wood stove and firewood (Scarborough: how much, house, contractor)

[fghouri]

I recently moved to Scarborough, Maine from Kansas. I have a wood stove in my house but have never used one before. Can anyone please guide me where to find the best and reasonably priced dried wood for the stove and how much I will need during winter if I burn the stove most nights.

I have 3 kinds of heating system in the house oil, electric and wood. My house is 4 bedroom one level living about 1800 sq feet.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

It's OK to search for wood, but before you touch a match to any there is something you must do:

Get a professional chimney inspection by a contractor or the local fire department.

I know of a home that was sold and there was a nice new fireplace. The chimney ended in the attic! There was no chimney leading up through the roof. If anybody had built a fire in that fireplace the house would have burned down. The seller either forgot or neglected to mention that there was no chimney leading to the outdoors. The fireplace is still there today and there is still no chimney to the outdoors. It makes me cringe evrey time I go by.

[Maineah]

Alot more information is needed before we can tell you anything about the amount of wood needed etc. We need to know the brand of stove if it has one, from that we can determine if it is an airtight or and older box or parlor type. Check the doors of the stove to see if there is a gasket material around the doors and be sure that it is in good shape.
You also need to measure the combustion box's size to determing what size wood it will take. It's a good idea to get wood about an inch or two shorter than the maximum length of the box.
You need to be sure the stove is installed properly with a good non combustible base and proper wall protection behind it.(very important!!).
You need to check the pipe for obstruction and/or a damper in the pipe. Pull off the pipe if you can and check the draft with a lit candle. The draft should be strong enough to draw the candle sideways to the point where it may even douse the flame. If the flame remains stationary you have a draft problem or a closed damper in the pipe. Open the pipe damper if there is one and try the flame again.
When you determine the stove is working properly and safe to operate finding wood is no problem.
If you have ANY doubts you should do as NMLM suggests! Call a professional to inspect the set up and determine if it is safe or not.