The Wood Stove Accessories Blog

I own a home that is heated with an oil furnace. We tend to keep the temperature down, as a $$ saving measure. As we age, my husband’s and my tolerance for the cold has gone down. If we turn the thermostat down at night, when we are bundled up under the covers and raise the temperature when we get up; are we saving money or spending it to rewarm the house? Question #2 is for those of you who supplement your heating with a wood stove. What kind of work is involved in the installation, if there has never been one in the house before? I am talking about a professional installation; because of the venting issues - we would never attempt to do something like this on our own. The job demands someone who knows what they are doing. I am thinking that this is one job where the installation might exceed the cost of the stove itself. Please feel free to jump in with information that you may have, even if you don’t know the answer to both questions.
Odd that you’ve asked this. My wife just found an old wood stove at a local thrift shop. $100 and I was thinking that I was styling! A trip to Home Depot, Menards, and Farm and Fleet sure did give us a wake up call! $385 later in single walled pipe, double walled pipe, adapters, Heat transfers, etc… made me wonder if this was a good choice. Home Depot sells an all-in-one kit with exception of the single and double walled pipes, but, we went with Menards because even with buying everything seperate it was a hand full of $’s cheaper. As for instalation I am doing it myself. The internet has all the codes and steps to do this properly. Plus I have all the necessary tools (a big plus) however, I don’t start instalation till tommorow morning. If you want a play by play on the problems we run into, just e-mail or IM me sometime tommorow. If I am in a good mood you’ll know it was a breeze. Any four letter words slip out, then it probably isn’t a good idea!

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Hundreds of residents in Michigan will have new wood stoves this winter according to Diane Ivey of Michigan State University’s Capital News Service.  They will have the new wood stoves as part of an initiative of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs and Department of Environmental Quality.

Also involved in the program are E.P.A. and the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, which chipped in rebates of up to $600 toward the replacement of traditional wood-burning stoves with EPA-certified stoves or fireplaces.

Apparantly five hundred stoves were replaced during the summer.  MUCC Exec. Director Dennis Muchmore said that consumers will benefit both economically and ecologically from the replacement program.

“Efficient stoves burn much less fuel, meaning they burn a smaller hole in a homeowner’s pocket,” he said. “By upgrading to a modern-efficiency stove, residents are also contributing to the green economy by heating their homes with cleaner energy sources.”

Newer EPA certified stoves give users more heat per dollar.  Old wood stoves usually operate at around 50% efficiency or worse, while new ones can be up to 78 percent efficient.  Instead of the heat going up the chimney, more of it stays in the home.

Older stoves operate with a catalytic combustion system, like a car, which can put out harmful amounts of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, while the new stoves operate on a non-catalytic system or have catalytic converters to reduce emissions.

Economic factors are the driving force prompting people to look at wood stoves as an alternative for home heating. Some are using wood stoves to supplement their existing systems while others are using them as the primary source of heating in the home.

In exchange for the discounts and rebates, participants in the program agreed to replace their old stoves with EPA-approved wood, pellet, corn, gas or electric stoves. The old stoves were then recycled.

Technorati Tags: changeover program, wood stove conversion, Wood Stove Installation

Over a period of the last ten years there has been an explosion of technology in wood burning appliances and wood burning accessories to go with those appliances.  There are new wood burning stoves and pellet burning stoves.  There are new wood burning fireplace inserts and new fireplaces built to be energy efficient.  Along with all of these new appliances there are wood burning accessories to go along with them.

Lots of Wood Burning Accessories

For wood burning stoves the list of wood burning accessories is a long one.  There are circulating fans which can be used to move the warm area from the wood burning stove through out the rest of the room.  There are even fans designed to move the heat from one room to another and some fans that will move the heat through the ducts in a home so that the heat can be more evenly spread throughout the entire home.

There are also wood burning accessories that are meant to sit on the stove and be used, such as kettles and steamers.  Kettles are designed to be used as any normal kettle would - to heat water for tea or other uses.  Steamers are also used to heat water but these wood burning accessories heat the water so that it will humidify the air around the stove.  Often burning wood will dry out the air surrounding the stove so a steamer helps put the humidity back into the air and make it more comfortable to be in the room.

There are also other wood burning accessories such as pipe shams which are designed to decorate the stove pipe, pipe thermometers which allow you to keep track of the heat going into the stove pipe and hearth pads that sit under the stove and insulate the floor so that it does not get to hot.

