wood stoves

[Pete M]

so there's a learning curve and an art to these things, but I'm getting the hang of it.   knowing when to add more and where to set the thermostat for fresh wood vs coals, when to empty the ash tray, and the insane importance of having enough heat in the pipe to create the draw and prevent smoke from escaping right into the room when you pop the lid to load more.  definitely different than an outdoor fire pit. 

 

but I love having a legit warm spot in the house for quickly shedding off the chill after being outside.  wish I had one of these growing up in michigan! 

 

oh, and yes I bought a metal teapot for boiling water.  I don't even like tea!    next up is some cookware to make some good use of this hot spot.

 

 

[Jesse J]

seems cozy

[Chad R]

In side stoves are nice, but I hate the wood mess inside and cleaning the ash out. 
 

This is what I have.

[Pete M]

nice!     how does the heat get into your home?  like a boiler system?

[Chad R]

24 minutes ago, Pete M said:

nice!     how does the heat get into your home?  like a boiler system?

Yes it heats the water and is pumped into the house.  It goes to a heat exchanger in my furnace. I also heat my hot water with it so I can turn off water heater. So winter months I don’t have very much of a gas bill    The gas company comes out every year to check meter because they think it’s broke.

[jdog]

49 minutes ago, Chad R said:

In side stoves are nice, but I hate the wood mess inside and cleaning the ash out. 
 

This is what I have.

Why does this look like a re purposed portajohn (maybe it's just me)

[Pete M]

that is a sweet setup!    

[Jesse J]

10 minutes ago, jdog said:

Why does this look like a re purposed portajohn (maybe it's just me)

it totally does

[Chad R]

This is my 2nd one I have had the first “overgrown outhouse” saved me probably about $18k and this outhouse in the last 4 years is about $7k.

[derf]

3 hours ago, jdog said:

Why does this look like a re purposed portajohn (maybe it's just me)

I was going to say something along those lines.

[strictlyxjs]

I installed my grandpa's old coal stove in my shop. I burn wood it but even on the coldest days I get it roaring about an hour before I head out there and I can work comforably in a t shirt.

[jdog]

4 hours ago, Jesse J said:

it totally does

 

42 minutes ago, derf said:

I was going to say something along those lines.

Glad I wasn't the only one seeing it

[Pete M]

1 hour ago, strictlyxjs said:

I installed my grandpa's old coal stove in my shop. I burn wood it but even on the coldest days I get it roaring about an hour before I head out there and I can work comforably in a t shirt.

 

that awesome!  I love the ol' potbelly stoves   

[watchamakalit]

I have been heating solely with wood for the last 12y+yrs.  I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

 

Current shop stove, we call her Grandma

 

 

 

 

I also have an England 28-3500 wood furnace in the house.  Sorry can't find pics of it.  But here is an older pic of the mj getting it done to make up for it. 

 

I have stopped using the mj for firewood now that I have an atv, and cut local to my home (within 2mi).  I pull my utility trailer and save the mj some stress.

 

 

[Ollie]

I heated with a wood stove for 15 years. Vermont Castings, was a quality stove.

 

At 70 years young and I stopped the wood chopping, now I heat with gas. Sure do miss the wood stove,

but not the work.

 

Having Comanche Fun,

Ollie

[Pete M]

how do you guys load your wood up?  I've been adding a 1/4 log every now and again because I'm still learning what does what.  am I supposed to pile it in and let the thermostat do the work?  that tends to lead to a lot of smokiness out the pipe. 

[BeatCJ]

With my stove, I let it burn down quite a ways, then reload. I don't have a thermostat, I would guess that controls your inlet air.

 

My Lopi Endeavor has an inlet damper, and a bypass damper. Before I open the door, I open up my inlet damper, and let the flames pick up. Then I open the bypass damper, which allows the flames and smoke to go straight up the flue. When I open the door, you can feel the air rushing IN the door, and.nothing rolls out.

 

Obviously, every stove and their controls are different, but if it's drawing good, it should pull air in through the door, and not puff out.

[Pete M]

yup, that I learned the hard way. lol.  get air in pipe hot... then open door to add wood. 

 

by thermostat I mean the little lever that opens the inlet.  nothing fancier than that. 

 

tried to get a thermometer in town today but Ace had already changed that isle over to the next season.    the one I ordered is still... in the system somewhere.  

[Ollie]

It took me a couple of years to learn how to drive my stove.

That's all my thermostat did too was control the inlet air.

I would load my stove full, leave it alone till it almost burnt down.

Crack the door, get it really roaring, knock down the ashes and load again. 

I had to empty the ashes ever other load. 

Yes, there is a tricks you learn with a wood stove.

 

Having Comanche Fun,

Ollie

[Pete M]

it appears that my tiny stove has an even tinier ash pan.   but I found that I can remove it in the morning when everything has died down and shove a baking pan in there and then stir up the main chamber to get the ash to fall.  easy peesy  

[MiNi Beast]

Got me a woodstove and it is heavy. i even did the whole take the bricks out before went up the basement stairs.   i think home made but perfect for the trailer mansion.  even has a blower thing that works. buddy from school didnt want it anymore at his city house and offered it to me. I'm most appreciative as was a great gesture on his behalf and extension to our friendship. As he says I have helped him many times and knows i will utilize it. Yes  I shall indeed.

big decision house ...or shop...!!!

