, but as long as you have appropriate ventilation it should be no problem.

Homes here are normally well insulated and well sealed.