| Wood Stoves |
| Wood Stove Central |
s might be hard to resist. Burnished metal and a crackling fire definitely appeal to the senses, and combined with luxurious radiant heat, it’s no wonder that many home owners are looking to incorporate stoves in their living areas. However, there’s more to the story than romance and atmosphere.Depending on where you picked up your concept of stoves, the picture you have in your mind’s eye may no longer be accurate. For example, remember those black, pot-bellied stoves that were a mainstay of the Western movie and your grandparents’ house? Those old-era stoves have gone the way of the American cowboy. They’re a thing of the past, and that’s actually a good thing.
Contemporary stoves have all the aesthetic appeal of the old models, and then some. A wide array of materials have added new looks to the market. Today’s home owners can choose stoves made of pewter, soapstone, welded steel, or porcelain, as well as the traditional black iron.
A variety of textures and designer colors add even more room for personal preference. The stately-looking “antique” designs have made a comeback, but graceful, modern-looking models are also popular. Today’s stoves are equally comfortable in a hunting lodge, family room, or urban loft.
But there’s more. Not only are today’s wood stoves better-looking. They also burn hotter, cleaner, and with more efficiency. Producing almost no smoke and very little wood ash, contemporary stoves consume less wood and they’re kind to the environment. Since the early 1990s, the Environmental Protection Agency has overseen the production process, ensuring that new models meet demanding emissions standards.
Today’s stoves create a mere trickle of smoke–as little as 2-5 grams per hour. This means that they save you money with fuel economy, increase the air quality, and reduce the risk of fire to practically zero.
As you could probably guess, wood burning stoves now come in sizes and models that are suitable to almost every type of home. (For the purposes of this article, I’m assuming you aren’t living in a cardboard box.) So whether you’re living in a condo, a three-story house, or a loft space, there are stoves designed to heat your living area. The market may look kind of imposing. But there are a handful of questions that can clarify your needs.
Ask yourself, for example, “What do I want to accomplish? Am I heating one room, a small cottage or an entire house? Will I use my stove in a hot or cold climate, in the summer or winter months?”
With questions like these answered, you’re ready to explore further. Are you ready to create some flickering fireside ambiance? Wood stoves have a lot to offer. Best of luck as you decide which stove is right for you.
, you probably done some research. Maybe you’ve heard the buzz about the efficiency of modern stoves and their small environmental footprint. Or you may already be a stove owner, in which case you’ve started basking in that radiant heat. Either way, you’re wondering how to ensure that your stove turns out to be one of those peak performers–and a smart investment to boot. If so, you’re asking the right questions, because today’s stoves a designed to pay great dividends. Capitalizing on your stove’s potential begins with choosing the right type of fuel. But beyond that, here are three steps to help stoke your stove to its full heating potential.
First, take the temperature of your wood burning stove.
A lot of today’s stoves come with thermometers preinstalled, which makes this step easy. If this isn’t the case, it’s not difficult to attach a stack thermometer to your stove’s flue–that pipe that carries the exhaust outside. Once you have a thermometer in place, you’ll be able to check the temperature of gases as they exit the stove. For the average wood stove, the ideal temperature range falls between 300 and 400 F. If the stove is burning within this range, it is producing heat efficiently while causing the least pollution possible. You can target this optimum spectrum by adjusting the stove’s burn rate or changing the quantity of fuel.
Second, do stove maintenance. This a simple step, but easy to overlook.
Modern stoves don’t create a lot of waste, but from time to time you’ll want to clean out wood ash. When excess ashes start to build up, it’s time to service your stove with the equivalent to a quick oil change–only it’s much, much easier! Collected ash can obstruct the air vents of your stove, depriving the fire of oxygen. This makes it hard to control the burn rate of your fire, and compromises efficiency. Heating your home is hard work, so the last thing you want to do is making your stove short of breath.
Third, take an outsider’s perspective on your wood stove.
By “outsider” I mean outside your house. When a wood stove is burning with maximum efficiency, it creates almost no visible smoke. So when you have a good blaze going, walk outside and inspect your stove flue or chimney. If you see dark fumes, you should vary the stove’s oxygen flow and wood supply, then check again. A well-tended fire with good fuel will eliminate that smokiness. When there’s no smoke, and just a shimmer in the air, you’ll know your stove is reaching its potential: burning clean and hot.
Feel like you’re getting the idea? Modern stoves are designed to take most of the guesswork out of all this. Feeding your stove the right woods and following the “common sense” tips above will turn your stove into a radiant heating machine.
