The use of wood burning stoves has existed since the 18th century and continues to this day. These types of stoves help to keep homes warm and some even perform cooking tasks. When it comes to buying one for your home, it is important to know what features you should look for.

Stoves that use wood as fuel have varying features depending on their intended use. In general, you would want to compare design features, heat efficiency, ease of use, and stove materials when deciding what model to go for. Let’s have a look at what to expect when comparing these factors.

Design Features

As mentioned earlier, wood burning stoves have different uses. While all models serve the same role of providing heat, there are slight variations in terms of design features, which will largely depend on the intended use of the stoves. Kitchen stoves for instance would come with pot burners for cooking. Other models connect to a boiler to heat water. In most designs though, you would find a chimney, fire chamber and air inlet in the form of a door. The chimney is an important component in these types of stoves as it helps to control airflow and rate of combustion.

There are some stoves designed with glass windows that allow you to see the logs burning in the combustion chamber. Some manufactures use clear view technology to ensure that the glass does not stain easily. The clear glass door makes it possible to monitor how logs burn so that you can poke the fire to keep it burning.

Efficiency

Heat efficiency is an important feature when it comes to conserving energy in wood burning stoves. Stove manufactures increase thermal efficiency using different techniques. For example, some stoves come with a catalytic converter or can have one retrofitted. This device turns smoke into an additional source of fuel. Other models have a foam insulation to lock in heat. Features that increase heath efficiency can significantly reduce fuel use. Most manufactures specify the thermal efficiency rate for wood burning stove as a percentage.

Materials

Wood burning stoves are made of a wide range of materials, but the most common include cast iron and steel. When deciding which materials to go for, it is imperative to have a good understand of the pros and cons of both options.

One downside of stoves lined with cast iron is that they take time to heat up. That notwithstanding, cast iron heats evenly and can retain heat in wood brining stoves very well. This material is also easy to mold, hence stoves made of cast iron often feature ornate finishes and attractive designs. On the other hand, steel stoves can feature aesthetic features that are just as attractive as those made of cast iron, but this material is not renowned for heat retention.

Ease of use

Another aspect to look for in wood fuel stoves is ease of use. There are several features that can make these stoves easy to use. If there is an ashpan below the grate, this will make it easy to remove ash and prevent it from building up. Some designs attach a lever on the stove’s air inlet so that you can easily open and close the door to control airflow. Features that make wood burning stoves easy to use vary significantly depending on the chosen brand. Therefore, make sure to learn what makes your preferred stove user-friendly before buying it.

Alex Anderson is blogger, writer, and editor who has a penchant for sharing useful content on the web. He is also a contributing writer for http://www.pgfireplaces.co.uk/. Visit that site if you would like to check out different designs for wood burning stoves.