[AlmaKing]

Got a new house with central air and heat. Can I put in a wood stove? Propane costs are killing me.

[palmer]

The first thing I did before I even moved myself to my new house in 2006 was install a chimney. I brought my stuff over, then brought my stove from the old house, then hooked it up. A stainless steel insulated chimney will cost a bit of money but never needs cleaning and NEVER should be cleaned (it will scratch) as long as you burn hot and dry. My stove pipe leading to the chimney comes apart easily and I brush out the sections every year. It's a little messy but I take them outside.

But like I said the shiny stainless interior of the chimney stays very clean, any little bits of creosote at the seams will dry up, flake off and fall down. They are a little pricey but not hard to install and you can put it right in the center of the house where it does the most good.

[palmer]

BTW, I also have central propane heat. With a wood stove I can stay warm with the house at 60-65 (55 in the farthest BR) by sitting by the stove. With just propane, I would feel cold even at 70. That’s the difference between radiant heat which enters your body as photons and forced hot air which bounces off your skin and dries the skin which cools it off.

[bog trotter]

Re: Can I add on wood heat? We did!
Best move we’ve made.
See my prior post.
The they just hooked the Boiler furnace to run through the gas frunace heat exchanger. Best of both worlds. Cheap heat all winter but if you want to go away for more than say 3 days, you’ve got the gas back-up or early spring or fall when it just isn’t worth firing up the “big” boy.

[Chickensoup]

Sure you can, check local wood costs, then see if it is practical. I would certainly look into it.