Publication date: 01/12/2008

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Wood-burning stoves are an efficient choice for heat

A few weeks ago, my publisher and his wife were shopping for a natural-gas fireplace insert at Evergreen Home and Garden in Clinton Township, (586) 791-2277. They noticed one of Clinton Township's finest, who was looking at the store's wood-burning stove display.

The officer explained that the new Vermont Castings stove he was looking at would provide the heat for his entire small house. My publisher and his wife were amazed.

Very few people understand that if you need to add heat to your home and have access to a plentiful supply of wood, installing a modern wood-burning stove can be a very good idea. Wood grows back. Natural gas and oil do not. Burning wood could turn out to be the smart, long-term, low-cost heating solution.

Vermont Castings' catalytic wood-burning Encore stove comes in choice of black or six different enamel coatings.

Tremendous burning efficiency is the hallmark of today's wood-burning stoves. Vermont Casting's wood-burning stoves, www.vermontcastings.com, are a good example. The stoves come in catalytic and noncatalytic Ever Burn models. Catalytic wood-burning stoves are the most efficient, but the catalytic combustor has to be replaced from time to time. Noncatalytic Ever Burn models are a little less efficient, but have a more beautiful flame, are easier to operate and less expensive to maintain.

To give you an idea of the difference between catalytic and noncatalytic wood-burning systems, the Encore Ever Burn system produces up to 40,000 BTUs. A catalytic model could go up to 47,000 BTUs.

One load of 20-inch logs burns up to nine to 10 hours in either system and can heat up to 1,900 square feet.

Vermont Castings' noncatalytic Defiant wood-burning stove produces up to 60,000 BTUs, burns up to 12 hours without refueling and can heat up to a 2,400-square-foot house.

If you need even more heat, the large classic wood stove by Regency Fireplace Products, www.regency-fire.com, produces up to 80,000 BTUs an hour. To give you an idea of how much heat that is, many of our whole-house, natural gas furnaces only produce 60,000 BTUs.

Unlike a fireplace, a decorative stove is inside the room. You get usable heat on both sides as well as in front of the stove. A wood-burning stove can be used with the doors closed for maximum efficiency, or with front doors opened for a cozy hearth-like fire.

The Vermont Castings Ever Burn system uses a secondary combustion chamber cast from specialized ceramic fiber that permits combustion at ultra-high temperatures for a more complete burn.

Two nice design features on Vermont Castings wood-burning stoves are that they are top-loading and have a swing-out ash pan. When you need to add a log, just open the top and insert the log. When burning is done, swing out the covered ash pan to remove the ash.

Fireplaces are beautiful but require a fairly extensive remodeling project. Most require a big hole in the wall. Although the walls behind or beside -- and the floor underneath -- a stove have to be protected, little tear-out is required. Venting can be through a traditional chimney or a direct vent, like a direct-vent fireplace.

If you like the idea of a stove, but don't want wood, you can buy most of the same designs equipped with natural gas logs. Interestingly, wood-burning models are cheaper and produce more heat. My advice would be to buy a wood-burner and sign up with your local Boy Scout troop for delivery of a couple of cords of firewood each fall.

Prices for woodburning stoves can range from $500 to $3,000 or more. The best place to see a good selection is to shop at a store that specializes in this equipment.

In Metro Detroit, you will find good selections at Evergreen Home and Garden in Eastpointe, (586) 778-7400, and Clinton Township, (586) 791-2277, www.evergreen homeandgarden.com; Heat N' Sweep in Canton Township, (734) 455-2820, www.heatnsweepofplymouth.com; Hearthside Fireplace and BBQ in Trenton, (734) 675-1510, www.hearthsidefire.com; Atherton Road Sales and Service in Burton, (810) 742-6770, www.athertonroad.com; and Emmett's Energy in Waterford Township, (248) 674-3828, and Romeo, (586) 752-2075, www.emmettsenergy.com).

If you need heat, it might be time to take a drive. You just can't beat the look, smell and efficiency of a nice wood fire.

Note: This article was accurate at the date of publication. However, information contained in it may have changed. If you plan to use the information contained herein for any purpose, verification of its continued accuracy is your responsibility.

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