| Should I insulate or buy a outdoor wood stove?

Should I insulate or buy a outdoor wood stove?

Amsiar asked:

(Eventually I will do both but which should I do first?) I am going to do something about our outrageous heating bills. I just paid $475 for enough fuel to last 3 weeks and it’s still chilly in our house. I live in the country and wood/coal is very cheap (or free sometimes) and I considered getting one of those big outdoor wood/coal furnaces that you only load 2X per day. Our house is also pretty drafty and our only insulation is in the ceilings, some windows need replaced and probably some weather stripping is needed. So, will I be better off to insulate & replace windows or to get the furnace? I also like the idea of being independent from oil! How much will I save by properly insulating?
I don’t have neighbors to be bothered by the smoke and I know for a fact they will not be banned because one of our township supervisors heats his home with one.
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Comments

5 Responses to “Should I insulate or buy a outdoor wood stove?”

  1. mike4400 on March 27th, 2009 3:07 am

    The outdoor wood burners are real Smoke Dragons.Some areas are outlawing them because of the amount of smoke they produce

  2. Bonno on March 28th, 2009 5:52 pm

    BUY THE INDOOR WOOD STOVE….TRACTOR SUPPLY HAS THEM FOR ABOUT $150.00, PUT TOGETHER YOURSELF, CHINK IT ( FILL GAPS WITH TUBE SUPPLIED ), PIPE OUT, CHECK YOUR CLEARANCES & LIGHT UP. I MAY STILL DO IT MY SELF, WINTER IS SO MILD HERE, IT’S ALMOST NOT WORTH IT, BUT I HAD A SIMILAR FILL UP & WOOD IS FREE HERE TOO. WHY NOT?

  3. mobildik on March 31st, 2009 3:20 pm

    The best way to cut down on your fuel bills is to insulate the walls and ceiling. Your payback is immediate and you will notice the difference.
    Wood/coal furnaces will also work better in an insulated house.
    It is almost impossible to tell you how much you will save but a properly insulated house should cut down on the consumption of oil by at least 25-30%.

  4. kapn on April 2nd, 2009 2:40 pm

    Yep…indoor wood stove…messy but they work.

  5. sam w on April 4th, 2009 2:41 pm

    Outdoor wood furnaces are the safest way to heat your entire home using wood. Installing an indoor woodstove into your already drafty house will create hot and cold spots - hot next to your indoor stove and cold everywhere else by drawing in cold air from the outside for combustion. You have a the risk of having a fire..just check the media and you will see hundreds of chimney fires, structure fires caused by or attributed to indoor heating appliances. An outdoor wood furnace will heat your entire home and provide hot water. You should pay careful attention to where you locate it and always install a proper chimney to same height as you would with any other wood heating appliance. The EPA has created a program for manufacturers to produce lower emission outdoor wood furnaces.