Wood Burning Stove
If you don't have a fireplace but enjoy the experience of a nice fire in the home, you may want to consider a wood burning stove for yourself. These provide a great way to have a fire pit in a room while still being safe and keeping the home properly ventilated.
You need to know what rooms can manage a wood burning stove as you need to ensure it's vented properly and also need to understand the room that's required around the unit. While they're very safe, they still do get very warm and so you need to typically keep it a few inches or a few feet from surrounding walls. You also need to have some tiled space underneath as of course even the smallest of burning embers from your wood burning stove can ignite carpet fibers and cause a house fire.
In many cases your wood burning stove can be directly vented, meaning it can have a vent run from the stove to the outside without having to go through the chimney. This is much like how your clothes dryer works; there is a special vent run through the walls to the outside. This is important if you want a wood burning stove in a room that does not have access to the furnace chimney.
You can find many different styles and models once you start to shop for a wood burning stove; this includes some very old-fashioned styles and models and some of which can even be used for cooking. Wood fired pizzas are a popular option for many chefs today and you can often find cooking utensils and tools made specifically for a wood burning stove. You might also find very sleek and modern styles that will go with your mid-century modern home or upscale apartment.
Once you start to shop the different models, note the actual footprint that's needed for your wood burning stove. Again, it will need to sit away from the wall and will need a certain square footage of tiled floor for safety. You may also want to check if there are certain types of tiles that are needed; natural stones are best as linoleum and other surfaces are highly flammable. It's good to pick out your tiles when you pick out your wood burning stove so that you know the styles will match completely.
Direct venting is best for a wood burning stove as it means it will not pull air out of the room as it's running. When this happens, the temperature in the room actually gets colder overall, even though the space right in front of the fire is warmer. Choose a wood burning stove that offers direct venting when possible so that you don't wind up spending more on heating bills over time, when using the stove.
Choose a company that answers your questions about a wood burning stove so that you know you're making the right decision for your home.