S
SeaSky
Guest
I remember swearing decades ago that anything I put into a fireplace turned instantly fireproof. Wood is supposed to burn, right? Yet years later I still didn't quite get it...that this whole thing of burning wood efficiently really depends on a systems approach. Someone once wrote here, "draft doesn't come with your stove"...and likely perfectly seasoned wood doesn't either. This year I am on my second EPA type stove and finally feel that the total system is finally coming together. Admittedly, it took a long time and took a lot of begging, borrowing, and "stealing" wood burning techniques from those who had learned these lessons a long time ago.
This is what I wish I knew back then:
1. Green wood is as useful to a stove as crude oil is to a car. I learned here that my oak really needs two years of seasoning.
2. Just because that old black box looks like a stove does not necessarily mean it should be installed in your home. I am amazed at the engineering and efficiency of the new ones.
3. One's "wood distribution system" needs to work for you, not against your effort to heat. I finally got some nice rows of future fuel (three years ahead) and you guys convinced me to build a wood shed (albeit modest in size, but awesomely handy)
4. Get the right size stove in the first place (my first mistake)--wow what a difference that makes in labor! Too small a stove is so much more tedious than a one sized for an overnight.
5. If one chooses not to install the stove oneself, take the time to find the very best stove shop and reward them with your hard earned money.
6. Be a wood burning "intern" first by perusing around sites like this one before running out and buying that first stove...and wood too.
7. It takes more time than you think to really get to know your stove.. It's taken me at least several months so far to adjust to the new one...and still learning.
There's more, but you get the idea.
And if you don't mind, I wanted to post again a picture of how it all turned out.
Eric
This is what I wish I knew back then:
1. Green wood is as useful to a stove as crude oil is to a car. I learned here that my oak really needs two years of seasoning.
2. Just because that old black box looks like a stove does not necessarily mean it should be installed in your home. I am amazed at the engineering and efficiency of the new ones.
3. One's "wood distribution system" needs to work for you, not against your effort to heat. I finally got some nice rows of future fuel (three years ahead) and you guys convinced me to build a wood shed (albeit modest in size, but awesomely handy)
4. Get the right size stove in the first place (my first mistake)--wow what a difference that makes in labor! Too small a stove is so much more tedious than a one sized for an overnight.
5. If one chooses not to install the stove oneself, take the time to find the very best stove shop and reward them with your hard earned money.
6. Be a wood burning "intern" first by perusing around sites like this one before running out and buying that first stove...and wood too.
7. It takes more time than you think to really get to know your stove.. It's taken me at least several months so far to adjust to the new one...and still learning.
There's more, but you get the idea.
And if you don't mind, I wanted to post again a picture of how it all turned out.
Eric