If you live out in the countryside chances are you want to buy a wood burning stove to heat your home.  The thing is that there are actually a number of different choices and it’s important that you look at them all to see which one you should buy.  They can be a pretty big financial investment for a lot of people so you don’t want to end up with a stove that isn’t right for you.  The first thing you need to consider is what sort of fuel you use for your stove.

Solid Wood

There are really arguments for and against using wood.  First of all there are those who say that it’s good for the environment because the trees put out oxygen whilst they are growing which off-sets any pollution put out by burning it.  Whereas there are those who say that it’s bad because trees are being cut down to create fuel and it would be better for the trees to be allowed to keep growing. 
 

The thing is that you don’t actually need to use wood that has come from trees specifically felled for fuel.  If you go along to your local dump there is a good chance you can pick up discarded wood for free.  Everyday there are folks who rip out kitchens, doors and old floorboards and then they take the waste wood along to the dump.  By salvaging some of this wood for your stove you are actually recycling.
 

You should also look at the practical issues of a wood fuelled stove.  You need to realize that a wooden stove is nothing like having a gas or electric stove.  You can’t just set the temperature to whatever you want that then allow the system to do the rest for you.  With wood you need to keep adding more and more wood in on a semi-regular basis.  Which means you’ll have to keep checking the stove every 30 minutes or so.
 

Some people simply can’t be bothered with this because they want an easy life.  For the same reason, you can’t have the heat on all night because you’ll be asleep and won’t be able to keep an eye on it.  If you are away on vacation during the winter you also have the worry of frozen pipes because you can’t have the heating going on and off like you can with gas and electricity.
 

If you live in the US you should buy a stove which is EPA approved because they are a lot more efficient than the old models.  As a result you will use a third less wood which is fantastic.

Wood Pellets

An alternative to solid wood is wood pellets.  Basically the pellets can be made from a number of different materials including sawdust and general wood waste.  Unlike the solid wood burning stoves, you have a lot more control over this system.  There is a thing called a hopper which holds the pellets and then feeds them into the stove for burning depending on the temperature you have set the thermostat for. The larger the hopper fewer times you have to refill it.

Corn

A further alternative type of fuel you can consider is corn.  Whether you consider this in the first place really depends on how easily available corn is where you live.  If you are unable to find a local supplier of corn then there isn’t any point in buying this sort of stove.  Instead you would look at the solid wood and wood pellet options.  You also need to think about the storage of corn because vermin such as mice and rats love the stuff and you don’t want to leave it lying around for these pests to eat.
 

With both the wood pellets and corn burning models of stove you will also require an electricity supply.  So if you have a problem with your electricity supply you might want to think carefully about whether you want a system like this.  Both types of stove work pretty much in the same way and you can buy stoves that will burn both wood pellets and corn so have a look out for these if you want to have the choice of fuel you use.
 

Whatever stove you choose you also need to make sure that it’s the correct size for your home.  It’s best to talk with an experienced installer about this because you don’t want to make any mistakes by doing this yourself.  You should also find out if you are allowed to install a stove in your area because there are different rules about these sorts of things due to the need for keeping the air clean.  There are also fireplace inserts which can be bought and have been made for installing into a fireplace.  They work just the same as any wood stove.
 

Hopefully this article will have provided you with a good foundation of information when it comes to choosing a wood burning stove.  Make sure you have a look at all the different types, sizes, brands and models out there because they really do vary quite a bit.