Wood Stoves in Texas

[Nico]

Hi all! I was given this site from another forum and told y'all were the guys to get info from. I've done quite a bit of searching on the forum and found a number of answers to questions I had. In so doing, I've come up with a few I can't really find answers to. I'm not necessarily looking for a "buy this stove, it's what you need" answer. Instead, I'm looking for some basic information and things I need to think about. If you have stove recommendations, great - i'll certainly look at anything provided. I'll start with a little background.

I spent a lot of time on a ranch in central texas and the only heating in the house was from a REALLY old (probably early 1900s) wood fired, cast iron cooking stove. As a kid, i thought it was the coolest thing ever. My grandfather however, didn't The stoves nowadays vastly outperform that thing. I work at a power plant and I'm very aware of what will likely be happening to electricity rates in the not-too-distant future. I'm purchasing a house with approx 2000 sqft and it doesn't have a fireplace. Living room and kitchen area (open floor plan) is about 1200 sf and would be where the stove would be placed. Master bedroom is on one side of this open area, directly connected (300sf +/-). 2 other rooms are on the opposite side of the living area, down a short hallway. The house is about 8 years old and is insulated relatively well. I want a wood stove for 2 reasons -- 1) to heat the house and 2) I like the aesthetic aspect of having a fireplace/ watching a nice fire on cold days.

With the layout in mind and my reasons for wanting a wood stove, I'd like to see if it's practical to heat the whole house or just the living/ kitchen area and master bedroom. I'm in Texas and our winters are definitely mild compared to y'all up north. We would really only be using the stove for a few months out of the year and primarily only during the evening/ night time. The nights during these months, on average, are in the mid-upper 30s and the days are in the mid-low 50s. We definitely have weeks where it gets into the upper teens and 20s, but those are pretty rare and don't last long.

If it's practical to heat the whole house, should I consider getting a smaller capacity stove? i.e. one rated for 1500sf instead of 2000sf? I really don't want the house to be in the 80s when we use the stove. Due to our mild winters, the main thing I'm concerned with is getting too much stove and having to open windows, etc in order to control the temperature in the house. I also don't want to be forced to putting in a very small log in the stove in order to control the temperature. I like watching the wood burn and would be very disappointed to not actually be able to make a fire in the stove. Would a smaller rated stove be able to heat the entire house?


If anyone here is in central texas, do you have a stove rated for the square footage of your house or something smaller? I've been looking at Lopi endeavor/ leyden, napolean 1400pl, a couple of sierra woodstoves and a couple of the jotul brands. Fortunately they all have a number of models to choose from -- i'm just not sure what size I should truly be looking for.

Thanks for the info, and if there is anything else I can provide to help, please let me know and I'll post up!

 

[Frostbit]

Wood Stoves in Texas....


Next new thread: Air Conditioners in Alaska.


Does it actually get cold in Texas, I mean, to where you need a heat source in your home? Really, I am curious. I have no idea. And no, we have no air conditioners in our homes, but I do use the one in my truck maybe two or three times a year.

And its 17 below zero at the moment.

Welcome. This is a great site. You will be rewarded.

 

[bbcooper]

Would like to see some responses to this from fellow Texans. All ya'll up north can't comrehend people living in Texas actually needing a fireplace, can't imagine it ever getting cold enough to ever use one. You got to remember that temperature and where you live is all relative, got down to 9 degrees here a few weeks ago and I thought the world was coming to an end. Up north 9 degrees may be viewed as a day to wear shorts and a t-shirt. Same principle if you flip seasons, ya'll would think you had died and gone to hell if you spent the summer having to bear some 25-30 days of 100 plus degree temps with lows in the 80"s, but for us..... we're use to it. I'm in the process of installing a fireplace because this "thin skinned" Texan can't handle temps much below 35 degrees. God bless.

 

[fossil]

We have a number of Texan woodburners who are members of these forums. Give 'em time, they'll mosey on in sooner or later. In the meantime, thoughts about candidate stoves & their ratings will emerge from all corners of the country. Welcome to the forums! Rick

 

[logger]

My best friend is in Texas (outside Fort Worth). Many ranches and other homes heat with stoves down there. I wouldnt go too big with the size, but its better to be able to open a window then to have to put the heat on. If I lived down there, I reckon Id have a stove too. I bet that mesquite wood makes for some good wood stove recipes. Anyone know if that can go in the stove? Good luck.

 

[ChillyGator]

Would like to see some responses to this from fellow Texans. All ya'll up north can't comrehend people living in Texas actually needing a fireplace, can't imagine it ever getting cold enough to ever use one. You got to remember that temperature and where you live is all relative, got down to 9 degrees here a few weeks ago and I thought the world was coming to an end. Up north 9 degrees may be viewed as a day to wear shorts and a t-shirt. Same principle if you flip seasons, ya'll would think you had died and gone to hell if you spent the summer having to bear some 25-30 days of 100 plus degree temps with lows in the 80"s, but for us..... we're use to it. I'm in the process of installing a fireplace because this "thin skinned" Texan can't handle temps much below 35 degrees. God bless.

