You have your wood burning stove lovers and your gas fireplace lovers, rarely an in between. Some people don’t like the mess of the wood burning stove while others love the smell and sound of crackling wood. Personally, I like the idea of being able to cook on top of the wood stove in case the power goes out. At this stage in my life, I don’t mind chopping firewood or storing it for our wood burning stove. Maybe when I’m in my 80’s though, I’ll feel a little differently. 😉
Basically, I can find benefits in both, but today we’re focusing on wood burning {and if I had to choose only one, I’d choose a cast iron wood burning stove any day of the week.
If you have decided that’s the right route for you, then make sure you read all the way through to the end before buying one. I’m tossing out tips right and left so you can make the right choice {there are SOOO many options out there. Who knew?!}. From brand to size to type, I’ll walk you through your options so you can choose the one that fits your space the best.
Find a Trusted Dealer: First things first, unless you are super knowledgeable when it comes to wood stoves, a good dealer can be a great resource. I’m not talking an “expert” at a big box store, unless they have been in the business for a number of years, heats their own home with wood, and can show you a showroom full of lit models. Unless they burn regularly, it’s very hard for them to learn the ins and outs from a textbook! A trusted dealer is a must!
Pick a Solid Brand: Your trusted dealer will help you identify trusted brands. More than likely, they’ll only recommend brands that routinely honor warranties, have been around for years and have replacement parts on the ready. It’s hard to trust a brand that has only been around a few years because you have no idea how their stoves will hold up long-term! {We ended up buying a Jotul 500 Oslo Woodstove for the main living area in our home.}
Decide on Type: Soapstone, steel, or cast iron? I never realized there was such a difference, but there is! Steel stoves heat up faster, while cast iron stoves take a bit longer to heat up but retain heat longer {many people think cast irons stoves are prettier!}.
Both heat well and hold up forever, but the stone on the soapstone stove absorbs heat and releases it slowly, so it doesn’t heat well from cold. It’s not a great stove if you want to frequently shut it off and on or need a temperature adjustment fairly quickly. But if you want to run it continuously for a majority of the time, {which is what most people want in winter} it’s a great stove for you. Otherwise, go with the steel or cast iron.
Decide on Fuel: Pellet or wood. This is a big decision! Pellets cost more in the long run because of the pellets themselves, but the upfront cost of a pellet stove is much lower {My buddy Heather in Massachusetts LOVED hers}.
Pellet stoves can be used without a chimney and they produce virtually no smoke. They are more convenient because they feed themselves from a hopper to maintain the temperature you set on the thermostat {meaning you never have to get up in the middle of the night to put another log on!}.
But that means it runs on electricity, so if you lose power, you lose heat. So a wood burning stove is cheaper to run, gives you that nice smell and crackle of a fireplace and will give you heat without electricity.
Pick a Size: There are all sorts of size options for stoves, regardless of the type you choose. There are so many factors at play here that this is a good reason to call on that handy dealer you sought out. You can’t trust the maximum heat output rating that comes with the stove because so many factors can affect it, not the least of which is climate.
You need to make sure the size of the stove you choose can heat the size of the room/house you need. No need to overdo it on size and you certainly don’t want to purchase a stove too small for your space. Your dealer will help you determine what size is exactly right for your dimensions.
Choose the Design: This one is the most fun. Find a stove that seems pretty to you. And an aesthetically pleasing stove is a big deal because it’s normally a prominent feature in your room, so you’ll be looking at it often! But this one is purely a person choice. No tips needed here!
And there you have a few guidelines to get you started on your journey to wood stove ownership. Any tips I missed? Share ’em below!
~Mavis
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Deborah says
I love the smell of s wood burning stove, but at the age we are and our health, we have a propane fireplace. We heat the house with it in winter. I love looking at the fire. We do burn wood outside when possible. No wind and not too dry.
Mimly says
Make sure your wood (hardwood) is good and dry. At least a year old. If you can get kiln-dried, seriously consider it. Admittedly it’s more expensive, but no bugs, burns hotter and cleaner, and you can store it in the basement and avoid those cold, snowy trips outside to gather wood.
Whatever wood you use, find a good chimney sweep and book your cleanings for summer. With kiln-dried wood and an efficient stove, we can go two years without cleaning, but I would start with yearly cleanings — your sweep will tell you if you can cut back.
Enjoy the warmth!
