Heating With Wood

Using A Cast Iron Wood Stove, Accessories And Saving Firewood

Anyone who has used a cast iron wood stove to heat their entire home will immediately understand the benefit of the radiant and even heat they supply. Compared to a boiler plate stove, the heat is much more pleasant, the wood stove does not warp and become discolored, and overall the experience is much better.

If you overheat a cast iron stove, it will eventually be damaged, however this is quite rare and takes some gross negligence to accomplish. A steel wood stove, on the other hand, will bow and warp with the intensity of the heat.

A quality cast iron stove, such as a Jotul, Hampton, or Vermont Castings will give you years of trouble free service and save you money in the process. These stoves are beautiful, efficient and made to perform for years and give your family a comfortable and safe heating experience.

The Vermont Castings Defiant NC 1610, Encore NC 1450 and Resolute Acclaim 2490 are some of the most beautiful stoves anywhere and are highly efficient as well.

The Jøtul F 3 CB is the world's best value for your heating dollar and is the best selling small cast iron woodstove in North America. This stove is another example of a beauty and efficiency. The Jøtul F 118 CB Black Bear is the most imitated woodstove in the world and is now available with improved efficiency. The Jotul F 100 Nordic QT is a classic Norwegian stove with the ability to burn with the doors open, like a free standing fireplace.

The Hampton H200 Medium Wood Stove is a similar type of cast iron wood stove made in the USA. It claims an optimum efficiency of 83.9 %, which is very, very high. The H300 is a larger version of this quality stove and can easily heat an average home. You will use fewer cords of firewood, without a doubt.

You can often find good deals in the local newspaper on used wood stoves, firewood, chainsaws, and wood stove accessories. Just make sure they are in good shape and priced right.

When looking for a wood stove, there are several things to consider. The obvious is the size of the area to be heated. If you buy an undersized stove, you will be cold and unhappy. You will also need to be feeding the stove with wood, which quickly becomes an unpleasant chore.

If you buy too large of a stove, you have the problem of being heated out of your house! If you try to dampen the fire to cool things down, you run the risk of creating a fire hazard because of the creosote your wood stove will create in the stove pipe.

When the wood sits and smolders, the gases will condense on the inside of the stove pipe and solidify. This is a highly concentrated form of fuel that will burn like a torch, if it is ignited. This is the main reason for chimney fires.

It is extremely important to have a safe and reliable installation. If the chimney or stove pipe has air leaks or is poorly constructed, the safety of your family is at stake.