Wood Stove Tips for Beginners | Homesteading Off-grid in Maine
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- Jason shares what we've learned using a Wood Stove over the last 4 years.
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I grew up off grid in Poland. It was just a way of life and l had no idea I was off grid until l started watching off grid channels. Fire was one of the chores but usually my older brother took care of it. I loved the video as it brought many memories from the ole days. ❤
Sounds like you had a great childhood! So glad we brought up some good memories!! Have a great night! 😊
I heated with wood for 10 years. Switched to coal. Heated with coal for the last 16 years. Much warmer heat, very even heat, no creosote, easy to store and minimal mess. Burn through 1 ton of coal every 5 to 6 weeks. 1 ton fits into a bin I made 4x8x3 feet. Wet coal burns as well as dry. It can be stored indefinitely it has no expiration date and does not have to be cut and split. I got a dump trailer and they load it up with coal. I dump it in the box. Weekly I shovel it into seven 5 gallon buckets I store in the attached garage. One bucket a day gets poured into 2 coal hods and feed the stove for 24 hours. If I fill the gravity feed hopper it will go 2 days before it goes out. But I generally attend to the stove twice a day, takes about 15 minutes.
That is great information, thank you for sharing! I didn’t realize it could burn wet too. 😊
i love the heat from a wood stove. nothing comes close to its warmt. i now buy canwick bio bricks and blocks, easy to stack and no bugs. you've learned a lot. Oooga Booga.
Thank you for sharing about the bricks. We're always learning something new when it comes to a wood stove. 😊
I grew up with wood, it’s all my folks used. I think people should realize how much better and safer it is to burn seasoned wood as opposed to green wood. Really enjoy your videos, stay warm!
You’re absolutely right!! Seasoned wood is the way to go! That said we’ve found that throwing a piece of green in the box during the spring and fall helps us manage the temperature a tad bit easier, when we’re just trying to kill the chill. 😊
You covered it well! Each wood stove has it's own quirks, that's for sure.
Thanks! The first we had was old and drafty. Not a good fit for someone who had never used a wood cook stove before. We decided to get this one and it’s been a blessing!
Thanks, this was very helpful! We burned wood 25 years ago.
Just brought a cabin and going back to wood from coal.
Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching. 😊
I do not live off grid but i heat my house with a woodstove. I have an early 1900's cast iron stove in my basement that I purchased at an estate auction for $20 and it has spoiled us with abundant warmth since 2005. I like to cut my own firewood, which is usually free from one source or another, and its a secure feeling knowing my house won't freeze up during a power outage. Self reliant comfort throughout all winter temperatures and conditions. The first two seasons of savings from not buying fuel oil has covered the cost of two chainsaws and a woodsplitter.
Wow, that is quite a deal on a stove and to think you've been enjoying it for two decades now! Thanks for sharing! 😊
@HanbleceyaRanch I'll share the auction purchase story. The stove is made in sections because it is so large. It is sort of a giant pot belly stove with a large donut ring on top, which the exhaust travels through as a heat exchanger. The stove was removed from an old farm home, disassembled, and sold in a lot of scrap iron pieces displayed on three flatbed hay wagons. Recognizing that all the pieces were there, intact, I bid on it intending to use it as an appliance. I opened with $5. One other bidder (who I later learned was unaware it was not just scrap iron) countered, and I eventually won for $20. It was a task to move and install over 500lbs of mass. The brand is Economy International, Utica Ny/Chicago Ill.. And we live warmly ever after in upstate NY.
Line drying clothes in the house with a wood stove also helps keep humidity. Growing up that’s what we did.
We do hang up our clothes to dry. Partially for the humidity and partially because being on solar…days are too short and not enough sun lately!!😊
Excellent tutorial on heating/cooking with wood ! We 're not "off grid", fortunatly for us. BUTT we do heat the place 99% with self harvested wood in two EPA wood stoves from our woodlot. One suggestion is to have an easy to access from in the house inside wood storage area for storms. It's open to the outside but an inside door to the house holding about 1/2 cord. Ash emptying is done every morning while filling the stoves over remaining coals. You're right that firewood brings in plenty of debris. We built with 1/2 the house without plumbing so we can shut off that part when away skiing or climbing or visiting in winter. The other 1/2 with water -normal showers and toilets- we heat with a propane Empire "thru the wall" heater when we're gone for more than a day. One way to do the heat. This year it has been extraordinarily cold below the teens with winds as you. We're hitting four cords used now and winter isn't 1/2 gone ! Good job there !
