Cheap firewood!

[Zenbirder]

I am wondering if your stove is as airtight as it needs to be? Usually one can bank up the stove each night and it will still be going on coals by morning. If we mix our wood with a little green, it lasts even longer. If the seal around the door needs replaced, it will let in too much air and burn more rapidly...was wondering if this is happening with your stove. My stove is more leaky than I would want, even, but it will maintain a good fire all night without replenishing.

My stove is in perfect shape, and I can easily bank it all night on mild weather nights. The problem is that banking it doesn't produce a lot of heat. We have a tight house with double-pane windows and good insulation. It normally gets into the mid teens here at night in the winter, and a cold spell drops us to zero or there abouts. That is a lot of BTUs to produce to keep my old hound dog comfortable on the couch, and even then I will cover the poor pup with a blanket (he is 13).

We live in a really different climate from a lot of the rest of the country. Winters are typically dryer than summers, and the humidity can be non-existant. We are at 6000 feet elevation, so the atmosphere is thinner. That allows decent comfortable temps in the day, that plummet at sundown. Fifty degree changes night to day are not uncommon.

 

[Beekissed]

Called the local VFD to see if they clean out chimneys....they do! This will make me feel much better this winter, as I burn this lumber. Seems to create a real hot fire with just a little wood. I am replacing the seal on the stove door again this year...a job I really hate...hate that black goopy glue that comes with it.

I found a piece of slate flooring someone had left in my outbuilding and mounted it behind the stove like one would do with a heat shield(with spacers behind it to allow for heat flow). Last year I had used a metal "stove board" propped behind the stove and it didn't do a good job. This stove is too close to the wall for my comfort, but this is how it was designed for this small room. So far, the homemade heat shield has been alright but I am keeping a close eye on it. It looks much better than the stove board, in any case.

 

[Beekissed]

I finally have my garage full of firewood and I feel absolutely RICH! No kidding, folks, last year I scrounged and scrapped for every stick of firewood and felt desparate throughout the winter. Thank God the winter was mild!

I cannot describe the sense of satisfaction I feel with the wood stocked up. To some this probably feels a little silly, but it feels like having a substantial savings in the bank to me.

I also put in a section of stovepipe that would bring the stove another foot away from the wall, put in a new damper and stove door seal. I feel pretty good about the winter and will be on top of things when the VFD get the floo cleaned.

Ten broilers from yesterday's butchering, veggies in the cellar and freezer, wood in the wood shed, hunting season around the corner....things are looking up for my winter storage. Need to put up some applesauce and hot pepper butter, but the canning is about done.

 

[unclejoe]

I cannot describe the sense of satisfaction I feel with the wood stocked up. To some this probably feels a little silly, but it feels like having a substantial savings in the bank to me.

It doesn't feel silly at all. I LOVE watching the oil truck drive PAST our place all winter long.

 

[justusnak]

BeeKissed....I dont think it sounds silly at all! DH and I worked most of the summer, when we could, to get our wood in. We have succesfully cut, split, and stacked 13 ricks.! It was a long hot road...but I feel so much better, knowing its out there. We had bad storms this summer, and several people lost HUGE trees in the storm. We collected from several different locations. IT was early enough in the summer...I think it was June...that by January, the wood will be seasoned enough to use. When we got to one house, I felt like we hit the lottery. A HUGE...probably 100+ year old Black Walnut tree had come down. I really felt bad for the owner, but was giddy just thinking about how well this would heat our home, and smell wonderfull at the same time. We had a sucessfull garden this year, and I wa able to scrounge enough jars to get most of it canned. Next week we will be taking 51 cornish X to the processor, and 1 Nov. we will take the hog. Yes, Then I will be able to let out a sigh of relief. The pantry is stocked with dry goods, ( beans,pasta,flour,sugar,spices, and coffee ) and we have enough candles and kerosene for the kerosene lamps to get us easily through the winter. It sure feels good...when you think you are prepared! Now, to get the animal feed stored..and its all gravy from there.

 

[Beekissed]

13 ricks!!! That ought to last you awhile! Sounds like you are stocked UP!

(Note to self: when times get a little tough this winter, beg off Justusnak.)

There! Finished my winter plans for "being ready"!

I'm glad you all are as "weird" as I am....my boys get on to me all the time for coveting other people's wood piles when I drive past. Tend to really slobber over the neatly ricked piles the most.....hey, even a country bum like me has discerning taste............. in wood piles!

 

[unclejoe]

I think you should share your wood pile by posting a pic for us

 

[Dace]

Great read here I wish I lived somewhere with snow...all your winter preps sound great.

Early on in this thread many of you mentioned feeling that this will be a hard winter. I feel the same but here in the land of mild temps I am thinking more along the lines of a financially hard winter, so I am prepping in my own little way. I am buying a bit extra when I shop, things that I can put by to help get us thru in case paychecks become few and far between. I am really pushing the family hard to cut back on the electric...I am planning at least one night a week of an electric free evening..no computers, no tv, no lights...just a nice fire, a bunch of candles and maybe a dinner cooked outside on the grill or cold sandwiches.

Any ideas on where a city girl could find some cheap wood? We use our fireplace all the time (it is not efficient at all) and we use easily 2 -3 cords of wood....at $185 per cord is more than I want to pay...plus the clock is still ticking on us staying here, still not sure if we will be staying, should have some idea in the next week....so I am not in a position to buy wood. Just looking for some creative ideas on where to get some cheap!

 

[cknmom]

Dace- where are you located? We go to our local ranger station and pay $25 a month for a wood permit . We go into the national forest and harvest downed trees.We can take a cord a month. Fro most of the summer the forest has been closed for chainsaws so we have to wait to start again until we get 2" of snow or rain. I know not all states do this. But I would think that if our national forest does, then all national forests would.

Monica

 

[Dace]

I read that you had posted that on another thread and i looked up our county and we have the same thing!

So I plan to take advantage of that...we don't have a truck so we'll have to burrow one.
I was also talking to hubby last night about wood, we usually get 3 loads per year, but I do not think they are a full cord, maybe half of a cord. I don't know why I thought they were a full...guess I am just dumb! LOL!
Thanks for sharing the great idea...this board is an incredible resource!