Living in provincial France, close to the Spanish boarder it can be cold in the winter and homes must be heated. Most people around here have modern climate control systems now which are expensive, bad for the environment and potentially bad for the people they are heating.
The man we are living with built his home with sustainability in mind and the wood burning stove was a logical choice given his location on the edge of a forest. Even when there is no electricity he will still have heat.
As you can see the design is quite beautiful in its setting and having lived here for a week now I can tell you it is incredibly efficient.
Yes, you will need a good supply of dry wood & kindling stocked up and ready for the winter but this can be bought easily enough if you don't happen to live next to a forest. I love the way our new friend shelters the exposed part of his wood from the rain with an umbrella.
The human attachment to fire
There is something particularly enjoyable about collecting a bunch of wood together and setting it alight.
Something ancient and primeval is awoken in us by these flames. It is the simplest and oldest method we know of to keep warm and as such is it most likely to be the safest health wise, assuming you don't burn yourself.
Watching my children get excited about the fire day after day I am reminded of my own childhood interest in man's red flower. Even with an awareness of the pain fire can cause we are still drawn to it. My kids love to watch when I am creating the fire or even just adding a few logs to the pile before giving it a good poke.
Heat through the night
If we add one large log before going to bed it is always still glowing red in the morning and easy to get started again.
There is an air vent at the bottom which must be closed when the fire is blazing, otherwise it will burn out quickly and the house will overheat.
Outlets
The heat flows from the ground floor of the house up into the central section of the 1st floor and out of two air vents. With the heat from the stove itself, this is all that is needed for a three bedroom home.
Maintenence
There is very little to do other than clean out the ash every few days and wipe down the inside of the glass door so we can see what's going on in there.
Whist this method of heating may involve a little more work than a boiler, it is almost certainly cheaper to acquire and more enjoyable to operate.
Other examples of original stove design
Just click on the images to find their source.
Hope you enjoyed this little trip into the world of stoves as much as I have.
Please note that some research points towards the emission of black carbon from wood burning stoves and tells us they are a health risk, so further research is required once you have selected your model.
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