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| The woodpile rests on pallets that measure a RCH more than 15' from left to right and 4' along the length of the sticks. |
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This is the end I am adding to. I was able to work an hour in the morning and then another hour in the afternoon. I dragged 48" long "sticks" in from the woods. |
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| The pulling gets easier on later trips as the snow firms-up. Snow is a funny material. If you stir it up or pack it slightly, the flakes weld together and it becomes firm. |
When this sled wears out, I intend to buy the slightly longer variant. It would be nice if the 48" long sticks laid flat.
I manage about one round-trip every 15 minutes and drag back somewhere between 60 and 100 pounds per trip. Our 20,000 BTU/Hr fireplace insert burns between 4-and-5 pounds of dry wood per hour. Consequently, every load I drag back represents between 15 and 20 hours of burn-time.
Lunch was toast and soup, i.e. bread and water. I ate high on the hog the last couple of weeks and my belt shrunk. Time to eat like a peasant and get back to work.
I’ve been thinking of buying a fireplace insert. What brand/model do you have? Are you happy with it? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOsburn 2000, worth the investment
DeleteThanks, I’ll look into it. Canada company I see. I have to mainly determine if, during total power outage, it will heat the house without the blower being able to function.
DeleteI have a Drolet similar to this one: https://www.drolet.ca/us/en/wood-inserts/db03137/
DeleteThe insert was a compromise. I wanted a stand-alone wood stove that didn't need electricity to get good heat efficiency. Mrs ERJ wanted something self-contained that was safe for the kids and wasn't in the middle of everything.
It is only "OK". I like the glass door. I like that it is 70% efficient. It is fussy in terms of how much wood I can load into it and have it burn well. I got a grate so draft could get beneath the burning wood. That helped a lot.
We looked hard at the Osburn inserts. The wrap-around glass was impressive but I could not justify the price.
I am a Florida born redneck but i lived in Taxachussetts for 10 years (40 years ago) and I heated with a wood stove so I do have some experience with wood stoves. I don't ever recall seeing it happen but what do you do if the glass in the door breaks? Glass in a wood stove always seemed to be a dangerous combination to me.
DeleteThat wood looks good. Most doesn't need splitting.---ken
ReplyDeleteYou stacking on wood pallets? Use plastic ones, they never rot and you never have to worry about all the nails if you burn the pallets.
ReplyDeleteI am stacking the wood on FREE pallets. I have three people who told me that they will give me pallets. So far, one of them delivered.
DeleteI used to spend more time in Lansing and saw businesses put them out by the road. Now, I only go into Lansing out of absolute necessity so I am reduced to asking for charity. 8-)
Same here. Wood Pallets are generally available. We don’t burn them. I pull up the empty ones on the spring. Stack them to air out, and reuse for several years. As they break up, I use the pieces to bridge other pallets or fill in gaps. I do have a couple plastic ones, and would take more if I could find them.
DeleteSNH
I came a refractory that had stacks of two different types of plastic ones for $3 each, I got a trailer full for under $100
DeleteBuck Stove 91 here. Wife found one on sale for $700; normally $4k+...called to make sure it was legit...yep, end of season, last year's model. Snapped that puppy up.
ReplyDeleteHas kept the kitchen/dinette, sitting room toasty, rest of the house reasonably warm, and central unit rarely kicks on - and only for short periods - unless outdoor temps are in single digits.
I used to get pallets galore from a local tire dealer - they were glad to have them gone.
We got a smallish wood stove at a hardware store 33 yrs ago. Not fancy, but it works as an insert for the fireplace. Fairly cheap at the time. Still works great, heats up the living room and kitchen. Glass window front. We’ve had to replace the caulking or braid sealer a couple times.
ReplyDeleteWood is work, kinda messy. But it’s reliable. Works during power outages. We have wood available, like you do.
Southern NH
I had a Buck Stove in a previous house. I could heat my 2000 sq ft house in south GA with less than 2/3 cord of wood a year. We do not need much heat but I have an open fireplace now and I average just under 2 cords now but I now have a 2800 sq ft house. I have cut all of the wood on my land and have to buy wood now - I never thought that would happen.
ReplyDelete