Wood stoves

[bunyip]

None of these names mean anything to us just as ours would mean nothing to you but (always a but) I recently discovered the thermal fan which sits on top of a heater, operates off a peltier effect module which supplies power to a small motor which spins a fan and circulates the heat, I was amazed at just how efficient they are.
Just like an electric motor will generate electricity when spun the peltier module will do the same when put on a hot surface.
May be of interest to some of you, plenty available on ebay cheaper than the big box stores.

 

[cqaigy2]

We've had good results with our Morsø 3440. Smallest i could find that could be put in a mobile home. Burn it hot, very efficient with the wood and virtually smokeless.

 

[radios1]

it seems more economical and longer lasting to use a coal stove, it's very cheap for the coal, and it last all night!. I have one of those soapstone wood stoves, and it's a lot of work to maintain a decent fire, it also don't last the whole night, unless you get up, and feed the wood stove, but that defeats the purpose!..

 

[atsah]

it's a lot of work to maintain a decent fire, it also don't last the whole night, unless you get up, and feed the wood stove, but that defeats the purpose!..

If that’s the case you’re stove is to small and you’re issue with maintaining a good fire has something to do with what you’re feeding it or you have a draft issue or both..

 

[MossRoad]

On the plus side wood is more steady heat than any petroleum based source that I know of. Working up wood is good exercise, I once heard that Ali used to work up wood as part of his training regime. Unlike a part time job, you can work wood up at your leisure, and (so far) the IRS hasn't found a way to tax it.

I agree with having a firebox big enough so that you can put it in end first, as the wood burns it rolls sideways and you will have a lot fewer coals resting against the door to fall out when you open it. In order to do that with mine I need the sticks to be <12", but mine is a small place and a larger stove would have me sleeping outside.

Gas fired radiant floor heating is about as even a heat as you'll ever feel, and very efficient. No hot and cold pockets of air in a room. The heat is down where you are, not up at the ceiling, either.

 

[coobie]

it seems more economical and longer lasting to use a coal stove, it's very cheap for the coal, and it last all night!. I have one of those soapstone wood stoves, and it's a lot of work to maintain a decent fire, it also don't last the whole night, unless you get up, and feed the wood stove, but that defeats the purpose!..

Your is stove to small then.Coal is cheap if you live in coal country,not cheap if you don"t.

 

[Diggin It]

This does everything I need:

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[fishheadbob]

When comparing choices be sure to factor in the weight of the units you're interested in. The heavier the mass the more likely it is the stove will radiate after the fire dies down.
I heated solely with wood for 40 years, and I miss it although my back doesn't. I figure that my savings over fuel oi in that period had to exceed $100K.

 

[dnw64]

I heated solely with wood for 40 years, and I miss it although my back doesn't. I figure that my savings over fuel oi in that period had to exceed $100K.

Yes, but how much time did you spend? If you enjoyed it and would have been paying a gym membership if you couldn't "do wood", you really are ahead.

But if you just did it to save money you may well have earned more by doing something else. Between felling, cutting, splitting, stacking, moving (multiple times), starting fires, loading, cleaning out ashes, cleaning chimneys etc I can't imagine less than 200 hours/year. That's $12.50/hr...

 

[atsah]

This does everything I need:

.

If that's the case you're house is very small.. I have one of those in my work shop to take the chill off if I need to work on something in the winter..

 

[dnw64]

If that's the case you're house is very small.. I have one of those in my work shop to take the chill off if I need to work on something in the winter..

Or maybe he lives in the Bahamas.

We used one of those to heat a space of about 600 SF in Vermont for probably about 10 years. However, one wall was adjacent to a heated space, so I know that helped.

 

[Diggin It]

1,000 SqFt or so, days usually in the 40-50 range, nights in the 20-30 range, but it can get MUCH colder, often in the 0-10 range. We've had periods of several days below freezing. It's backed up to an exterior wall, but I have a couple of fans to circulate air. Maybe the main thing is that I don't usually try to heat over 70. LP furnace t-stat is set to around 62 and it rarely kicks on when I have a fire going.

