It is time to warm up your houses without putting your money on fire by buying one of the best wood stoves of 2021. Wood stoves are a cost-effective method to stay cosy and warm in winters. They are available in different sizes, but mostly they are helpful for small to average size homes. Additionally, wood stoves are energy efficient and have high-efficiency BTU that makes them powerful. The emission rate from wood stoves is also low, so it has a cleaner-burning rate. Thus, a wood stove is packed with many advantages if you buy the correct unit.
What are the Features to Consider?
The multiple options available in the wood stove can boggle your mind, especially if you are buying it for the first time. All wood stoves aim to heat the surroundings when it is cold outside, but if you look out for the features below, you can get the best wood stove.
Heat Output
A wood-burning stove is for heating the surrounding, so the first thing you need to check is the heat rating. The product description or details section will consider information about the stove. You can easily find the heat output range in BTU (British Thermal Units) per hour. It would show how much heat a wood stove can produce in an hour.
Mostly the heat rating of wood stoves lies between 60000 BTU and 10,000 BTU. The higher the BTU, the more quickly it increases the temperature of the room. If you are planning to buy a wood stove for a large area, it is best to buy the one with a high BTU/hour. You can use a burning stove with almost 30,000 BTU/hour for 1000 square feet. Typically, it would be best to have a small-sized wooden stove with 30,000-60,000 BTU for a small house. For an average-sized home, experts recommend a medium-sized stove that provides 60,000-120,000 BTU. Similarly, for a large home, you should go for a large wood stove that has a heat range of more than 120,000 BTU.
If you want to change the heat output, you can change a few things like the number of wooden logs used or the type. A point to note here is that the heat output does not define the heat distribution; the stove's blower is responsible for pushing the warm air through the room.
Supported Heating Area
Just like heat rating, a supported heating area is essential to note before buying a wood stove. You can find the supported heating area rating in the description of the product. It tells how much area or space the wood stove can efficiently heat up. A miniature model can usually heat an area of 1000 square feet; on the other hand, powerful models can heat an area of 2000 square feet or even more. Thus, based on your requirements, you can select the best wood stove to buy. Generally, for industrial areas and offices, you prefer to go with a high area rating stove.
Wood Log Size
As you would have guessed from the name, a wood stove uses wood logs to produce heat and keep the surroundings warm. The log acts as fuel for the stove and powers it to function. To ensure that the fuel is getting in properly, you need to find a compatible wood log. The combustion process and heat production require you to put in the perfect size of wood log.
Usually, you can find the maximum compatible wooden log size mentioned in the product description. The burning compartments have a limited size, so you cannot stuff a log that is too large. Most of the stoves have burning compartments that are fit for logs of 19-23 inches in length. However, it would help if you read the product description or ask the sales representative for the compatible size of the wood log to get your logs cut accordingly.
Free Standing Stove or Fireplace Insert?
There are mainly two types of wood stove; freestanding stove and fireplace stove. You might have figured out what they are from their names. The advantage of a freestanding stove is that you can install it in a place where there is no pre-existing fireplace or masonry. You can directly keep it over tile floors or bricks. Some people also place a hearth pad beneath the standing stove. A freestanding stove is further divided into an elevated tower stove, low to the floor stove, stove with legs, or pedestal stove. Sometimes you can also fit a freestanding stove in masonry, but it is best to go for a fireplace insert stove. A fireplace insert stove is a perfect match for masonry.
Improvement in Catalytic Stoves
Earlier, when catalytic stoves were newly introduced in the 80s, they had a terrible reputation. The customer's negative feedback flooded in as the combustors failed to perform. A catalytic combustor is for reducing the emission of gases from the stove. The poor design of the combustors used to cause troubles where users tried to turn it on. Even if it turned on, the combustor would not last long.
Luckily, the mistakes have been rectified, and the new catalytic wood stoves work perfectly. Catalytic stoves are cleaner and more efficient than non-catalytic stoves. Furthermore, they are updated to last for more than ten years at least.
Wood Stove FAQs
Q. How to fire up the woodstove?
You can place an old newspaper on the bottom of the stove as an ignition for the fire. Then, you have to stack up the stove with compatible wood logs. You are all set to fire it up and turn the environment of your room cosy.
Q. Can I leave the wood stove on at night?
Leaving the wood stove on at night is not recommended because leaving a fire unattended is not safe. However, you can double-check with your wood stove model to see if leaving it on at night is safe.
Q. What is the best place to install a wood stove?
Experts recommend that you should install a freestanding wood stove in the centre of the area. For a fireplace inserting wood stove, you can choose the centre wall that has a connection with the chimney. The wood stove works by distributing the warm air, so if the wood stove is placed in the centre, air distribution will be faster.