Wood Stoves

DV asked:


I am looking for a wood or pellet / corn stove. I want good quality and a good price. I went to consumer reports to try to find a list there but after I signed up I found nothing in way of a list. I am open to lists, opinions, facts, and any other info that you may have on stoves. Thanks in advance.

Stained Glass Fireplace Screen

Viana D asked:


I live in a Apartment on the third floor. There is a house next to us that constantly has their wooden stove burning. All the fumes seem to come in to my Apartment from the top vents of their roof. Well into my Apartment, though sometimes it smells good, it does get a little disturbing, that constant smell, and My head seems to start to hurt, I have 3 children under 4yrs.

Do you think, this is a safety hazard, when their fumes of burning wood is coming into our home?

Plumbing Tips For Homeowners

Bonus Clown asked:


By efficient, I mean more heat released per kg of wood and less polution.

Pine Scented Candles

Buffalo Slobber asked:


I have a wood burning stove that I am installing on top of a slate tile base, the slate tile is uneven, and the stove needs to be shimmed. With most other appliances or cabinets wood shims would be an obvious answer, but that appears to be a bad idea in this application. What can I use to shim with?

Bamboo Vertical Blinds

DV asked:


I am looking for a wood or pellet / corn stove. I want good quality and a good price. I went to consumer reports to try to find a list there but after I signed up I found nothing in way of a list. I am open to lists, opinions, facts, and any other info that you may have on stoves. Thanks in advance.

Steps To Performing Cpr

Gerald Nevels asked:


We have all seen pictures of pioneer women cooking over an open flame in a fireplace. This fireplace is usually in a central location of the home. From this we know that, our forefathers have been using wood fireplaces to heat their home.  This tradition has continued until the present day.  The wood fireplace stayed pretty much the same until Benjamin Franklin invented the Franklin stove. The Franklin Stove was made of cast iron.  This allowed to stove body to heat up and then radiate the heat into the home.  The stove also had two swinging doors which allowed combustion air to be regulated thus increasing the efficiency of the stove.

Wood stoves have only improved since the pioneer time.  One of the next major improvement was to remove the swinging door and add air tight door with controlled air flows for combustion of the fire again increasing efficiencies, these stove were commonly know as air tight stoves, evolving into using glass doors to help enhance the beauty and viewing of the flame to simulate a little of the open fireplace.  The window glass technology became available with the space programs and a ceramic glass was invented that could withstand the heat produce by the hot fire of the stove.  This radical change was more for appearance then efficiencies.  Even today, it is very rare to see a wood stove without a glass door.

The EPA got involved to help reduce the emissions content form solid wood burning appliances. The EPA mandated particle emission standards that the stove manufacture had to meet certain standards or face fines for selling stoves that did not meet the standards, similar to the automotive industry. The solution was our modern high technology stoves with controlled airflow combustion, utilizing either a reburn system or a catalytic combustor. Now the wood stoves are peaking at 60 to 70% efficiencies.  The new technology stove Wood Stoves has virtually eliminated these harmful particles as long as the stove is used and burned correctly.  Laws have been passed to restrict the use and selling of the old non-certified Wood Stoves. In most states now, hearth stove dealers and not allowed to sell, professional installer are not allowed to install the older stoves, and homes that are sold are required to remove the old non-certified stove, all in the attempt to help clean up our air.

Wood has heated our home from almost the beginning of time. Now we are able to harness the full value of efficient wood heat. Join us onNevels Stoves to learn about alternate heating methods.



Portable Closet

RM0206sc asked:


We are looking to purchase a wood stove. We have a thimble and a hearth in our living room, but no stove. Our house is 1600 square feet and we’re hoping to cut down on our oil heating costs.
We’re debating size (specifically Jotul and Vermont Casting brands) and what size logs we want to accommodate (16 inch logs, 21 inch logs).
Any tips for a couple trying to figure this all out?

Kitchen Cabinet Organizers

David Tjosvold asked:


COMBUSTION AIR FOR WOOD FURNACES

Combustion air means outdoors air that is brought into the furnace room. A common question for folks installing wood furnaces is, “why do I need it?

A wood furnace requires what is called a Class A chimney. This could be a brick chimney or a HT (high temperature) insulated Stainless Steel chimney. Wood stoves, wood heaters and wood furnaces require from a 6” to 8” chimney, depending on the size of the unit. When you start a wood fire, the smoke and flue gases vent out through this chimney. As the fire gets hotter, more air is used to vent the unit.

Where does this air come from that is going out the chimney? The chimney requires what is referred to as make-up air or combustion air. 

Some folks may say, I don’t need this extra supply of air because my basement is leaky under or around the doors. It does not address the need for a wood furnace or even a conventional gas or oil furnace. Other reasons you need outside air are to replace the air removed from the home by gas or oil water heaters, bathroom or kitchen fans, cloths dryers.   

If you don’t have outside air installed, you will often notice cold drafts around your windows and doors. Another thing you will notice is that when you open a door to the outside, cold air will rush in. That’s because the chimney requires air to work, causing a vacuum in the home. 

The proper and most effective way to deal with this requirement is to install a combustion air intake similar to installing a clothes dryer vent. The out of doors air should be taken in about 6-7 feet above the basement floor. A vent cap similar to a clothes dryer vent can be used. It should be at least 5 inches in diameter, but can be as large as 8 inch. A metal or plastic pipe should be connected to the cap. It should end about one foot above the basement floor and as close to the furnace as possible but at least in the same room. Only enough air will come into the home as what the chimney is taking out. Some folks put a 180-degree elbow or a 5-gallon pail at the bottom of the intake to dispel any draft. 

Another acceptable method of make-up air is to install the vent from the roof or attic to one foot above the floor the same as above. The clothes dryer style is the easiest and least expensive to install. 

If you burn wood and follow the above suggestion, you can expect less creosote buildup in your wood heating appliance and chimney. Your wood fire will also burn cleaner.

 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

*Air-to-Air Heat Exchanger. This is a device that exchanges outside air with inside air. They have become popular over the last several years, especially in new homes with thick walls and heavy insulation. These homes don’t breathe. In other words, outside air does not naturally penetrate through your walls and windows. We recommend these and in fact are required in some states to avoid oxygen depletion in the living area.

They do not take the place of combustion air for either a wood, gas or oil furnace that have a conventional chimney.

 

If you have doubts on the above theory, consider the following:  Years ago, folks had an open top trash burning barrel, usually a used 55-gallon drum. Unless you cut some holes for air near the bottom of the barrel, the trash would not burn or if it did it would be very Smokey. The reason is there is not enough oxygen at the bottom of the barrel for proper combustion for whatever you are burning. 

If your outdoor charcoal grille has an opening in the bottom, the fire will get hot faster because of a fresh oxygen supply at or under the flame level. 

If there is a fire in your home, it is always recommended that you get as close to the floor as possible until help arrives.  That’s because the air closest to the floor has the most oxygen. The same theory holds true for wood stoves and furnaces.



Wholesale Scented Jar Candles

yldndn6 asked:


My wife and I bought a Peacock wood stove and we cannot install it until we can provide the above referenced info to the city inspector. This stove was made in Baldwin, MI and we have contacted the manufacturer directly, but they no longer make the stoves, and do not have any info on them anymore. We have also contacted dealers across the state, and they have no such info either. Does anyone out there have this information?

Designer Scented Candles