It is hungry though and probably not what anyone would call efficient.

 

[atsah]

1,000 SqFt or so, days usually in the 40-50 range, nights in the 20-30 range, but it can get MUCH colder, often in the 0-10 range. We've had periods of several days below freezing. It's backed up to an exterior wall, but I have a couple of fans to circulate air. Maybe the main thing is that I don't usually try to heat over 70. LP furnace t-stat is set to around 62 and it rarely kicks on when I have a fiSre going.

It is hungry though and probably not what anyone would call efficient.

Sounds about right then..

 

[fishheadbob]

Yes, but how much time did you spend? If you enjoyed it and would have been paying a gym membership if you couldn't "do wood", you really are ahead.

But if you just did it to save money you may well have earned more by doing something else. Between felling, cutting, splitting, stacking, moving (multiple times), starting fires, loading, cleaning out ashes, cleaning chimneys etc I can't imagine less than 200 hours/year. That's $12.50/hr...

I enjoyed spending a lot of time in the woods. I took it from standing hickory all the way through hauling ashes. I figured 3 or 4 hours per face cord start to finish, or about 80 hours per year. I did selective harvesting. At the end of the year there were more board feet in the woods than there were at the beginning. There was usually overtime on Saturdays where I could have made a lot more, but I didn't enjoy pushing paper nearly as much as felling a tree. Proud to say I haven't been in a gym in close to 40 years but must admit there are no basketball courts in the woods. Now that I went geothermal maybe I'll shoot some hoops again.

 

[turnkey4099]

I have a King which is an ashley "heatilator" type, firebox surrounded by a sheetmetal jacket. It is old, new in the early 80s pre EPA but "air tight". I have thought about replacing it but have found none any more with an an ash tray and grate. I can't imagine trying to scrape ashes down a small hole with a fire going. Mine, I just use the ash shovel edge and scrape the ashes through grate. Been heating with wood since 1980, Cut/split/stack 10+ cord/yr, sell 6 or 7 (at a loss if I count tools, fuel for truck, etc) but it is fun, enjoyable and turned me from a 250lb slob into a reasonably fit person, 84 YOA now and just got back from the wood lot after 4 hours slinging saws.

 

[atsah]

I have a King which is an ashley "heatilator" type, firebox surrounded by a sheetmetal jacket. It is old, new in the early 80s pre EPA but "air tight". I have thought about replacing it but have found none any more with an an ash tray and grate. I can't imagine trying to scrape ashes down a small hole with a fire going. Mine, I just use the ash shovel edge and scrape the ashes through grate. Been heating with wood since 1980, Cut/split/stack 10+ cord/yr, sell 6 or 7 (at a loss if I count tools, fuel for truck, etc) but it is fun, enjoyable and turned me from a 250lb slob into a reasonably fit person, 84 YOA now and just got back from the wood lot after 4 hours slinging saws.

My Hearthstone has a bottom cleanout with a grate but I don't use it.. I shovel the ash only on the left and right sides, I leave the rest because it's heat..

 

[murphy1244]

Anyone have a hearthstone? what kind of maintenance does it need?

 

[atsah]

Anyone have a hearthstone? what kind of maintenance does it need?

Hardly any.. My stove guy comes in once a year, removes the baffles and cleans it, ten minutes and it's ready to put another five cords through it.. No firebrick, all soapstone inside..

 

[sd455dan]

Big difference if this stove is for supplemental part time heat or Primary (full time) heat

For a main heat 24/7 stove , my Vote is for a Blaze King- Princess or King or other high efficiency catalytic wood stove.

If you like to sleep through the whole night without re filling the wood stove.

through a full winter season actual wood use will be less to.

 

[atsah]

If you like to sleep through the whole night without re filling the wood stove.

through a full winter season actual wood use will be less to.

If you're chimney setup is right a non cat stove works as good as a cat stove. My soapstone heats for 12 hours..