Probably a dumb question but,..how do people in warmer climates use a wood stove to heat???

[Wade A.]

Pretty standard, really: I open the door, throw in fuel and a match. Repeat as needed!

I think the difference really is in how much of a fire you need to keep in daylight hours. My burning times are from dusk to dawn, mainly, when temps will get every bit as chilly as upper lattitudes will get. During the weekdays I'll keep a minimal fire to make sure I have coals at night. On the cold weekend days, I'll open it up a bit more.

 

[trailmaker]

Oh hi,

I am in the Santa Cruz Mtns in the SF Bay Area, CA. We get the most inconsistent temperatures through fall, winter and spring. We can have wide variances as well as very little variance. Tomorrow, for example, is forecast for a high of 70F and a low of 45F. We get down to 30F in rare cases. A few weeks ago were in the 30s for both high and lows. The humidity can also very greatly. This year I am only using wood to heat the house. My observation so far...nearly impossible to have a consistent inside temp. Right now the house is too hot...over 70, but because it is poorly insulated, I am stoking the fire for the night burn. In morning I will start another burn and let it go out. On the days where we reach our lowest temperatures (notice I didn't say cold as I know what those living in real cold would say) the house will only get to 65 and we wear sweaters because the humidity can make it feel colder. Occasionally we use an electric room heater, no propane!

Summary:
-careful fire management depending on the weather to keep the heat at a reasonable level
-very hard to keep the house a consistent level
-heat from the fireplace is a wonderful feeling


-Glen

I'm also in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We have a big open floor plan with high uninsulated ceilings. I love the house but it was clearly designed without taking local weather into account (seems to be the case with many houses in this area). We're also on the North side of a hill so we get one hour of direct sunlight for a couple of months in the winter. My management plan is pretty simple. If I feel cold I start a fire. The lack of any insulation really prevents it from ever getting too hot.

 

[sixman]

Another issue is that people do get used to what ever climate they live in. Normally weather in the 30s and 40s if freaking cold to me but after a week in the teens, that same 40 felt great. We burn alot more wood than we have to but it is free, I will build a fire when it is in the upper 50s in the evening knowing that it will be in the 30s by daylight. I manage the excess heat by opening a few windows. 80 in the house feels great to me and the wife especially with a nice cool breeze from the window. It was 28 this morning and now about 73, that makes for a challenging time with wood heat but that is all we used all winter, maybe 1.5 cords.

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

I had a stove up mountain in Hawaii where it's cooler and very damp.

 

[BrotherBart]

Another issue is that people do get used to what ever climate they live in. Normally weather in the 30s and 40s if freaking cold to me but after a week in the teens, that same 40 felt great. We burn alot more wood than we have to but it is free, I will build a fire when it is in the upper 50s in the evening knowing that it will be in the 30s by daylight. I manage the excess heat by opening a few windows. 80 in the house feels great to me and the wife especially with a nice cool breeze from the window. It was 28 this morning and now about 73, that makes for a challenging time with wood heat but that is all we used all winter, maybe 1.5 cords.

When I was a kid a couple that attended the church where Dad preached heated their old ranch house in North Central Texas solely with wood and Mz. Sadie cooked every meal with a wood cook stove. I will let you imagine how hot is was in that house when she was cooking in July and August.

In 1962 he came home with a brand new Ford Galaxy. That same day she put his butt in that car and they went to town and bought a propane cook stove, tank, plumbing and installation. :lol:

 

[raybonz]

Another issue is that people do get used to what ever climate they live in. Normally weather in the 30s and 40s if freaking cold to me but after a week in the teens, that same 40 felt great. We burn alot more wood than we have to but it is free, I will build a fire when it is in the upper 50s in the evening knowing that it will be in the 30s by daylight. I manage the excess heat by opening a few windows. 80 in the house feels great to me and the wife especially with a nice cool breeze from the window. It was 28 this morning and now about 73, that makes for a challenging time with wood heat but that is all we used all winter, maybe 1.5 cords.

When I was a kid a couple that attended the church where Dad preached heated their old ranch house in North Central Texas solely with wood and Mz. Sadie cooked every meal with a wood cook stove. I will let you imagine how hot is was in that house when she was cooking in July and August.

In 1962 he came home with a brand new Ford Galaxy. That same day she put his butt in that car and they went to town and bought a propane cook stove, tank, plumbing and installation. :lol:

LMAO good and funny story !

Ray