Living Off Grid - 5 Tips for Wood Stoves

My family and I are building an off the grid home and plan to put in a wood burning stove for both heating as well as cooking. I've never had a wood stove in my home before so I did some research and found five great tips on how to heat your home efficiently using a wood stove.

Seasoned Wood Burns more Efficiently
Unseasoned wood contains a lot of moisture that must be burned off before the wood actually begins giving off enough heat to warm up your house. "Seasoned wood burns hotter and more efficiently, helps decrease the amount of creosote buildup in your stovepipe and saves you money".

Keep the Stove Clear of Ash
Fire needs oxygen and in a wood stove, oxygen comes in through air-intake vents. Removing excess ash from your stove will keep your wood stove's air-intake vents clear and unclogged.

Make Your House Draft-Free
If you keep your home well insulated, you'll be able to use less wood to maintain a comfortable temperature within the house. Good insulation, caulking and weather stripping can all help keep your house sealed.

Purchase a Stove to Suit Your Needs
It's important to choose a stove that will suit the needs of your home. A stove that is too large may increase creosote production, while one that is too small may not effectively heat the space for which it was intended to.

Use the Type of Fuel that Your Stove was Designed to Burn
This may seem like a no-brainer but if your stove is specifically a 'wood burning stove', don't burn anything other than wood in it. Some substances like plastics can give off toxic gasses and things like, "driftwood, treated wood, artificial logs, or anything containing plastics, lead, zinc or sulfur will damage your catalytic combustor".

For more great information on choosing and using your wood stove, check out Choosing and Using Your Wood Stove