When You Heat With A Wood Stove

When you heat with a wood stove and the temperature drops at night to low single digit coupled with a wind chill that is well below zero keeping the stove going is important. When conditions stay cold for several nights it is necessary to keep feeding the wood stove so it doesn't get too cold in the house. We have found an air mattress is a quick solution for those conditions. By sleeping on the air mattress close to the stove when the fire gets low and it cools off we are able to get up and put more wood on the stove throughout the night.

This only happens a few times a year and the wood stove radiant heat is worth it. Our old stove had a much larger firebox and would stay warmer longer but it was over sized by the wood stove folks we had install it and bought it from. That meant if we burned it at its efficient zone we would have to have the windows and doors open to neutralize the intense heat it produced. The store that we bought it from and who recommended it sold us a stove that was much too large and it burned at its low range even when the house was comfortable.

Burning a stove at its low range tends to soot and creosote up the chimney and generate a fire hazard as well as make the stove even more inefficient. We gave our old stove away and bought this one which is the right size to burn efficiently for our cabin. The result is it only burns for about 5-6 hours before we have to re-stoke the fire.

For most of the winter we get it nice and warm inside and load the firebox before we retire and then let it burn out over the night. It is generally around 60 degrees in the morning and often still has coals to start another fire. It is only when it gets really cold that we need to feed it during the night.

If you heat with a wood stove it is very important to get a stove that is sized right for the area you need to heat. Not too big and not too small. The store that specialized in selling wood stoves did not sell us a stove that was the right size and it was a constant problem. When it comes to wood stoves getting the right size is important. We now have a stove that is the right size but it does require more tending especially at night.