[coolwind57]

I heat my house exclusively with firewood.  I have an old double-door Timberline, single-wall, no blower or anything requiring electricity.  One learns pretty quick on how best to operate the dampers.  I have two on my doors (intake side) and one disc damper on my flue (exhaust side).  Every once in a while, I'll have a brain fart and open my doors to load and forget first to open the flue damper all the way.   Yea boy.  Nothing like a blast of smoke in your face.  I've had my smoke alarm go off because of this.

 

Here's some of my thoughts and experiences on heating with firewood:

PROS

--No electricity required.  In power outages, I have uninterrupted heat. 

--I even cooked a pot of chili on it several years ago when we had an extended power outage.  So one can even cook with them if needed.

--Its the best heat EVER!  I'm often a bit uncomfortable when I go to friends homes and they have something other than wood heat.  There's nothing like the heat comfort of a wood stove.  I easily pass out on a recliner with a big ol' smile on my face.

--The stove itself is very low maintenance.  Especially mine with no blower.  I think I replaced firebrick and did some welding on the flue maybe like 10-years ago.  My stove was purchased new by my Dad when I was 5.  I'm 51 years old now.

--High labor involved = great exercise.  From felling trees to cutting it up, and hauling it.   Even if you pay someone for the wood itself, there's plenty of labor in just getting pieces hauled in your house.  

 

CONS

--Always sweeping up.  Even with a "clean" firewood source, I'm forever always cleaning up wood/bark debris.  So not maintaining your home makes your house look dirty real quick.

--Always dusting the house.  Creates a lot of dust.     

--Hot to the touch.  Got to keep small children away.  Got to keep anything flammable or heat sensitive away.  Discipline in this area will help to keep you from burning up in a horrible home fire.

--High labor involved.  From felling trees to cutting it up, and hauling it.   Again, even if you pay someone for the wood itself, there's a lot of work in just getting it hauled in your house.  If you're getting up there in age or have some physical limitations, then this source of heat may not be for you.

--My buddy's woodstove has a built-in blower system.  Man, it really only puts out decent heat when that blower toggles on via a thermostat.  No electricity and that thing sucks.  Just can't put out the radiant heat that my single-wall does.

--I have to keep a kettle of water on top or the home gets a little too dry.  The kettle helps.

 

My buddy almost bought a pellet stove during the Summer of 2020.   He's glad he didn't.  Apparently, with Covid there has been a pellet shortage in our area this past year.

 

My 2 favorite woods to burn:  Locust & Ash (Ash being more plentiful because of the Emerald Ash Bore).  Both put out great btu and split easily.  Ash is usually already "seasoned" because most of the dang things have already died and are just waiting to be felled, cut up and used.  I NEVER go with soft woods, especially evergreen (Pine, etc).  

 

Damp or unseasoned wood is not a good idea.  Besides putting out much lower heat, I think it isn't so healthy for your flue and chimney.  Tends to build up creosote easily.  Brush your chimney every year or two regardless.

 

I load my stove up before bedtime and close all dampers.  I awake to a well heated home.  I think different stoves will give different results, but mine is older and has an 8" flue and is "pre-EPA".  I understand that newer ones are designed to always burn hot and fast with reburners, catalytic gadgets and all sorts of technology that makes them compliant with EPA.  And no larger than a 6" flue too.  I may be wrong but that's what I've been hearing.   

    

[Torq_Shep]

My grandfather still heats his house with wood at 75 years old... He lives on a wooded 5 acre plot and anything that falls on his or his neighbors plots he chainsaws it, loads it in the truck, and brings it back to the wood splitter. Now granted he has electric heat and I would probably do the same if I didn't have gas...

 

I am not sure what stove he has but I know it is an insert with dual blowers and cast iron doors. He does the "crack the door, get it stoking hot, then reload" so I guess that is the right way to do it? I do not use my fireplace as it would absolutely need an insert to be useful at all and given the "quality" of my 70s house, and the fact that I have been inside the chimney casing on the "zero clearance" fire place... Yeah I don't want to risk it =P

[Pete M]

the coldest room in the house is now the warmest.   which is a good thing and a bad thing now that the far side of the house where the bedrooms are seems cold (even though it's the same temp as it always was before).  I've got a good routine down now.  I no longer load up the stove at night (at this point in time it doesn't warm anyone but the houseplants at night) and so I open the coldish stove each morning, clean the glass, empty the ash, build a fire using cardboard and 2x4 splinters, add wood from the bucket as needed all day, then chop up new splinters and split some cord for the next day. 

 

I love the fact that I can crack open the ash pan to provide the blowtorch effect to get the fire hot rather than cracking the door. 

 

next up is finding a cool old teapot or kettle or something that can hold water to add some humidity.  plus I need something a bit more decorative than a plastic tote to hold the wood. 

[yxmj]

Pete you need to look into one of these.....

 

https://www.amazon.com/VODA-4-Blade-Fireplace-Increases-Friendly/dp/B01CD2AIV8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=38WLBZEZ8QMOV&dchild=1&keywords=heat+activated+fans+for+woodstoves&qid=1610488244&sprefix=heat+activated+fan%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExVUgxT0c5T1BEMEhNJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTE2ODU0MU1MSFVaR1hSWlJGSCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwODQwMDYzMlhJTVJFTlE0UEZOJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

I (we) have been using wood for 50 years fireplaces....stoves ....as well as external boilers....

 

#1 secret to maximizing the BTU out of your wood is to circulate the air......