Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

All-Purpose OWF Discussions => General Outdoor Furnace Discussion => Topic started by: Scratch on November 19, 2014, 08:04:14 AM

Title: Your wood usage?
Post by: Scratch on November 19, 2014, 08:04:14 AM
I think there was a thread started on this, but if I remember right, it was a brand specific question, and I can't find the thread so I thought I'd start a new one for all brands. 
Warning... There is math involved. Feel free to correct me if my formula is wrong please... It seems fishy to me...


Post up using this template please:

Brand and model of stove
Location and average daytime temps of the past few days
Approximate square feet of heating area
What type of wood you're burning
Approximate fill times
Approximate firebox width
Approximate stacked length of wood in stove
Approximate fill height
Cords per day burnt
Take the above three measurements, multiply them together, then multiply by how many times you fill it per day. Let's call that daily usage.
Take your daily usage, and divide it by 221184 (full cord in cubic inches) to get your daily cordage.
Any other details you'd like to share as well as a picture of how tight you fill it.
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: Scratch on November 19, 2014, 08:05:39 AM
Here's mine:

Brand and model of stove
CB6048

Location and average daytime temps of the past few days
Western Wisconsin, 15 degrees

Approximate square feet of heating area
5520

What type of wood you're burning
Unseasoned Oak, Pine, Boxelder, mostly pine this year.

Approximate fill times
7am and 7pm

Approximate firebox width
38"

Approximate stacked length of wood in stove
30"

Approximate fill height
31"

Cords per day burnt
.319


Any other details you'd like to share as well as a picture of how tight you fill it.
Here's a picture of about how full I fill it.  I usually try to get more "larger" stuff in there, but this is what got thrown in the stove today.  When I go to fill it, there's about 2 ice cream buckets of burning coals left on top of the ashes, to get the fire going again and I never have to restart all season.

(http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/ag321/scratchthejeepguy1/69cb3eea8de514c2a18d177ec1f6d501_zps93a29784.jpg)

Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: LittleJohn on November 19, 2014, 09:55:13 AM
For my dad's install, I live in city so neighbors would complain if I rolled smoke  :bag:

Brand and model of stove
Central Boiler eClassic 2400
Location and average daytime temps of the past few days
East Central MN, SINGLE DIGITS last week or so
Approximate square feet of heating area
7500 sf total -> 4000 sf Garage/current residence & 3500 sf House
What type of wood you're burning
Currently punky Birch/Poplar, waiting for REAL Cold for seasoned Oak and Ash
**Also the occasional unseasoned labs and trimmings from house construction project
Approximate fill times
7am and 9pm
Approximate firebox width
36" (depth) x 43.5" (height) x 26" (width) from CB website
Approximate stacked length of wood in stove
Splits 24" (splitter capacity)
unsplit up to about 30"
Approximate fill height
1/4 to 1/2 of Chamber during day (so 12" - 24")
1/2 to 3/4 of Chanber over night (24" - 36")
Cords per day burnt
Last winter it was between 1/4 and 1/3 cord per day, for a total of 20+ cords for the season
This year, we have added a DHW loop; will keep an eye on it
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: woodman on November 19, 2014, 11:29:50 AM
Hawken 1000

South West Michigan highs in the low twentys, lows in the teens

3000 sq ft living space, 2000 sq ft basement only heat from exposed duct work, dhw for 5, attached 600 sq ft garage at 50.

Sassafras, pine, oak mixed

8am and 6pm

My firebox is round and the wood is mostly tossed in but if it could be tightly stacked in there it would be roughly 18w*18t*30l*2=19440/221184=0.08 cords per day at these temps.

Think that is pretty close as I always thought about 2 Cord per month during the coldest months about a cord per month for the other 3. I use around 10-12 for the season from October till May.
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: Ched Bull on November 19, 2014, 11:31:27 AM
[bHeatmaster MF 5000
Northeast Mo. 7 to 14 at Night 20 to 30 day
1850 Square Feet
Season locust, white oak, hickory, ash.
2:30 Am to 4:00 pm still has at least 2 to 3 hours burn left
32x44x30
30"
40"
.304 This seems about right. All so heating hot water with 20 plate ex changer.
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: woodman on November 19, 2014, 11:37:15 AM
You guys can't seriously be using a third a cord per day! That would be 8+ per month!!!
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: LittleJohn on November 19, 2014, 02:38:55 PM
You guys can't seriously be using a third a cord per day! That would be 8+ per month!!!
WHEN ITS COLD, you can -> last year in MN they set a record for top 5 or 10 coldest winters in recorded history for the area. 

