What I've learned as a first year burner....

[Soadrocks]

1) Super Cedars over newspaper all day, everyday

2) There is no heat better than wood heat

3) Fiskars all the way, nothing else compares

4) Jotuls are the most beautiful stoves

5) Always consult here for advice

6) Secondary burns are amazing to watch in the dark

7) Don't ever, ever open the ash door when wood is burning...unless you want to hear an explosion...wow, that was scary

8) Always use dry wood

9) There is no true definition to an overnight burn, but for me, using no match equates to an overnight burn, and the Castine can do it!

10) Bigger is always better (I wish I got the Oslo)

11) Basement stoves can work

12) There is no shame in scrounging for wood after an ice-storm

13) There is no such thing as too much wood!

Everyone, thanks for all the help and advice over this past season. I've learned so much and I continue to learn everyday. This site has been a lifesaver!

I think we're in the home stretch in upstate NY.

 

[Troutchaser]

+10 on 2,5,and 8

 

[Shari]

+++ on all the above (we bought the blue/black Oslo!)

Shari

 

[firefighterjake]

1) Super Cedars over newspaper all day, everyday . . . unless you're cheap like Firefighterjake in which case you use kindling and newspaper when the fire has died out.

2) There is no heat better than wood heat . . . except for maybe free heat . . . but that generally isn't available to most of us common folks . . . we all end up paying for heat somehow or someway . . . even folks with their own land . . . and even scroungers . . . just it's a bit cheaper.

3) Fiskars all the way, nothing else compares . . . except for owning your own hydraulic splitter.

4) Jotuls are the most beautiful stoves . . . although those soapstone stoves look mighty nice . . . and those PEs . . . and those . . . well darn it . . . so many stoves, so little time to try them all.

5) Always consult here for advice . . . but take what Firefighterjake says with a grain of salt since he is from Maine and we know those Maniac's give out some rather dubious advice.

6) Secondary burns are amazing to watch in the dark . . . on the twilight, day-time or even in middle of the summer. Just don't let your wife catch you wistfully and dreamily staring at the fire more often than you stare at her.

7) Don't ever, ever open the ash door when wood is burning...unless you want to hear an explosion...wow, that was scary . . . or leave the ash door or side door open and wander off to take a shower, get more wood, etc. . . . unless you want to meet Firefighterjake and his friends in living color.

8) Always use dry wood . . . and of course by dry wood we mean seasoned wood, not simply wood that is dry.

9) There is no true definition to an overnight burn, but for me, using no match equates to an overnight burn, and the Castine can do it! . . . and in the end what truly matters is not whether the promised burn times and heating capacity match the brochures, but rather if the stove makes you happy and keeps you warm.

10) Bigger is always better (I wish I got the Oslo) . . . and I sometimes wish I had the Firelight . . . it's a guy thing . . . we always want bigger stuff . . . a bigger stove, a bigger truck, a bigger tractor, a bigger . . . well we better stop right there . . . this is a family oriented site.

11) Basement stoves can work . . . but it's kind of nice to have the woodstove on the main living area where you spend most of your time so your wife doesn't think you fell down the stairs while reloading the stove when in fact you have simply been admiring the secondary burning action.

12) There is no shame in scrounging for wood after an ice-storm . . . or scrounging for wood at any time of the year since free wood is free wood and if it's down, you're just one step closer to getting it into your woodstove.

13) There is no such thing as too much wood! . . . This is so true . . . on so many levels . . . but yeah, it's always nice to get ahead.

Everyone, thanks for all the help and advice over this past season. I've learned so much and I continue to learn everyday. This site has been a lifesaver . . . and now to repay everyone I shall stick around and continue to offer advice to newbies . . . and post pictures of my woodstove since I know you all love stove porn.
I think we're in the home stretch in upstate NY.

I fixed your thread.

 

[Soadrocks]

11) Basement stoves can work . . . but it's kind of nice to have the woodstove on the main living area where you spend most of your time so your wife doesn't think you fell down the stairs while reloading the stove when in fact you have simply been admiring the secondary burning action.

--- The basement is our main living room now. I'll see if I can dig up some pictures. Our 50 inch plasma is down here. It's really nice!! We spend 90% of our time here, and one of the couches is a sleeper sofa so for the past 3 months we've been living down here I would never stick a Jotul where it's not seen on a regular basis. That's a faux pas.

Added one pic of basement....you can see the end of the sleeper sofa (in sofa mode) , it's a really nice basement....waterproofed, insulated, the whole nine yards.

2nd pic of our "Sweetie Pie," Chloe sitting by the fire. She scared the 3 cats away from the stove!

 

[Soadrocks]

2nd pic.

 

[firefighterjake]

11) Basement stoves can work . . . but it's kind of nice to have the woodstove on the main living area where you spend most of your time so your wife doesn't think you fell down the stairs while reloading the stove when in fact you have simply been admiring the secondary burning action.

--- The basement is our main living room now. I'll see if I can dig up some pictures. Our 50 inch plasma is down here. It's really nice!! We spend 90% of our time here, and one of the couches is a sleeper sofa so for the past 3 months we've been living down here I would never stick a Jotul where it's not seen on a regular basis. That's a faux pas.

Added one pic of basement....you can see the end of the sleeper sofa (in sofa mode) , it's a really nice basement....waterproofed, insulated, the whole nine yards.

2nd pic of our "Sweetie Pie," Chloe sitting by the fire. She scared the 3 cats away from the stove!

Nice set up . . . I think I would be moving to the basement . . . I mean a Jotul woodstove and a 50-inch plasma TV . . . and a sofa bed . . . does it get any better?!

 

[Soadrocks]

It doesn't, it really doesn't! February Recess was amazing Thanks for the comments I don't know what we'll do in the summer!

 

[Battenkiller]

I don't know what we'll do in the summer!

Go camping. Build campfires. That's what I do.

Of course... no secondary burns in a campfire.