Firewood allowed to properly season in such a shed is easy to light
and burns best. You still may want to use some small kindling and/or
paper to get a fire going under a couple of logs but well seasoned
wood does not take much work to light. With that said, I will admit
it, I cheat.
Rather than fussing with kindling a paper I just buy a
small Duraflame starter stick or log and break off a small piece about
the size of a domino and place it in the center of the stove. I add a
few sticks of kindling and place two pieces of oak firewood in a V
formation surrounding the starter-stick chunk. I then place a piece
of poplar firewood across the V, effectively making an A, so that the
starter-stick chunk is directly under the poplar wood. This wood
burns quickly and very hot. The starter-stick chunk lights quickly and
retains the flame long enough for the kindling and poplar wood to
ignite. I let this burn with the air damper wide open. Once the fire
is well established I add more oak firewood, cut back the air and flue
to get a nice, hot and long burn going.
Ok,
so I am not a fire-making purist. I know my cheating with the chunk
of starter stick seems wrong but sometimes we have to pick our
luxuries and this is one my family and I all agree on. One starter
stick or starter log lasts quite a long time because we are only using
a small piece and only when no coals are present. During most winters
you will probably have coals you can use to re-start your fire in the
mornings. We store the unused portion of the starter sticks in a resealable freezer bag so as to keep them from drying out.
However you choose to provide firewood or how you start your fire
is up to you but the decision to install a woodstove should be an easy
one. Newer stoves are often much more efficient than older stoves so
you might consider buying a newer stove rather than using some old
woodstove you might find lying around. I also highly recommend a
stove with an ash pan. If you go with the older stoves be sure to
consider the R-value of the material under the stove. Each stove has
its on requirements and even the newer stoves vary quite a bit. Some
stoves require quite a bit which would result in several inches of
material between the stove and the sub flooring.
Consider
Installing a Hearth Gate
Once your stove is setup and fired-up, you, too, will find just how many
people gravitate toward it. This can include small children so be
sure to provide some measure of safety to prevent them from getting
burned. We chose to order a hearth gate online that we like very
much. It looks like wrought iron fencing and has a childproof gate
for adults to gain access to the fireplace. This product is easily
modified to fit most any hearth design you might need.
The
woodstove is something we highly recommend for your homestead but like
any homestead project, you are free to choose the degree to which you
jump into it. Whether it supplements, or provides all of
your heat is your decision. Whether you provide the firewood or buy
it already split is up to you. There is no right or wrong, just what
works best for you. Whatever degree you choose I think you will find
that the addition of a woodstove provides both instant and long term
satisfaction.
