Conscious Choice: Wood Burning Stoves

February 2001 | Sensible Home

Wood Burning Stoves

by James Dulley

Dear Jim: We have a reasonably-priced supply of firewood and we have always liked freestanding wood-burning stoves. Are new ones more convenient to use? What features are the best to use as occasional supplemental heating? — Lisa T.

Dear Lisa: With heating bills skyrocketing, there is interest again in wood-burning stoves. The newer ones are more convenient to use and produce more heat. With a good source of firewood and efficiencies of more than 70 percent, they are also economical. They also continue to heat during electrical power outages.

A freestanding wood stove can be an attractive addition to any room and any decor. There are many styles from ornate old-world cast-iron radiant stoves with brilliant porcelain enamel to contemporary pedestal models. Most can be customized with 24-karat gold-plated trim, brass legs, or decorative glass.

Another reason for interest in stoves is global warming. Burning oil or gas produces carbon dioxide gas (CO2). Burning wood is CO2 neutral. Trees consume CO2 as they grow and produce oxygen. As each new tree grows to maturity, it consumes the CO2 that the old tree produced when you burned the firewood.

Most new wood-burning stoves now have a convenient one-handle adjustment to control the primary air, secondary air, and heat output simultaneously. The larger models can burn for up to twelve hours on a single load of wood so that you do not have to get up in the middle of the night to keep the fire going.

Before selecting a stove, you will have to consider several things: how large an area of your house you want to heat; whether you want a convection or a radiant-only design, a catalytic or noncatalytic design; if you will use it for cooking also; the size of logs you have; and the styling desired.

Some of the largest freestanding stoves can heat an area up to 3,000 square feet. Most stoves will accept logs up to eighteen inches long, but these larger models can accept logs up to twenty-four inches long. Surprisingly, the exterior is not huge.

If you plan to heat a large area, select a convection model that is designed to circulate room air through it for extra heat. It also produces radiant heat near it. A radiant-only model is good for smaller areas. A step-top model has a small, very hot top section for cooking if needed.

Optional blowers, to circulate more room air, that can be hidden in the side panels, are available. If the electric power does go off, the hot stove will continue to produce some natural convection air flow.

To lower emissions, some stoves use a catalyst that is hidden inside the flue area to burn more of the volatile gases. Catalytic models often have a 10 percent higher efficiency than noncatalytic models that use extra combustion chambers.

Write for (or instantly download) Update Bulletin No. 459, buyer’s guide of twelve wood-burning stove/fireplace insert manufacturers listing combustion type, efficiency, maximum burn time, heat output, special features, prices, and a firewood selector chart. Please include $3.00 and a business-size SASE. James Dulley, Conscious Choice, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244.

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