Wood stoves - An Architect's Buying Guide ( what you need to know )

In this video I present a comprehensive buying guide - a primer on what you need to know before buying a wood stove.
Topics include:
Material selection - Steel vs. Cast Iron
Cost
Stove Output (BTU vs. Size)
Firebox size
Efficiency
Catalytic vs. Non-Catalytic
Flue (Interior and Exterior)
Hearth Protection
Wood Storage
Ash pan
Aesthetics
Maintenance

Acquiring, stacking and moving wood will become a part of your life. I personally embrace these as part of my choice to live in a cold climate, and I feel like the added effort is good for both myself and the environment — but it’s certainly not for everyone.

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[liloukulele]

As an Architect, I'm giving you 5 stars for an excellent video.

[Alex]

Unbelievable video, answered all of my 1, 000 questions.

[stevewages]

This is the best overview video I've found on wood stoves. Appreciate the inclusion of catalytic vs non in the discussion. And the photos show beautiful architecture and settings. Thanks for this!

[MaZEEZaM]

Having grown up with wood heating I really craved it when living in a house that didn't have one, you really cant beat the radiant heat produced by wood heaters that warms your body like no other heat source. I recently purchased a small wood heater and though its correct for the space being heated I certainly notice the disadvantage in the maximum size of wood that can be put in the heater at once and especially having to place the logs horizontally which safety wise is not ideal as if not careful the logs have a tendency to want to roll out the front but is necessary as the depth of the heater is simply to small to place them any other way. If I bought one again I would go with the medium to large size that I grey up with. It is however very efficient.

[RichardBurgmann]

Thank you for this. I'm watching this five years after you published it, I believe it will give me a good grounding as I begin to explore this for my new home.

[johnmichaelkarma]

This is not a recommendation. Living in Michigan and heating 85% of the time with a high efficient free standing stove with a double wall SS chimney and burning well cured Ash I swept my chimney every 4 years over a 20 yr period. I would remove no more than about a third of a cup of fine black particulate from the sweep of the 15' chimney. I'm sure the type of wood and stove efficiency matters. excellent vid and a thumbs up for sure

[alvindueck]

I split and stack cords upon cords of wood each year for my folks. that's their primary heating fuel for the radiant floor heating system in dad's shop.

we've got trees either dieing or someone cutting down a tree line somewhere not too far away.

as for the ashes, they keep insects out of and off of mom's garden plants and maintain a better pH level.

there's benefits to everything if you're willing to look.

[aWomanFreed]

Wish there was a link to the stoves shown and where to buy

[CenturionSilver]

Living in Michigan, I can't possibly imagine being without my Wood stove. I have a "QuadraFire". Cost was approx $3600 installed. I'm in Rural MI so have to use Propane. Where in years prior I used to have to fill my 500Gallon tank 2.5 times annually( between $2500-$3200 per winter), the woodburner has reduced that cost 1/2. Now I fill my tank 1.5 times annually or even just once.

[ryryry]

thanks for doing a video on modern wood stoves. I own a Morso like the one at 7:05 of the video. I like that you talk about wood length on the vid. My stove can only take a 10 inch long piece of wood. I process my own wood but if something happened and I couldnt do it any longer I would not be able to buy a cord of wood because the 16 inch length is the standard for a cord of wood. Something to think about.

[maxgermasi]

Great Video Eric! Enjoyable, easy to listen to and extremely informative.
In fact I can't believe that in almost 6 years no one has done a video as informative as this one, easy nice plain and simple but with all the details and information needed.
I now definitely have a much better understanding of what to look for and I know how to compare different options.
Eric if you have time to answer, what would be the difference between a wider vs taller fire box?
Thanks a lot for sharing this knowledge
Cheers

[HondoTrailside]

Great overview of aesthetically pleasing and commercially available options. If I was installing another stove, it would be a rocket mass heater, if I could get it passed by local codes. Often a little odd looking, current models are capable of burning wood with greater efficiency than gas furnaces. Unfortunately still stuck mostly in a kind of hippy or off grid market. And mostly a DIY project, though that is changing.