...also my dad is heating 7000 sf plus DHW, and he went thru 23 or 25 pulp wood cords last year.  OK first 6 or 7 cords where junk/punky poplar and birch but still.  My rough math is it works out to about a cord and a little more every week from October into March. 
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: Pinehouse4 on November 19, 2014, 04:35:37 PM
Could you be referring to a face cord ( 1/3 of a bush cord ?)

ie 4 ft high x 8 feet long x 16" deep, a face cord.

Bob





Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: caper on November 19, 2014, 04:36:06 PM
heatmaster 5000,heating approx. 4000 sq feet plus dhw,start time is nov 1st till around may, burn on average ten cord of hardwood,during the cold months I burn 2 cords a month, however im starting to burn juniper alittle bit,same btu but it burns alittle quicker,but it is a lot lighter and easy to cut,and really easy on the chainsaw and chains...average temp now is 0 degrees,feb is usually really cold with a two week spell on average of -20 or so...
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: buckgrunt on November 19, 2014, 05:10:46 PM
Holy doo doo !!!!   1/3 cord per day !!!!....I have a CB E-2300. My house is 2800 square ft and fairly well insulated.   I live in NH and last year was very cold and I burnt 12 cord.  The years prior, I burnt 8 to 10 cord.  (just making sure, a cord is 128 cubic ft).   I burn a mix of soft and hard wood (50/50). 
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: Maxnchej on November 19, 2014, 06:51:08 PM
PM bl2840
Sarnia ontario Cananda right now low 20's during the day and low teens at night
2400 finsihed and 1300 unfished basement
mostly software woods, some hardwood mixed in
width 28 - only fill about 24 since I keep off sides 24
Height 35 - only fille about half way up so 17
Depth 40 - fill front to back

0.08

This is my first year and I have only been running for two weeks so I'm not sure. But if this is right I will be burning about 2.5 cords a wood a month, assuming it stays this temperature. It's a interesting process to figure out how much you are using.
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: LittleJohn on November 20, 2014, 06:33:56 AM
Could you be referring to a face cord ( 1/3 of a bush cord ?), ie 4 ft high x 8 feet long x 16" deep, a face cord.
When it was -20f for weeks straight last winter, in East Central MN, my dad was going thru a face cord a day, or a full cord every 3 days heating 7000 sf (2 structures). 
I would guess under "normal" winter consumption is it a little closer to about a cord a week; but he runs every kind of wood locally available thru his OWB -> Oak, Maple, Birch, Poplar,Bass Wood, Ash, Box Elder & Pine

Last year my old man burned thru more than two semi loads of firewood to heat both an unfinished house and detached garage (in which they reside)
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: GCTerpfan on November 20, 2014, 09:15:59 AM
Brand and model of stove
Central Boiler CL17
Location and average daytime temps of the past few days
Western MD - high teens during day, single digits at night last few days
Approximate square feet of heating area
2,000 sq. ft. + DHW (for a family of five with a teenage daughter = lots of hot water)
What type of wood you're burning
All Pine
Approximate fill times
6am and 9pm
Approximate firebox width
36" (only fill about 30" wide to keep draft door clear on side)
Approximate stacked length of wood in stove
20"
Approximate fill height
20"
Cords per day burnt
0.11 cords per day

The week prior with temps in the 20's-30's I was getting a full 24 hour burn on one fill.
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: Maxnchej on November 20, 2014, 05:37:37 PM
Could you be referring to a face cord ( 1/3 of a bush cord ?), ie 4 ft high x 8 feet long x 16" deep, a face cord.
When it was -20f for weeks straight last winter, in East Central MN, my dad was going thru a face cord a day, or a full cord every 3 days heating 7000 sf (2 structures). 
I would guess under "normal" winter consumption is it a little closer to about a cord a week; but he runs every kind of wood locally available thru his OWB -> Oak, Maple, Birch, Poplar,Bass Wood, Ash, Box Elder & Pine

Last year my old man burned thru more than two semi loads of firewood to heat both an unfinished house and detached garage (in which they reside)

Wow that is a lot of wood. Does it buy it or cut. If he buys do you know the price? Would love to compare to what the cost is around here.
Title: Re: Your wood usage?
Post by: LittleJohn on November 21, 2014, 07:03:08 AM
Wow that is a lot of wood. Does it buy it or cut. If he buys do you know the price? Would love to compare to what the cost is around here.
Hey usually does not buy wood, but last spring he did buy a couple of loads from a friend of the family (who's owns a small-ish logging operation), he bought a load of ash and a load of mixed ash, maple and a few spruce, that the mill did not want.

I want to say he paid about $100/cord, but I am not 100% sure.  All I know is that, my back still hurts cause we worked the better part of it over a 3 day weekend