letters to the editor

The Biggest Mistake Wood Stove Owners Make?

I currently live in a very small 130-year-old house heated 100 percent by wood. The mistake I think that most people make burning wood is the mindset that wood heat is free or super cheap, making insulation a low priority. The single largest source of inefficiency is the heat-retaining qualities of your house.

I super-insulated my old house of about 1,000 square feet. As a result, unless the outside temperature is below 20 degrees F, I need only one very small but intense fire each morning and the house stays warm all day/night until the following day. I don’t burn any until the temperature gets below 35 for extended periods. I cut my wood in 8-inch lengths and split it down to 2 to 3 inch cross sections. My indoor wood box, 2x2x4, stores plenty of wood for 3 to 4 weeks of January northern West Virginia winter.

Gerald