If I were to have a wood stove it would be an option for heating. Because like you, I've never heated a home with wood before. Id make sure you have good circulation and some carbon monoxide detectors.

After that it would be trial and error. Figure out if your set up CAN heat your house evenly. If not maybe put some electric baseboard heaters in place where the stove doesn't get to well.

I'm making this up as I go.

 

Lay tile around the stove. Fire resistant and it reflects heat pretty well, too. Don't get the stack too close to the wall. Stoves do well in the middle of a room.

 

Good score
Ive been looking at a cheapo stove from harborfrieght But my commie county says no added fire places do to smog I still may do it

 

no only means if you get caught you have to remove it.. but if its installed and they dont see it... well then.. my grandmother said everyone should have a wood stove with there normal heat for when the power goes out your pipes wont freeze..

 

ceiling fans set on low speed reverse help circulate the heat

Congrats! good score!

 

I use this trick with my gas heater at home - keeps the heat even thru out the room instead of staying near the ceiling.

 

REALLY?my last name is long, i didn`t think anyone i know made wood stoves. REALLY far off relative =)

 

Been heating with wood for 20 years.

One be sure to put up a wall heat sheild. use one inch spacer to leave an air cap between wall and fire board. Most MFG suggest 31 inch from walls. with right heat shield you can be 20 with no issues.

Two. slow moving fans to push and pull heat through out house. faster the fan the faster the air gets cooled. that defeats the reason.

Three. hard wood like oak, hickery, and beach produce the best heat. I like beach because you can hardly see the smoke.

True story: my grandpa was in the battle of the bulge. -40 was the temps. duren the day light he would burn beach because you can't see the smoke. Then he would fill an ammo can from a 50 cal machine gun with the hot coals. That gave him an all night heater in his fox hole.

Four: if you put a catalitic converter on your flue pipe you will burn 30% less wood with same heat output.

Five: get a flue pipe temp gage. You want you burn rate to be over 300 but under 550 on your pipe. Under makes creosote over is risk of ceiling fire.

six: I used tripple wall thru my ceilling / roof. Cost more but well worth it

Happy Burning

 

Sounds like I'm off to a good start. The stove will be installed in the basement in front of a large existing fireplace (gas log). The flue will come off the top, go up 3ft+/- to a 90, then go through the chimney to the outside and "T", then up the outside of the chimney.

The chimney is brick but it's 20" X 5" and there is no way to get 8" stainless crammed into 5".

The total length will be 23 to 24 feet so the draw should be good. The pipe will be 8" double wall with ceramic insulation. The stove will sit on a 1.5" firebrick hearth.

I've spoken with my homeowners insurance people and it will only be a $25 per year increase in the premium.

What about a log splitter? My son is married and moved out, so that is no longer an option. I can still swing a maul, but not enough to heat an entire house.

Oak is probably all that I will burn as I have so much of it.

 

Congrats.

I got one that I can have for free. I just need the time to go and take it out of a client's basement (I'm a GC). Been sitting there for me to take for the past 6 months = no time to get it tho. This would be my 3rd wood stove (I also have a $35 wood stove in the barn and a $150 one in the living room)

Free and cheap are the way to go......

_________________________________________________
Hoarding, as a human behavior, may be a response to perceived or predicted shortages of specific goods, or …..a compulsive abnormal behavior.

 

"my commie county says no added fire places do to smog"

FTC. I'm in the same boat. I love my new old wood stove...

 

this is like the 1 i have


http://www.harborfreight.com/10-ton-hydraulic-log-splitter-67090.html

 

How well does that work? looks like a hard days work to me

I cheat. I go to our local rental store and rent one when I have all my logs ready. I get if for 30 dollars a day. I always take it on saturday morning because they are closed on Sundays. That gives me two days or 15 bucks a day. Then I drop it off on Monday on my way to work.

 

An old saying around here: Wood heat warms twice; once when you split it, then again when you burn it.

 

I cant wait to hear what you do and how it works out for you skully.

 

Nice score, Skully. I'm gonna have to trouble you for a picture of the unit...

 

#1 Have a professional install it.

#2 Please, please, please check out this site AND ask questions.

http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/

 

WOW! Brain food indeed.
Thank you for the excellent link.

I will be getting the estimate today for the install.
The guy has installed stoves for about 20 years, "The Chimney Doctor", is the company name. They contract for most of the stove resellers in the area.

 

I use a hand splitter like this for small jobs and I don't need or want to rent a gas splitter.

Works great. Easy on my old man back. And I can use it in my basement or garage. Wear ear protection as the metal slamming into metal is loud, especially inside.

http://www.smartlogsplitter.com/smart-splitter-product-details.html

http://www.northlineexpress.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=5EM-1162