Eventually We’ll Get Blasted by a Cold Snowy Winter: Prepare by Installing a Wood Burning Stove

Any Coloradan who has been through one snowy season knows winter’s wrath could be just around the corner and may want to renew their thoughts on installing a wood burning stove. A great addition to kitchens and living areas, drafty rooms, and under-insulated older homes, wood stoves can not only take your toes back to toasty, but reduce those thought-cringing electric, propane, or heating oil-related energy bills.

Not your Granny’s wood stove

considerably more efficient than yesteryear’s models, installing a wood burning stove today offers efficiency ranges from 60-80% depending on model, courtesy of tightened EPA manufacturing regulations, as well as savings in fuel costs and drastically reduced emissions.

Cooking with character

As a secondary or primary heating source, as well as a surface compatible with cooking, wood stoves come in an assortment of sizes and styles…

Heating things up: Catalytic vs. non-catalytic:

Looking for ambiance and a bit of supplemental heat? Opt for a non-catalytic model and sit back and enjoy the show. Prefer lower emissions and longer, more even heat output? Catalytic models are your ticket, but require a bit more maintenance and the replacement of the catalyst every 5 years.

Output: Don’t blow it with BTUs.

Evaluating your space, insulation, windows, floor plan, and heating needs to avoid disappointment after installing a wood burning stove. Too many BTUs (British Thermal Units) and you’ll roast your family, too few and you’ll freeze. Professional evaluation is highly recommended and Fireplace Warehouse offers free consultations.

Putting on a good face: Stove construction:

• Steel: An economical choice that both heats up and cools down rapidly.
• Cast iron: Extremely popular in traditional and enamel finishes, including colors, taking a while to heat up but holding heat longer than steel stove models.
• Soapstone: Takes a little while longer to heat, but retains heat best, offering even heating for many hours. Better for burning over extended periods than short, weekend burns. (Note: A cast iron layer often surrounds the stone.)

Is a wood burning stove for me?

Installing a wood burning stove is a fantastic way to withstand Denver’s chilly winters, but does come with some maintenance. Before choosing a wood burning stove for heat, consider your ability to source or split and season wood for fuel, as well as necessary daily, weekly, and annual maintenance, including disposing of the ashes, and clearing soot or built-up creosote by a chimney professional once or twice a season.

Ready to warm up to a wood burning stove? Learn more about available models, or contact Fireplace Warehouse ETC today and schedule an appointment with one of our friendly professionals to work out the details of installing a wood burning stove in your Denver-area home today.