[MtnClimber]

My wood burning stove has fire bricks all around. Ashes will sometimed build up and start blocking the area around where the metal tubing exhausts out of the top of the stove.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We have a big Lopi wood stove in our living room and use it every winter. Our main house heat is via Water Furnace ground source heat pump which provides heat to the thermal floor and forced air via thermostat set at 68.
The wood stove is for “trim” when it really gets cold. The chimney sweep visits every two years.