So folks, I just bought my first house. It has a wood burning fireplace. I'd like to get a woodstove inserted this fall (2014) for the next season.

Some questions:
1) I've heard about an EPA program that offers credits for the new, efficient woodstove purchases. Any thoughts or
comments? Have you used it?

2) Best types and or brands? This would be a secondary heat source, mainly used for recreational heating. Could be primary in the off chance our gas furnace kicked it or whatnot.

3) What are the best kinds of wood to burn in such stoves?

My price range is something <$1500. Do I need to go higher for quality?

2/12/2014 6:09:13 PM

this thread is relevant to my interests...even though i don't have a fireplace or a woodstove and i'm not sure where i'd put one we decided to build one (and i want to)

2/12/2014 6:55:34 PM

I grew up with a wood burning fireplace and installed one in my house when I built 7 years ago. I'm using it right now as a matter of fact.
1). I've never heard of EPA credits...maybe I should??!? I installed mine to bring down heating costs. I also enjoy cutting wood and such.
2). Mine is an Appalachian insert. It seems to do really good, no complaints.
3). We always try and get oaks. White oaks are good, but I really like red oaks. Gum and pecans are fine, you just need a wood splitter. We never use pines, spruces, or cedars (evergreens).

2/12/2014 8:17:13 PM

I can't wait for the 2015 Woodstove Thread

2/12/2014 8:56:35 PM

I've heard about this new innovation. They call it the franklin stove.

Also, recreational heating always leads to a heating problem. Addiction is a bitch.

[Edited on February 12, 2014 at 10:35 PM. Reason : .]

2/12/2014 10:34:55 PM

walter is usually a cunt

but that post was pretty lol-worthy

2/12/2014 10:42:47 PM

the best heating wood is free wood, but avoid oily wood like pine because it creates more creosote.

have your flue/chimney cleaned periodically. some suggest yearly, but it depends on how much you burn.

[Edited on February 13, 2014 at 9:13 AM. Reason : and you can google up a chart that shows the heating values of various wood species]

2/13/2014 8:59:59 AM

This is the first year that I have exclusively heated with wood. In years past we used a combination of wood / propane. But with gas prices the way they have been I decided not to get the tank filled and to just "rough it".

It's definitely more work and you have to stay ahead of the game making sure you have enough wood split/stacked on the porch to make it through a few days. But nothing heats my house better than the wood stove. It's hard to explain, but it's a different kind of heat. Here are some things I learned this year now that I have relied entirely on the wood stove to heat my home:

1). I need to prepare better in the spring/summer. I ran out of wood the day before temperatures were expected to dip into single digits so I had to buy a truckload from a neighbor. Moving forward I plan to spend plenty of time during the warm months cutting/splitting/stacking wood in my barns so I have plenty to make it through next year.

2). It's dirty. But if you stay on top of it regularly it's manageable. I've gotten on a schedule where I'll let the fire burn completely out twice a week to clean out the ash. The GF does have to dust quite a bit more than she normally would as well, but she loves the wood stove too so she doesn't mind.

3). I've learned to manage my wood consumption a lot better (probably because I actually had to pay for some of it this year). I've gotten way better control with the air intake on the stove so that I can get it to burn 10+ hours (while we're at work or while we're asleep) without going completely out. I found that keeping several logs whole and using them for the long-term burns helps the fire smolder without going out.

2/14/2014 9:22:17 AM

My wife's cousins used a wood stove when they were living in this old house out in JoCo. They loved it, with one exception.

He owned a part-time tree removal business, so they had access to lots of good quality free firewood.

It did a great job of keeping almost all rooms of the house warm, even overnight the common room and bedroom stayed warm. The bathroom however was a different story, it was usually ice cold in the morning. They both complained about having to get up and dress warm to go to the bathroom until the shower could warm it up.

This would have been less of a problem if they could keep the door open, but they both love lots of red meat, seafood and cheap beer...so it was usually just better to keep the door shut.

2/14/2014 10:12:42 AM

^ LOL!!!!!!

And yeah, we keep our bedroom door open and the wood stove sits at the end of the hall. So all we have to do is turn the fan of the stove on for about 30 minutes and it heats up the bedroom pretty well.

