Wood Stoves

[user 7704]

I had a wood fireplace and converted it to gas logs.

I'm thinking about converting to a stove or insert. Which do you suggest? It looks like inserts are twice as much as stoves.

Please give me your input. I live in woods, so wood is plentiful. Plus, in Tennessee, it wouldnt be needed daily.

 

[Silent Earth]

Love my Aga wood burning stove , its the entire foundation of my domestic preps. With a wood stove you are free of the burdon of relying on the mains electricity or gas for heating and cooking if TSHTF. You have plenty of wood, its FREE so start chopping.

 

[Silent Earth]

Everyone in our community should have as many alternatives to grid utilities as possible, Gas, Elec, Water, Sewage,. so Log / Wood stoves, Wind/ Solar / Battery backups, Water butts / Wells, Cesspit etc, If you have wood, surface coal, oil tar, peat etc its insane not to use it.

Bottled gas is a good alternative in some circumstances for portable, heater, cookers, lights, water boiler etc

In many modern homes if the electricity goes off then so does the gas and water as both are pumped to your home using electricity. So no leccy means no running faucets, no lights, no heating, no cooking, no flushing toilets.

Everyone really should have a Berkfield / Big Berky some place easily to hand plus enough fresh DRINKING / COOKING (not washing) water storage capacity for at least a week.

 

[user 7704]

I'm thinking ahead to when I'm gone and my kids are here with the world gone to hell. I want them to be abble to cook, heat, etc when the propane runs out.

 

[Silent Earth]

I'm thinking ahead to when I'm gone and my kids are here with the world gone to hell. I want them to be abble to cook, heat, etc when the propane runs out.

Buy ( if you can) or MAKE a wood / coal stove preferably with a water heating coil in it. Then you can warm the house, heat hot water and cook / bake. If its for the kids in later years then get them out planting saplings NOW.

I think you can get Thermosyphon hot water systems that will heat up a tank of water upstairs from a woodstove downstairs that does not require electricity. It uses the principle of HEAT ( and hot water) rises, so the water circulates with the hottest water ending up in an insulated tank in the loft. If can be boosted by a couple of solar water heating panels on the roof.

 

[user 7704]

We are complete surrounded by trees.

I found a cast iron that is retro looking. I dont need a huge one since Tennessee is mild most of the year.

 

[Silent Earth]

In some partts of the ingenius US of A some homesteaders also provide their own electricity by making or buying small wood fueled steam power generators.

 

[Silent Earth]

We are complete surrounded by trees.

I found a cast iron that is retro looking. I dont need a huge one since Tennessee is mild most of the year.

Looks is a girly thing, the important thing is it must be a THICK WALL stove not a thin wall stove, Thick wall CAST IRON stoves last for decades, thin ones years, BUT Thick wall stoves heat up and store heat in the cast iron that can keep the place warm for HOURS after the fire has gone out, thin steel stoves cool down too quick.
Tis good you dont neec a huge one but you do want one with the most MASS, the heaviest thickest walls your money can buy, and preferably lined with good quality fire bricks ( always keep spares and fire cement)

 

[Silent Earth]

This is mine it took two very strong men to get it into place, it burns wood or coal and heats a north British 3 bedroom home easily in winter its about 6KW

 

[user 7704]

I like that look. My fireplace opening is much smaller. I would have to place a unit outside of the actual fireplace.

 

[Silent Earth]

I like that look. My fireplace opening is much smaller. I would have to place a unit outside of the actual fireplace.

Just ensure you have a wider fireproof hearth then, and remember that wood stoves need to have around six inches MINIMUM around to top, sides and back to be effective.

 

[user 7704]

Yeah I'm interested in the look also. I really not a girly girl though. Lol

I think my first step is to remove the gas logs and see how the smoke affects me. The stove will have less smoke I think.

 

[user 7704]

Just ensure you have a wider fireproof hearth then, and remember that wood stoves need to have around six inches MINIMUM around to top, sides and back to be effective.

I'm not sure what you mean by that. Free standing stoves need enclosures?