Hell moves to North Florida in August!

ps: get the full sized stove, you can still build 'smaller' fires you can see if needed, when temps reach freezing you'll be glad you did

 

[Slow1]

My thoughts given what you have said are as follows -

I'd look at a Cat stove so you can go for a longer cooler burn - overnight easier for cooler burns without cooking yourself out and having to open a window.

Second consideration might be to make sure it isn't too draft sensitive as you are going to be burning in what most folks up here consider "should season" conditions much of the time - i.e. you won't have be benefit of a very cold outside temperature to help pull draft up. Read reviews and ask folks here on this point as no mfgr is likely to say "this stove really needs a good draft to run well".

I've spent a good bit of time in Tx - depending on where you are I can see it being a good investment for serious heating, especially if you like it warmer in your house during the winter. I imagine you like it warmer in the house than I do in any case.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Before you buy a stove be sure you have a supply of wood. Without the wood it's just a pretty, fairly expensive metal box in the corner.

Matt

 

[fossil]

Wood? You need firewood in Texas? See this guy, he's got enough to supply everyone burning south of Nebraska:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/33062/

 

[Mesquite]

[quote
If it's practical to heat the whole house, should I consider getting a smaller capacity stove? i.e. one rated for 1500sf instead of 2000sf? I really don't want the house to be in the 80s when we use the stove. Due to our mild winters, the main thing I'm concerned with is getting too much stove and having to open windows, etc in order to control the temperature in the house. I also don't want to be forced to putting in a very small log in the stove in order to control the temperature. I like watching the wood burn and would be very disappointed to not actually be able to make a fire in the stove. Would a smaller rated stove be able to heat the entire house?


If anyone here is in central texas, do you have a stove rated for the square footage of your house or something smaller? I've been looking at Lopi endeavor/ leyden, napolean 1400pl, a couple of sierra woodstoves and a couple of the jotul brands. Fortunately they all have a number of models to choose from -- i'm just not sure what size I should truly be looking for.

Thanks for the info, and if there is anything else I can provide to help, please let me know and I'll post up![/quote]

Hey Nico -

Get a stove that's bigger than what you think you will need. The weather we just had would make you glad you did. Doesn't happen often as you know but when it's cold here your family will appreciate it.

I don't like keeping my ranch house at 80+ degrees. When we have days on end of triple digits in the summer, I somewhat enjoy enjoy a cooler home in the winter. Don't read me wrong. I can crank up either of my stoves and enjoy some serious heat if I want to. That house is a little over 2400 sq feet and either stove will warm it up. I just enjoy having two of them to play with.

Where abouts in central Texas are you located?

 

[sbowers22]

Since our electricity is some of the most expensive in the country a wood burning stove makes perfect sense if you don't have to spend too much on wood. I am in Arlington and live in a 2300 sq ft house and I just installed an insert that is rated up to 1800 sq ft. It does a good job of keeping the temps up high enough so the heaters don't turn on. My floor plan does not allow it to be very effective heating out den and kitchen but it keeps the living room, dining room and the whole upstairs(which is probably about 1800 sq ft) heated nicely and this was during the recent cold spell with temps in the teens at night and around freezing all day. At least buy something that is rated for the size you need heated if not bigger but make sure you get the biggest firebox you can. Now that I have one I am surprised at the different sizes of fire boxes that some have and they are rated fairly closely in how much sq footage they are supposed to heat. I just had my windows replaced so that will help even more. The old windows were 30 years old(original) so when the heaters ran they sucked in just as much cold air from outside as the put hot air in the house so the house never felt warm. The insert actually warmed the house even with the old window since it really just kept putting hot air out without pulling air in from the outside. This is my first experience with wood heating so I went small and cheap so if and when this one wears out I will definetly get a bigger and better one.

 

[BrotherBart]

Since our electricity is some of the most expensive in the country a wood burning stove makes perfect sense if you don't have to spend too much on wood. I am in Arlington and live in a 2300 sq ft house and I just installed an insert that is rated up to 1800 sq ft. It does a good job of keeping the temps up high enough so the heaters don't turn on. My floor plan does not allow it to be very effective heating out den and kitchen but it keeps the living room, dining room and the whole upstairs(which is probably about 1800 sq ft) heated nicely and this was during the recent cold spell with temps in the teens at night and around freezing all day. At least buy something that is rated for the size you need heated if not bigger but make sure you get the biggest firebox you can. Now that I have one I am surprised at the different sizes of fire boxes that some have and they are rated fairly closely in how much sq footage they are supposed to heat. I just had my windows replaced so that will help even more. The old windows were 30 years old(original) so when the heaters ran they sucked in just as much cold air from outside as the put hot air in the house so the house never felt warm. The insert actually warmed the house even with the old window since it really just kept putting hot air out without pulling air in from the outside. This is my first experience with wood heating so I went small and cheap so if and when this one wears out I will definetly get a bigger and better one.

Sounds like you bought the house I had built in South Arlington in 1977. Had my first wood stove in that house and noticed that somebody had it removed some years after I moved.

