August 25, 2008

Some Considerations for Choosing a Wood Stove for Your Survival

The other day I heard a talk show host reviewing predictions for the coming winter from the new edition of the Farmer's Almanac. I don't know how much stock to put into this, but supposedly two thirds of the country will have a winter that's colder and wetter than average. Not so for the Southwest and Southeast.

In any event, with oil prices up, many are already converting to or adding a wood burning stove for heating at home. If you're thinking about doing this, the following article gives some useful information to consider.

Steps to Choosing the Perfect Wood Stove by AJ Vanderhorst

When you set out to find the right stove for your home, thereâ€™s a lot to think about. Fortunately, after you answer some basic questions, picking a wood stove becomes a question of style-not survival! Here are some steps to help you enjoy the buying experience.

Step one, know why you want a wood stove. What main purpose will the stove serve? Heating, cooking, ambiance-or some combination? How much heat does the stove need to provide? Are you heating a single room, a whole floor, a good-sized house, or a cottage? A final question is how often the stove will be used-frequently or occasionally? Knowing what you want your wood stove to accomplish is the first step toward buying the perfect model.

Step two, read the small print–but read it casually. When you look at models, find the stickers on the stoves that tell you they are certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This means they are environmentally friendly and burn efficiently. If youâ€™re shopping for stoves online, this information will be readily available. The EPA approval is the important thing. Youâ€™ll find the Btu ratings and square footage heating estimates as well, but since they aren't standardized, itâ€™s a mistake to depend on them too much as you shop. Consider them rough estimates, and focus instead on the size of the stoves youâ€™re looking at. (See below.)

Step three, donâ€™t buy the biggest, shiniest stove you can find-unless thatâ€™s what you need. You can buy a Hummer for cross-country driving without sacrificing comfort. But buying large stoves for small heating needs causes potential fire hazards and stuffy rooms. In addition, wood stoves that are too large cost you money. To control the heat, youâ€™ll be forced to cut down the stove's air supply-which will reduce efficiency and waste fuel. Buying over-sized wood stoves is a common mistake-but not one that you have to make. Practically, stoves come in only three sizes–small, medium, and large. Hereâ€™s a breakdown of how the sizes relate to your needs:

* Small stoves heat a small cabin or large room. * Medium stoves heat small or moderately-sized houses. * Large stoves heat large or drafty houses.

Ultimately, a solid understanding of why you want a wood burning stove, with your climate, house type and fuel choice factored in, will lead you to the correctly-sized, EPA-approved models. At that point, the purchase gets fun: Which colors and styles do you prefer?

About the Author

AJ Vanderhorst writes about modern wood stoves for today's home owners. A world of warm aesthetics and hot, clean, fuel economy awaits your discovery. Explore today's wood burning stoves at Wood Stoves.

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Lehman's has the wood stoves and accessories you need. This is one of their areas of expertise. I suggest going to their web site by clicking the logo below, then click the Stoves category on their left sidebar. If you decide to call them with questions or to place an order, mention you heard about them from DestinySurvival.com.

If you're already burning wood at home, here's a nifty item from Lehman's you'll want to have. It's a Newspaper Log Roller that lets you use old newspapers as fuel. Tightly wrapped newspaper burns slowly and provides extended periods of heat. All you do is insert a folded edge of the paper into the slot and start winding. Once you've started, keep adding sections of newspaper until the log is the desired size. With practice a log can be rolled in about 5 minutes. Then pull the center rod out of the log to remove it. Lehman's warns that paper logs should not be used in a catalytic stove as the ash will damage the catalyst.

To order your Newspaper Log Roller, click on the Lehman's logo and type the item number 72737 in their home page search box. When the next page appears, click on the picture of the Newspaper Log Roller for more info and to order. Turning old newspapers into fuel to heat your home is a great way to make recycling work for you.