Wood stoves NVR
Posted by closeyoureyestosee on Nov 08, 2007 · Member since Jan 2007 · 1218 posts
This is a very strange question, but does anyone know anything about wood stoves? My mom wants to get one to heat her kitchen, and I want to help her find one that's environmentally friendly. But I know NOTHING about them! If anyone has any experience, I'd appreciate any info I can get! Thanks in advance!
New stoves are outfitted with catalytic converters or combustion chambers, which should take care of particulate emissions. I'm looking for an insert or I'd love to get a soapstone stove (http://www.woodstocksoapstone.com/). They hold onto heat for longer and look nice, but cost more. These might be more reasonably priced: http://www.regency-fire.com/Wood/Stoves/index.php.
I know a few people who bought pellet stoves and only had them for one winter before going back to wood. I hear you're pretty regularly carrying in large bags of pellets and you have to have a large space to store your pellet reserves. I don't know anyone who got a pellet stove and was happy with it.
i only know that i enjoy them.
I just had one built in my kitchen for my new home (from what I heard, they actually built most of it on site). It's soapstone, very efficient, and even has an upper level for cooking. A few logs will heat my kitchen and family room for about to 20 hours. It's made by a Finnish company called Tulikivi.
This is very similar to the one I got. Mine was modified slightly to fit into my kitchen:
http://www.vermontwoodstove.com/adonis.htm
(all of their products): http://www.vermontwoodstove.com/)
I also have a fireplace in the main section of the house that has an insert, so with those, and a geothermal heating system to supplement heating the home...my heating bill should be practically nothing this winter. I HOPE so! I'll let you know by the spring. ;)
I agree with Humboldt. DON'T get a pellet stove. I used to work for a store that sold stoves, and everyone that bought a pellet stove were NOT happy.
We have just a plain ol' wood stove. No catalytic converters or gadgets. Our stove burns very clean, believe it or not. We go to clean out the smoke stack every year, and there's nothing in it. So yea, I'd go with a good quality wood stove like LOPI (that's the one we have). Make sure you get the "specs" on it as well, so you KNOW that it will burn clean.
I dream of having an Aga. Heat, hot water and cooking all in one. But it's rather like parking a small car in your kitchen, in terms of size and weight. Not something to install in a poorly constructed 1970's Spanish flat.