Frequently Asked Questions
What are the advantages of a cast iron wood stove?
Resistance to extreme temperatures
A cast iron wood stove consists of individually cast parts that are manufactured into their final shape. This process allows the cast iron to expand and contract so that it does not deform under heat.
Durability
When delivering a product that must last a generation or more, you can not compromise on the quality of materials. Just like car manufacturers with their engines, we chose the best material for the longevity of our heaters.
Design and attention to detail
Cast iron can be cast in 3-dimensional molds, allowing for intricate design, from angles to ornaments. These finishes help to increase the quality level of the products – from an aesthetic as well as a functional point of view. The finished product is unified and robust, avoiding welds that are worn over time.
Why heat with wood?
10 GOOD REASONS TO HEAT WITH WOOD
The Benefits of Burning Wood
1. It’s a renewable energy resource
Renewable means you don’t run out. Renewable means you don’t deplete the earth’s resources. Wood is energy from the sun, stored by the tree as it grows. When you burn wood you are releasing this stored energy. In the dark of winter, it’s like having a bit of summer sun on your hearth.
2. No global warming
When fuels burn they release carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas responsible for global warming.
carbon neutral
Burning fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas is like pumping carbon dioxide from the centre of the earth into the atmosphere – a one-way trip. Trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. When wood burns, the carbon dioxide is released, only to be absorbed again by young trees. Because trees recycle carbon dioxide, wood-burning just warms you, not the globe.
3. You’re in charge
Stop writing cheques every month to the energy utilities. Take control by heating with wood. In our climate, staying warm is right up there on the list of the most important things in life. Do you really want to leave something so important in the hands of a faceless corporation?
4. No more freezing in the dark
The big, centralized energy sources are not very reliable. When a storm interrupts the electrical supply, all the conventional heating systems are useless; the fancy heat pump falls silent, the gas furnace can’t work. But the wood stove or fireplace keeps you warm and cozy and safe.
5. Warms you like no other
The radiant heat from a stove or fireplace is like the rays of the sun. It warms you through and through. Come in from the storm and stand near the fire rubbing your hands together. It’s one of life’s small pleasures.
6. The romance of the flame
Sure it’s a cliché, but that doesn’t make it any less true. The soft glow of the fire is the favourite setting for an intimate conversation.
couple
It’s the place where friends and family gather to talk and laugh in comfort. Gazing into the fire, your imagination is free to soar on flights of fancy or probe the depths of the soul. Take a break from the harsh world outside – you’ll find solace there in the flames.
7. Raise your energy I.Q.
Flick the switch, turn up the thermostat. Now, what did that cost? What impact did it have on the natural world? What sins were committed in getting that energy to you? You’re in touch when you heat with wood. That arm load will last the day. That log you placed on the fire is a tangible measure of the cost to the environment of keeping your family warm. It’s the wood heat way of knowledge.
8.Heat a space, save some energy
Well-planned space heating saves energy. That stove or fireplace in the living room keeps you warm and cozy in the place you spend your time. The basement and bedrooms stay cool. Regardless of what you pay for energy, space heating with wood clips 25% right off the top.
9.Invest in your community
Spend a buck on oil, natural gas or electricity and you feed a corporate giant. Spend a buck on firewood and you feed a neighbor. Save a buck by heating with wood and you can spend that buck in your community. Heating with wood makes you richer in ways beyond counting.
10. It’s cheaper!
We almost forgot to mention it. Wood is the cheapest heating fuel you can use if you don’t live in a large city. Some people actually think the only reason we heat with wood is to save money. Poor souls, they miss so much of what is good in life.
Will my Wood Stove be efficient?
When you think about warming your hands on a chilly winter day, you probably envision sitting in front of a roaring fireplace. However, fireplaces are an inefficient way to heat a space.
Wood stoves are a much better option.
Today’s wood-burning stoves are more efficient and environmentally friendly than the wood stoves of the past. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first enacted energy efficiency standards for wood stoves in 1988. Since then, wood stove efficiency has only improved.
The wood stoves of old, however, have a bad rap. They were smoky and hard to control. Plus they required a lot of firewood. Wood stoves manufactured today adhere to strict, federally regulated emissions standards. These EPA standards ensure that wood stoves use firewood efficiently and do not vent smoke or other harmful indoor air pollutants into the house.
The EPA standards for wood stoves were made even stricter in May of 2020.
What about the areas surrounding my wood burning stove?
Floor and wall protection keeps your home safe.
Noncombustible floor pads keep stray sparks from setting your floor on fire. Install a floor pad level with the surrounding floor to prevent tripping. Noncombustible materials used for floor pads include concrete, slate, ceramic tile, or brick.
Walls surrounding a wood stove need to be covered with heat shields, usually made of sheet metal. These shields should be installed by a professional. The pros know the local building code requirements for heat shields.
What kind of maintenance is involved?
Schedule regular chimney cleanings to prevent creosote build-up. Have your wood-burning stove cleaned twice yearly, especially right before you start using the stove again.
Not all maintenance needs to be handled by a pro. On a regular basis, remove the ashes from your wood stove and dispose of them properly. Removing ashes from your stove can be messy, so read up on some ash removal tips.
You don’t always have to remove ash every time you start a fire. A one-inch layer of ash in the bottom of the stove actually helps you build a fire and keep it going. Just don’t let the ashes build up to more than a couple of inches.
At the end of the cold season, remove all the ashes from your stove.
How Do Wood-Burning Stoves Work?
Wood stoves are made of cast iron, stone, or steel. They burn wood, as the name indicates. Wood stoves have the following components:
Stove
Chimney
Damper
Baffle
When you light a fire in a wood stove, the heat from the fire warms the stove and the air in the room. The smoke from the fire is drawn out of the house through the stove’s chimney.
The damper allows you to control airflow to the stove. This airflow control affects the size of the fire and how much heat it puts out.
A baffle (or baffles, depending on the design and size of the stove) increases the combustion time of the fire gasses. This is an important feature since partially combusted gasses are serious air pollutants.
Dedicated wood burning stoves or fires are designed to burn wood in the most efficient way with combustion air coming from above the firebed (Airwash) along with the addition of a Cleanburn system ensuring the best possible combustion conditions. Woodburners have a fixed grate and no ashpan, since wood burns best on a bed of ashes.
What size stove do I need?
Room size and stove size are important considerations when purchasing a wood stove.
If your stove is too big, the room will get too hot. If the stove is too small, you’ll find yourself huddled around the stove and not enjoying any other parts of the room.
The location of your wood stove is key. It’s best to put the stove in a well-insulated room. This often rules out placing it in the basement, a typically less-insulated area of the home. Place your stove in a room on the main floor of your home.
Wood stoves work best when placed in the middle of a room since heat will radiate outwards from the stove. Placing a stove in the middle of your living room will obviously affect where you place your furniture. Draw out a plan to make sure your space will be usable when the stove is installed.
To achieve a relaxing room temperature of around 70ºF when the external air temperature is at freezing (32ºF) you will need approximately 1kW of heat output for every 14 cubic meters of space.
Measure the length, width and height of your room and multiply the three figures together.
For example, a room measuring 7m long by 4m wide and with a height of 2.5m is 70 cu. m. of space. Divide the sum by 14 and this means you will require a 5kW stove.
However this is just a rough guide, factors such as the number of outside walls, the size of windows and whether they are double glazed, the age of the home etc, can all influence the heat requirement.
We would always recommend you consult Knox Stoves directly before making your decision.