Wood burning stove

Kendra Loftus
by Kendra Loftus
When we moved into our house during the winter we had a beautiful wood burning stove, but didn't have the pipes so we ended up using the furnace which ended up making us pay almost 200 in electric and gas just to keep the place somewhat warm. We finally got the pipes and installed them. It still gets into the low 60's in our house, My husband and I have been using the stove to warm up the place instead of using the furnace. This might seem like a silly question but, are you still using your fireplace/wood stove? Do you use it year round?
  4 answers
  • Bev Kent Bev Kent on Mar 15, 2014
    yes we use ours even in the summer when it gets too cool as the furnace is turned off. the main thing is to get fans to chase the heat into other rooms.
  • Comet Comet on Mar 15, 2014
    Unless you live in a VERY cold climate or are going to use the wood stove for cooking running it year round will drive you out of the house. For cooking most old-timers would "bank" the coals (cover them with ashes) and then fire the stove up with small pieces of DRY wood for a quick hot fire to cook with either on one of the burner lids or over the open flames with the burner lid removed. To bake you would need to have a longer burning slow fire and this is achieved with PRACTICE and knowledge of your stove DAMPERS to control the temperature over a longer time. For a NON-cooking wood stove (heating stove) you can cook on them easily with cast iron or earthenware pots for things that need long slow cooking---soups; stews; if you have an "oven" on them--some Jotuls have one on top of the fire box) you can do roasts and bread also. There are also "Stove top ovens" available for baking things like potatoes etc. You can also bake potatoes buried in the hot coals! Fans are essential to move the heated air around; you can use a large box fan for when the stove is really hot or use the smaller ones for the corner of a door way or even in a VENT cut into the wall or in the FLOOR between joists and or studs. You can buy these triangular "door fans"" at Lowes etc. We have had these for years; and also have ones in the floor with a register over it from the basement (where the stove is) to the upper floor. Keeping it going all the time tho---Having heated with wood for over 30 years---why waste the wood?
  • Dee Dee on Mar 16, 2014
    Hubby and I heat with wood stove and have for yrs. fans in every room to move the heat. But when it starts getting around 40 outside it will drive you out. The back bedrooms are a bit cooler but thats ok like the bedroom cooler.
  • Val Val on Mar 16, 2014
    Hi Kendra, We have used a wood stove for 22 years now, and I don't know how we ever lived without one. Our weather dips to the -40's in winter. We do not use it in warmer weather because we have lots of sun coming in, so the furnace hardly ever kicks in. The most important feature we have on our stove is the fan. We bought an eco fan that sits on top of it. The heat from the stove causes the fan to spin, and that's how we get the air moving. We have had to rely on our wood stove more than once during a power failure, so it's a lifesaver! Val