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Soapstone Woodstove

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Nothing beats the golden glow and cozy warmth of a wood fire. Whenever I see a fire burning in a fireplace or wood stove it conjures up images from childhood visits to Grandma's farm; my brother and I curled up in front of the fireplace with her Irish Setter listening to family stories told by the adults. I've always wanted a fireplace in my home, but unfortunately none of the homes I've owned had one, so I'm considering a wood burning stove.

The first thing I did was research my options. I never realized how much there is to know about buying the right woodburning stove for your home and your needs, what to consider before you install a wood stove, and how to evaluate different features in the many brands and models available.

What Are The Benefits?

Some benefits of heating a home with wood are: comfort, beauty, independence, security and environmental responsibility. These days it makes good sence because of the promise of cost savings compared to mainstream heating methods like natural gas, oil and electric. Another factor for me is that dust from my forced air gas furnace causes problems with my sinuses, and with the rising fuel costs it's the perfect time to consider buying a wood stove. Radiant heat is a cleaner form of heat. You'll almost certainly save money heating with wood if there are forests in your region and you don't live in a city. If recent increases in oil, gas and electric prices continue, the savings will just increase in years to come. As long as you enjoy managing the firewood supply and the fire, you can be a successful full-time wood burner.

What I discovered when I started looking for a woodstove is a bewildering array of options-elegant enameled woodstoves or soapstone wood stoves, a variety of smaller cast iron woodstoves, with very high to low price ranges to choose from.

How To Get Started

The first decision you need to make is whether to shop for a central or a space heater. Two main advantages of a central furnace or boiler are that it can maintain the entire house at an even temperature and keep the mess of firewood and ash out of sight in a utility room. But the biggest disadvantage is that you lose the beauty of a fire cracking and casting a warm glow in the room.

Furnaces and boilers tend to be large, crude and inefficient, which, unless your house is also large and inefficient, can mean a smoky, smelly, overheated home. Furnaces and boilers work best to meet a big heating load like a very large or leaky house. Central wood furnaces and boilers aren't recommend for most homes because they have not kept pace with the advances of woodstoves or other forms of heating North American homes.

Practical Choices

If you live in a reasonably well-built house of average size built in the last 30 or so years, you can probably space heat the entire house with a single woodstove if it is located properly and installed correctly. In fact the woodstove is by far the most popular form of wood heating. Why? Because stoves are the most economical and flexible option, and country folks, being practical and thrifty, have figured this out. What they've found is that a stove located in the living area keeps that space cozy while other parts of the house, like the basement and bedrooms, stay cooler. This selective space heating suits people who like their bedrooms cooler and they save a lot of energy in the bargain. Thus, while there are other options within the space heating category, I'll focus on woodstoves.

When you go shopping for a wood burning stove you'll have two main sources of information to help with your decision. First is the manufacturer's literature that gives performance specifications; I'll explain each specification below. Whether you decide to buy new or used, make sure you visit a shop that sells woodstoves and collect brochures from different manufacturers. A stove dealer can offer good advice, especially for the novice.

Buyer, beware

A good dealer can be your most valuable resource, but beware of dealers who don't heat their own houses with wood and don't have operating woodstoves in their showrooms - their advice might not be worth much. Buying a used stove can also be a challenge, in spite of the cost savings. The more educated you are about wood stoves, the better prepared you will be to spot a good deal.

Once you collect a few stove brochures you'll notice the standard pieces of information that are provided and some of these can help you with your purchase decision. Let's go through some of the most useful ones.

Cast Iron or Steel Two main material options are cast iron or welded steel. There is no heating performance difference between them so the decision has to do with aesthetics and price. Graceful curves and artistic relief patterns make cast iron stoves pleasing to the eye, rather like fine furniture for home heating. You'll pay a premium price, however, and cast stoves do need to be rebuilt every few years to seal the joints between panels so that air leakage will not allow the fire to burn out of control. Welded steel stoves are plainer, but some are attractive enough for a well-appointed living room. In terms of durability, I'm not convinced there is much difference. Cast stoves used to have the edge because any part that failed from heat stress could be easily replaced. But now, having learned their lessons, the reputable steel stove makers have designed their products so that the highly-stressed internal parts are replaceable. This is one area to watch out for when shopping. Sometimes cheap stoves are not designed for years of continuous winter use, so it is wise to ask the dealer to show you which parts are replaceable.

