Outdoor Wood-Burning Stoves: A Look At Pros And Cons
ShareWith an increased interest in home heating that utilizes a more natural and available fuel source, the modern homeowner has found a renewed interest in wood-burning stoves. The typical wood-burning stove was situated inside the house, but modern engineering has allowed for these stoves to be an outdoor fixture, which takes the dangers of having a fire burning in the house out of the equation. Nevertheless, outdoor wood-burning stoves do have some pros and cons to be considered.
Pro: Outdoor wood-burning stoves are much larger than indoor versions.
One of the things homeowners are surprised to see when they first start considering an outdoor stove is the size of these units. The burn box where the wood and fire is houses is quite large, and this serves a few different purposes. For one, larger pieces of wood and more wood can be placed inside of the stove to burn. Secondly, because more wood can be put inside of the stove at one time, the stove does not have to be filled up throughout the day. You will likely only have to put wood inside of the burn box a few times a day if that.
Con: Outdoor wood stoves still require electricity to function.
Outdoor wood burning stoves can either be installed to operate with an existing forced heat system or with radiant water lines that carry the heat from the fire into the house. In either case, electricity is going to be required for the stove to function. For example, those stoves that rely on water lines will need a water pump to function properly, and that pump will need electricity to function. Traditional wooden stoves operate independently of electricity. Even if there is no electricity to power a connected blower on an indoor unit, the stove is inside the house so heat is naturally generated.
Pro: Outdoor wood stoves can be used to heat all structures on the property.
Outdoor wood stoves have this awesome ability to heat multiple structures at once. If you have a garage, workshop, or other building to heat besides to home, all it takes to also heat that structure is the addition of new heating lines from the stove itself. These stoves can generate massive amounts of heat that can be used almost indefinitely to send heat to where it is needed, unlike typical wood stoves that would only heat the structure where they are installed.
For more help, contact a heating repair service.