Rose Cottage Ltd

Winter 2009 and into 2010 has been “difficult” in North Carolina.  High winds, too many unexpected mornings in the teens and 20s, and even some snow.  The keyword here is “unexpected.”  3 inches of snow in the Piedmont region and a 13 degree morning has about the same impact as 13 inches of the stuff and 0 degrees in Pennsylvania.

For this winter, having had the wood stove for half of last winter, and with the addition of a gas propane heater, we decided to let Rose Cottage go without the heat pump for this season.

February of a long, cold winter and so far, so good.

I wrote a glowing review of the Century Hearth Model FW240007 on the Rose Cottage web site so thought it might be time for a little update.

I have had the warmest winter yet in 7 seasons in this 1600 square foot house.

It has been a lot of work to keep the stove going as much as it needed to in order to get, and then keep the house warm.  This is a small stove as wood stoves go.  Logs used are smaller and burn quickly…meaning more trips to the wood pile.  But don’t be fooled by a smaller wood stove – it produces heat, and plenty of it.

There are a few things to emphasize about using a wood stove that I am finding even more important now that I’ve used one on a daily basis for the last several months.

One – you need a good pair of gloves.  My partner and I have both toasted our hands while feeding this stove and not in a nice manner!  Even if you do not see a lot of flame, these stoves generate a LOT of heat – it can be quite deceptive.

Two – you must have a safe ash can.  Lots of burning wood and high heat means a fair amount of ash – in a small environment.  Your stove needs adequate ventilation so removing ash on a daily basis is necessary.  Keep a small ash can nearby with one warning.  A closed ash can you added to yesterday morning may still have warm embers today.  Do not dump the ash can and assume all is good.  You may find a fire outside your home you were not intending.  I speak from experience here.

Three – a blower on the stove makes a huge difference.  I’m not sure why a stove would be sold without one but some are.  We have even directed a small, quiet fan near the stove to increase circulation of the warm air.  This makes a quicker job of heating adjoining rooms.

Although this stove has seemed to be a bit of a wood tyrant this winter, I wouldn’t be without it.  I figure the wood splitting and hauling is darn good exercise, my electric bills are at least half of what they would have been, and my house is warmer than it was using the gas pack heat pump.

For gloves, ash cans, and some other wood stove accessories,  items I use are listed and linked on the Rose Cottage web page. You can also see an image of the stove at full throttle posted there.

Stay warm and be safe…more about that little propane heater coming soon…