 

[user 7704]

Oh I understand. Did not read properly

 

[Silent Earth]

Start storing wood NOW, the longer you have it cut, and stored the drier it gets ideally most fiorewoods need to be under 9% moisture or you end up simply creating steam. And you want a moisture meter to check which logs are the driest.

 

[user 7704]

Yes. My existing slate hearth is only 12 inches deep. I would definitely have to bring it out

 

[Silent Earth]

I'm not sure what you mean by that. Free standing stoves need enclosures?

Yes. My exiating slate hearth is only 12 inches deep. I would definitely have to bring it out

You will be surprised just how bloody far spitting fiorewood embers and exploding sap can bloodywell travel. TWICE I have scorched the sofa on the other side of the room.

We use sacrificial mats and rugs in front of the stove to protect the carpet. I suggest at least 18 inches of hearth at the front or a stone floor.

 

[user 7704]

If I was a real girly girl I would definitely go with a pot belly stove. The cooking surface is way too small though. I have cast iron cookware. (Lots) so I would have that part covered.

 

[Silent Earth]

If I was a real girly girl I would definitely go with a pot belly stove. The cooking surface is way too small though. I have cast iron cookware. (Lots) so I would have that part covered.

You can but quite small stoves that have buiilt in bread ovens and they are great.

 

[user 7704]

You will be surprised just how bloody far spitting fiorewood embers and exploding sap can bloodywell travel. TWICE I have scorched the sofa on the other side of the room.

We use sacrificial mats and rugs in front of the stove to protect the carpet. I suggest at least 18 inches of hearth at the front or a stone floor.

I agree. When we were using this as a wood fireplace, I put down old linoleum just to catch the embers.

 

[Silent Earth]

If you have the HEIGHT above the stove you can get stainless water tanks that wrap around the chimney pipe and trap the heat going up the chimney, they have little faucets on them for getting free hot water. like this example below

 

[user 7704]

You can but quite small stoves that have buiilt in bread ovens and they are great.

My neighbor always cooked his in a Dutch oven. I have 2 of them. Different sizes

 

[user 7704]

If you have the HEIGHT above the stove you can get stainless water tanks that wrap around the chimney pipe and trap the heat going up the chimney, they have little faucets on them for getting free hot water.

Dang. I need to do more googling

 

[Silent Earth]

added more images back up the page.

 

[Silent Earth]

You do NOT want chinese made stoves as I have heard and read about many of them shattering because the iron is not destressed before asembly.

 

[Silent Earth]

Please Please Please Please Please Please promise me you WILL have it properly swept one a year to stop chimney fires and creoste build up PLEASE.

 

[GaRp58]

Good evening Robinjopo, have you looked into the possibility of building a rocket stove? They store heat for days if built properly. They use 1/3 of the wood needed for the same amount of heating and can also be incorporated with a hotwater coil for bathing or just coffee/tea.

 

[LiveTrap]

Don't install anything until you check with your homeowners insurance. Installing a wood stove will raise your homeowners insurance quite a bit, while installing an iron insert into an existing fireplace will usually not raise your insurance. Depends on who you insure with. If you decide to install a free standing wood stove and not tell your insurance company, and your house burns down, your home will not be covered if they blame the fire on the wood stove. I wanted a free standing stove, and the increase in premium was more than my heat bills in January and February. One phone call and you'll know for sure.

 

[user 7704]

Don't install anything until you check with your homeowners insurance. Installing a wood stove will raise your homeowners insurance quite a bit, while installing an iron insert into an existing fireplace will usually not raise your insurance. Depends on who you insure with. If you decide to install a free standing wood stove and not tell your insurance company, and your house burns down, your home will not be covered if they blame the fire on the wood stove. I wanted a free standing stove, and the increase in premium was more than my heat bills in January and February. One phone call and you'll know for sure.

Thank you

 

[Mountain trapper]

We have a Kuna wood stove for the house. It has a flat surface for cooking. Just be aware that if you buy a new EPA stove that they may have a baffle inside that prevents the fire from reaching directly to the stove top. These baffles are easy to remove and will making cooking on the stove top better. Even your husband can remove them.