From: Snag_one@msn.com   
      
   On 8/28/2025 9:29 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:   
   > "Snag"  wrote in message news:108pg8v$1aioh$1@dont-email.me...   
   >   
   > On 8/28/2025 6:41 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:   
   >>   
   >> Firewood heat is said to require 5 acres to harvest it continuously   
   >> for one house. My improvements have cut my consumption to less than   
   >> half the norm others with similar houses report around here, 1/3 in   
   >> mild winters.   
   >>   
   >   
   >    Just out of curiosity how many square feet are you heating and about   
   > how many cords for an average winter . With what my neighbor has given   
   > me (cleanup from storm damage in town) I'll have around 4+ cords of   
   > mostly red and white oak with some hickory . I plan on trying to get a   
   > couple more and I'm heating about 1500 sf . Everybody here is prepping   
   > for a hard winter ... we're all getting our tractors set up for snow   
   > removal and making sure things are in good repair . I may actually need   
   > those chains I've got for the SUV and my pickup .   
   > Snag   
   >   
   > ---------------------------------------------   
   > My house is a common local design, 24' x 42' (1008 sq') with original   
   > electric heat and good-for-1970 insulation, we were promised cheap   
   > nuclear power, ha ha. Others tell me they burn 5 cords a year, I   
   > generally use somewhat less than 2 to keep it near 60F and wear lined   
   > shirts and pants. Their cords may be whatever they were told, mine are   
   > measured.   
      
      I like it a little warmer , generally shoot for mid/lower 70's . My   
   cords like yours are measured .   
      
   >   
   > A cord is 4' x 4' x 8', 128 cubic feet when split or around 100 easier   
   > to measure and figure square feet if cut 15"-16" long. I store it on   
   > standard 40" x 48" pallets so 16" gives 3 rows the longer way. The 16"   
   > cut length guide is a spring-loaded wire on a base that straps to the   
   > saw's front handle, largely rebuilt because it broke too easily, another   
   > lathe rescue.   
      
      I cut mine at 20" , got a mark on all the chainsaws for uniformity .   
      
   >   
   > An 8x10 shed 3 pallets wide and 2 deep, 120" x 96", makes efficient use   
   > of 8' galvy roof panels and 8' and 10' roof beams if it tapers inward   
   > for eave overhang. Stacking 6 rows deep half way up and offset to 5 rows   
   > above gives a stable pile as the wood dries, shrinks and shifts. I   
   > discovered the hard way that longer and higher rows may become unstable   
   > as they dry and added intermediate uprights or longer depth-wise tie   
   > logs to those sheds. The wall covering is HF camo tarps which last 5-10   
   > years depending on what they rub on, rug scraps help as does not cutting   
   > longer than 16". They can be opened in good weather for drying.   
      
      I'm using a base of used steel roofing , pad is 12 feet by about 30 .   
   I cover my piles with a tarp , sides left open and I leave a space   
   between rows for air circulation .   
      
   >   
   > The main house improvements are doubling the attic insulation crosswise   
   > and making press-in window inserts to give 4 layers. I rebuilt the   
   > deteriorating window exteriors and replaced the doors and sealed them   
   > more carefully. I closed air leaks upstairs until the humidity started   
   > to rise, an indication of the air exchange rate. The ground-level   
   > basement still leaks because the stove there needs unrestricted air for   
   > good chimney draft to make the Jotul 118 clone burn smoke-free. Like a   
   > hot air balloon only the top needs to be sealed.   
      
      Our house in new construction with R11 in the walls and R17 in the   
   ceilings . Our windows are all double glazed plastic framed , This   
   summer I've added house wrap and 1x10 rough cut pine siding .   
      
   >   
   > The road crews here are skilled and well equipped and heavy snow isn't a   
   > problem beyond the effort to clear driveways, usually the roads are   
   > clear and dry by noon the day after a storm. Our heating systems are   
   > good to perhaps -20F, maybe lower overnight. The danger is ice storms   
   > that drop trees onto houses, roads and power lines. Only ice storms   
   > close the roads, then we'd play on them on our dirt bikes. I prepared   
   > for a week without power and then found I had to up it to two weeks, so   
   > Covid wasn't an issue. The limits appears to be sufficient refrigeration   
   > and warm showers, both actually easier in winter than summer.   
   >   
      
      We have good road crews , but they're not equipped for a lot of snow   
   , plus being stretched over a lot of miles of roads . We're a mile off   
   the paved road and the county might not make it out here for up to a   
   week . That's why we've all been preparing for snow removal .  And since   
   winter storms here often begin with rain/freezing rain/sleet there's   
   usually a bottom layer of ice . And it's all uphill from down here to   
   the highway . And the highway will be just as slick , which is why I   
   have chains for all 4 wheels of both vehicles . We've seen ice so   
   slippery you literally couldn't stand up on it . I won't go out on that   
   unless I have to , but if I have to I can ...   
   --   
   Snag   
   We live in a time where intelligent people   
   are being silenced so that   
   stupid people won't be offended.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)