Wood heat

[Tirediron]

I heat with wood, in a colder climate, I live on land with ample wood that needs to be cleaned up, so for me it is a bonus, and I enjoy the gathering and processing so for me that is a bonus. If you are thinking of going to wood heat, look into the actual rules, not the stuff stove resellers and scamsurrance people tout, If some major stuff doesn't change yesterday, the whole supply chain and financial system will collapse, so the cost of and rules may not matter, only if you are self sufficient enough to keep your self live and somewhat comfortable.

 

[zoomzoom]

Firebricks are required for insurance purposes

The wood insert will come with the required fire bricks.

 

[Cabin Fever]

What's a good brand of wood burning stove for both cooking and providing heat? I plan to have an abundance of wood.

I would recommend a Lopi woodstove. Ours is a Lopi Endeavor. It has two "shelves" for cooking. The lower shelf is hotter and is good for frying or boiling water fast. The upper shelf is cooler and is good for slow cooking (stews, chili, etc) or for keeping things warm. If you want to bake something, you can let the wood burn down to coals and bake whatever it is in a dutch oven. In other words, the entire firebox is an oven.

Our Lopi Endeavor.....

Baking in our built-in woodstove.....

 

[SLADE]

We use a kitchen queen 480 heats our house cooks our food and heats our water.
And she looks purdy while she does it.

 

[jazzy]

heres a tip---------
i have a good wood stove that is my source of heat---had it 12-13 yrs and its always been great. today i put a couple small logs in and shut the door and glass craxked in several places. didnt fall out but big gaps. had to order a new glass door insert, $189 and a neighbor will fix it for me when it comes in. if it turnsz out to be the correct one--neighbor says it is, i will order a back uop----i never knew that glass cracked, i thought it was super sooper heavy duty to the moon type glass.

ive got some electric heaters i cna get by with. but i wish it broke in the summer instead of the winter.
in all the years ive lived in places with a wood stove ive never known the glass to break.

 

[phideaux]

I've had this one for about 15 years. Love it.
Large enough firebox to load enough wood to go all night.
That's important to me . I don't want to be feeding wood in it at 2 am.

Also has 2 levels on top for warming and cooking.

Heated my 2000 sqft house on very low air input.air input from outside.

Jim

 

[viking]

We've heated our home with a small Sweethome stove for over 40 years, it looks lot like the Lopi stove in shape but has double doors. New door gaskets and it still runs hot.

 

[SLADE]

heres a tip---------
i have a good wood stove that is my source of heat---had it 12-13 yrs and its always been great. today i put a couple small logs in and shut the door and glass craxked in several places. didnt fall out but big gaps. had to order a new glass door insert, $189 and a neighbor will fix it for me when it comes in. if it turnsz out to be the correct one--neighbor says it is, i will order a back uop----i never knew that glass cracked, i thought it was super sooper heavy duty to the moon type glass.

ive got some electric heaters i cna get by with. but i wish it broke in the summer instead of the winter.
in all the years ive lived in places with a wood stove ive never known the glass to break.

Check with you closest glass shop they usually have the glass and will cut to size.
Been there done that.

 

[Bluetick21]

I love out wood stove. Couldn’t do without it. When the power goes out here we’re usually out a minimum 5 days. I don’t know how many mornings me and the kids have curled up around that thing haha and how many meals I’ve made on it either

 

[Dani]

I have no idea on what it takes to install in a mobile home or what your insurance will cover. . .
With that said, I can say that we have a fireplace in the front that heats the great room well and then we have a wood stove in our bedroom that heats the back of house areas which is 3 more bedrooms. Now, normally we close off 2 of the bedrooms since it is just hunny and I.

 

[Dani]

We harvest trees that have been brought down for whatever reasons. And then use the axe to chop for fire wood.

 

[Smalltimefarmer]

We harvest trees that have been brought down for whatever reasons. And then use the axe to chop for fire wood.

An ax. Dang girl.

 

[Amish Heart]

Our son had one installed in a small trailer. That stove is pretty small, not much bigger than a vented rocket stove

 

[Mountain trapper]

I need to put a new wood stove in my fur shed. The current stove is one of those cheap made in China piece of crap cast iron Volsgang, or something like that. It needs to be fed every 2 hours. And if I put too much wood in it it'll turn red hot with no way to shut it down. With all the BS over regulations I can't believe they'd sell a dangerous stove like this. I've had 2 chimney fires with it too. Replacing it is on my list for next year.

 

[Smalltimefarmer]

I need to put a new wood stove in my fur shed. The current stove is one of those cheap made in China piece of crap cast iron Volsgang, or something like that. It needs to be fed every 2 hours. And if I put too much wood in it it'll turn red hot with no way to shut it down. With all the BS over regulations I can't believe they'd sell a dangerous stove like this. I've had 2 chimney fires with it too. Replacing it is on my list for next year.