Thank you for sharing! Sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into your system and I’m sure it works great! Having a backup, direct vent propane wall heater definitely comes in handy for those long day trips to help make sure the cabin doesn’t freeze. 😊
I generally run the wood stove real hot at least twice a day. Once just before I am banking it up for the night as well as first thing in the morning. In addition, I recommend burning only seasoned hard woods. I also recommend a metal barrel of sorts in case you need to discard of hot ash with embers still burning.
Great info here. Excellent presentation and love how you left it open for comments.
That’s a great habit to get into for sure, a hot stove is a safe stove! We use a series of metal buckets for our hot ash. 😊
I have my chimney lined with an insulated pipe and have it swept every fall. I only burn hard wood no pine. My chimney sweep removes minimal creosote each time. We also have a fan similar to yours and it sits next to my cast iron water vessel. Your kitchen stove is beautiful.
Thank you for sharing! We’ve found that we can supplement our hardwood burns with softwood in the spring and fall without causing too much of an issue. 😊
Yall stay warm!
We will!! Thanks!😊
We are also in Maine and have been using a wood cook stove for about thirteen years. We save all of our ash, and use it for traction in ice and snow. Be careful where you place your ash can as some ashes in the morning can still be quite hot. I enjoyed the video. Thanks
Thank you for sharing! We always let our ash burn itself out in buckets outside before pouring into a storage bin. It’s amazing at how effective it is on ice. 😊
Hi Jason n Jen,
Wow nothing like heating with a wood stove, I grew up
with wood through the daytime and coal at night, do they
even sell coal these days 🤔 I’m not sure! Anyways, the
first 15 yrs of my marriage we used wood. I can honestly say
I thank Jesus every day I don’t have to use it now 😂😂
Man did I hate the mess mess and more mess, lol couldn’t
keep it cleaned up. Now with that being said, we have a
wood stove still in case we have to fall back on it stored in
our garage. (Like the one in your back cabin) Nothing better
than wood heat but I don’t live off grid, so yeah I’m good. lol.
We also still keep lots of wood stacks for emergencies plus
camping throughout the summer.
Good video Jason, good info!
Y’all stay safe, warm and God Bless ❤
Hi Pam!!👋
We never had wood heat till we came out to Maine. It was a learning curve. We love using our wood stoves (cooking and heating). We do have the propane heater in case we get lazy!!😂 Take care and God bless!♥️🙏♥️
stove models we burn potatoe skins for creasote and put wood in washtub saves mess
We’ve used the potato skin method too and it seems to work. 😊
Great video and very informative too especially from the standpoint of no experience ! Life teaches the lessons you need to learn when you’re ready to learn them. I’ve learned the same way myself and humbly admit that ! lol. I’ve always been told 16/18” up on the single wall pipe was the best location being that the thermostat has a bimetal strip. Wood cook stoves have a different dynamic. Only difference and you asked so I shared lol. Aside from that I think you did a fantastic job expanding it all Jason ! Good and bad ! I check my chimney twice each winter ( inside and out ) after starting the season with a clean system. Absolutely sure your video will help so many as being new to heating your home with a wood stove can be and is really nerve wracking for anyone that’s never done it or has limited experience ! Love the heat !,…. Not so much the mess but it’s worth it ! Take care my friends
We’re still learning a lot ourselves, so thanks for sharing your experiences! There really is no better feeling than to sit in front of our stove and feel that heat… it’s amazing! 😊
Enjoying watching you’re video stay warm
Thanks so much for watching. We appreciate it!😊
Good info, stay warm!
Thanks so much! We sure are trying to stay warm!!😂
True story. My Mom's Dalmation loved sleeping under the wood stove. It was a sight I'll tell ya.
