There are two types of wood-burning stoves, log burners and pellet burners.
Unlike an open fireplace, they burn wood inside an enclosed casing with a pipe that takes any smoke out of your home.
When considering buying a wood-burning stove, the amount of
space you have should also be a factor. This is not just the stove itself but
also where you plan to store the logs or pellets used for burning.
Where you keep the wood is particularly important. It needs to be somewhere
dry, as burning wet wood can produce potentially harmful gases that can be bad
for your health. On average, a wood-burning stove uses around one to one and a
quarter tonnes of wood a year.
While having a cosy home and a wood-burning stove, it’s important to remember that you need to maintain it and clean up afterwards, which is no easy feat. There is more work involved than simply switching an on and off switch.
Maintenance also includes sweeping the chimney at least once a year to avoid chimney fires.
Thinking about the size of the wood burner, you need to consider whether you’re heating just one room or you want to heat the whole house.