What About Soapstone?

Soapstone wood stoves are among the most elegant, and also most expensive of wood stove construction. Many different styles are available.

Combustion Technology The debate over catalytic versus non-catalytic combustion has been ongoing for almost twenty years. Both approaches have proved effective, but there are performance differences. Catalytic combustion, in which smoky exhaust gases are passed through a catalyst-coated ceramic honeycomb buried deep inside the stove where they ignite and burn, tends to produce a long steady heat output. Catalytic stoves have a lever-operated catalyst bypass damper opened for starting and loading. This tends to make operation of these stoves a bit more complicated. The catalytic element degrades over time and must be replaced. Its durability is determined by care and maintance. The catalyst can last more than six seasons, unless the stove is overfired, or if trash is burned or maintenance is poor, it can fail within two years.

Non-cats are not kitties

As its name implies, non-catalytic combustion does not use a catalyst, but instead creates a good environment for combustion right in the firebox. Three key features create this environment: firebox insulation, a baffle to divert gas flow and pre-heated combustion air introduced through small holes all around the upper part of the firebox.

'Non-cats' tend to produce a somewhat peakier heat output curve, but are prized by their users for the arrestingly beautiful fire they create. Good conditions for combustion include high temperatures, so the baffle and some other internal parts will need replacement from time to time as they deteriorate with the heat.

So, which is the better stove, a 'cat' or a 'non-cat'? It would appear that the market is slowly turning in favor of non-cats as some manufacturers have actually switched in that direction, but still, some of the most popular high-end stoves continue to use catalytic combustion. Both options have their benefits and limitations, as well as legions of loyal users who swear that their (cat or non-cat) is far better than those silly (cats or non-cats).

Emissions Because older stoves were so inefficient they added to air pollution problems in some regions, so in the late 1980s the U.S. EPA established a mandatory smoke emission limit for woodstoves of 7.5 grams of smoke per hour. Today, all woodstoves and fireplace inserts, and some factory-built fireplaces must be tested and meet this limit, and many are certified for emissions down in the 1 to 4 g/h range. Efficiency On average, the new stoves are about thirty percent more efficient than the pre-1980 box, pot belly, or step stoves, and even most of today's central heaters. That's 30 percent less cost if you buy firewood, or thirty percent less cutting, hauling and stacking if you cut your own. This higher efficiency is a by-product of mandatory emissions limits, but the EPA rules are a winner for both the environment and stove users.

Unfortunately, none of the really useful performance ratings shown on stove brochures (like efficiency, heat output, heating capacity and burn time) are standardized and regulated, so they can't always be trusted or compared one to the other. For example, the EPA does not require stove efficiencies to be reported but for obscure bureaucratic reasons assigns default figures of 63 percent for non-cats and 72 percent for cats.

Some manufacturers have paid for independent efficiency tests and show the resulting figures on their promotional brochures. But because efficiency test methods have not been standardized and regulated, you can't be sure the figures are based on the same tests and calculations.

On the other hand it appears that all EPA certified stoves are over 60 percent efficient and some can deliver around 80 percent of the fuel's potential heat to the house. This is far better than the low-tech uncertified options, many of which are in the 50 percent range and lower. (An overall efficiency higher than 80 percent is not desirable because the resulting low exhaust temperature means weak draft and the risk of water vapor condensation which damages the chimney.)

Heat output Most manufacturers list a maximum heat output in British Thermal Units (BTUs). For popular stoves this falls in the 25,000 to 80,000 BTU range. This figure can be misleading. First, continuous high firing can seriously damage a stove's innards, so full output should not be used often. Second, the average medium-size house needs only 10,000 to 20,000 BTUs per hour of continuous heating power, even during cold weather. Finally, some manufacturers use the heat output rate from EPA testing, which uses softwood fuel, and others use the results of their own tests, and type of fuel used impacts peak output rates. Heating capacity Stove makers always state how many square feet of space the unit will heat. Some of them wisely give generous ranges like 1000 to 2000 sq. ft. or suggest the maximum area the unit will heat. The reason for the big range and vague figures is that a particular stove might heat 2000 sq. ft. in Georgia, but only a 1000 sq. ft. house in the Dakotas due to the climate difference.

