(Late last year, I kicked off a series of posts in which I’ll document the transformation of an old barn into my future workshop.)
2010 is here and I’m rearing to renovate! Construction on the red barn begins soon, and my first resolution is to heat the frigid space. Though my new Snuggie keeps me pretty toasty, what I really wanted for Xmas was a wood-burning stove. Then I could warm my workshop and burn the many wood scraps I’ll generate, killing two birds with one stove.
There is something profoundly fulfilling about starting a fire to stay warm. Maybe it’s the effort of hauling logs and kindling or the knowledge that mankind has huddled beside a flame for eons. (Or perhaps I’m just a pyro who loves to watch the wood burn.) Either way, with a wood stove, you get all the enjoyment of a traditional fireplace with far less fuss and much more efficiency.
Unlike open fireplaces, woodstoves are designed to hold logs in an enclosed "fire chamber." The chamber is attached to a flue that pulls a draft and allows the exhaust to pass outside. Newer, EPA-certified stoves require 1/3 less wood and give off 90% less smoke than older stoves. If properly prepped, these super-efficient wood stoves burn all day without any need to tend to the embers. But wait, there’s more: if you act now, many of these heating units qualify for a federal energy efficiency tax credit!
With winter in full swing, now is the perfect time to light a nice, warm fire. But before you snow bunnies hop off to wood stove store, you should be aware of some not-so-hidden costs. Installing a stove safely requires a professional, who is likely to charge you anywhere between $400 and $1,000 just to set up the unit. That’s not including the stove piping necessary to build an adequate flue. Believe it or not, this piping will cost more than the stove itself! One way to save in this area is to literally cut corners. The "elbow" piping needed to change directions is far more expensive than straight piping. Since too many turns weaken the flue's pull, it's best to avoid these pieces anyway.
After months of research, I settled on Quadra-Fire’s smallest stove, the Millenium 2100. Not only does it sound like a bad-ass spaceship from the future, but it also suits the simple needs of my 700 square foot workshop. But there are many stoves in the sea — you're sure to find one that fills your heart with joy and your home with heat!
Here are a few reputable brands:
• Quadra-Fire
• Harman
• Napoleon
• Avalon
• Englander
Images: 1 Quadra-Fire, 2 Hopkins House Farm B&B , 3 Wittus , 4 Harrie Leenders
RED BARN RENOVATION
• Red Barn Renovation: Where To Begin?
• Red Barn Renovation: Green Cleaning & Disposing Of Toxic Chemicals
• Red Barn Renovation: Energy Efficiency Tax Breaks
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There is no heat like wood. I grew up in a house heated by a wood stove and while I do blame it for my love of absurdly warm spaces it is so very unique. The smell of well dried wood, the sound, and the fact that you just snuggle up closer and closer to the stove (yes that is my sock that got burned on there) until you are warm enough.
Just remember to NEVER burn pressure-treated wood or engineered wood scraps (Plywood, MDF, Chipboard, etc) in your woodstove or fireplace - the chemicals in those are more toxic than you think!
two birds with one stove! johnny, you slay me.
Can't wait to see the results. When we renovate our attic space into our master bedroom, we plan to install a small woodstove. In our livingroom we have a large gas fireplace, but wood heat is so much better.
"There is no heat like wood"
So true. I also grew up in a house heated by wood. I have a gas fireplace now, and while it's convenient, it's just not the same.
That said, wood comes with more than its fair share of inconveniences. Keeping wood well-stocked, splitting the wood, building a fire every morning, the occasional belch of smoke if you open the top without opening the damper first, etc. As luxurious as a wood stove is, I think if I had one now it would go unused all too often just due to the amount of effort involved.
For those who have not encountered the new super-efficient wood stoves, they really are amazing. Our heating costs are about a quarter on what gas furnace heating cost.
They only need to be stocked with wood a couple of times a day if you use them efficiently, which means that you can actually build a new fire once at the beginning of winter and that's it (unless you go away on vacation etc).
Our new super-efficient wood stove advertised a burn time of approximately 15 hours, which even the installer disputed. So we ran a test of our own, and actually were able to run the fire in the 'active zone' for 21 hours!
(PS That last paragraph may not make sense... What I mean is that we can run our fire for up to 21 hours without stoking or re-stocking it with wood.)
sooz, where did you buy your stove from?
Wood burning stoves are fantastic! We had one in the old farmhouse I grew up in. We heard that the new owners took it out. I really despise them, and so do our old neighbors.
I love my woodstove. It's EPA certified, so it's environmentally sound. Nothing cozier than a crackling fire while it snows, which it did all weekend. It can keep the house warm enough to protect pipes if the power goes out. It's small, and won't keep a fire going all night, but it only takes me 3 minutes to get a fire going.
we inherited a Jotul with our home and it is fantastic! Burns so efficiently we barely have any ashes! Chimney sweep had nothing to clean!
My house has a Jotul woodstove in the dining room and a traditional fireplace in the living room. I use the woodstove all the time--far more than the regular one. With kids and dogs, it's nice being able to close the door and know the fire is contained. Best of all, mine has a burner on top. I put a vintage Dansk baking dish filled with water and spices on top of it and once it gets hot it makes the house smell even better than it does with just the wood burning!
I live in Oakland, California and every time someone decides to spend a cozy night by the fire, everyone else in the neighborhood pays. Wood fires cause terrible air pollution and are a health hazard especially to children, the elderly, and people with asthma. It has gotten to the point that they are outlawed here on certain days when the air quality is already terrible. I would take these things into consideration before thinking about burning wood. Here's a "Spare the Air" article from the Oakland local news. http://oaklandlocal.com/article/spare-air-restricts-winter-wood-burning-bay-area-offers-widgets-alerts
Hi abc123 - I have a Blaze King 'Princess' wood burning fireplace insert. They have a website at www.blazeking.com
We got ours through a local fireplace supplier here in Canada, and Blaze King are in the USA as well.
I see on their site that you can save up to $1500 on a USA Federal Tax Credit when you buy that model. We were able to claim on a rebate scheme with our stove, but would have happily paid the full amount anyway as we love our wood burning stove. I feel OK about burning a quickly renewable resource (wood) as opposed to using ancient oil, gas or coal.
Also our stove has an LHV of 88% - to qualify for tax credits it must meet a minimum 75% efficiency rating.
(LHV or "Lower heating value" refers to the amount of heat released when the fuel is burned, minus the energy used to vaporize any water in the fuel.)
The Shaker Stove from Wittus is pricey as heck, but so gorgeous that I'm actually looking at places I can cut other things in my budget just to afford it. It, too, is EPA certified and can qualify buyers for a tax credit.
You can get replacement glass for your wood stove at http://www.fireglassonline.com
you order it online, they cut it, box it, and ship it straight to your door.