Heating with wood can be very satisfying for almost any homeowner. Besides the obvious fact that you are able to stay warm on even the coldest day, you usually are able to save a bundle of money in the process.
Even if you are not able to buy your own gas chainsaw, splitting maul or hydraulic splitter, sharpener or other accessories, you can buy it cut, split and delivered at a reasonable price.
Another benefit of heating with wood is that you can stay warm even in the coldest weather. That is, of course, if your house has at least some insulation and decent windows! For some reason, many people still do not have adequate inusulation and their houses are very drafty.
The entire family can also get involved in the entire process. This can be great for kids who are disconnected from nature or who have little understanding of how things work. You just can't heat your house with a video game or iPhone!
Children love to do things with their parents, at least when they are little. Carrying firewood, splitting it, stacking it and stoking the fire are all great learning situations. They soon learn that heat takes work, or at least money. You need to understand more than that you get heat by turning up the thermostat.
A cast iron wood stove is usually more comfortable than a boiler plate stove, and a soap stone stove is more comfortable than a cast iron one. The soap stone and cast iron both radiate heat more evenly than steel, though they also take longer to heat up. If you want fast heat, a steel stove is th way to go. If you plan on keeping the fire going for the winter, seriously consider the added investment of cast iron or soap stone.
If you plan on cutting your own wood, be ready for some hard, but enjoyable work. It takes a lot of manpower to haul logs out of the woods and cut and split them. Alternatively, you could have the logs delivered to your yard and you can work them up there. This is a popular option for those who do not wish to invest in a pickup truck and all that goes along with such an investment.
Once you get your wood cut and split, it is essential to stack and cover it. Leaving it out in the rain and snow is not a good idea at all. The wood needs at least one year to dry out, or season. This is because the sap and moisture will tend to slow down the burning process and create creasote in your chimney. Creasote is the black tar-like substance that can ignite and cause a very destructive chimney fire. Many homes have been burned to the ground because of creasote and the subsequent fire.
This problem is relatively easily managed, but it does take some knowledge and good practice. Like most things, shortcuts don't lead to anything good.
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