$600 savings in the first year of use!
People living north of the Mason-Dixon line won't believe it, but North Carolina gets COLD in Winter.
Having purchased a rural cottage on a lake in the Piedmont region of North Carolina a few years ago, and having observed the "excess resource" of wood already available on the property - buying a wood stove seemed a smart move. I am not disappointed.
This little stove - Century Hearth Model FW240007 - really cranks out some heat - and I mean HEAT - not just warm air!
A good link for a description of all the bells and whistles of this stove is at Vermont Castings.
You'll either need to understand and be very handy with the installation requirements or have someone do the tough stuff - like cutting a hole in the roof and assembling the proper pipe, etc. You'll also need to carefully follow the code for distance from walls and have a fireproof mat for your floor. As you can see in the picture, the mat protects the ceramic tiles on the floor.
Other items of importance to novice users will be the need for a blower fan. Otherwise, you'll have a 90 degree area right around the stove and not enough heat moving through the rest of your home. This particular model's coverage is up to 1500 square feet of living area.
Don't forget to buy an ash bucket which will soon feel like an appendage. The good news is that carting the bucket back and forth inside and out will do wonders for your ability to move from 90 degrees to 5 degrees in a timely and efficient manner. A little use of the biceps is never a bad thing either. Exercise with a purpose!
This is not a purchase for those who like to just sit in a warm house during Winter. It's a fair amount of work - even if you have wood available as I do on my property. You still have to haul the wood, tend the fire, clean the stove and the pipe - and plan for those times when the stove has cooled and so has the house. If you can project-plan this into a daily process though, I highly recommend it as a viable option to gas, oil, or electricity for home heating.
From an economic standpoint, since heating my house is normally accomplished by propane and a gas pack unit, I estimate my expenses this first heating season will be cut in half - in this area and at current propane rates - a savings around $600 for one season.
I purchased this stove at Lowe's for around $480, end of 2007. The other items needed to complete installation brought the total cost to just under $1500, (double-walled pipe is not cheap.) I am very pleased with the return on investment of this purchase.
If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask...
Enjoy!
