things have changed (sigh)- I too might be trying a new wood stove...

[ilmbg]

I really thought I would be gone to a different state by now.. but the house has not sold and the real estate people said houses are just not selling, no matter how nice.
I have been using a Harman pellet stove- but even though they are supposed to be self contained, maybe because of the blower, I can't breath with it running. I have severe asthma.
My house has no place, and I couldn't afford a furnace anyway.
I am like 'burning chunk'- my house was 44* at night and 50*-55* during the day last winter.
Electric here is horribly expensive, and the Cove heating just couldn't do it without making my bill $400 a month. Social Security just can't do it.
I am thinking about a wood stove- a new one that would be EPA. I am hoping it will be better than the cold or pellet/breathing/asthma attacks/hospital..
Is a Blaze King that much better than an Englander- or is it just fancier?
I think the stoves I was looking at last year are out due to the costs.
What do you think?
Thank you.

PS is there any truth that burning Russian Olive is toxic?.

 

[cncpro]

I think that if a pellet stove aggravates your asthma you'd be foolish to install a wood stove. Do whatever it takes to get a decent furnace installed and put your breathing issues behind you. Just my 2 cents...

 

[ilmbg]

cncpro- Yes, I am worried that a wood stove might not be any better than the pellets, but a furnace is just out of the question- asthma/copd is one of the reasons I am disabled- I just don't have the financial option- Mr. Obama seems to have been able to make things even worse these past few months. Maybe it isn't his fault..

 

[cncpro]

cncpro- Yes, I am worried that a wood stove might not be any better than the pellets, but a furnace is just out of the question- asthma/copd is one of the reasons I am disabled- I just don't have the financial option- Mr. Obama seems to have been able to make things even worse these past few months. Maybe it isn't his fault..

Well then the only other thought I have for you would be.... Have you tried any HEPA filters to keep the dust/smoke in check ?

 

[cncpro]

Interesting topic here...

http://boards.webmd.com/webx?THDX@@.89b0b09c!thdchild=.89b0b09c

 

[cncpro]

One more thing...

What is your install like ? Are you 100% sure your chimney piping doesn't have any leaks ? There have been many people on this forum who have had tiny leaks in some brands of pellet stove chimney pipe. The leaks can be hard to find...

 

[bokehman]

How is the pellet stove giving you asthma? The stove shouldn't breath anything back into the house.

 

[wendell]

Google Austin Air. They make a great air filter. They are a little more expensive but do the job!

 

[fbelec]

i too have asthma. but i am not as bad as you. what bothers me in the winter is how dry it is in the house. how i picked up on that is everytime i made a pot of soup or boiled water for pasta i felt better. it helps me in the winter to put on as much water on top of the stove as possible. it feels good to have just enough water in the air to be a bit humid. just a touch more than i feel comfortable with and the windows start to grow mold.

 

[Wet1]

How is the pellet stove giving you asthma? The stove shouldn't breath anything back into the house.

Loading the pellets dumps pellet dust into the air. Also, cleaning pellet stoves can put a lot of dust into the air, and pellet ash is very fine.

The BK stoves are a different animal if you're comparing them to the Englander stoves. They are very efficient and can burn extremely long on a single refueling. One thing that you might find very attractive about the BK stoves is that they are very deep below the door. What this means is they can go a very long time before the ash needs to be removed. The King model is about 9" deep (below the door) and only needs to be cleaned out about once every cord or so.

 

[Wood Duck]

As for burning Russian Olive, I doubt it is any more toxic than any other wood, and it shouldn't matter anyway. First, Depending on how you define toxic, I think burning any wood creates toxic fumes - smoke, too much CO2, etc. is toxic. I don't think Russian Olive should be any more toxic than most woods - they all contain about the same chemicals. Besides, if you are burning in a wood stove, all of the smoke should be going out the chimney, so it shouldn't matter if there are toxic substances in the smoke.
I have some russian olive in my wood pile. It seems extremely dense - perhaps the most dense wood in my stacks, or at least on par with oak and hickory. I am not sure if it merely contains a lot of moisture and dries slowly, making it seem denser than it is, or if it really is a dense wood. I will say that it is a pain to collect since there are very few large or straight pieces in most Russian Olives. I would love to cut more of it just to get rid of the shrubs, which are a serious invasive problem in woods, and particularly grasslands and prairies here, but Russian Olives are mostly brush, not a lot of wood that can be obtained with reasonable effort.

 

[granpajohn]

My wife is asthmatic and we have a woodstove. (No problem BTW). Beyond that, I'm not qualified to help here, but had a few ideas.
1. After seeing both in use, I gotta believe that that pellet dust is worse that anything a woodstove puts out; provided it's working properly.
1a...and speaking of working properly....I suppose you've investigated for leaks or other potential problems with your existing stove?
2. Electric is too expensive. (No surprise there.) How about gas? A freestanding gas stove might do the trick, since you're already paying for pellets.
3. Similarly, a freestanding oil stove is available. Cost of oil, of course, varies.

I know items 2 and 3 are counterintuitive to the typical Hearth member, but yours is a special case.
BTW; cold air aggravates asthma too.

Could you visit a neighbor with woodstove or different pellet stove to see if your asthma is aggravated at their house? Might help narrow down the possibilities. Changing your signature to list your location might help get that started.

Just a few ideas. Good luck and God bless.