Agreed on the access to plenty of free firewood is the key. My neighbor also owns a part-time tree removal service. In fact, he offered to help me cut/split this spring for free if I allow him to take several truck loads of wood. The lady that owns the 14 acres behind me just had it completely cleared for timber. But of course, they left a ton of smaller trees just laying back there. She has already given me permission to go back there and take what I want, most likely because she knows we're planning to buy the property next year.

So it kills 2 birds with 1 stone for us. Plenty of free firewood, plus it will give us a head start on cleaning up a property that we will most likely own in the near future.

[Edited on February 14, 2014 at 10:26 AM. Reason : a]

2/14/2014 10:24:35 AM

Quote :

"I can't wait for the 2015 Woodstove Thread"

inorite

2/14/2014 10:55:25 AM

INOrite?

2/14/2014 4:29:45 PM

hahaha for the last time Walter, I don't wanna be an Amway distributor or join any of your other pyramid schemes!

2/14/2014 4:33:26 PM

I bought this thing for my 800 sq ft house and it does a good job:


It's a Morso "Squirrel" 1410 model; pretty much one of the smallest stoves made. It's cast iron (a must), EPA certified, lined with fire-bricks and has an ash pan. All 4 of these things are highly recommended if you're purchasing a new stove, especially the built-in ash pan. You should match the BTUs of the stove to the size of the space you need to heat.

Morso and Jotul (pronounced "Yodel") are both very high-quality Scandinavian brands and have been around for well over 100 years.

I think oak is a great easy-to-find firewood, but really any domestic species of hardwood will be good if it's properly dried (properly dried wood is important). I burned poplar earlier this season and it was ok, but it burns quickly because it's a softwood.

2/17/2014 5:47:31 PM

Any place local to Raleigh to get a good cast iron insert with a blower? My glass door insert with no fan produces about zero heat. Well. I mean. It produces a lot of heat. It just goes up the chimney and not into the house.

2/18/2014 3:57:32 PM

bttt

though i only have a traditional "fireplace" i enjoy heating with it and I've found a fairly reasonable priced source for good dry wood. I know the "fireplace" is more decor than a real option for long term heating, but does anyone have any tips for fire stacking in a fireplace to get a better, longer, hotter burn? I've read about the top-down method but my fireplace isn't all that deep. Not sure I would be able to get the build as solid as it would need to be.

also, wasn't there another longer thread about wood-burning? i couldn't locate it.

[Edited on September 25, 2014 at 12:00 PM. Reason : add]

9/25/2014 11:59:46 AM

Have any of you guys considered a rocket mass heater? It's a pretty cool concept. Most of them are basic but this one is friggin awesome:

9/25/2014 3:14:07 PM

^^message_topic.aspx?topic=604290

9/25/2014 5:32:54 PM

^^are things like that easy to get approved in this area? i read that if you don't get it approved (by who?) it could void your home fire insurance.

9/26/2014 8:33:04 AM

i have a chance to pick up a big truck bed load of wood for free...only downside is it's Poplar. It's already been cut up into 18" round pieces, so i'd still have to split it. Is this even worth it for indoor use or is Poplar too quick to burn? I have hardwood i could use to mix in during burns..

12/12/2014 11:40:58 AM

Took out my old Ashley Automatic stove from the basement and replaced it with a Vogelzang Ponderosa.

I bought a full cord from the NCSU timbersports club team (220 delivered and stacked) and have been burning that this year. It's not the driest (only 8 months drying time) but it's oak - so thats good.

I have been cutting trees down from big properties when I see them leaning, and splitting by hand, so I already have about 1 cord for next year in the drying rack. Hoping to collect 2 more cords this winter.

I have been burning in the new stove for about a month now, and since its been hella cold around here it's been a great way to keep the energy bills down. $73 bucks last month for electricity (no gas) in a 2200 sq ft home with 2 adults and 4 kids. Because the stove is in the basement, it keeps the hardwoods on the main floor nice and warm all the time, which I love. However, I do need to seal up some doorway areas because the replacement air is being pulled in from the upstairs doors ... I also need to master the air intake controls on the stove to maximize burn time and minimize that replacement air draft.

12/12/2014 1:47:38 PM