Hello y’all.

[Blueskies]

Just joined. I’ve lived on small acreages for several years. I’ve raised chickens, sheep and the occasional bottle calf. I moved last year and have to start a lot of projects over. I’d like advice on wood stoves.

 

[Hinotori]

Welcome!


I have a catalytic wood stove. Very little soot build up in the chimney and very efficient on burning.

We've been very happy with it over the last decade. Mostly burn fir and cedar as that's what's available here.

 

[tortoise]

Welcome!

I have propane furnace and indoor wood furnace. The wood furnace has no thermostatic control. Put more wood in to heat up the house!

The thing I don't like about the wood furnace is getting too hot overnight but waking up cold in the morning. When I work away from home, I'm cold at home - wake up to chilly house and low fire. Build it up, come home to chilly house and low fire. Wake up in the middle of the night roasting.

 

[baymule]

I’m glad you have joined SS! Lots of good information here and friendly people.

 

[murphysranch]

Welcome to SS. Good talkative folks here.

I don't have anything but a propane heat pump furnace, so I"m no help.

 

[CLSranch]

Welcome,

I’d like advice on wood stoves.

Each is different. You have to learn each one along with the insulation of your house, as to how to regulate it. My house is %90-%95 wood. A propane wall unit in the bathroom helps with the really cold days or when the fire gets low, AND when you get out of the shower.
I've gone through a couple of wood stoves in this house along with a couple in the old place. Each one needs a little different attention. Once you get used to it, any stove can be easy to use.

What specific advice are you looking for?

 

[Blueskies]

Thank you all. I’d asked for advice some months back on another site that shares members and then promptly lost track of it. It seems easier to restart the conversation. I appreciate everyone’s input, I’m a klutz at searching. We moved to a house utterly grid dependent and have been working on alternatives to no electricity, water etc. My husband aka Hubbs doesn’t want a wood stove. Our propane appliances depend on electric igniters, no electricity means no heat etc. A wood stove would give me peace of mind plus we have all the wood we need for fuel. Questions- I need some time to compose some coherent ones and figure out if our home insurance is affected. Thanks again.

 

[tortoise]

Thank you all. I’d asked for advice some months back on another site that shares members and then promptly lost track of it. It seems easier to restart the conversation. I appreciate everyone’s input, I’m a klutz at searching. We moved to a house utterly grid dependent and have been working on alternatives to no electricity, water etc. My husband aka Hubbs doesn’t want a wood stove. Our propane appliances depend on electric igniters, no electricity means no heat etc. A wood stove would give me peace of mind plus we have all the wood we need for fuel. Questions- I need some time to compose some coherent ones and figure out if our home insurance is affected. Thanks again.

Some wood furnaces rely on electricity too. Mine has an electric blower and can't run without electricity.

 

[Mini Horses]

I have a propane heater that looks like a free standing wood burner, fake logs, etc,...match to light! No electric required. Wood stove will require certain install requirements, inside and flue. Building codes can be gotten from planning deptmt of city/county in which you live. That can affect what you can use. Check there first. Those requirements might alter your thoughts.

 

[Hinotori]

Code here says air intake vent from under the house. Modern houses are too tight to let enough air in. We didn't have to install that only because of how old our house is (123 years) as it's grandfathered and definitely not tight. I live in western Washington and my parents live in eastern Oregon. When they installed their wood stove in 1981 they were required to put an air vent in the wall next to the stove. Their current code is from under house too.

Don't forget you'll need someplace to keep your seasoned wood so it stays dry. That shouldn't be against the house as dry wood attracts wood chewers like carpenter ants and termites. It also makes for a fire danger in wildfire danger areas.

My parents were told they need to enclose the front of their wood shed at their cabin to reduce the chance of wildfire spark catching. Also no wood against cabin under covered porch.

They keep a wood pile at the back corner of their lot in town. There's been one there since they installed the wood stove. Found distance from fences it needed to be and marked it out.

I keep my wood a distance from the house, but I can hold 3 to 4 days worth inside.

We do have an electric fan for the wood stove, but I also have a small thermal fan sitting on top. Small house so the electric fan isn't really needed. If we loose power and are cooking on our wood stove, it gets too hot inside and I must open windows. Our stove is designed to allow some cooking.

We had 5 days without power once. I was melting snow for flushing (ancient gravity septic) and for showers with a camp shower. We ate fine, but soup and stew was easiest.