Wood Stoves on the Homestead

I didn’t grow up with alternative heat sources, but we’ve been heating with wood on our homestead in some capacity for the past 9 years now. And I can’t imagine not having it!

We started out with a freestanding unit in our garage/workshop that we ran periodically so that Tommy could continue woodworking during the wintertime.

When we moved to our current property, we inherited a freestanding unit that was installed in the primary living room. Initially, our motivations to heat with wood were mainly to save money. Big old farmhouses are notoriously drafty and even with TWO different furnaces running — we still constantly felt like the entire house was cold (and we were bleeding thousands of dollars in propane!) Running our freestanding unit helped to “take the edge off” and the aesthetics of it were pretty nice too.

Then after our propane tank ran dry one February — despite our requests for it to be refilled multiple times — we realized that relying on someone to keep our house warm in the dead of winter was no longer an option. We needed to get serious about learning to heat with wood consistently. We went back and forth about adding a bigger, out door burning unit… putting in an add on unit to our current furnace system… or even switching to a cookstove!

Ultimately, we decided first to upgrade to a freestanding model that stayed in our living room but burned wood more efficiently and also allowed a flat surface that could be used as a cook-top.

This gave us guaranteed heat (as long as we had wood!) in the primary areas of our house + the ability to cook — even if we lost power. And it only cost us about $1,500. I thought it might be helpful to summarize some of the main different types of units people use to heat with wood and cover some of their pros & cons to help you decide which might be best for you.

Freestanding Units

Freestanding wood stove units are usually the most affordable option to install. They are typically placed directly in a main living area where the heat they give off is enjoyed directly from the unit vs. through piping/duct work.

Pros:
Convenient to load, potential cooking option, aesthetically pleasing, concentrates heat to a specific part of your house, no electricity needed to run.

Cons:
Messy in the immediate area, can make one room VERY hot, wood must be very dry and cut small, needs to be fed regularly.

Cookstoves

Cookstoves are similar to freestanding units in that they are in a primary area of your house. They are typically much larger though, and also have baking/warming compartments and much more surface area for cooking.

Pros:
Convenient to load, alternative cooking & baking option, aesthetically pleasing, concentrates heat to a specific part of your house, no electricity needed

Cons:
Messy in the immediate area, you never want to leave it to do other things because it’s so cozy, wood must be very dry and cut small, needs to be fed regularly

Outdoor Boiler

Like the name says — outdoor units are outside and then piped underground to bring the heat created into the home (which is then typically disturbed through the ductwork in the house). Though the upfront cost is much higher for these units, you do save a lot on non-insulated piping (which you need for indoor units).

Pros:
Wood can be cut large & green and still burn, heats large areas/multiple buildings, mess of wood/ashes stays outside, only needs to be filled 1-2x/day

Cons:
Uses a lot more wood, much higher upfront cost to install, no ability to cook with it, inconvenient to load since it’s outside, requires electricity

Add On Furnace

The last common style is an add on-unit. This sits next to your existing furnace and pipes directly into your existing ductwork to distribute heat, like an outdoor unit. Of course, for this to work, you need enough space in your furnace room to fit the secondary unit.

Pros:

Wood can be cut larger than for smaller stoves, can feed right into existing duct work, mess of wood/ashes stays downstairs, only needs to be filled 2-3x/day

Cons:

Hauling wood to unit can be challenging, much higher upfront cost to install vs. a freestanding unit, no ability to cook with it, inconvenient to load, requires electricity

I hope this summary was helpful!

MEMBERS BONUS: To download a FREE summary chart of the pros & cons of each unit type to reference, click here!