I'd like to interview someone who heats their home with wood-heat only!

[Whimfield]

Hello Hearth Room!

I'm a freelance writer and this is my first post here. However, my partner is a wood-stove enthusiast and has posted here numerous times. Plus, we're about to install a Blaze King Princess (20-hour burn times!) so I'm hoping that gives me a bit of clout!

I'm writing a short article for an online magazine about using wood-stoves as your only source of heat in your home.

I'm looking to interview someone quite quickly (just via email is fine) about how you can heat your home using wood ONLY. You can have a secondary heat source installed in your home, but you've got to use your wood-stove as your primary heat source and only rarely use your backup heat (and not at all would be even better).

In the article, I'd like to use your real name (first and last) and list your city and province/state. You can be located anywhere in Canada or the US--the colder the better!

You can send an email to [email protected] if you're interested in being mentioned in the article. It can be a short email, just let me know where you live, what kind of stove you have, and whether you have any back-up heat sources. Of course, you can PM me or leave a note here too.

I have no idea how many people will respond to this (I hope somebody does!!), but I'll post a follow-up once I've got someone lined up to help me out with this.

Thanks very much, and I love Hearth.com!

Cheers,
Laura-Jane
www.laura-jane.com
www.whimfield.com

Edit: I've received one email and two posts so far, which is great! I'm going to leave it 'til Monday night, and then I'll check back in and see how we're doing.

 

[BrotherBart]

I would but I am told that it isn't cold enough here in the winter to heat with wood. I guess we just do it because we don't have any other heat source and I don't like to be cold.

 

[woodconvert]

OOOH...that's me. I'll do an interview (I get $20meg up front but i'll cut you a deal ;-P) . I heat only with wood, have a secondary heat source but it's not used..ever. I'm in Michigan....so it's not Ukon cold in the winter but we get kinda coldish for a period.

 

[crazy_dan]

well my house only has a wood stove no other source of heat, and no thermostat in the house at all. I do it because GLOBAL WARMING has not been successful and it still gets cold in the winter.

 

[Opportunist]

I wonder who heats with the most heat sources? I use wood, coal, electric, kerosene and oil. Diversified heating.

 

[begreen]

At one point we had pellet, propane, wood, and electric. Now it's just the T6 and the heat pump. I like it simpler.

 

[N/A N/A]

If your interested in a Steeler fan you can count me in...LOL. I only heat with wood but have a propane furnace that I dont use as well.

 

[drhiii]

I'd be happy to... 1907 Victorian home. Colorado front range. It can get burr cold but temps are not as someone said, Yukon cold. Homes around here are approx 1800-3000 sq ft. Fuel costs range from $250-$400/mo. Last time I paid for forced air heat was 1997. Since then, after a spate of living away, average fuel costs in winter are $20. Not in the hundreds like my neighbors. I harvest, cut and split my wood, and love it. Everything from elm which is close and plentiful tho least desirable to oak to pinon, this latter being simpy wonderful in terms of BTUs and scent.

I also heat our home with wood because of the quality of heat, radiant heat. It helps my sweetie, my wife. She loves it. Reason this is important is she is a liver transplant recipient. Meds resulted in a ravaging of her joints and she has subsequently had 5 total joint replacements, and we are facing our 6th. Shoulders/hips/knee. This kind of radiant heat, regardless of whether it is -20 or +40, is far more desirable than forced air or similar expensive heat. It helps her feel comfy, not an easy thing given the ravages to her joints.

So, if curious about any of this, let me know. Be happy to...

Hello Hearth Room!

I'm a freelance writer and this is my first post here. However, my partner is a wood-stove enthusiast and has posted here numerous times. Plus, we're about to install a Blaze King Princess (20-hour burn times!) so I'm hoping that gives me a bit of clout!

I'm writing a short article for an online magazine about using wood-stoves as your only source of heat in your home.

I'm looking to interview someone quite quickly (just via email is fine) about how you can heat your home using wood ONLY. You can have a secondary heat source installed in your home, but you've got to use your wood-stove as your primary heat source and only rarely use your backup heat (and not at all would be even better).

In the article, I'd like to use your real name (first and last) and list your city and province/state. You can be located anywhere in Canada or the US--the colder the better!

You can send an email to [email protected] if you're interested in being mentioned in the article. It can be a short email, just let me know where you live, what kind of stove you have, and whether you have any back-up heat sources. Of course, you can PM me or leave a note here too.

I have no idea how many people will respond to this (I hope somebody does!!), but I'll post a follow-up once I've got someone lined up to help me out with this.

Thanks very much, and I love Hearth.com!

Cheers,
Laura-Jane
www.laura-jane.com
www.whimfield.com

Edit: I've received one email and two posts so far, which is great! I'm going to leave it 'til Monday night, and then I'll check back in and see how we're doing.

 

[Henz]

Wish I could say that I ahve no other heat source, but the wounderful NYS where I live wont let you build or buy a house without an internal automatic heating source, i.e. fossil-fired furnace.

 

[Whimfield]

I've received quite a few emails and posts here, which is great and I really appreciate it.

I'm enjoying sorting through your responses, and I'll be sending out a few emails/PMs tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks again everybody!

Laura-Jane

 

[ilmbg]

When I first bought this home (northern Wyoming), it had only wood heat- a BlazeKing, Princess. The house is 1700ft2, passive solar, and it would be great on the first floor, and too warm for me on the second floor, as heat rises. The woodstove heat is the absolute best as far as really getting to your 'bones'. It penetrates deep- if you sit in a chair next to the stove after you come in from a cold outdoors, you will get warm quick. Yes, the mess, is not nice- you will track in lots of dirt, drop small pieces of wood bark around, sometimes a bug or two (or three, four), and you have to constantly bring in wood. You need to have a wood source, whether it is to buy or do yourself. I now have a pellet stove and radient heat strip, and want another small woodstove. You will love it. As far as the 20 hour heat time, I think that is a bit long- sure, the stove may be a little warm to the touch, but not hot enough to be putting out heat. But that depends on what kind of wood you are burning too. I frquently had a fire in the stove, put it on a low burn, went to work for a 12 hour shift, and came back to a warm house about 13 hours later. That was with cottenwood. Now, I am not supposed to use a wood stove, due to asthma, but want to have a small fire occasionally.

 

[caber]

Wish I could say that I ahve no other heat source, but the wounderful NYS where I live wont let you build or buy a house without an internal automatic heating source, i.e. fossil-fired furnace.

That's the rule around here as well. We had to have 2 electric baseboard heaters in order to comply with code. They haven't been turned on in 4 years. We also had to tell the insurance company the baseboards were the primary heat source in order to get homeowners insurance. No one would touch a house with a woodstove as the primary heat.

 

[Whimfield]

Quite a number of people responded, and I had a really hard time narrowing it down--especially because everyone had interesting stories to share! Thanks to everyone who responded... You guys are amazing.

This will be quite a short article, so I was only able to ask three people to help me out. I've emailed them to let them know.

I don't want to sound too cheesy or anything, but you guys should all be proud of what you're doing! We just started to cut wood for the first time this year, and it's quite an undertaking; but at the same time it's so satisfying.

Thanks again for all your help and enthusiasm.

Best,
Laura-Jane

 

[Yamaha_gurl]

Not to highjack your post, but how do you control the temp with a wood stove? I mean, add more wood for more heat right? But don't your temps flucuate alot? Bf and I are thinking about getting one, but we aren't home during the day...is it even safe to burn unattended?