Pellet stoves are a little different from wood stoves but most of the same wood burning accessories are used with pellet stoves as are used with wood stoves.  In addition there are some accessories that are specifically designed for pellet stoves.  Pellet buckets are one of the handiest wood burning accessories on the list since they allow you to easily handle the pellets when loading them into the stove and they also provide a decorative touch as well. 

Remote control thermostats are another of the wood burning accessories that are used with pellet stoves because pellet stoves typically have built in thermostats and it is handy to be able to control the thermostats from across the room. 

Other handy wood burning accessories include stove screens and fireplace screens used to create a protective barrier and cleaning accessories such as stove pipe brushes and fireplace tools.  All in all there the list continues to grow when it comes to wood burning accessories.

Technorati Tags: fireplace accessories, Pellet Stove Accessories, wood burning accessories, Wood Stove Accessories

When installing wood stove gaskets begin by removing the old gasket material. If the old gasket comes out in one piece, measure how long it is so you will know the best replacement size to install in your wood stove.

Once the old gasket has been removed, clean away all the old adhesive thoroughly. Setting up a wire wheel on a drill will work great for this, or if you want to do it by hand use steel wool. A good clean metal surface is necessary for good adhesion when installing the new wood stove gasket.

Begin installing the new wood stove gasket at the top corner of the wood stove door opening.  This makes the gasket’s joining seam less susceptible to loosening by hot coals and ashes.

Once you are finished installing the wood stove gasket, close the door(s) to press the new gasket into place for a few minutes. Then open the door(s) and keep them open for 24 hours to allow the gasket adhesive to set up properly before closing the door and beginning to use your wood stove.  That’s all there is to installing wood stove gaskets.

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Favorite Wood Burning Stove Accessories

There are many wood burning stove accessories that can add to your wood burning stove’s functionality, as well as its attractiveness.

These wood burning stove accessories include such items as stove pipe shams, circulating fans, kettles, steamers and hearth pads.

Additional Wood Burning Stove Accessories

There are many wood burning stove accessories available to allow you to customize your wood burning stove. Most accessories are sold in colors that will compliment a wood burning stove, such as black, gold, brass, smoke gray and silver.

Wood Stove Screens - Wood Stove Screens are a common wood burning stove accessory that provides a safety barrier for a stove while still allowing you to view the fire as it burns. They are fairly inexpensive and easy to find at most hardware and wood burning stove accessories dealers.

Stove Pipe Brushes - another common and inexpensive wood stove accessory sold in most hardware stores. Make sure the brush is at least three to four inches wide to ensure a good scrubbing. Some include rods or extensions to allow you to reach up into the chimney to brush away residue.

Wood Stove Wall Vent Kits - Some wood burning stoves burn so efficiently they can actually be vented like a clothing dryer.  They also don’t get as hot as older traditional wood stoves, so they don’t have to be surrounded with fireproofing like a regular wood stove.  Through-the-wall vent accessory kits are available for many freestanding stoves. Check with a wood burning stove accessories dealer for your particular model or the manufacturer’s instructions to see if your particular stove will work this way.

Remote Control Thermostat Kits - Since some wood burning stoves include a built in thermostat that manages the air flow and the heat the stove is putting out you can get a remote control kit that will allow you to control the temperature from across the room.  Yes, some wood burning stove accessories promote laziness.

These are a few of the most popular wood burning stove accessories available on the market.  Let us know what your favorite wood burning stove accessory is and check out our other posts to learn more about wood burning stove accessories.

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When we talk about installing a wood stove many people think of the traditional Ben Franklin stove, but that is a thing of the past - today’s wood stove models feature both improved safety and efficiency. They produce almost no emmissions (i.e. smoke), create minimal ash, and require less firewood.  This saves both time and money buying or hauling firewood.

Installing a Wood Stove for Different Uses

Wood stoves can be sized to heat a family room, a small cottage, or a full-sized home. The best choices are appliances that are labeled by the Underwriters’ Laboratories of Canada (ULC) or another qualified testing and certification body for safety. They should also be low-emission certified by EPA standards.

For comparison, the older uncertified stoves and fireplaces release 40 to 60 grams of smoke per hour; while the new EPA-certified stoves produce only 2 to 5 grams of smoke per hour.  EPA certified wood stoves burn more cleanly and efficiently, save you money, reduce the risk of fire, and improve air quality inside and outside the home.

What Size Wood Stove to Install

EPA certified wood stoves come in different sizes, namely small stoves suitable for heating a family room or a seasonal cottage. They can also be used in larger homes with older central furnaces, for “zone heating” a specific area of the home reducing fuel consumption, conserving energy and saving money while maintaining comfort.

