People often think outdated or too early-1900s when someone mentions a wood burning stove. Have you actually taken the time to look at some of the newer models? They’re quite impressive in more ways than one! Let’s take a look at several reasons you should consider investing in a wood burning stove.
Heating Ability: Wood burning stoves produce an amazing amount of heat. They actually work on the principal of radiant heat. They are intended to heat a single room instead of being attached to the duct work and blown throughout the home. You can install a blower on most units to help distribute heat through multiple adjacent rooms.
Environmentally Friendly: This is a questionable concept for many people, but hear me out. Trees absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere while they’re growing. When they’re burned, they do not add carbon dioxide to the environment, making them carbon neutral. Consider participating in tree planting activities in your local area if you’re concerned about the number of trees cut for firewood each year. If we all contribute, the issue of firewood will balance.
Save Money: A wood burning stove costs less to operate than any other heat source. You may even consider using a wood burner to supplement your electric heat and save even more money.
Not Reliant on Electricity: Like a fireplace, a wood burning stove is not reliant on whether the power is on or off. Keep your family nice and toasty warm, even in the depths of winter, like now, if the power goes out. I know we all remember the big winter storm in December 2009 when the power was off for several weeks in some areas!
Flat Surface: Along those same lines, in the event of a power outage, you can cook on the top surface of your wood burning stove. You may be surprised how easy it is to make full meals on the stove top.
Flexible Placement: Older wood stoves, like those built in the 1980s and earlier, required a lot of clearance from combustible walls. They were very difficult to use in many houses because of this requirement. Technological advances have made it so that you can now place then virtually anywhere. Many require as little as a few inches of clearance. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, as all units are made differently!
Incredibly Beautiful: One of the reasons people stopped using wood burning stoves, in addition to the fact that they simply took up too much space, was because they were just big ugly black iron boxes. That, too, has changed. Do a quick Google search for wood burning stove and take a look at some of the extremely impressive units available in today’s market.
Help with Installation
If you’ve decided that you would like to invest in a wood stove, but you’re worried that you can’t install it on your own, call me at 610-626-2439. We’ll schedule a time for a consultation and help with the installation process.