How safe is a wood burning stove/furnace?

Question

My husband wants to buy a wood burning stove to heat our home in the winter time because of the cost of propane. He will have it installed in the basement (concrete floors) and he said the radiant heat will flow upwards and heat the entire house. My fear is that our house has tongue and groove knotty pine throughout 75 % of the upstair's ceilings and walls. The knotty pine has been stripped and varnished with polyurathane from when the house was first purchased around 9 years ago. My fear is that the wood stove could catch the knotty pine on fire. He thinks I'm being silly, but I'm just trying to be cautious. What are the pros and cons of a wood burning stove for heat?

Answer 1

A husband who thinks his wife's fears are silly sleeps on the couch, rightr? No, you aren't silly. The thing needs to be installed properly and, most importantly, the vent pipe must be done well especially where it goes through the wall and, once outside, it must clear roof lines or there is great danger that the products of flames will back up into the house (not good if that happens).
Radiant heat only flows in a straight line and does not go through any material except air. So, you'll need to arrange to allow the heated air to flow up and (surprise, surprise) the cool air to flow down to be re-heated. Depending on the source of the wood, it will heat three or four times. Once when the tree is cut, once when it is sawn, and again when it is split.
Much more convenient might be a stove that burns corn or wood pellets.

Answer 2

Add On Wood Burning Furnace

Answer 3

Wood Stove Safety

Answer 4

I'd think it would be ok. If you're that worried, look into a pellet stove. They heat as well or better than wood stoves. Plus, you can get pellets in different scents and will make your whole house smell good. We have propane out here too, and it is very expensive. Just make sure whatever kind of stove you get is properly vented, and you should have no problems. I'll list a site below that has information about them.

Answer 5

I have a pellet stove and it's great (upstate NY winters are tough!). In my last house I had a woodstove and that was OK too, but much more work than a pellet stove. The pellet stove needs very little clearance from the walls; no way will it catch something upstairs on fire. People used fire for thousands of years to heat their homes. The only thing I don't like is that it gets very dry, so get a humidifier or put a pan of water on the woodstove.

Answer 6

Well first and foremost you are smart to be very cautious of it, you need to respect the dangers of using a open flame in your home. The biggest thing is make sure you have your chimney cleaned yearly or more often if running the stove slow. The heat from the stove wont catch the walls on fire especially if they are upstairs and your stove will be in the basement. If there was that much heat you couldn't stay inside. When you get it installed ask the installer to give you both a " tutorial" on how to use the stove. The best thing is be cautious and understand how it works.

Answer 7

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How safe is a wood burning stove/furnace?
My husband wants to buy a wood burning stove to heat our home in the winter time because of the cost of propane. He will have it installed in the basement (concrete floors) and he said the radiant heat will flow upwards and heat the entire house. My fear is that our house has tongue and groove...

Answer 8

Having had both wood and coal for heat, I would recommend a coal stove.

There was much less work to do on it, it was also much neater and easier to work with. I was not concerned at all with fire, we had fireproofed the area around both of them and the walls in back of them.

I think the coal is a great heat source, but like I said, if I were you, I'd be more concerned with the mess from schlepping the wood and having to feed it.

Answer 9

I would not fear the fire aspects but I would fear the cost of the wood.. I know just from a fireplace it is very costly to buy many cords of wood.. A cord of wood here is around $100 and would not last a long time.. It would be much more expensive for wood than for propane or gas

Answer 10

You are being silly if the stove is properly installed.

Wood ignites at 451 degrees Fahrenheit. You'd be dead way before the walls caught fire.