Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There are numerous issues but none worse than freezing.
Most of your objections are pretty arbitrary.
Quote:
They are messy. Dirt, bugs, ashes, soot....
But not very messy. Nothing that cannot be handled with a small brush and a dustpan. Plus, OP is looking at this as an emergency backup heat source, so the mess is pretty minimal if you only use it a few times a year.
Quote:
Control. Temperature is hard to manage. It easy to over heat.
Takes me 20 minutes every two years to clean my chimney. Run the brush down the stainless liner in the chimney flue, use the handbrush and dustpan (see my point above), good to go.
Quote:
Wood supply...a lot of work and tools like chain saws, wood splitters etc. Or expense to buy then storage to keep it dry and accessibility.
I spend $250 every couple of years for split wood. Then I pay the kid across the street $50 to stack it. True, there is work involved, but you can spend money to avoid that work.
Quote:
Finally...consider wood pellets...pellet stoves have thermostats, auto feed small wood pellets as needed, are much cleaner and efficient. Buying pellets in bulk for the season is cheaper.
Definitely a viable alternative, but suffers from some of the same concerns you put in above. There is cost involved in purchasing pellets and you need a space to store them. Plus, you need electricity to run a pellet stove, and electrical outage is exactly why OP wants a wood stove.
Stainless insulated pipe used in ng installations.
I favor pellet stove if you have a generator or standby power source. Clean and supply manageble.
Sister didn't like it pellets and installed wood in the fireplace. Hard for her to manage 40# sacks of pellets up stairs. Oregon coast.
Ymmv
Some pellet stoves require a pure sine wave electrical power to run, so check the generator output to make sure it's a pure sinewave and not a stepped wave.
So, this isn’t about a power outage. It’s about a cheaper fuel source.
The electric is just to start the the insert- not a huge drain on the generator.
Still, seems a ridiculous amount of money for a maybe- that’s not even a maybe with your current setup.
Unfortunately we have a ranch style with a large covered porch so the pipe must go straight up. Thanks for the tips on the insulated stovepipe. I will inquire. We are going to put some kind of hat on the top to prevent rain and wind from entering.
Most importantly, it needs to be installed in accordance with local codes, with the necessary permits and required inspections.
This will guarantee there will be no issues with your insurance carrier going forward or with the Certificate of Occupancy when selling your house.
two issue with mine
1) mine goes straight through the roof, so on high windy rainy days, water will blow in, rust the top of the stove
2) mine has the fire brick wall, inside the stove, so its a soft heat, not a burning your back side heat, so I proberly lose 50% of heat up the chimney
Due to long periods of time without electricity due to storms, here off the coast of Washington, we are having a cast iron wood stove installed into our kitchen. Using the best people high recs to do the install. Not cheap.
We can power lights with generators but lack of heat is the issue.
If you have any thoughts about the install and use please chime in.
Thanks
We burned wood for many, many years. Too many cords of wood to count, lol. Our favorite stove was a Consolidated Dutchwest XL- cat converter stove. We had it in our great room in our little house in Inwood WV.
Did a great job heating the house. The basenji's would sleep under it while it was going full tilt too.
Keep bends to a minimum- straight up is best for a good draft. Follow clearances and use heat shields where appropriate. Split and stack wood and keep it dry. I loved that job. Not. My buddy and I would split and stack 10 cords a year.
These days I stack wood differently.
Just bought two tons yesterday. I'm waiting for the kids to come home from college today. They can offload the last ton.
I do have a wood burner in my shop. It's a beast and eats wood like one. It's 0deg today and that sucker will heat the shop to 70deg- but you are chucking wood down it's throat every 3 hours, lol.
It's all fully insulated and interior walls / ceilings are on, so it holds heat really well.
We have one in the den and love it. It was 39 at the beach this am. I work from home and it heats just enough of the house to make my desk area cozy.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
