Stove heating of a private house: pros and cons

We wrote in detail about how you can heat a house without gas, and considered various options. In the light of such a large selection, it would seem that stoves should become a thing of the past. But this is not at all the case, and the services of stove-makers are still in demand. What is the reason for this? Perhaps with the advantages that stove heating gives? Let’s consider them in detail.

Advantages of stove heating:

• Traditions, childhood memories, special atmosphere. In childhood, many of us stayed with grandparents, whose main place in the house was occupied by the stove. Remember how interesting it was to melt it with your own hands, what a pleasure it was to watch the tongues of flame pounced on the next log? There is something so special in a live fire, in the ability to light the stove, to do such a pleasant and useful business. A real stove still evokes nostalgia, this is an opportunity to return to the roots and make your home truly cozy.

• Autonomy. Private home owners are still dependent on external energy supplies. A gas pipeline accident can be a disaster in the winter, as can a power outage due to a blizzard. But stove heating depends solely on your foresight – stocked up with firewood, bought coal – that’s it, your house will be warm, despite any force majeure.

• Stove heating allows you to create a very comfortable microclimate for all the inhabitants of the house. Convectors dry the air, like radiators, but the radiant heat from the oven allows you to create comfortable living conditions. The heat from the stove fights dampness very well, prevents the appearance of mold, there will be no place for a musty smell in such a house.

• Firewood in some regions turns out to be a much more economical option than paying for gas or electricity. If the forest is nearby, you can save a lot by preparing firewood for heating the house yourself.

• The oven is capable of keeping heat and serving as an additional source of ventilation. All this allows you to smooth out temperature drops in the house and once again not open the window for ventilation..

• Food cooked in a real oven, on a live fire, will be especially tasty. Some housewives specially learn to cook in the oven in order to please the family with homemade dishes with a unique taste..

The stove heating also has disadvantages, and quite serious ones:

• Relaxing with the stove will not work. The ritual of kindling is invariably carried out every day in the cold season, it has to be cleaned, wood is brought in, and the state of the chimney is monitored. There is a lot of trouble, all work is carried out manually, no automation in this area has yet been invented. Therefore, if you want a real oven, be prepared for additional, time-consuming and daily activities. In addition, if you leave for a while in winter, it will be uncomfortable to return to a cold house..
• A live fire is always a fire hazard. Incorrectly made chimney, errors in the operation of the stove – all these are the risks of fire. You have to be extra careful.
• The construction of the furnace itself is already an expense. You need a separate foundation if you have a massive structure in the form of a Russian stove or Kuznetsov stove. And the services of a stove maker cost a lot, and not everyone is able to build a stove on their own.
• Installing a stove requires careful calculations. In the bedroom, for example, experts do not recommend putting a stove – it is too dangerous. In addition, the location should be calculated so that the stove heats the maximum number of rooms. In old one-story houses with 4 rooms, the stove was placed just in the middle so that all the rooms would be warmed up at once..
• Prepare firewood and coal for the stove in advance, they need the right storage place. Extra chores again.

We state: today, it is not necessary and inexpedient to use a furnace as the only source of heat. In the absence of gas, you can always install a liquid or solid fuel boiler, provide heating of the house from an electric boiler. However, the stove will become an additional source of heat, provide a special atmosphere at home, and will be a source of pride for the owners..