Is a wood burning stove worth the money? It is so expensive to run the heat that we are discussing getting a wood burning stove. My sister has one but they still use heaters in their rooms. But her house is enormous compared to mine. I am hoping that it will heat up the whole house. At least make it more comfortable. Handsome can get all the wood we need since he tosses out loads full on every job. This would be a blessing. Patty
YES YES AND YES!!! I miss ours!!! When we originally lived in PA we had a wood stove insert put into our fireplace - they had to run the liner up the chimney...but it was well worth it. There were times our oil ran out and we were able to survive b/c of that wood stove! Would not have without it. We also had one that had a "lip" on it that was deep enough to put a pot of water on it. We'd boil water so we coudl make tea and hot chocolate without having to leave the living room! I miss it. If we can ever afford it, we will do it here too, but there's more that needs to be done here before we can do it! Plus I want to wait until the youngest is old enough to steer clear.
Wow! Thanks for the positive YES, YES, and YES! This is great to hear. ...and the idea of being able to use it for tea and chocolate! Oh, I will be in seventh heaven! Patty
My parents have one, but no longer use it regularly. They have a fairly large home, and I remember it keeping the front part of the house fairly warm. The back of the house was always still cold. If your house is small, it'll probably work. When we first got married, dh and I only had a gas fireplace for heat. The whole apartment stayed warm.
My parents have one and it is wonderful! We have often thought of getting one of our own. I know someone how has one in their basement and it heats most of the house.
MIL/FIL have a pellet stove, which works the same way without needing a chimney, though it does need electricity. It was a lifesaver for us during last years Ice Storm. Their generator was big enough to run the electricity for it an we were able to keep mostly warm. I would get one in a heart beat.
We have an outdoor wood burner and I really like it. It's nice to burn all the left over everything! But we also have a propane back up and we are planning on putting a pellet/corn burner in our living room. This way we can heat with whatever is the most economical at the moment. When my dh is working locally he brings home power poles that are being thrown out. They burn wonderfully. When were not home we use the propane and I'm hoping the pellet/corn will be for when we don't need alot of heat, maybe just a little extra or just to have a nice fire. If you can get the wood to burn at a great price it would definately be worth it. To buy wood seems to be very expensive.
It depends on where you are, I guess. Around here, people are just giving it away to get it out of their yards. Last year's ice storm resulted in nearly 80% of our area trees either being knocked down by the storm itself or cut down by those who didn't want to deal with that mess again. Now even people without fire places have cords and cords of wood. Matter of fact, I just helped a friend load up two pick up trucks full of wood that we got for free.
That would be wonderful to get all that wood. I live in a predominant logging area and the prices to purchase wood have really gone up but I guess everything has especially with the rise in fuel cost.
We would be able to get the wood for free. Throwing out wood is a regular thing at Handsome's job. They use it for framing, molds, and so on. When they are done, it goes in the dumpster. When we were in Colorado looking for homes, this October, the realtor told us we should invest in a pellet stove. He said that the pellets cost a bit more but they last so much longer than wood. In the long run, it is a better deal. Patty
We burn wood, have been for years. It is a very warm and direct heat, nice and toasty! Tips for buying a stove: Be sure to get one that has at least a 20" fire box. If the fire box is too small you have to burn short pieces and small pieces. We get our own firewood so it costs about $40.00 per cord, $165.00 retail. A cord is 4'X4'X8'.
Our house is 1,000 sq ft. We have a wood heater in the front and a gas heater in the very back bedroom. We have a very drafty house (you can see daylight through the cracks in places!) but we stay warm enough. 'Course we're in Texas so it's not That cold. The last couple of nights it's been in the mid 20's and we never get up to put wood on the fire in the night, so it's rather chilly when we get up. My husband sells firewood, so ours is free so I can't complain. Lisa
Lisa, your post gives me hope. Our house is under 1000 sq ft. so your post has given me hope that a stove will heat up our house or at least make it more comfortable. Thanks. Patty
Hey Patty. We have a wood burner and LOVE it! Our house is about 2000 sqft and it gets plenty warm. In fact, we have to open the back door a lot of the time! If you can get wood for free, like you mentioned, it is very economical. But keep in mind that you can't burn treated wood. Also, a lot of wood used in construction is pine, which doesn't burn very hot. So it would probably only heat the immediate area. Typically hard, dense wood like walnut, oak, cherry, etc. is best. If you can get that, go for it!
Sounds good! Douglas Fir is used on the job. They need a hard wood that will not bend under the weight of wet concrete. It isn't a true Fir so it isn't as soft as softwood. This is a bigger plus! I hope! Thanks for your input. Patty
