# What Does Everyone Heat With?



## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

I think I have heated my homes with about everything. That is because this is Maine where there are only two seasons in a year:

1: Winter

2: Getting ready for winter

But I have used:

Propane

Coal

Firewood

Wood Pellets

Of all of them, I prefer burning coal (thank you Northeast PA), but always have Firewood on hand because it is cheap.

*I was just curious what other people are using to heath their homes?*


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

Free natural gas off of the farm gas well with national fuel still hooked up as backup when gas well freezes. We do burn wood for relaxation in the fire place periodically.


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## OhioHay (Jun 4, 2008)

We are blessed to have some oil wells from the 80's that provide us gas as part of the lease.


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## paoutdoorsman (Apr 23, 2016)

Geothermal heat pump in the house, and propane in the shop.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Natty-G for everything 
Heat
Hot water
Gas fireplaces 
Clothes dryer
Cooktop
Standby generator


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

Heat pump in the house propane in the shop.

Sell 5-15 cord of firewood a year, depending on the year, to pay for the electric and propane.

It a shame coal gets such a bad rap from the environmentalists. Guy I know has an older house without much insulation. Cost him 3k in fuel oil the first year. Installed a coal stove the second year and he heats for $500/year now.


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## KS John (Aug 6, 2018)

Hedge (Osage Orange, Bodark) basically a VERY hard firewood.


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## Troy Farmer (Jul 31, 2011)

Propane & wood. Yes, even in sunny South Carolina.


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

Heat pump with a natural gas backup furnace. Converted the fireplaces over to gas log inserts a few years ago - works well now that natural gas prices are back to a reasonable level.

In the shop, I have a kerosine radiant heater, a kerosine blower heater, and a wood heater. Usually run the kerosine heater(s) unless I am going to be out there for several hours, then I'll fire up the wood heater.

Of course, what I call cold weather, you guys up north are probably running around in tee shirts....


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## TJ Hendren (May 12, 2017)

Wood fireplace with propane central heat back-up. Lots and lots of oak around here.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I didn't know there were trees in Oklahoma....I thought its just all flat dry and windy...


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

RockmartGA said:


> Of course, what I call cold weather, you guys up north are probably running around in tee shirts....


It was all over the news on Thanksgiving Day: Maine was the coldest spot in the world. My house was at -3 degrees (F) !!!

Today it was 8 degrees (F)

I even saw a car on the ice (lake) over by Plymouth, but that is crazy!!


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## DSLinc1017 (Sep 27, 2009)

Wood, then more wood, then repeat. Heats you twice, harvesting it then burning it! Oil radiant when its really cold to get the far corners of an early 1800's farm house.

Shop gets a propane salamander.


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## RuttedField (Apr 24, 2016)

We like our pellet stove well enough; put it right up against a wall, controllable heat, and convieience, but the problem is, I have to buy pellets for it.

So I thought about growing corn and burning that instead. Between my Tiny House and my father's huge house, we burn 20 ton of pellets, so it looks like we would only need to raise about 5 acres of corn. If it was just my house, then only a half-an-acre. That seems pretty doable...


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Geothermal


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## Farmerbrown2 (Sep 25, 2018)

Rice coal in an EFM stoker with steam radiators. We have all the hot water you want too. On a normal year about 10 ton of coal will keep us warm. Not bad for a large 6 bedroom farmhouse in the windiest spot in the valley.


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## RockyHill (Apr 24, 2013)

Wood. Outside wood stove, baseboard heaters in the rooms that could get under floor to install; heat exchanger/fan for other rooms. Domestic water also heated. Shop has double barrel wood stove.

Shelia


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## Uphayman (Oct 31, 2014)

American hophornbeam, (eastern hornbeam), commonly known as ironwood. Been said it gets so hot it would melt a cook stove. Don't need to buy a gym membership, or walk the dog at the doggy park. Grab the Stihl, whistle to the flea, remember to put down the face shield...........note to wood burning want to be's.......keep the boiler on the outside of your wood shed. What do they say......sparks happen!


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## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

All wood here, large free standing type... shop is wood also... wife's she shed is kerosene burner...

Would like to give coal a try but haven't found any sellers around here..


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## IHCman (Aug 27, 2011)

off peak electric.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I would like to use coal to heat my shop and some winter water troughs i have built. Problem here in Alberta is we now have a carbon tax. On coal the tax is 55% of the total price last time i looked.even tho coal is still cheaper than most other sources i refuse to buy it and give the government that much in taxes.


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

Geo Thermal, open loop in drilled well. Electric backup in unit. Propane on demand heater for hot water.

I am sooo done with OWB!


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## Ranger518 (Aug 6, 2016)

Geothermal heat pump in the House with closed horizons ground loops. And propane gas fired furnace in the shop. I am pretty surprised on how many people on here actually use geothermal.


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

Coal it makes the best heat last the longest and this is coal country.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

We have natural gas in all the buildings. If I want to work out in the shop I just turn up the heat; no longer have to wait the stove to heat up.


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## chevytaHOE5674 (Mar 14, 2015)

Have an outdoor wood boiler and heat 100% with that, no backup heat source. Used to be a logger so all my wood was "free" just hauled it home and chucked it in the stove. Now I'm back to cutting and skidding on the farm.


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

Funny that this topic is here, our heat pump quit functioning the other day. I figured out it was just a capacitor. Used to be able to at least buy capacitors and switches, now the supply houses act all 'verboten'. I refuse to pay somebody $250+ for a less than $20 part and 5 minute install. It's nice having friends in low places.

I don't fault a person to get paid for a service but obviously mechanics are not mad there's a plethora of auto parts stores that cut into their pie. There are plenty of people out there that can't fix their heat pump, just let me fix what's as simple as a battery or oil change and be on our way.

I think there should be a farmer's exemption.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Liquid propane heat exchanger in a central heat and air unit......hot as blue blazes when the temps hit freezing for a week 

Heat the shop with diesel fired heater....


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## TJ Hendren (May 12, 2017)

PaMike said:


> I didn't know there were trees in Oklahoma....I thought its just all flat dry and windy...


No Pa, the eastern 1/3 and the western 2/3 of the Nations are completely different. Here think of the Ozark foot hills and part of the largest concentration of hardwoods on the planet. Red Oak, White Oak, Burr Oak, Water Oak, Post Oak, Blackjack Oak, Pin Oak, Black Walnut, Pecan, Hickory, Hackberry, Mulberry, if it's a hardwood you name it we have it somewhere.


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