If you heat with a woodstove, could you please help here ?

Question

I live in Oregon and have heated with wood before,now I may have to resort to it again as I have to live on pennies on my retired fixed income and I'm sick. So why can't I just buy a do-able woodstove, get firewood which I know isn't cheap, but may be cheaper than the quadrupled nat. gas price and use wood heat. I haven't done it since 1988, so I need to be updated. I know there are burning reg. for air quality but I've been told locally in my city it isn't a problem. I know to buy wood is expensive but I can chop it down where I live. I'd like to know economic drawbacks etc. or benefits since I've been out of wood heat since 1988. I do have a place to put it,when I bought the house, they took the wood stove and their is a beautiful rock hearth and opening for the stove pipe chimney.

Answer 1

First, check with your homeowners insurance about rates for different types of woodburners. When I did, my agent told me a built-in fireplace was fine but a free-standing wood stove would raise my rates by 10% due to the chance of fire damage. Have your unit professionally installed. The newer units are much more efficient than the old ones so you will probably save money.

Answer 2

I believe wood fires a terrific and envy you. Cut only the suitable wood and let it dry. Pine cones are free and OK to use. Some people recycle paper and soak it in a liquid of either wash soda/ bleach and then dry the mash paper in either log form from a mould or it was squeezed into a ball. It has to be pressed like to extract the moisture and dryed.. It will save a tree and recycle paper waste.. good luck !