What Is The Best Type Of Free-standing Stoves?

With a multitude of heating options available today, and each one bringing its own share of pros and cons, choosing one particular heating system that meets all your requirements seems a pain in the neck.

For instance, wood stoves alone will bring in quite a lot of choices. Are you looking for a free-standing stove, a fireplace, or a fireplace inserts? Catalytic combustor or a non-catalytic one the option is practically endless. To help you decide on the right wood stove, here is a list of some of the more popular types of wood stoves, the free standing ones in particular, and to expect from them.

1.Wood stove- One of the biggest attractions of a wood burning stove is the charming look and the cozy feel it brings minus the escalating heating bills, hassle, smell, or risk. While conventional wood stoves are notorious for being inefficient, the contemporary versions are now gaining multitude of followers more than ever due to their high efficiency and improved overall performance. A practical back up in case of a power failure, it is additionally much cheaper to maintain than those fuelled by gas, oil or electricity. In fact, according to studies, wood burning stoves can save you as much as 60% on your energy bills. The fact that it is environmental-friendly doesnt hurt either.

On its not so good side, a wood burning stove tends to be messy because of its ashes and other residue, thus requires regular cleaning. Also, there are wood burning stoves in the market that emit excessively, which is harmful for the environment. This problem however can be solved by purchasing an EPA-certified wood burning stove proven to be highly efficient compared to its non-EPA approved version.


2.Coal burning stoves- Some people prefer a coal burning stove in their homes than a wood burning stove. For one thing, coal stoves are relatively cheaper. They also burn cleanly and do not allow creosote formation. Additionally, the heat it generates is much warmer than others, say stoves fueled by electricity. But just like wood burning stoves, coal stoves are also not for everyone. For one thing, not everyone has enough space to store their woods or coals particularly for those people living in apartments. Also, coal stoves require a lot of tending and maintenance.
They also pose a higher risk of carbon monoxide poisoning thus, the need for detector. They can also prove to be inefficient particularly when igniting or starting a fire.

3.Pellet stove- Wood pellets, the main fuel for pellet stoves have a moisture content of only 4 to 8 percent, lesser than regular woods. This means that they are more efficient in generating heat at home. According to a study, pellet stoves are 90-percent efficient, compared to fireplaces with only 10-percent efficiency rate. They also have cheaper startup cost than many other heating system options; easier to light and require less tending.
Moreover, pellet stoves come with fans which further help equally circulate and distribute hot air throughout your house. Also, compared to other alternatives, pellets are far easier to load. All you need to do is pour a bag of pellets into the hopper.

The downside however is that the bags of pellets which are usually around 40 pounds are quite heavy and in a day, you usually will need more than just one bag. Also, while the wood pellets are environmentally friendly, the plastic bags that pack them are not. And when it comes to cleaning, while the ash tray is not a problem, the stove is a different matter. It needs regular extensive cleaning.

4.Multi-fuel burning stove- The name alone is already an indication of its flexibility. It makes use of wood and other sources of energy like coals as fuels. Looking like your regular wood stove, it also gives you the same cozy and charming ambiance. It is another great alternative when there is power failure.

On the other hand, multi-fuel stoves are not known for being environmentally friendly mainly due to the large amounts of carbon dioxide released by fossil fuels as they burn. Also, the cheap coals employed for open fires are not ideal for a multi-fuel stove since they dont burn quite as efficiently. In fact, these types of coals only give off excessive amount of soot and smoke, and have short burning time. Further, the coals typically used for multi-fuel stoves are generally far more expensive than wood.

Indeed, when choosing a wood stove, there are a lot of considerations to look into. And if that isnt enough, practically each stove offers different heating values. In the end, awareness and total understanding of both their strengths and weaknesses will make it easier for you to determine which stove is right for you. Additionally, regardless of the type of wood stoves you end up choosing, proper maintenance and observing safety regulations will make a huge difference and will surely take your wood stove a long, long way.