If you purchase an EPA approved one before the end of year you get a big tax credit. Applies to installation too.

 

[Mountain trapper]

If you purchase an EPA approved one before the end of year you get a big tax credit. Applies to installation too.

I like tax credits. Same applies for "renewable" energy systems too. I found a stove thats similar to the one we have the house. Except smaller and without the nickel trim. They we're sold out for this winter so I'll try to get it this summer. I think it was around $900. Another option is to build my own stove. I've built many wood stoves years ago..

 

[Terri9630]

heres a tip---------
i have a good wood stove that is my source of heat---had it 12-13 yrs and its always been great. today i put a couple small logs in and shut the door and glass craxked in several places. didnt fall out but big gaps. had to order a new glass door insert, $189 and a neighbor will fix it for me when it comes in. if it turnsz out to be the correct one--neighbor says it is, i will order a back uop----i never knew that glass cracked, i thought it was super sooper heavy duty to the moon type glass.

ive got some electric heaters i cna get by with. but i wish it broke in the summer instead of the winter.
in all the years ive lived in places with a wood stove ive never known the glass to break.

We had the glass on our fireplace insert break about 7yrs ago. It was about 20yrs old.

 

[jazzy]

We had the glass on our fireplace insert break about 7yrs ago. It was about 20yrs old.

thanks for letting us know--i really had no idea how long they last or that they break. but this is pretty crucial for one who heats only with wood. i got mine fixed before the real cold wave came and just got my backup glass window to set aside..

 

[Mountain trapper]

thanks for letting us know--i really had no idea how long they last or that they break. but this is pretty crucial for one who heats only with wood. i got mine fixed before the real cold wave came and just got my backup glass window to set aside..

Our current wood stove is the second one that we've had with glass in the door. I've never thought about the glass breaking. Maybe I should order a backup too.

 

[Just Cliff]

I did not read through the whole thread but kinda scanned it. So, I may repeat.
I have an Englander wood insert. I have had it for 11 year. It has a glass and cast iron door. The glass is tempered so if it breaks, you need to get another tempered glass for it. Not cheap from anyone. I have another Englander forced air wood stove. It had a 10x10 tempered glass window in the door. I didn't have the money and I really needed my stove. I went and got a piece of 1/4 steel and put in it. It's been there 25 years. I would get a piece of steel cut for it in case of emergency. Don't forget the "rope" fiberglass gasket material and some wood heater gasket cement. If you don't need it, just leave the gasket cement closed and not open it so it won't dry out.
Back when I but all this in 11 years ago, They had the $1500 tax credits for all energy efficient upgrades to the home. I got every bit of it. I insulated the house underneath and had insulation blown in upstairs.
I put in the insert and put a stainless steel liner from the insert to the outside (about 14 ft). The house was built in 1967 and had never had a fire in the fireplace. Only gas logs. It was just like new but, it's nice to know the insert is there when it's cleaned out.

 

[zoomzoom]

I have 2 houses nearly identical in setup in terms of size, location (for weather), heat systems...
We've had several days with below zero nighttime temperatures.
The house I'm in, I've been running one or both wood stoves depending on the outside temperature. This electric bill showed ZERO increase from previous months.
The other house is running the electric furnace. It went up $400 for this month alone.
Gotta love wood stoves.

 

[Biggkidd]

I need to put a new wood stove in my fur shed. The current stove is one of those cheap made in China piece of crap cast iron Volsgang, or something like that. It needs to be fed every 2 hours. And if I put too much wood in it it'll turn red hot with no way to shut it down. With all the BS over regulations I can't believe they'd sell a dangerous stove like this. I've had 2 chimney fires with it too. Replacing it is on my list for next year.

We use one of these in our house. Really neat looking little stove, has a mountain cabin scene cast in the sides. The original owners put it together wrong, came in a flat pack and bolted together. Anyway it was headed to the dump and I needed a smaller wood stove for our little space and grabbed it. I took it apart and found the center plate in backwards which was why it wouldn't draw and burn past the first few inches. I took those stupid cast iron curtains that hung on the sides out and put fire brick inside after welding it all together. Been working great for about ten years now and the perfect size in here.

 

[hashbrown]

heres a tip---------
i have a good wood stove that is my source of heat---had it 12-13 yrs and its always been great. today i put a couple small logs in and shut the door and glass craxked in several places. didnt fall out but big gaps. had to order a new glass door insert, $189 and a neighbor will fix it for me when it comes in. if it turnsz out to be the correct one--neighbor says it is, i will order a back uop----i never knew that glass cracked, i thought it was super sooper heavy duty to the moon type glass.

ive got some electric heaters i cna get by with. but i wish it broke in the summer instead of the winter.
in all the years ive lived in places with a wood stove ive never known the glass to break.

