There's nothing quite like a woodstove

[Rory]

I know some folks will consider this trolling, but I'm really just spreading a little joy. Background - my parents moved to an old farm in 1969 and have heated exclusively with wood ever since. I built a little ranch in 1985, and we heated for years with a little woodstove in the cellar that had a plenum over it and a cold air return in a far corner; the passive air flow was truly impressive. Unfortunately, my wife developed a hypersensitivity to the unfilltered air flow and the occasional puffs of smoke, so we installed an oil furnace eventually. We turned the little ranch into a bit of a McMansion in 2000 and made a hearth for a propane stove where we installed a beautiful. Vermont Castings Stardance. Unfortunately, the Stardance has an open grill on top for convection, and our infrequent use resulted in a dust buildup that burned off every time we used it, which was, of course, unacceptable.

When the oil prices spiked 5 or 6 years ago We installed a Tarm Solo 30 with passive storage, and have hardly burned a drop of oil since, using wood we harvest from our woodlot. My wife finally agreed to try replacing the Stardance with a woodstove, which wasn't any great gamble since we rarely used the Stardance anyways. For basically even money we picked up a lovely green Jotul 602CB, and our living room is cozy like it hasn't been since we built it in 2000. So far so good on the allergies, my wife actually loves the radiant heat coming out of the little green monster.

So, the Tarm for the heavy lifting and a little Jotul for ambience and comfort - that's really working for us.

 

[flyingcow]

I sometimes think if I was to rebuild a house it would be an open floor design, insulated very good. With maybe a mini split type heat pump? But have a nice wood stove in the middle for the mid December to mid February time. It is nice getting that direct heat.

 

[BoilerMan]

As they say, a woodstove warms you to the bone.

TS

 

[DianeB]

For a few months this year, our hearth was demo'd during the reconstruction of our masonry chimney. Even in the spring and summer months, our living area seemed void of a certain life and energy. The hearth and woodstove had become a member of the family in a way. Finally all put back together this past Sept.