Medium stoves are suitable for heating small houses, medium-sized energy-efficient houses, and cottages used in winter while large stoves can be used for larger, open plan houses or older, leakier houses in colder climate zones.

Check out our archives for more information on installing a wood stove.

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If you live in a drafty house your wood stove may being drying out the air in your home. Excessively dry air can cause static electricity, dry throats and dry skin. A wood stove humidifier will put moisture back into the air.

Wood stove kettles and steamers are most often made of cast iron, solid brass or cast aluminum. The cast iron kettles and steamers usually are porcelain coated. Some cast iron kettles are painted black but these will still rust quickly so you are better off going with the wood stove humidifiers that are porcelain coated inside and out to avoid rust.

The steam output of a wood stove humidifier can be controlled by placing a cast iron trivet under the humidifier. This helps to keep the humidifier from being directly on the stove which can cause the water to boil instead of steam. Never allow the humidifier to burn dry as it can cause the humidifier to crack. When refilling the humidifier remove it from the hot stove to prevent accidentally splashing water on the hot stove and leaving marks.

Water marks on a painted surface require repainting while watermarks on an enamel stove are almost impossible to remove. Another nice bonus of a wood stove humidifier is that potpourri can be placed in your wood stove humidifier which will cause the fragrance to move through your home along with the moisture.

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Another interesting video on the growing use of wood and other biofuels.

This stove is a partial oxidation gas generator stove. It produces Hydrogen, Carbon Monoxide, Methane and other cracked organic compounds. The same principle is in our books on gasification of wood for engines and cars. Yes, you CAN run a car off this type of system and over 1 million vehicles did this during WWII… it can still work today

Duration : 0:8:13

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Here is a video that is interesting that gives information on Harman Pellet stoves.

Pellet stoves are growing in popularity as heating fuel costs rise.

Duration : 0:10:0

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Technorati Tags: cleaning pellet stoves, pellet stove, wood pellets

Product Features

    * 2.5-quart capacity
    * Highly polished 18/10 stainless-steel construction will not rust
    * Elegant zinc cast handle features a heat-resistant phenolic grip
    * Non-whistling S-shaped spout for drip-less pouring
    * 9-inch-wide base heats water quickly

Available at: Amazon - Click Here for Details

Product Description
Decorative and graceful, there’s no whistle to pierce your ears, just a slender S-shaped spout that pours without dripping. In concession to modern times, the zinc cast handle and lid know features a heat-resistant phenolic grip. Polished to a mirror finish, the 18/10 stainless steel will not rust and only needs a soft rub with a cloth to stay shiny. The 9-1/2-inch-high teakettle measures 9 inches across the bottom, providing greater heating surface and a quicker boil.

Helpful Amazon Customer Reviews

By T.C. (Lowell, MA)
“This is actually a great tea kettle! I bought it to replace a Pfaltzgraff that had basically rusted inside - who knew you shouldn’t leave water in a kettle

This does not have a whistle, which for me personally was great. I find kettles with whistles annoying. Oddly enough, you can actually “hear” when your water is boiling. When you turn the fire on under it, it makes a slight bubbling sound - then goes quiet once it reaches a boil.

It’s easy to keep it clean; pours very smoothly compared to my old kettle; and is a perfect size for a few cups of tea. My only peeve initially is that the handle does not rotate - it’s a fixed handle, but I got over it quickly enough.”

      
By C. L. Miller (Midwest)
“An excellent teakettle for the money. Holds 2.5 quarts, and has an opening large enough to get your hand into to dry and wash the inside. Directions do state not to allow water to stand in it for prolonged periods because it will rust over time. This isn’t a problem with the large opening. This one doesn’t have a whistle - and the handle stays cool to the touch. Easy to fill, easy to clean, and easy on the wallet. Good value overall.”

      
By A. Fischer (Sunnyvale, CA)
“I have had this teakettle for about 3 years, and it has been great! I like that there isn’t a whistle, it pours really nicely, has never dripped on me, and has a wide enough opening to get water in and a sponge when you want to clean it.

I’m now replacing it b/c I am a lazy kettle owner and have left water in it constantly so it’s getting rusty. It also sits out on my stove and grease and other stove ookiness has gotten all over the outside and it’s past the point of cleaning. That’s my own fault though, like I said I’m a lazy kettle owner and didn’t clean it like I should have.

Great kettle.”

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