 

[sbowers22]

[quote author="BrotherBart" date="1264049733
Sounds like you bought the house I had built in South Arlington in 1977. Had my first wood stove in that house and noticed that somebody had it removed some years after I moved.[/quote]

This house was built in 1976 and is right near lake Arlington in southwest Arlington. My chimney sweep told me he had quite a few used inserts for sale that people had asked him to remove. I can't figure out why anyone would have one taken out.

 

[pyper]

My wife is from North Texas and their winters are about like ours.

We just put a Dutch West "medium" stove in our house, and it seems like a pretty good fit. Our floorplan isn't very open, so the livingroom gets kind of hot while the bedrooms stay pretty cool, but it still works. With free heat I'd rather be too warm than to pay $100 a month to be too cold!

A lot of people don't seem to like the stove I have, but it seems to work well for our situation. It drafts well, so it's easy to start fires (which we need to do fairly regularly, because it doesn't make sense to run it every day). It also seems to work well for small fires. I need to get up on the roof and see how the chimney looks.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Frostbit: I have lived/been stationed all over the planet including a place probably "north" of you.. winter is relative, the human body adapts to it's local enviornment. I went to visit my mom once when she was living in Atlanta, it was January, low 40's outside, most of the people had on heavy coats, some even down parkas.. it was literally 60+ degrees warmer then where I was stationed, and I had a job that had me outside a lot.. I was wearing shorts and sandals, and those people in GA thought I was crazy.. lol

OP:

My brother is in Waco, he installed an insert, "country" brand, maybe? 3 years ago. He is in a 3000sqft, fairly open ranch, burns the winter through.. loves it. He said he figures he is saving $250 monthly on electricity. Heats the whole house with it. He hasn't bought a stick of wood yet, scrounges the year through.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Nico and all you other Texans.

First, don't put a lot of stock into the sq. ft. that stoves are advertised to heat. As stated above, all is relative. What might heat a 2000 sq. ft. area in the south would probably only heat a 1000 sq ft in MN. Another example is the stove I will recommend, the Woodstock Fireview: Woodstock link

Let me say at the start that this is a cat stove and some shy away from them as they have heard horror stories. Three years ago we were in the same boat. We've heated with wood and several different stoves over the years and when we started looking for a new stove, we did not want to look at a cat stove. However, we wanted to look at Woodstock's line and to our horror, they were cat stoves!

Long story short, we love this cat stove for many reasons. The biggest reason is that we burn only half the amount of wood we used to and stay a whole lot warmer. We love the cat because we don't get creosote in the chimney. We did clean our chimney after 2 years use of the stove and got very, very little soot and no hard creosote.

Our chimney does not smoke except for when we reload the stove so it is rare to see any smoke from our chimney. When you reload, you set the draft full open and the cat off. Generally, after 10-15 minutes you can set the draft lower and turn the cat on. Once you have it set, you are set for many, many hours.

The Fireview, in our opinion, is one of the prettiest stoves available. So not only is this a great heating unit, but it is a beautiful piece of furniture that you can enjoy having in your home year around.

Finally, the company, Woodstock, sells only direct to the consumer and not through dealers. They have the finest reputation in the industry and their guarantee is second to none. None even comes close to what they offer. They also will bend over backwards to make you satisfied. They are not high pressure sales either so don't hesitate to call them with specific questions. To say we are pleased with the stove and company is a bit of the truth!

The Fireview is certainly not rated to heat 2000 sq. ft. but depending on the area and how well the home is built and laid out, it will heat more than 2000 sq. ft. Nico, you stated you want to see the fire and you can with this stove. When temperatures are not so cold outside (high 20's or above) we usually put in 3 small splits or just some junk wood (odd shapes) during the daytime and set the draft so that we have constant flame. For cold nights, then load that thing up and after engaging the cat and turning down the draft, you are ready for a warm night and a good bed of coals in the morning for another fire. Your stove will still be probably around 300 in the morning too, depending on your fuel, of course.


Along with the Fireview, there are other manufacturers that make fine stoves. You will find that today's EPA stoves are a whole lot different from the older stoves, which is good. No, it is great! See, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Shop around and you will find many good ones.


Finally, to you and all new wood burners. I still advise everyone that before you buy and install a stove, do get your wood on hand. If you have to buy your wood, do not depend upon it being dry enough to burn good no matter what the wood sellers say. We find that 99% or more of them just say wood is seasoned and ready to burn but it is not.

You won't put poor fuel in your car, truck or tractor so why would you put poor fuel into a heating stove? Time and Mother Nature are a wood burners friend. The only way to have good fuel is to have plenty on hand at all times. 2-3 years supply on hand is best as that will give the wood plenty of time to season and seasoned wood will make for happy wood burners. Not so seasoned wood and people cuss their stoves because they can't get heat from it. They cuss because there is smoke in the house especially every time they open the firebox door. They even blame their chimneys. Yet, over 90% of the time it is their fuel that is to blame; but they were told that is good seasoned wood they bought. Sorry, it just does not happen. Get your fuel on hand now, before you buy the stove.

Sorry about the long post. Good luck to you.