The Stove Naysayers

Not had that kind of reaction to people I talk to. Most understand and ask questions about getting into burning wood or pellets after spending money on gas/oil this past winter.

> What am I missing here?

you've been talking to the wrong people.
you're in the right place now.

Well for one thing most people are lazy and wood is work. Take a look around your area, I'll bet there are lots of logs piled up around peoples houses but not split cause that's where the work is. So they can't understand why you don't just turn up the heat like they do. And maybe subconsciously you doing what you are doing makes them feel lazy, who knows?

In the second place most people don't know what they're talking about. They don't know anything about modern stoves and they'll tell you to burn wet wood, or don't season too long or your wood will rot and other nonsense. And you won't be able to convince them otherwise in most cases even though they have no experience, or worse they do.

So don't bother trying to evangelize the co-workers. If you're like most here and like being outside and have a little (or big) streak of self reliance running through you, you'll love having the stove and you probably will enjoy hanging around here. Welcome aboard.

Watch your clearances on the top and sides, looks tight to me, but I don't know, just bringing it up to you.
Don't listen to them dam naysayers.....

I don't know of a stigma about wood burning. Around here people think it is cool.

People shun what they dont understand or dislike what is different from the norm.

I just ask them to compare heating bills for the winter and it shuts them up quick

Ricky8443 said:

Getting a new Blazeking princess insert for an old house with oil heat. Why is it that everyone I talk to has something bad to say about Woodburning stoves like you're some kind of outlaw getting one. What am I missing here?

They say: Why don't you just convert to gas. Why don't you put in new windows. Isn't that dirty? Your house will get dusty. You won't need that much wood.

Wow I'm tired of the naysayers. I don't get it. I don't want to give my business to OPEC. I can get free fuel anywhere in my neighborhood throughout the year for FREE. It's great exercise to split. It's a renewal resource that mind you keeps your house very warm. You don't need electricity to heat in the case of power outage(obviously a blower helps).

I'm wondering if its jealousy/envy because it's a great idea and I'm being more resourceful or if there is a stigma to woodburning. I cannot wait to have the coziest warmest house this winter! Does anyone else ever notice this or are my friends/family/coworkers 'unique'.

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Let them think the way they do. If more people around you started burning wood that FREE fuel around your neighborhood would no longer be free.

I can understand why some people don't like wood heat. It's a lot of manual labor, there is some "dirt" associated with the wood, and you have to tend the stove. All of which is perfectly fine with me - especially when the ice storm hits and the heating bill comes due...

Ricky8443 said:

Isn't that dirty? Your house will get dusty.

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These are actually both true

Ricky8443 said:

Does anyone else ever notice this or are my friends/family/coworkers 'unique'.

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They're dorks

I am in Chicago and NOBODY burns wood for heat here. Everyone has natural gas hook-ups. And I have to say the flow of natural gas has never been disrupted here. Once in a while you hear of a gas furnace breaking down in winter- but there are literally 30 companies that can be at your door in under 3 hours and fix it.

Heck, my cousin is a VERY successful HVAC guy near here. He has done so well that he tore his home down three years ago and built a brick mansion with all the latest insulation, building techniques, and HVAC tricks. In the living room (with a 22 ft ceiling), he added a large catalytic wood burner with an Outside Air Kit. I asked "why wood?"- he has a few contractors he knows that always get free firewood so they drop it off. This past winter, his natural gas furnace only had to come on a few times to heat the large home.

So when I said I was putting a wood stove in my masonry fireplace- people thought I was nuts (except for him).

But now, I am nuts.....I drive around slower than usual, looking for fallen trees, stacked logs, abandoned wood pallets (to stack splits onto), the tell tale signs of a class-A chimney liner sticking above a roof, sale on chainsaws, log-splitter rentals on Craigslist, etc....

Madness.....

lol don't let your firewood over season, it will burn like paper - advice from the neighbor who thinks he knows everything.. end lol.