That happened on a stove I had a few years back. I cut one out of a piece of steel and used that instead of glass. My glass was black most of the time anyway it worked great and was a cheap fix.

 

[Just Cliff]

https://chimneylinerdepot.com/product-category/flexible-chimney-liner/flex-king-pro-chimney-liner/This is what I used to line the chimney. If you lay awake a little at night and worry about a chimney fire, this is for you. I know it costs a bit but, it is worth it. Cleaning is so much easier!

 

[Tirediron]

heres a tip---------
i have a good wood stove that is my source of heat---had it 12-13 yrs and its always been great. today i put a couple small logs in and shut the door and glass craxked in several places. didnt fall out but big gaps. had to order a new glass door insert, $189 and a neighbor will fix it for me when it comes in. if it turnsz out to be the correct one--neighbor says it is, i will order a back uop----i never knew that glass cracked, i thought it was super sooper heavy duty to the moon type glass.

ive got some electric heaters i cna get by with. but i wish it broke in the summer instead of the winter.
in all the years ive lived in places with a wood stove ive never known the glass to break.

Note, I didn`t read the rest of the thread, before posting this, which Hashbrown already gave the same solution, Imagine Hillbillys coming up with the same solution
I have cut metal inserts to replace the glass, while it is on order, the thermal glass is usually very tough, but it really doesn`t like sudden temperature changes, and it needs to be able to expand and contract , so if the expansion space gets filled with ash or what ever cracks ensue. a splash of water on hot glass will cause cracking also

 

[Pearl]

I've had this one for about 15 years. Love it.
Large enough firebox to load enough wood to go all night.
That's important to me . I don't want to be feeding wood in it at 2 am.

Also has 2 levels on top for warming and cooking.

Heated my 2000 sqft house on very low air input.air input from outside.

View attachment 78285

Jim

That looks very similar to mine! Had mine 32yrs, heats my whole house and can cook on top!! Have some well seasoned oak burning right now!!

 

[SheepDog]

Wood stoves are a simple convenient measure to heat a small house but they are the least efficient source of heat available. I build a very good heating stove but recognize it is less than maintainable over the long term. Active or passive solar heat with a good sink is far more efficient but less reliable in some areas. An underground or well banked home with solar added is the most efficient non-electric dependent way to keep an even temperature.
Since I don't want to live underground I will always choose heat pumps as my heat source. It does require electricity but I can produce my own with solar and wind and a battery backup. For those times when it is not enough there is always a whole house generator run on alcohol that I grow and distill. My 600 square foot shop is so well insulated that I can heat it during the winter with just the fluorescent lights but the heat pump is a lot more efficient monetarily. The heat pump is cheaper to use than a small wood stove when you add up the wood purchase, cutting, splitting and the added space for storage. It is also very convenient because I don't have to plan ahead for getting the stove started and waiting for it to heat the space. The even temperature is a better environment to store my reloading materials and the steel and wood that I keep in stock. Even my garage being heated and cooled keeps the cars more comfortable to get in and drive and lowers my fuel costs because of the shorter warm up period. The gardening supplies suffer less wear and damage due to moisture. For me, heating and cooling 1200 square feet of space for my shop and garage with a single mini-split heat pump is as close to perfect as I can get. My 5Kw generator will operate it if the power goes out and keep my freezer and fridge cold.

 

[JustMe]

I have a question about stoves and hopefully someone can help.

The wood stove we have was purchased years ago from a stove store that is no longer in business. At the time, we bought it as a clearance item and it didn't have any paperwork that came with it. So I have NO idea who the manufacturer is or was on this particular stove. All I do know is it was from a company in Canada.

Reading thru this thread and some of the problems others have had with their stoves, makes me wonder what I'd be faced with if a problem occurred with mine. I would hate to have to buy a whole new stove, just because something broke.

 

[Amish Heart]

We have chimney sweep come once and year and they can pretty much fix any model.

 

[montanabill]

heres a tip---------
i have a good wood stove that is my source of heat---had it 12-13 yrs and its always been great. today i put a couple small logs in and shut the door and glass craxked in several places. didnt fall out but big gaps. had to order a new glass door insert, $189 and a neighbor will fix it for me when it comes in. if it turnsz out to be the correct one--neighbor says it is, i will order a back uop----i never knew that glass cracked, i thought it was super sooper heavy duty to the moon type glass.

ive got some electric heaters i cna get by with. but i wish it broke in the summer instead of the winter.
in all the years ive lived in places with a wood stove ive never known the glass to break.

When you get your new glass have someone make some copies in substantial thickness steel. Then keep the steel pieces in case of more breakage and supply lines are not available for new ones.