Lisa Millar says
I don’t think I have any tips, but I do love our wood heater!! I’d love to plumb the hot water through the system as I know some people do – free hot water sounds good!
Its a different kind of heat and so cosy! It is a lot of work, but I like that work. It makes a bit of a mess and more dust but I think its worth it!
Plus I like sourcing free wood/kindling as well. At the moment I am collecting feed bags full of pine cones which are a lovely boost in the fire when its burning a little low.
Also… the best treat is hanging your nightie or pjs on the flue before you go to bed… hopping into toast nightwear is divine in winter!
Mavis Butterfield says
Ahh yes, but the real question Lisa is HOW IS YOUR stash of aesthetically pleasing wood stash coming along? 😉
Lisa Millar says
I laughed a lot… Thanks!!
Working on it…
Ali says
My tip would be consider if you need/want to just burn wood. I have a multi fuel burner which means I can burn wood, coal, smokeless coal, peat, paper logs etc They’re more expensive but it means I can safely burn more than wood.
And def sweep your chimney regularly!
Teresa says
Hello all! I have one tip. Get an old pot, tea kettle or some water vessel you don’t care about and keep it on top of your stove to add humidity to your air. So that the pot does not rust the top of your stove put an old cooling rack under it. Close enough so the water can release the steam but far enough to leave a tiny air gap so no rusting or excessive boiling.
Earlene says
I think you don’t have enough wood, but of course we (the husband) cut, splits and stacks 15 cords of wood. Some years it’s enough and some years we run out by the end of March. We have an outside stove and it’s the best! We have had an indoor and not a fan.
Mel says
I don’t have a stove, but I was thinking that outdoor stoves really are something to consider for safety’s sake. I didn’t even know they existed until someone’s house burned down in my home town and they rebuilt with an outdoor wood stove. Of course you don’t have the cozy atmosphere of warming up by the stove, etc, but you don’t have to worry about your house burning down.
Karen says
Don’t Forget that Wood burning stoves are quite heavy. Check to see if your floor Needs to be reinforced.
Gee says
And if you want to go with pellets, don’t believe the thing about not needing a chimney. Perhaps it works in some cases, but we agreed (foolishly) that our renter could install one in our house. The outside wall, which had been freshly paint white, wound up covered in black, greasy soot. Never again.
Sue says
Agree.
No chimney?
Ever hear of house fires and carbon monoxide deaths?
Maybe Mavis was thinking about the ones installed on an outside wall without a traditional flue (direct vent).
Mavis Butterfield says
“Unlike wood stoves, pellet stoves do not need a chimney and can be vented out through a side wall.” http://www.stovesnstuff.com/getting-started/
Mrs. Mills says
Hi Mavis. We love our woodstove. Soups, stews, chili, bread, tea cooking all day while heating our home. Plus keeping us fit getting the wood ready. There is an old Native recipe, put small flat stones on the stove, heat them up and cook bread on top of them, it works! Imagine using a recipe from hundreds of years ago that still works now. Ever tried bannock tacos, yum.
Mavis Butterfield says
I’m going to look into that! Thank you.
April Sazama says
We have a wood burner and love it, but it is messy and sometimes more expensive to heat with wood than propane or pellets. The best way to determine which system is cheaper is to look up BTU’s for different types of wood, pellets, oil, and propane. At this time for us, propane is cheaper to use than wood or pellets. And because we have 2-1,000 gal tanks we can store a year’s worth of propane. We fill up in the summer and get a good price. Now wood is fairly expensive here. But if propane goes up and wood goes down, wood is a better choice. And sometimes pellets are too expensive to use. Best is to determine which costs more by comparing how many BTU’s you get for each type of fuel.
Another thing to consider is the loss of electricity. Wood burners are a necessity if the power goes out. Always a good idea to plan for loss of power in the winter.
Carrie C says
Hi Mavis! Just wondering how you’re liking the new wood stove now that you are using it regularly. We are thinking of replacing our old Lopi wood stove for a Jotul wood stove insert (probably the C-450). The little Lopi is sitting in a fireplace and only heats our living room. I think it is meant to have more space around it in order to heat better, like your cooking hearth. We’d love to heat the majority of our house, which is 1250 square feet. The fireplace is in the front room and our bedroom is in the back of the house (two rooms away). Not sure if this is just a pipe dream but I would love to decrease our gas bill this winter.