Well welcome to the unmentionable disease of wood burning as you are exhibiting the first signs of FAD and CAD, both are a slippery slope and no particular cures are to be found. NG gas in my area(Milwaukee) spiked to $1.33/ therm for March with April being set at $1.06/ therm, an 80+% increase since Jan. ( Those figures include all charges associated.) Those numbers in this area would equate to around a $200 NG bill ( with out electric added in) for an average home. My cost was $30 ( sorry I can't provide numbers for the wood side)1/2 of that is add on charges.
FAD = Firewood acquisition disorder, CAD = Chainsaw acquisition disorder .

kennyp2339 said:

lol don't let your firewood over season, it will burn like paper - advice from the neighbor who thinks he knows everything.. end lol.

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I got into some ten year seasoned cherry this Winter.
Much of it burned like paper.
Some of it I threw in the compost.
I bet that "neighbor who knows everything" is an old fart that's taken a few spins on this old blue and green planet , too.

He might even have been around when everyone burned their weekly trash in a 55 gallon drum in the back yard and made monthly trips to " the dump". When open fires were filling lungs with all manner of carcinogens.
Ignominy often has roots.

Spot on billb3, he is an old fart, still like the guy, just sometimes gets a little annoying with all the tid bits of advice, but I always listen whether I agree or disagree since he is my neighbor and over all a great person.

Ricky8443 said:

Getting a new Blazeking princess insert for an old house with oil heat. Why is it that everyone I talk to has something bad to say about Woodburning stoves like you're some kind of outlaw getting one. What am I missing here?

They say: Why don't you just convert to gas. Why don't you put in new windows. Isn't that dirty? Your house will get dusty. You won't need that much wood.

Wow I'm tired of the naysayers. I don't get it. I don't want to give my business to OPEC. I can get free fuel anywhere in my neighborhood throughout the year for FREE. It's great exercise to split. It's a renewal resource that mind you keeps your house very warm. You don't need electricity to heat in the case of power outage(obviously a blower helps).

I'm wondering if its jealousy/envy because it's a great idea and I'm being more resourceful or if there is a stigma to woodburning. I cannot wait to have the coziest warmest house this winter! Does anyone else ever notice this or are my friends/family/coworkers 'unique'.

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Welcome to the forum Ricky.

It can be interesting when you learn what some folks think about wood burning. You can tell by my signature line we've been at this a long time so naturally we've had some responses such as you have received. We usually laugh!

It is also amazing to us that over the years we've found that those who do not burn wood seem to think they are the experts on the subject. When we run into those, and they are many, we don't really know if we should laugh of give them a swift kick where it would do the most good. Most times we won't even argue with them any more because we've found that very few will listen. We just had one recently when I took some wood to a neighbor. It was pine. The reason I took it to him is that I had cut it too long for our stove thinking another party was going to get it for use in his boiler making maple syrup. It turned out he didn't need it so I gave some to a neighbor because many times all summer and fall they have an outdoor firepit they use a lot. So, his father was there the last time I stopped and he asked what I was going to do with all the rest of that pine I got over the winter. Naturally I told him I'll burn it in the stove. His response? "Oh wow. There's a lot of creosote in that pine." Right.... That man has never heated with wood but he knew all about that terrible pine and the problems it causes. No doubt after I left he told his son that I'd be burning our house down by burning that pine. Such so-called experts...

I like your paragraph telling why you burn wood and how you like it. Good for you. You'll no doubt like the picture I took below.


I think you'll do fine with your wood burning. You will learn much and have fun while doing it. Enjoy that warm house next winter and remember, if the ladies aren't removing some clothing, put another log on the fire.

billb3 said:

He might even have been around when everyone burned their weekly trash in a 55 gallon drum in the back yard and made monthly trips to " the dump"

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Yep we did all that when I was a kid ,that was some of the only quality time I had with my dad..going to the dump. lol
I'm almost 59 now and I remember doing that as young as 10.
We used to dump that barrel every few months also. Seems like we needed a new one every other year.