to those with wood stoves

[cgd7777777]

I am thinking about putting a wood stove heater in the house
tired of buying propane wood is cheap just some sweat
live in se texas and wouldn't need it every day of the year
just wondering how yall like heating your house with wood

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: to those with wood stoves

Been doing it for 15 years now, no major trouble at all, I recently installed a pellet basket in my wood stove and love it, no more chopping, dirt or mess, it is working out great, about $3 for a 40 pound bag of pellets which last about 2 days. Even when I did burn wood, it was still cheaper than any other type of heat. Now take into account our wood stove is burning about 6 months out of the year, I am sure in TX it would be less often.

One thing to remember, if you burn, you need to keep humidity in the room or it drys out very quick, we keep an old coffee pot on the stop with water in it to add moisture to the air while burning.

 

[sschefer]

Re: to those with wood stoves

One more reason to leave California.. Here, everytime it gets cold they announce a "Spare the Air" day and tell us they'll fine us if they see smoke comming from our Chimneys. I have Hydronic heating running on natural gas so it's pretty cheap but a lot of folks rely on their fireplaces as a supplemental heat source. All this week it's been in the 20's in the mornings and we can't light a fire in the fireplace. Yeah that's a rant... I know.. sorry.

To the original question, I have a wood stove insert and it works great but it's rarely legal for me to use it. When I can use it, it's a wood mizer and burns every last bit of the wood leaving very little ash. I was amazed at how long a cord of wood lasted vs. my open hearth fireplace.

 

[rbh]

Re: to those with wood stoves

Air tight stove is the way to go, and with the new regulations out there your stove "should" have a catylitic converter.
Now they are a little more expensive (just ask me, new blaze king, king model last fall) UGH, but they sure cut down on how often you need to clean the chimney,
Dry wood, (6 months to a year), depending on variaty.

And your insurance may be null and void if there is a house fire due to the wood stove, unless you get it W.E.T tested.

 

[JB]

Re: to those with wood stoves

We supplied about 60% of our heat with a wood stove when we lived in MN. Feeling those IR direct from the stove was extra cozy when it was -30*F outdoors.

I agree with MTboatguy about keeping the humidity up. We kept an open pan of water with cinnamon and ground cloves in it on top of the stove. Our 100 year old house smelled sooooo good.

 

[JRJ]

Re: to those with wood stoves

We used a wood stove exclusively for 17 years or so. I had an 8 cord shed full by the start of winter. Always nice to have gas backup though

I haven't used one, but this looks interesting if you plan to cut a lot of wood.

http://powersharp.com/powersharp_video.asp

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: to those with wood stoves

We've been using wood pellets for the past 7 years and love it. No storage or bug problems as with wood. Newer units have electronic controls for air and fuel mixture that provide excellent efficiency. If pellets are available where you live, it's a very clean and efficient way to suppliment your heat.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: to those with wood stoves

Been using a Vermont Castings catalytic wood stove for going on 24 years. We are in the PNW so humidity control is not an issue. Our cold weather is usually exaserbated by the chill from high humidity.

There is nothing like the nice warm dry heat from the woodstove. It keeps the heatpump from lighting off when we are using it. Only problem is with all the environmental BS, firewood from logging aftermath is getting scarcer, driving the price of firewood up.

 

[adimice]

Re: to those with wood stoves

Re: living with woodstoves. My husband and I have heated with wood for many years, all over the US. It offers a warmth for soul and body like no other. We are farmers and are home most of the time, so it is easy for us with the tending. Even if you work away from home, when you are there in just a bit you are cozy. We have no backup heating and a small home and we dress in T shirts and shorts all winter (Virginia). My advice: use a good quality airtight stove, ample stove pad. We made a very attractive one with wonderboard with thick 6" square tile and grout with sealer. It is a breeze to clean up and wipe with a wet cloth. Two wonderful products: Woodstove Starter from W-Mart (no newspaper, just a little chunk and kindling and build your fire. Creosote Conditioner powder made by Imperial in Canada www.imperialgroup.ca This is a must with frequent burning Once a week treatment and you are self- cleaning all the time. We get this at our local farmer's co-op. Use this stuff, you don't want to have a CHIMNEY FIRE! We did and it is scarry!

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: to those with wood stoves

If I were going to buy a new wood stove, I would consider an air tight unit that will burn both wood and coal. You can buy 40 lb bags of anthracite coal for 5-6 dollars a bag, and that price does not change much. Coal has gotten a bad rap, but anthracite coal burns very clean, hot, and looooonnggg. There is nothing to compare to the toasty heat it throws off.

Of course pellets are an attractive option too. Dump a bag in, set the controls, some of higher end stoves will even light them selves. After your done burning a bag, you can usually clean the stove with an old paint brush, because all that is left is very fine ash.