Permies is the best source for information, and their DVD series in particular. Such stoves leave virtually no ash, absolutely leave no creosote, retain heat for long periods after the burn, and burn very little wood.


Not to be confused with rocket stoves, that are often welded out of steel in the "West", RMHs use refractory materials that can handle the small "chimney fire" conditions that exist when they are running efficiently.

[squadron]

If you want to heat a home seriously with wood, there is NO better stove than the Progress Hybrid Wood Stove made by the Woodstock Soapstone company. I have their Fireview model, have been using it 9 years and it is the only source of heat in my home - we have nothing else. For as good as it is the new Progress model is even better. There is no other stove that so completely burns EVERYTHING and puts out such heat. (and it is a good, constant even heat, not the blast you get from steel and cast iron stoves). The EPA test chart shows just how badly this stove beats all others. There is nothing close to it. The only drawback, if it is one, is that it is very heavy, because a large part of it is made from soapstone. However this is where all the benefit comes from, as well as the beauty. IMHO they are also the best looking stoves made.

[MsThylacine]

Thank you for very good information. One thing I've heard over and over about the EPA rated non-catalytic wood stoves that burn the gases using vented pipes inside the top area, is that the wood MUST be well seasoned preferably hardwood and very dry for them to work well. This is probably true of the catalytic stoves as well, but I've been more studying the former type. The idea of less particulate matter and smoke out into the atmosphere is very appealing, as well as using less wood through efficient burning. Thanks for the info.

[resilientfarmsanddesignstu]

In my opinion, most wood burning stoves today are designed more so someone can “see the fire, ” than they are as a means of supplying efficient heat to a home. If all you want to do is to see the fire, a better choice is to have a fake fireplace. Designers have produced some attractive designs. On the other hand, if supplementary Winter heat is your goal, you need thermal mass. For that nothing beats a masonry heater. I prefer a European style masonry heater for supplementary Winter heat. Unfortunately, these are heavy so it is best to design the house for their support from the get go. If you must use a wood stove, do it this way. Build a thermal battery under the house. Run some water-filled pex from the thermal battery to a radiant floor. If you designed the house to incorporate passive solar heat and have solar gain from South facing windows, run the radiant floor N-S for maximum efficiency. Install a small but efficient wood burning stove in a central location. Coil a water pipe around the exhaust stack of the stove. Imbed both pipes in masonry so as to form a thermal mass or surround them with an insulated pipe, it’s up to you. Circulate the water through the thermal mass under your house. Burn your stove hot for a clean and complete burn. Virtually no heat will be lost up the stack. You can add valves so that you can preheat your hot water if you like. If you include a parallel air pipe in the masonry chimney, you can circulate warm air through the under slab thermal mass as well. Just blow the accumulated heat from the attic/ceiling (heated even more by the stack gases and thermal mass of the chimney) into and through a duct passing through the thermal battery. Use a manifold and the the air handler fan to blow the hot air throughout the house. The Beauty of this design is that all sources of heat, heat from the stove, heat from the windows, heat from appliances, and heat from your body are all used to charge the thermal battery. There you go.

[jerrypilozow]

Super informative, everything you ever wanted to know about heating with wood, thank you!

[GM-fvbn]

Is it a stove if it can't be used for cooking?

[shaun]

Thanks had new stove Ecco design in uk fitted last week wish l had it years ago l highly everyone who can to have one fitted there so classy and make your home so comfortable thanks

[michaelhogue]

Can you please send me links of where I can buy these modern stoves, please

[gregfawcett]

Nothing beats the feel or look of a wood burning heater...Count the number of times you have to cut/ handle/store wood...bet you can't get it less than six. Outdoor wood storage with door into home for indoor storage.