A couple of days ago, we hauled in a pretty good amount of wood that should last a couple of weeks.
Below is a picture of this winter's woodpile. At the far left in the back is the wood for our cookstove.
We bought this wood cookstove about 16 or 17 years ago. It had been owned by a couple who bought it when they got married in the 1930's. It was in very good condition. I start a fire in it on cold mornings to take the chill off, and often keep it going all day if I'm making soup, chili, or something similar. I like that it's multi-purpose, heating and cooking, and I like the nice cozy feeling it gives to our kitchen.
Below is a picture of next year's (2013-14) wood supply. We haven't gotten around to stacking it yet. That's a project for the spring probably.
Mr. M likes to keep a 1-2 year supply ahead, so he'll be cutting more wood in late winter or early spring for the 2014-15 year.
We have been heating our homes (we've moved a couple of times over the years) with wood for over 35 years. In one case the house we lived in was relatively easy to heat, so we never used the backup heating source. With our current house, we do have LP backup but are trying to use it as little as possible. When we moved where we are now, we had a discussion about giving up wood heat due to all the work involved in cutting, splitting, stacking, hauling, etc., especially as we are getting older. But in the end, Mr. M was not ready to give it up, and I have to admit that I really enjoy the feel of the heat that comes from a woodstove. It's so much more comfortable than any other kind of heat. So, as far as the near future is concerned, we'll be continuing to use wood for heat.
I so want a wood stove or two (and a fireplace hearth) in my future house. Unfortunately I still rent right now, so it's not an option. I had thought my only option for buying a wood stove was to buy new. Any tips for finding and purchasing a used wood stove instead?
ReplyDeleteYou might try Craigslist or your local newspaper classifieds.
DeleteWhen you find one, make sure you check it over well. The firebox is the most important part. The old cookstoves had removable cast iron "plates" around the inside of the firebox. If they are missing, you can use firebrick instead.
If the stove is rusty, that's not a major concern. Our first cookstove had been left in a leaky shed and the top was very rusty. We got it at an auction for $5.00, probably because no one else wanted to bid on it. (That was in the late 70's.) We just used wire brushes to sand the rust off. It took a lot of elbow grease, but ended up being a great stove for several years. The one we have now was in much better shape when we bought it (We paid $125.00 for it in the mid-90's.)
One other thing: these stoves are very heavy. You can take several parts off to move separately, but what's left is still heavy enough to need 3 or 4 strong people to move.
After having a wood cookstove for several years, I can tell you that I wouldn't ever be without one. We love ours. A nice thing about it is if the power ever goes out, we still will be able to have heat and to cook our meals.
Hope this answers your questions. If you have any others, let me know.
Oh, I love your wood cookstove! We heat our house with an old hand-me-down woodstove and I would LOVE to cook with it. We moved it upstairs and it's so efficient, that a small fire started in the morning quickly shoots the house temp up very high for a good portion of the day. The chocolate chips are melting in my cabinet. :) So still some logistics to figure out so that I don't cook the people and dogs living in the house too, but a wood cookstove is a definite on my wish list.
ReplyDeleteIsn't wood heat nice, though?
DeleteWe especially like the wood cookstove and wouldn't want to ever give it up. If the power goes out, we'll still have heat and warm meals.
We started heating exclusively with wood several years ago. I put in a soapstone wood stove that sufficiently heats our cape throughout our cold New England winters. We have an oil furnace, but I haven't used it in over 6 years! There is something so calming and comforting sitting in front of the wood stove on a cold winter night, especially when you don't have to listen to the rumbling of the furnace running!
ReplyDeleteI agree; the feel of wood heat is wonderful. We're working on not using our LP furnace anymore, but aren't quite there yet. It is nice to have a backup, though, if we go away for a few days in the winter.
DeleteI love this post! We've been heating exclusively with wood for about 5 years now. The wood stove we have adequately heats our 2000 sqft home. Sometimes the back of the house can be a little cool since our ranch style home is long and narrow. Flannel sheets take the edge off though. :) Ours is a cast iron model with a glass front so we can enjoy the beauty of the fire. Your wood cook stove is wonderful! I grew up with one and would love to have one today. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by! We were out of town since last Wednesday, so I'm a little late replying to your post. We use flannel sheets also; they feel so cozy on a chilly night.
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