Tuesday 20 December 2022

Firewood Gives You Freedom - Cooking & Heating

With the cold snap gone it's worth evaluating what went well and what didn't. 

I like to also think what would happen if the power got switched off and water pipes froze? Remember that help often takes a long time to come from some service providers (they've been "fixing" a leaking gas main down our road for over a year now...). Maybe would be left without heat, as it is many are worried about the cost of their heating and having it on less as a result. 


When I put in our wood fired range it did feel like a bit of an extravagance. It was a lot of money at the time and created a huge amount of work with the fireplace alterations. 
But I wanted to be able to heat this house off grid and have the ability to cook off grid as well. 

Our both our wood burning stoves (we have a 5kw Clearview in the living room) running it means the house stays warm even when it's as low as minus 10 outside. They're not linked to our heating system however and so upstairs can take a bit longer to warm up, but if we keep them running then the whole house becomes toasty in very little time. 


Our wood fired range also gives us the ability to cook as well. The plates on top are easy to use, although the oven has taken a bit more time to learn (I think I'm getting it now). You have to time when you bank the fire up in time with when you cook, even down to the type of wood you up on the fire (moving away from cedar to the oak and ash we have mixed in the shed). 


Cooking times are different, the rolls I make every other day take 23 minutes in the pre warmed electric oven, in the wood oven the other night they took 44 minutes and needed turning once during cooking so they browned evenly. 

Jacket potatoes take longer but will happily sit there longer when cooked as well, things are more likely to brown on one side. But it's simple enough to learn, like anything it just takes practice.

I often get asked about where I buy my firewood and so far I've never bought any. My brother used to be a tree surgeon and has brought us lots over the years, I produce a bin or two of wood offcuts every week of the year from my work as a carpenter and woodworker. We also have trees and branches fall, as does my father on his farm, I have many to cut at his this next year to plan for future years firewood.

I love the cycle of collecting wood for future heat and comfort. I love the kids getting the door for me as I come in with an armful of logs, I even love the effort and time needed to produce that heat, it makes me thankful in a way that switching a switch or turning a dial doesn't. 

It also means that the power going out, or skyrocketing fuel prices don't hit us quite as hard (although obviously have an impact). 

Who else loves their wood heat as much as me?

21 comments:

  1. You also get hot chopping your own firewood.

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  2. We have a 4kw burner in the lounge. Best thing we ever invested in. Think we might use all our logs this year though so more expense next year. Also got candles, battery lamps, torches and head torches plus a single rings camping gas stove for hot drinks and snacks. Got to be prepared nowadays for anything!

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    1. Yes our clearview one is about that size. We've had it for about 9 years and it's paid for itself over and over again.

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  3. Expensive items often feel like an extravagance, but in fact, they are important investments. We've only used wood heat for over a decade, and absolutely love it. It's a comforting heat, unlike our electric heat pump, which seemed to run all the time and never truly warm up the house. Plus I can cook on it and heat water if I need to!

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    1. I grew up with wood heat. I remember dad changing over to oil saying that when I've lugged wood into the house for 30 year I might feel different. Well I'm 10 years in and feel pretty good about it still!
      The heat from wood is so different to anything else. It dries out washing so well.

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  4. Definitely count us in as loving wood heat as much as you do! Wood heat has a totally different kind of warmth. I'm sitting here this morning a couple of hours before dawn, there's a mighty wind blowing outside and I see we've gotten at least 8" of snow during the night just passed. With only wood heat, our house is cozy and warm even with a 60° difference from outside and in. Yay for wood heat!

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    1. Yes, when it was down to minus ten I'd keep the fires in all day, had all three children off ill last week and I could come in and the house was lovely and warm, with the three of them snuggled up watching a film getting better.

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  5. I love my wood heat! I have never been fortunate enough to have a wood stove in my own place, although my grandparents had both a wood heat stove and a wood cookstove. I am lucky enough to have a functional fireplace, which has saved my water pipes in a few winter storms. Unfortunately around here a wood stove typically invalidates any kind of home insurance, so I have never been able to convince the family to let me have one installed. There's nothing like the warmth and comfort of a crackling fire....

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    1. we had a open fire before and it was lovely and comforting, but I swear it pulled heat out the house! That's a shame with the insurance!

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  6. We too can cook on our wood stove (only on top) and were lucky enough to have supplies of firewood for free until this year. It is expensive to buy and not subsidized as gas and electricity are this winter, so we sympathize with people in rural areas who are not on mains gas for heating (use oil, coal, or wood).

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    1. Yeah, I'm really lucky with my supplies of wood. It's a constant cycle, but one I enjoy (to a point), it'll get a bit easier as the children get old enough to help me a bit more. They already help move it for me.

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  7. Best decision you made Kev. I would if I could as I grew up with wood heat and cooking as my grandparents had this as their main source of heat as did other family members. Totally agree it is a different heat and does warm the cockles of your soul too. They are a way of life which once experienced you do miss. Maybe one day will get my log fires and my wood-burner range cooker. They do take some getting used to but I think the food tastes far nicer. I think today you have to have access to several different ways like solar electric, wood-burner range cooker, log burners etc. to provide for different scenarios and to keep your family warm and be able to feed them. Keep up the good workxx

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    1. I think you're right in variety being key, having multiple options is ideal. I'd love to get solar here one day, maybe when I build my dream workshop! Also more of an outdoor cooking area for when it's really hot as well.

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    2. My brother had solar installed on his house well before the current problems. He thought that was one of his better choices as he was earning a nice amount from it. He owns his own property. I also think an outdoor kitchen area is always a plus as you can add to that as well i.e. old fashioned tripod fire cooking, slab cooking, pizza oven etc. as well as canning outdoors with a gas ring and bottle as well. When it comes to lifetime skills, I think that you can never have too many especially when it comes to different types of cooking methods. Adaptability I believe is the word. You will get your solar. Am thinking maybe a solar drier for the garden for the summer months. No electric that way.

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  8. Great decision Kev. When I am visiting my parents I always sure and build a fire instead of using the natural gas heat. There is something about a wood fire heat that warms the bones a way no other heat source does.

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    1. I agree, it's something that feels so natural.

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  9. I have heated my house with wood for decades - and love doing it! I use an outdoor wood burning boiler, which heats the water that is pumped inside to my radiators. Sadly, I can't cook with it, though. All in all, it just makes me feel really good to know I can heat my home with the wood I grow on my farm. I get exercise, outdoor time, warmth like no other, and I like doing it. I also keep the propane tanks full, just in case.... Cheers!

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    1. I like the idea of having an outdoor boiler like that for the workshop, I'd always be too afraid to have a wood stove in the workshop as far too much flammable stuff around.
      I have an oil boiler as well, so two sources of heat for the house. I just use an electric one for the workshop while I'm in there.

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  10. My parents had a Truburn solid fuel cooking/water heating stove (similar to a Rayburn) in the kitchen and open hearth in the lounge, so we were well catered for in their farm cottage. Living on a farm there was no shortage of wood from coppicing and fallen trees/boughs, and we had a supply of coal to keep the Truburn going overnight. That cottage was never cold, even through the winter of 1963, when neighbours with oil heating were struggling with frozen fuel in the outside tanks.

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  11. Wow, that stove....Would love one of those. I cook on top of the air-tight, but can't use it to bake. We heat exclusively with wood, but have a propane back up heater which we've never used. There is nothing to compare to the comfort of wood heat...and you warm up many times during the cutting, processing and piling!!!

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