Don't know what I'm doing

[momto3]

I am completely lost. We just moved into a home with a wood burning stove. I can't find any information on the internet anywhere about it. We haven't started using it because we don't know anything about it. I need to know how to best use it to heat my home. I can close the front or there is a screen like cover I can put over it. There is also a control on the side that says low medium or high. The only thing I can find on it is The Earth Warm Hearth... Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dix]

Welcome to the forums. Mom

Pics would help to see what's going on.

 

[Loco Gringo]

Mom, you wouldnt believe what members here can do for you before next winter sets in. Bring them pictures and let them do what they do best which is educate.

 

[NH_Wood]

What Loco said - provide us with pics of your setup, describe your chimney (clay tile? If so, what size? steel liner? interior vs. exterior?, height?). If you haven't burned yet and you don't know the condition of your chimney and are unsure of how long since the chimney was swept, certainly have a sweep inspect and sweep the chimney before you burn. Burning wood isn't rocket science, but there are a great many techniques which will produce efficient and safe burns - once we know more, we can make suggestions to help your particular case - welcome to the forum and good luck! Cheers!

 

[BrotherBart]

What everybody else said. Get a reputable chimney sweep to check out the stove and installation. That stove hasn't been made since the mid-eighties and much like you wouldn't run a furnace without having it checked out, you shouldn't burn in a stove until it is either.

Welcome to hearth.com. Lotta wood burners with a lot of good advice here. Friendly bunch too.

 

[fossil]

You unlocked this door with the key of curiosity. Beyond it is another dimension: a dimension of knowledge, a dimension of patience, a dimension of humor. You're moving into a land of both hard work and wonderful wood heat, of frustration and satisfaction. You've just crossed over into... the Hearth.com Zone.

Welcome! Stick around. Figure out how to post some pictures. Ask all the questions you can think of. Tell us everything there is to be told about your appliance (stove) and how it is installed in your home...no detail is too trivial. Explore Hearth.com, there is a mind-boggling amount of useful information to be found here. Rick

 

[PapaDave]

Mom, pics do wonders around here. Sometimes 'cause we're just nosy, and sometimes so the more knowledgeable among us can give concrete advise.
More info is always good.
Welcome to Hearth, and, we're waiting......... :coolsmile:

 

[Fsappo]

Because of the ratio of good chimney sweeps to dirtbags, what I would do is contact a local hearth shop. There is a chance you'll find some seasoned pros there. Use them for advice. Pay for a tech to come out and inspect/advise. Before choosing the hearth shop (wood stove store) maybe check the BBB etc. Make sure the tech coming is NFI certified.

No rush now, its eleventy million degrees. Take your time and figure it out right for next season. Start looking for wood now and get some stashed. Search this forum about seasoned wood. Millions of posts.

But yes, post a picture because...well, now I just wanna see what you have .

 

[Backwoods Savage]

And here's a warm welcome to hearth.com for you momto3.

 

[DanCorcoran]

momto3,

Just to clarify, Franks meant photos of your stove and hearth ("But yes, post a picture because…well, now I just wanna see what you have.)

 

[firefighterjake]

I am completely lost. We just moved into a home with a wood burning stove. I can't find any information on the internet anywhere about it. We haven't started using it because we don't know anything about it. I need to know how to best use it to heat my home. I can close the front or there is a screen like cover I can put over it. There is also a control on the side that says low medium or high. The only thing I can find on it is The Earth Warm Hearth... Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Random thoughts . . .

First off, if you've got questions about wood burning you are in the right place . . . folks with questions about wood burning will get answers here . . . folks here are wicked friendly and offer great advice . . . even veteran woodburners who insist that splitting wood vertically is the best way to do so . . . I fear I never will be able to get Dennis to go back to splitting wood horizontally . . . sorry . . . private joke there.

Anyways, as others have mentioned . . . pics of your stove will help . . . and finding out more information about your home, the chimney set up, your bank account number (just kidding . . . you can give your bank account number out to Mumbasa Ligumo -- he will be the one writing you the e-mail to tell you that he has $2.3 million dollars he would like to share with you -- us . . . we work cheaply . . . just photos of woodstoves works for us.)

As another member has said . . . burning wood isn't rocket science . . . but you are wise to go into this with your eyes and mind wide open. I mean us human beings have been keeping warm with wood fires for thousands of years . . . but some of the more uneducated among us have also been burning down their homes in the process. Wanting to know how to run the woodstove safely so the home you've just moved into stays your home for many long years is a smart thing . . .

 

[Fsappo]

momto3,

Just to clarify, Franks meant photos of your stove and hearth ("But yes, post a picture because…well, now I just wanna see what you have.)

Right..Thats exactly what I meant. Anything else would be bad.

 

[Jags]

Welcome to the forum, Mom. Off the cuff it sounds like you have a pre-epa thermostatically controlled solid fuel appliance. With out pics, thats all I got. :lol:

Pull up to the keyboard with that chair that has a bunch of wheels on it and start posting. You have already gotten excellent advice about having the stove and exhaust system inspected. That is step two (you already took step one by coming onto this forum), from there its a piece of cake.

 

[woodchip]

A warm welcome to the forum!

I tend to go with the others, find a good chimney sweep to check out your flue and stove.
If you have neighbours with wood stoves, they may well know a good local sweep