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| the jotul stove |
Which unit and brand should you buy?
There are many opinions on how to choose the right wood or pellet stove. However, it is important for shoppers not to forget the basics. Here are some distilled hints and tips to get you headed in the right direction.
For purposes of this article, we will discuss freestanding wood stoves and fireplace inserts(space heaters) which are tested to meet the current EPA clean burning standards. We will also consider the following as general stove size categories:
Manufacturers will usually state the firebox size on their literature. If they do not, you can measure it in your local stove shop or ask the dealer or manufacturer. Be sure to consider only the area where you can actually get wood into….don’t count those hidden corners.There is no magic in pellet stoves, wood stoves or coal stoves - same true for corn, or gas. It takes a certain amount of heat (BTUs) to do a certain job!
NOW YOU SHOULD KNOW- THAT A STOVE DOES NOT HEAT AT ALL - it is the wood (fuel) that you place in it that provides the heat. Therefore, if you intend to burn wood some evenings and weekends, and have a relatively limited supply of wood (like most people), it is important NOT to just go ahead and size the stove to your house size.
EXAMPLE: You have a 2,500 square foot farmhouse in New England, but intend to burn 1 1/2 cords a year. It might be best to get a medium or even a medium small stove and burn it very hot in the colder weather. This creates a more efficient burn. way mor efficient than burning propane,natural gas and even oil.
2 years ago i switched to natural gas from dirty old oil and found good results in the savings area, but nothing can compare to last years edition of a pellet stove, i believe i found the maximum savings especially since we got all of our windows replaced now everything is tight as a button(but that's a whole other topic, upcoming). Both the pellet and wood stoves will definitely keep your home warm and save you some cash, the only difference with the pellet stove is its auger and blower fan that run by electricity, and if there's a power outage(which did happen twice last year, no big deal) you don't have heat for that hopefully short period of time, So one last reason to go wood stove- it will give your kids a chore to do around the house, if you are interested in the saving and think your home is woodstove ready let me know along with your house's specs and i will find you some comparisons and great offers.