Benefits of a Wood Stove

When you shop for fireplaces or stoves, you will choose from a number of options. Some of the most popular are traditional fireplaces, pellet stoves, gas stoves, and wood stoves.

Each has its advantages, but if you are looking for the most natural-looking fire, traditional fireplaces and wood stoves top the list. Of these two, wood stoves offer some intriguing advantages over conventional fireplaces that are worth knowing.

This article lays out some of the best traits of a wood stove that may make it the right option for you.

Superior Heat Output

There is a reason you frequently see wood stoves inside cabins in ultra-cold areas of the country. There is no comparison between the heat output of wood stoves compared to traditional fireplaces. Wood stoves provide 3x the energy with only 1/3 of the amount of fuel, and that is because they are specially designed to maximize heat output and create faster heating inside your home.

Less Fuel Cost and Labor

Using 1/3 of the fuel of a traditional fireplace means lower cost for fuel and less cutting and stacking, resulting in some added time savings that you and your back will appreciate.

It Uses Convection Heating

A wood stove works by convection heating: taking in a room's cold air and expelling it as warm or hot air. It also creates evenly-distributed heating like a space heater, rather than radiant heating that only heats surfaces such as furniture. This circulating, non-directional heating makes a wood stove an extremely efficient and more comfortable way to heat a room.

No Need for Electricity or Gas Piping

If a natural disaster strikes, no need to worry. Though some wood stoves use electricity to operate blowers, not all do. Non-electric models only require raw wood and a way to light it. You can avoid issues like a loss of electricity or broken gas lines and heating pumps. The rest of the process works naturally.

Wood Stoves Can Be Placed Anywhere

You can install a wood stove without affecting the framework and supports of your current home; in fact, it won't need to go through your roof. The piping can be angled and fed through a wall. You can have a wood stove in any room of your home - and in every room.

Since the installation process is easy, you can also have it installed at a significantly lower expense than a traditional fireplace.

Less Smoke

If your home has poor ventilation, the smoke from burning wood can cause respiratory problems and even lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. The same smoke also creates unsightly dark stains you'll wish you didn't have.

A wood stove, however, has improved air channeling that leads to less smoke in a room, keeping the inside air cleaner and fresher. Since the fire is also more contained, a wood stove also reduces the chances of unsightly stains on your walls.

Wood Stoves Can Save You Money

Fuel costs will depend on your location, but if you live in an area with an abundance of wood, such as in a rural location, you may save more money than a pellet stove or gas stove. If wood pellets, cordwood, or other biomass is cheaper in your area, you can opt to use those materials instead of wood logs – as long as you have the proper inserts for the fuel you use.  

Choose Between Catalytic and Non-Catalytic Models

Catalytic wood stoves allow for prolonged, continuous heating. Non-catalytic models allow for intermittent or supplementary heating without sacrificing catalytic stove benefits.

One is not better than the other, but you can choose between the two to better suit your needs.

Attractive Designs in a Small Footprint

A wood stove design is often smaller in bulk than a traditional fireplace. This allows for more open space within a room, making it easier to meet the heating needs of any room in your house.

At the same time, you won't sacrifice aesthetic appeal. Wood stoves come in a broad range of styles to complement homes from traditional to modern. Whatever house style you have, you can find a wood stove that blends with it beautifully.

It Improves Your Property Values

Since a wood stove is more efficient than a traditional fireplace, a future homeowner will appreciate the added energy savings per month. Plus, the more compact design can improve the look of your home, bringing you a higher selling price.

It's a Cooker and Heater in One!

Both a wood fireplace and a wood stove will heat your home, but a wood stove can be used for cooking as well. You can order a heater or a heater and cooktop stove combination. Having the option of cooking in areas where other forms of energy are difficult to obtain means you get more usage from one stove for less energy and less work. Plus, having both items in one means you save more space in your home.

Sure, you can technically cook in a traditional fireplace if you need to, but when it comes to overall convenience and cooking performance, a wood stove has a traditional fireplace beat.

Wood Stoves - A Wealth of Advantages

A wood stove is a powerful and effective way to get the all-important heat you need while keeping costs down, making it a solution you and your wallet will love. At the same time, you enjoy the advantages of less smoke, versatile placement, cheaper installation, and an improved beauty that you and any future owners will appreciate.