Sounds like a very warm pup! Each one of ours picks a side!! 😊
Good video Jason. I notice you didn't mention some locals just crank the stove up until the chimney catches fire then let it burn off. Course you gotta make sure you set it up right or the whole place will go up so it ain't for those with a lot of anxiety or common sense but I seen it before and it makes a hell of a noise. Honestly I almost had to change my britches the first time. Y'all stay safe and warm.
I've heard of that, but it's definitely not for beginners or us! Glad you're enjoying the video! 😊
We are heating with wood for about 10 years now and people think we are crazy......until the energy prices skyrocketed here in Europe. The wood is just outside the house and I all I need to do is to take care of my chainsaws and splitting the wood. It is good exercise too.
There’s nothing more satisfying than burning wood you’ve cut and split yourself! 😊
@@HanbleceyaRanch And it is so much work too :-) Good work though
Great info😊
Glad you enjoyed it!! 😊
Love the PennState hat, we are!!
Our son went to their wrestling camp twice and we all got to meet “The Man” Cael. 💙🤍
I live in Rhode Island, and I have a coal stove in my living room, and it heats my whole house. I have a two-story, three bedroom house with her back washroom and the bathroom is in the back also and it heats my whole house. I burn coal from October till approximately April sometime I go through 2 1/2 ton of coal. And what I like about it is I can go about two days without having to add any coal to my stove. I have four buckets. I keep in the house all the time and that’s enough to last me about a week the coal buckets are used Chestnut coal. That’s the size of it. They deliver it in the fall. I have a little shed right outside my back door that they fill it up right at the top. Are used to burn wood years ago I used to go through about eight cord of wood in a year. But the best thing I like about coal is I do not have to get up in the middle of night to load it up. I’ll load it in the morning shake it to get rid of the Yash in the morning and I shake it again at night before I go to bed just to get rid of somebody Ash but the good thing about you is you have your own firewood on your property. I have to buy my coal them fans you are talking about. I have one on my stove and I’ve been using it for 12 years on my coal stove, they are excellent with moving the heat around. I also have a ceiling fan in all the rooms, but I very seldom turn them on.
It’s awesome that you are able to heat your whole house with a coal stove! We’ve run into a couple of folks who have coal stoves here but because of the availability of wood, it just makes more sense.
Thank you for sharing! 😊
A little tip with your fans. They should be at different heights and opposite directions. Push the warm air in high and pull out the colder nearer to the floor. That would make the room temperatures more uniform. Or do it the opposite way, whichever works better for you. Also, you would have been much warmer if you had skipped the cathedral ceiling and put more insulation in the ceiling. I think I saw you put R13 in the ceiling, which is less than half of what you should have. If you have any ice dam issues, that's a telltale sign of not enough insulation and/or ventilation.
Thank you for the tips! The fans face in opposite direction and draw from the cathedral area where the warm air hovers, it works very well at moving the heat around. We don’t run them simultaneously.
As for the insulation….after (almost) 4 winters, we’re very happy with the way the cabin maintains its warmth. We’ve not had any issues with ice dams (we inspect the roof/cabin regularly). We run the second stove only when we dip into single digits which works well for us.
Thanks again for the comment we appreciate it! 😊
@@HanbleceyaRanch Whatever works for you. "In Maine, ceiling insulation should have an R-value of at least R49." It gets cold up there. lol
Informative presentation, Thank you.
When is the outdoor bread oven project slotted- before or after the patio? 😂
Glad you enjoyed it!
That will not be this summer…it’s already booked up!!😂
Burnt a lot of wood but difficult to give advice since each stove, home and type of wood varies. Never had to buy wood so burning hot wasn't an issue. Matter of fact, I'd often open a window near the stove if humidity outside was greater than the inside.
We find ourselves cracking windows now and then cause it gets too hot in the cabin. 😊
Ever thought having heat pump or not feasible off grid great videos
We have but their power consumption is more than what we’re comfortable with given we use solar for our electricity. 😊
I will never sale wood unless it’s 2 years old 😊😊😊
Just not taking a chance with a house fire 🔥 and keep stove clean regularly 😮
We try to do the same! Our first year here was the greenest our wood was…now it dries for 1-2 years.
Get a wood stove that burns overnight, 4k $ expensive but worth it.
That would be nice but financially not possible. 😊