how much wood do you burn in a wood stove in Alaska cabin?

[briansommers 74]

If you stay in one of those tiny cabins in Alaska in the dead of winter.

 

How much wood would you burn per 24 hrs in the dead of winter?

or how many days would one cord of wood last?

 

 

now what about propane, kerosine or fuel oil

 

how many gallons would you need for one night?

 

 

Thanks

[ubersu 78]

Just enough for the water basin not to freeze.  Why don't you figure it out?

 

DJ

[cmpbellsjc 2,963]

I'm interested to see what the next topic of questions are.

 

So far we've covered:

 

How much to start a charter company

Are charter flights random

How much wood we need to for a cabin to burn in a night

[fppilot 4,371]

So next it will be how deep to go for a geothermal well!

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

or How long is a string???

 

I heat entirely with wood burning stove and cut down my own trees so I would say I go through 20 to 30 kilos of wood in a day during the dead of winter. But I live in New Zealand and not Alaska and a cold winter day here is 12 degrees Celsius or somewhere in the 50's in Yankee Fahrenheit Measurements 

[briansommers 74]

Is there a way to calculate this? Please tell me the formula. That is why I'm asking.

I want to deliver firewood to the cabins but I need to know how much wood would last so I can make realistic amount of trips with realistic amounts of weight so I can simulate this as close to reality as I can.

[DocBird 79]

Is there a way to calculate this? Please tell me the formula. That is why I'm asking.

I want to deliver firewood to the cabins but I need to know how much wood would last so I can make realistic amount of trips with realistic amounts of weight so I can simulate this as close to reality as I can.

Sorry, Brian, but that doesn't make any sense!

Flying wood to an alaskan cabin is as useful as bringing water to a well... Why should one fly wood to cabinsee that are usually located in the woods?

[jetsmell 45]

Figure fuel oil, that is something that they do haul.

[cmpbellsjc 2,963]

How much wood would last.

This reminds me of the famous question.

 

How much wood, would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

[Holdit 551]

This reminds me of the famous question.

 

How much wood, would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

 

But how long to skin the woodchuck and turn it into a stew? 

In all seriousness, there may be too many variables to get a satisfactory answer to the OPs question, and kudos to him for his pursuit of realism.

 

For example:

 

• What kind of wood is it (some woods can weigh more than others)?
• How quickly does it burn?
• How aggressively will the recipient use it up (i.e. do they keep the fire low and steady or do they like it to roar?)

In my experience, but this is with a living-room fireplace, what we call a "log" i.e. a lump of tree 6" or more in diameter and about 12" long will burn for an hour, maybe two, depending on whether the fire is just burning quietly or is really stoked up. I've never weighed such a piece of wood, though, so I couldn't help with that, but if you went out and got one you could stick it on a kitchen scales and see.

 

Alternatively, base your calculations on one of those shop-bought, paper-wrapped, "fire logs". Which are usually good for two hours and the weight will be on the packet.

 

When our house starts lighting fires this year, I'll be happy to provide more data if you still need it, but that's usually not until December.  :smile:

[ErichB 3,643]

 

 

Is there a way to calculate this? Please tell me the formula. That is why I'm asking.
I want to deliver firewood to the cabins but I need to know how much wood would last so I can make realistic amount of trips with realistic amounts of weight so I can simulate this as close to reality as I can.

 

Clearly, all of these posts are a wind up.   

[Dave Morgan 68]

Hi Brian.

 

Here's a site which has a kW calculator for different sized rooms in different types of dwelling. There isn't an option for log cabin but I took 'uninsulated' as being representative. I don't know what size an average cabin is ( nor even if there is such a thing) so I took a single room of 30' × 30' × 12' for illustration.

 

That would need 32 kW

 

*** ***

 

The Forestry Commission have a pdf on the calorific value of oven dry wood with a short section about wet wood. Find it here.

 

After a year, air-dried hardwoods are likely to have 30 - 35% water content, dropping in the UK to about 25% after 3 years of outdoor covered drying. On the continent where the air is usually drier that can drop to 15%, similar to UK indoor dried logs.

 

In Alaska, burning fresh softwood I'd guess you could expect 50 - 65% water depending on species but if you're delivering 3-year seasoned hardwood from a reputable bulk supplier you could probably go for 25% water content.

 

You'll see from the chart on page 1 of the FC pdf that wood is wood is wood when dry. The calorific value of a 'log' depends more on density so if you're delivering by the tonne you won't have to worry about differences between species.

 

There's an indication on page 5 of the pdf of how moisture content affects calorific value.

 

So if your well dried wood gives 3200 kWh per tonne (1-year air-dried hardwood) and you need 32 kW then a tonne will last for 3200/32 hours or a little over four days of burning round the clock. If your clients are out during the day it will last a lot longer...

 

*** ***

 

That's just an illustration and undoubtedly very inaccurate. I don't own a cabin, or live in Alaska, or even own a wood-burner. Adjust the figures as you see fit.

 

Best regards,

Dave

[ViperPilot 81]

Brian,

 

One other thing to think about; FAA gets really stink-faced when it comes to transporting LP gas in a Part 135 Aircraft... as in NOT! You can do Heating Oil in steel drums, but not Propane. Gasoline? Well, OK...

 

Backcountry homesteaders out in the Bush will do their own Firewood, so hauling it isn't profitable.

 

If you're outfitting & re-supplying the folks who live in the sticks, most of the time you'll be doing pop and chips runs, taking peeps to the MD or DDS, or hauling out meat (moose, caribou, etc.).

 

I would say the amount of Wood one needs to burn is proportional to the person's perceived Comfort level, and the Quality of both the Stove & the Flue system...

 

BTW... what are you planning to fly?

 

Alan  :smile:

[cimgrp501 30]

Formula which has passed several initial thresholds of testing within acceptable limits of variation, sampling incomplete given absence of data from 2 frozen testers:

 

DFO (km) x MOY - ADH ©

LAT X AHDS - PG (LE) x AMSL

 

DFO (distance from ocean)

AHDS (avg hrs daily sun), PG (LE) Price of Gold, London Exchange

 

I wish I could be more accurate :smile:

[briansommers 74]

I was reading on an Alaskan website that listed all of the cabins for rent and most of them list firewood under items to bring.

 

I thought you are not allowed to chop down trees where the cabins are because of preservation, yes?

 

this site: http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/cabins/index

 

http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/cabins/matsu#&panel1-1&panel2-1

about mid way down:

It is highly recommended that you bring your own firewood, dead and down trees are scarce in the area. Cutting live trees is illegal within the park.

Interesting note about the not being able to haul propane under 135 - that really puts a bug in the ointment. How am going to get it out there then (virtually speaking)?

 

So if I have a client that is building a cabin in the woods lets say and he wants propane heat, He can't "hire" me to haul it out for him? I could haul out the empty tank correct?

-------------

What I'm really trying to simulate is running people/tourist etc. out to their cabins that they rented and then supplying them when/if they need food or other items.

AND

running building supplies out to the boonies for people who want to build their own cabins, etc.

 

Aircraft?

Cessna 206

Cessna 208 Super Cargomaster

Twotter

Cessna 404 - maybe gut a fiew of these for cargo? probably not

and F406

BN2B Islander - I was watching a youtube video of a pilot who uses one of these to haul building supplies in Idaho, I think it was with McCall http://www.mccallaviation.com/backcountry-charters.html

 

Metroliner III ??

 

I only fly payware so it's got to be that.

--------------------------

 

 

 

Clearly, all of these posts are a wind up.   


Erich Berner

 

Sorry, I don't follow.....??