Some Things I’ve Learned: A Hands-On Intro to Woodstoves

Our 1970’s ranch-style home came with an similarly dated woodstove. Upon first sight, I assumed we would quickly remove the eyesore and revert the fireplace back into its original use. Yet, when the previous homeowner stopped by a few days after closing to show us how to use and maintain the stove, we affirmed that its value was greater than its looks.

Nathan has handled the care, cleaning and fire-making for the past two winter seasons that we’ve lived in our home. But, we realized it was very important for me to learn how to use this amazing invention. (While Nathan was out of the country, our power was out for about 48 hours and the stove hadn’t been prepped for the first fire of the season. Needless to say, I was useless at cleaning the stove or even starting a fire if it had been cleaned…)

Benefits of a Woodstove
Heat source- Living rurally is peaceful and much more simple than living in a chaotic city. However, when power lines go down, rural areas tend to be the last on the list for repairs. Having a non-electric source of heat for your home is invaluable.
Cooking Source- The top grate of our woodstove can be removed to reveal a cast iron cooktop. Some woodstoves don’t have a cover feature which allows constant access to the cooktop. While having the cooking surface always accessible is ideal, our stove works well, so we have no need of replacing it.
Decreased Cost- Because we live on 20 acres of mostly wooded land, we are able to cut wood from our property to fuel the fire. This allows the woodstove to almost be a free way of heating our home. Of course, we are using our time to chop, stack, and haul wood and fuel in the chainsaw, which adds some cost to using this heat source. Still, it is significantly cheaper than running the central heat round the clock.

Disadvantages of a Woodstove
Nighttime feedings- Much like a baby, a woodstove must be fed often and around the clock. Of course, you can really fill the fire chamber with extra wood and almost completely close the vent valve to slow the fire to allow for a longer period in between “feedings.” We often set our thermostat to 67 so the house will not be extremely cold in the morning.
Dry heat- The fire burns hot and dry which can be a killer on throats and skin, especially when the weather outside is lacking moisture. This means we have to add humidity to the air either through an electric source (humidifier or oil diffuser) or with a pot of water on the woodstove’s cooktop.
Smell- The burning wood tends to leave a barbeque type smell in the air which often lingers on clothing. (All those inside the house though tend not to notice it after a while…)
Allergies- While no one in our family seems to have a problem with the woodstove, I have heard that various types of wood, or just burning inside a home can cause some people to react with sinus or skin allergies. I would strongly recommend visiting a home that is running a woodstove prior to purchasing one, so you can determine if you are allergic or not.

Now for getting that fire started….

I’d love to know if you use a woodstove occasionally or throughout the entire winter season!