Collecting info about wood stoves/furnaces

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I have always preferred wood heat. I grew up with it, and was never really cold at home in the winter. In fact, we sometimes had to open the front door a crack if we had a lot of people over. Tom, however, is a furnace man (he's a licensed technician), and talks a lot about propane vs. gas or electric, etc. The problem is that with power bills being what they are, we keep the thermostat so low that I am cold a lot during the winter. When I talk to Tom about how nice a wood stove is, and what a great source of heat it is, he thinks in terms of efficiency and BTUs. He loses me with this kind of talk, and I can only answer, UN-logically, that I still prefer a wood stove.

Tom is not against wood stoves. We have had them, and would have one now, if the landlord would let us. My question is, since we are not well-versed in wood stoves, what do you all think is best? When we are able to get serious about house hunting (i.e., when immigration goes through), we plan to heat with wood if we can have a good source for wood. We have a "heater" type of stove, but I would like to look for one I can at least simmer stew on without worrying about food falling through the ventilation cracks.

When you answer this, tell me whether you live in a drafty old farmhouse or a tighter, newer home. Tell me how big your house is, how much of the heat reaches to the furthest parts of the house, and how many stoves you have. Tell me if you only use wood or if you supplement with some other type of furnace/heaters. Tell me if you use wood to cook with; I want to know about wood cookstoves as well. And if you know the technical jargon, talk to me about BTUs:o) Tell me also what the rest of the family thinks of this type of heat.

Also remember that although we live in Canada, we are real close to the states and could do our shopping there if we had to. So don't worry if you think certain brands aren't available in Canada.

Thanks a whole bunch.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), January 24, 2002

Answers

BTU. British Thermal Unit. Ameasured amount of heat ( if memory serves correctly) that raises a cubic centemeter of water from 39 degrees C. to 40 degrees C. About one kitchen match fully consumed.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), January 24, 2002.

Our house is 12 years old and very tight. We designed it ourselves. It is all thermally insulated glass to the east and south [for 2 1/2 stories] and we benefit from solar heating. It is approximately 4500 sq ft. Our primary heat is a ground source heat pump. We have an Earth Stove which is also 12 y old and a fireplace with an insert. The house was designed with fans to move heat to all parts of the house. We burn only hickory and oak. The Earth Stove [plus the fans] will heat the whole house at an outside temperature of -30 F. We only use it when it gets really cold and the heat pump quits working well. It has a catalytic converter and there are no visible emissions from the chimney [it also keeps the chimney clean; after 12 years the inspector says there are no deposits]. They have probably made improvements since we got this one; still it works very well. One change that I would make if I were doing it again; reposition the stove. It is in the first floor family room. While it will hold the house at 68 F, it heats the family room to over 80 F doing it.

Best Wishes,,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), January 24, 2002.


We heat only with our Earth Stove. 2,000 sq foot brick home, built in 1979, well insulated, double pane windows. The back bedrooms are cool, but we like it that way. Sleep with comfortor on the bed for coziness. We LOVE our Earth Stove.

When we were house shopping in Austin for a place for the sons to live while they were in college, the little house with the Earth Stove is the one we bought.

-- Rose in Texas (open_rose@hotmail.com), January 24, 2002.


We heat with a Vermont Castings Resolute Acclaim. Our house is a 125 year old farmhouse, about 1800 sq.ft. and we have blown-in cellulose insulation, but there are still drafts. The downstairs is real comfortable, the upstairs is cool, but we like it that way for sleeping. We do have a propane furnace in the basement, but haven't used it for more than 3 years now. We like the heat from the woodstove much better. It's not a cookstove, but I still cook soup and casserole type dishes on top of it. If I'm not cooking anything I keep a kettle of water on to heat for hot water for tea or doing dishes. This saves on using the electric water heater. We got it used. It had been used only one year and we got the stove and hearthpad for less the half of what a new one would cost.

We all love the heat from the stove and probably will never heat any other way.

-- vicki in NW OH (thga76@aol.com), January 24, 2002.


We use a "Wonder-Coal" that Cale traded a kitchen cabinent for about 7 years ago. It has a glass front which lets off a lot of heat. We also have a fireplace with a heat form, and blower system that puts off a lot of heat. Our house is about 3200 sq.feet. and 3/4 underground. It is always comfortable in here, and sometimes hot. The rooms furthest away are sometimes cooler, but since they are the bedrooms, it doesn't matter much. We did buy a wood furnace that has to be hooked to duct work, but we don't have it hooked up yet. We got it for $200 from someone who was changing to gas, it is like brand new. It is a "Wood-chuck" brand.

What I like about wood, is that we can get it cheaply around here and free on our own place. Also even if it is really cold, you can at least stand in front of the fire and get warm! Also in the evenings everyone can gather around the fire, study, read, talk, and play games. Whenever we hook up the furnace we are getting a cook-stove for the dining room. Cale said when he bought the furniture, he would buy me a stove!!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), January 25, 2002.



Cathy, we built our house by ourselves so we know it is well built, insulated well and tight. It is 10 years old as is our stove. We put in an Appalachin wood stove which cost us $1400. It has been well worth every dollar! It has a catalytic converter also and since we have access to all the wood we will ever need on our own property, the heat is essentially free now. It is in our basement family room. Our house is 2300 Sq. feet and it keeps the hole house nice and toasty and has to temps down to 10 below (farenheit, not celsius) which is the coldest I can remember since we've been here. Yes, it is warmer in the basement but since heat rises, it also keeps the upstairs just right. Our bedroom which is the furthest away is the coolest room but actually it is just right for sleeping! We have baseboard heat which when we put them in, we knew we wouldn't use them much and we don't. The only time we use them is in the early fall when the house is cool but it's not really cold enough outside to start a fire. Then we turn them on for an hour or two to take the chill out and turn them off and the house stays warm the rest of the day, especially if the sun is shining. We heat almost exclusively with our wood stove. I do not have a wood cook stove but wish I did! Unfortunately, I don't have room for one without building on to the house which we don't want to do. We burn oak and hickory mostly in our stove which we have plenty of and we never have to cut a tree down! Also, it is surprising how little wood we use. I hear people saying they use cords of wood in a winter's time but we probably don't use a whole cord. Of course, I'm sure Canada is a lot colder than Ky. but it does get colder here than most people think. Our temperatures are about the same as my sisters in CT, sometimes colder. Wood stoves are messy for sure but they sure do give out good heat. I think they are warmer than gas or electric regardless of BTU's!! By the way, Cathy, how are you feeling? Well, I hope.

-- Barb in Ky. (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), January 25, 2002.

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