 

[Highbeam]

If you are going to give up on the pellet stove then I would agree that you should consider the freestanding gas stove. They are as efficient as a furnace and there is zero maintenance or effort involved with running one which means no dust from the fuel or ash. Just set the thermostat. The gas stoves are cheaper than a blazeking.

Given your situation I would put in a gas stove as it would be a benefit to your home sale vs. a pellet stove or wood stove. Women like the cleanliness of a gas stove and the gas stove is an actual dependable heat source that will run for the whole winter without you having to get out of bed, so long as there is gas.

 

[bokehman]

How is the pellet stove giving you asthma? The stove shouldn't breath anything back into the house.

Loading the pellets dumps pellet dust into the air. Also, cleaning pellet stoves can put a lot of dust into the air, and pellet ash is very fine.

Ok. I've got asthma too but my woodstove doesn't give me any trouble. As for the ash I just take a two shovelfuls out every morning and put it in the ash bucket with lid. The dust doesn't enter the room as there is a draft going at the time so it gets sucked into the stove.

 

[ilmbg]

Good to know I am not the only one dealing with asthma/trying to stay warm!
Trying to answer all your questions...
I have checked/rechecked/rechecked/talked with Harman rep about the stove... can't find any leaks, although I wish I had some sort of 'gizmo' that would tell me. Yes- cleaning the pellet stove really seems to be worse than when I ad the wood stove. I try to put the pellets in carefully- with a horse feed scoop, and I do wonder about whatever binds the sawdust together to make the pellets.

I had a BK before, but when I broke my neck couldn't carry wood (my neighbors stop by every few days to load a large garbage can full of pellets). Anyway, the BK was much warmer. I found out reccently from my insurance agent that if I were to ever have a fire, and the woodstove was not a newer one with all the 'updates', I would NOT be covered! They did not give me a set manufacture date, but said in order to be covered a stove had to be very recent. Just another was to screw us in my opinion. (Farmers Insurance).
I will add my location to my profile- it is northern Wyoming- almost the Montana border.
I was an RN before I got hurt, so medically I know and use all the asthma techniques- bare floors, mattress covers, new pillows/covers every year, no curtains, moisture.....etc. My only exception is a small 9# shorthair dog, who gets a weekly bath. Almost all of my allergies are dust/mold/pollen- not dogs (cats, yes, EXTREMELY), so have to catch mice with traps, usually get about 2 a week in the garage, occassionally one in the kitchen- it gets in from behind the kitchen counters, even though we looked thoroughly when the kitchen cabinets were put in a couple years ago. A 22g for a mouse sounds appropriate to me!
It is a bit more difficult here for asthmatics because I am in farm/crop country- surrounded by crops which create pollen/mold.
I don't have natural gas here for a stove, and the pulmonologist does not suggest propane- but he isn't thrilled with wood/pellet either. I don't suppose he'll go get me a furnace??!!
I think I might be leaning towards a BK- because of the longer burn time, and I had one before. They aren't as expensive as many others.
I think installation is key- unfortunately here in Wyoming you do not need a license to do anything- you can hang out a shingle and say you are a contractor, whatever, there is no regulation. Any ole' cowboy think they know what they are doing and they DON'T!
Well, thanks for the tips.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

i would work on figuring out the pellet stove issue as far as athsma before going with a log burner , being disabled it will make things a bit harder as far as servicing a log stove v/s pellet. and if my collegue is correct and humidity is the case you would be in the same boat. my advice is to humidify (as stated earlier) and invest in dust masks like one would use for drywall sanding or such which should help with the refueling and cleaning kick up of dust. having noone with athsma in my family or friends i spend time with i have no real worl info for you im afraid i did some googling and found this on webmd its not much but most of what i found wasnt really helpful either. i hope this helps and if you do decide to go with a woodstove make sure its an "airtight" and that your flue system is checked by a wett, csia or nfa certified professional before use , be advised also that the "cooking out" of a new appliance will produce byproducts that you may not react well to , better to have someone preburn or do the break in fires for you while you are not in the home to reduce the chance of an attack. hope this helps ya and sory i didnt have anything more concrete to give you on the subject. i'll keep looking and if i find anything out i'll bump your thread back up with it.

http://boards.webmd.com/webx?THDX@@.897c4080!thdchild=.897c4080

 

[granpajohn]

More stuff you might already know, but can't resist one more reply...

She has used a mask as specified for asbestos removal, (because it's what we already have), to visit a family with guinea pigs. (The worst asthma trigger.)
Result: works great, and if she takes off the mask briefly, she can feel her lungs start to tighten.

I think I've seen these masks for about $20. Northern Tools, e.g..

My idea is that if the reload operation is the problem, a mask might turn the trick. Put on welding gloves and asbestos mask; reload stove; scare the grandchildren

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Is there any way to add more insulation to the house? Less heat being lost means less refueling and fewer contaminates that can get into the air. Electric heat may be cost effective if the house is insulated well enough.

Matt

 

[begreen]

Insulation is good. Get referrals for any contractor and take the time to check them out.

Careful and extensive attention to fixing leaks is often a good first step. Caulk and weatherstripping are comparatively cheap and very effective.

 

[bokehman]

Electric heat may be cost effective

If it's a heat pump.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Even plain old electrical resistance can be cost effective. Depending on how many btus are needed to hold a temp you may be very happy with the cost of electric. I don't think I'd run a complete house on it but a room or two that you use often may be nice. Plus, no asthma or allergies, hospital visits, etc and you may find yourself ahead.

Matt