Not only that but an old house might have twice the heat loss of a new house of the same size in the same climate zone. And finally, a stove burning softwood like spruce will put out less heat per firebox load than it will burning a hardwood like maple.

In practical terms, considering all the variables, woodstoves come in only three sizes: small stoves for heating a large room or a seasonal cabin; medium for heating small- to medium-sized houses; and large stoves for heating somewhat larger or leakier houses. Correct sizing of stoves for particular objectives and conditions is one area where the advice of an experienced woodstove specialist is particularly useful.

Burn time

How long will a given stove burn on a single load of wood? The only reasonable answer is: It depends. Burn time depends on wood species and moisture content, and on how much heat is needed during the burn. My experience is that a medium or large stove sized correctly based on all the issues discussed here will give a reliable overnight burn with plenty of coals remaining to kindle a fire in the morning. Stoves in the small category may or may not give an overnight burn, but they tend not to be used for whole-house primary heating.

Log length

For convenient loading, the firebox should be about three inches bigger than your average piece of firewood. Don't be mislead into thinking that a stove that can handle 20 inch firewood is really bigger or better than one that can take up to 18 inch logs. The standard firewood length for stoves is 16 inches, mostly because it is the most practical length for handling.

Any guy who claims it is easy to lift, stack and load 20 inches firewood is bigger and stronger than me. I am also aware that many women are serious users of woodstoves and I suspect that, on average, their wrist and forearm strength is closer to my own than to a burly logger's.

There are many other features that you might wish to consider. These include whether the stove can be operated with open doors and a fire screen in place, whether it has an ash pan, a cooking surface, and aesthetic matters like color options, plated doors and trim, and pedestal versus legs. None of these affect heating performance but can influence your enjoyment of the stove.

Links to Articles About Indoor Climate Control

Air Duct Calculator - Input a desired flow rate in CFM, a limiting velocity in FPM, air temperature in degrees F, the length of the duct, and the duct material. The program calculates the duct cross sectional area, the circular duct diameter, and rectangular duct equivalents.

Appliance411.com - List of do's and don'ts for maintenance and repair.

Aprilaire Owner's Manuals - For humidifiers, air cleaners, thermostats, zone control systems and fresh air exchangers.

BTU Calculator - Estimate the heating needs of a room, combination of rooms, or an entire home.

Buried Tanks - Home Heating Oil - Legal, environmental and technical information.

Carbon Monoxide Protocol - Guidelines to determine whether potential exists for this deadly gas to enter a house.

Duct Cleaning - EPA tips on how to determine if ductwork needs cleaning. Criteria for choosing a contractor.

Furnace Blower Repair - Short example on replacing bearings and fan belt.

Gas Furnace Alert - Warning about the potential danger if flue pipe is not replaced when a modern high efficiency furnace is installed. (click "alert" to get to page)

Hearth.com - Information on gas, wood, pellet, and coal appliances. Cost comparison of the different fuels.

Heat Pipes - Fact sheet illustrates the theory and operation. Add-on device for air conditioner to improve de-humidification.

Heating System Maintenance - Tips on preparing a furnace for winter operation.

HeatingHelp.com - Find answers to steam heating problems by posting questions for experts or reading excerpts from books about heating.

Homestore.com: Heating How-To Articles - Wide assortment of tips including programmable thermostats, cleaning air ducts, reducing moisture problems, and basic maintenance.

Honeywell - Devices include thermostats, humidistats, air cleaners and humidifiers. Everything from manuals to troubleshooting guides to programming instructions to product support.

HVAC Glossary - Consumer guide to the array of efficiency ratings, abbreviations and acronyms used to describe or explain the products.

HVAC Mechanic - Information and support on heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems or controls for home owners and professionals. Knowledge base, recalls, forum, glossary, and events.

HVAC Stories at Old House Web - Advice geared toward historic or older homes.

John Mills Work Page - Advice from a service manager on buying a new unit, illustrated essay on chimney liners, and a history of brand names.

MSN House and Home: Climate - Overview of systems which contribute to climate within the home - insulation, air conditioners, vents, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, forced air heaters, filters, and thermostats. Illustrations, common problems, and basic repair instructions.

Radiant Design Institute - Illustrations and detailed tutorials for installation of radiant floor heating.

Recalls - Searchable database provided by Consumer Product Safety Commission.