The Wood Stove Accessories Blog

When installing and maintaining a wood stove be sure you are taking the proper safety precautions.  Better to be safe than sorry.

The Midwest Chimney Safety Council (MCSC) recently issued a warning to its members to prepare for the busiest season they have seen in decades. Since here are only so many qualified chimney sweeps to go around, there may not be enough to serve the public. Chimney sweeps may not be able to keep up with demand for cleaning, inspection, and installation services.  In fact many Chimney Sweeps are reporting that their busy season, which usually starts September 1, started in mid-July this year.

The big increase in demand is a result of consumers turning to alternative methods of heating such as wood stoves, wood-burning fireplace inserts, and wood-burning furnaces.  Some thrifty consumers may attempt to do the installation or service work themselves and may create a safety hazard by doing it wrong. “One of the biggest mistakes is not installing a properly sized flue liner with a fireplace insert,” says Marge Padgitt, Educational Director for the MCSC. “If the liner is too large it can cause excessive flammable creosote accumulation, which can lead to a chimney fire.”

Improper installation and maintenance is the cause of most house fires related to heating appliances so consumers are encouraged to get an inspection and any necessary work done by an CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep rather than doing it themselves or hiring an unqualified chimney company.

Fireplace flues should be inspected and cleaned annually. Wood stoves or inserts used for heating should be inspected and cleaned at least twice during the wood-burning season.  Some manufacturers recommend sweeping the chimney once per month so check your owners manual for details.

Visit the MCSC website at http//www.mcsc-net.org Midwest Chimney Safety Council for free consumer information.

Technorati Tags: Wood Stove Accessories, Wood Stove Installation, wood stove safety

Some interesting ideas and perspectives on wood stove installation and use:

• Max Blank Rotating Wood Stoves – By Andrew Liszewski. Looking for an unusual way to heat your home this winter? Max Blank produces a large range of designer, wood-burning stoves that don’t necessarily need to be installed in a corner or against a wall. …

• Keep warm this winter with iBuyWoodStoves – Man, was it chilly here this morning. The windshields of our cars were covered in condensation that was just this side of actual frost. Time to start gearing up for home heating season! We have a forced air heating system, …

Technorati Tags: unique stove, Wood Stove Accessories, Wood Stove Installation

Wood pellets, the fuel for pellet stoves is made of highly compressed sawdust. This sawdust is mostly recovered from industries such as lumber and furniture manufacturers, and must be free from glues or additives. This recycling process diverts tons of waste from landfills across the country each year.

Wood pellets are a renewable resource that has lower carbon emissions than regular wood and does not have to be imported from the Middle East. Increasing the number of pellet stoves in locations where it makes sense would help reduce the amount of fossil fuel being burned.  Heating with wood pellets also provides an emergency heat source when their is a power outage.

Wood pellets are more convenient to use than chopping your own wood and provide a more efficient source of heat.  Granted, in an area where wood is easily accessible and free, burning wood will likely be the more economical choice.  But if your choice is between paying for chopped wood or paying for pellets, buying a pellet stove would likely be the way to go.

Technorati Tags: Pellet Stove Accessories, wood pellets

How to light wood pellets in a pellet basket with a gel firestarter in a wood stove or fireplace. Turn your existing wood stove or fireplace into a pellet stove. Great gift idea for fireplace accessories and wood pellets!

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Technorati Tags: gel firestarter, pellet basket, wood pellet stove