With the arrival of winter wood stoves are a good option for being one of the The heating systems that provide more heat energy at a lower cost are also respectful with the environment by not using dangerous substances and helping to maintain well-managed forests.
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The best wood stoves of 2023
Here you can see a selection of the best wood stoves that we have found to facilitate your search.
If you need help before buying to know in what aspects you should look at when choosing the most suitable wood stove for your needs & nbsp; take a look at our guide to purchase:
Si antes de comprar necesitas ayuda para saber en qué aspectos deberías fijarte a la hora de escoger la estufa de leña más adecuada para tus necesidades échale un vistazo a nuestra guía de compra:
What are wood stoves?
This type of stove uses wood log as fuel, which provides a high caloric level . The heat generated by these stoves is capable of heating rooms greater than 150 square meters , therefore the living room is installed, as it is the area with the largest space in the house and where you usually spend more time .
Burning wood is considered a form of heating with zero emissions , since in its process it does not generate more CO₂ than it absorbed in its day as a tree.
This type of stove will require the installation of a pipe for the smoke outlet to the outside of the house.
These stoves are usually made of metal, cast iron or steel.
When looking for a stove we can find several types of them:
- Floor stoves : They are the most typical and most similar to what would be a traction fireplace.
- Stoves with legs : They are stoves in the form of a cabinet with legs that make the combustion chamber separate from the ground allowing it to be used on wooden or carpeted floors.
- Corner stoves : They can be installed in a corner of the room making better use of the space.
- Insert heaters or inserts : They are inserted into the wall with the smoke outlet pipes not visible.
Almost all models of stoves include a woodbox in the lower part to keep firewood at hand.
A little history about wood stoves
Formerly the stoves were made of bricks and mortar, with cast metal doors. In 1742 Benjamin Franklin invented the salamander stove, made entirely of cast metal.
This stove was composed of an all metal casing, the interior was divided into two compartments, each of these had its own closing door.
The upper compartment functioned as a brazier where the fuel was put and burned, the lower one was the ashtray that was separated by a grate where the combustion ash accumulated. The ashtray door served to remove the ashes but also to regulate the air intake.
This stove was completed with a chimney that was placed in the upper part of the brazier, and served to evacuate the smoke to the outside.
How to install a wood stove?
To install a wood stove we must first find the most appropriate location, assessing the space necessary to place it, if we have facility to install a smoke outlet, if it does not interrupt the passage or if it is the The best place for the heat to be distributed more easily throughout the area we intend to heat.
Although this type of stove is well insulated, we must avoid placing them near flammable materials such as curtains.
We must know that for this type of stoves we will have to carry out work to facilitate the exit of smoke, even, in the case of built-in stoves, provide a hole in the wall if there is not one previously.
In the case of floor, corner or leg stoves, the smoke outlet pipe will be visible. This type of stove will only serve to heat the room where they will be installed although if we maintain good ventilation between the different rooms we will ensure that the heat reaches the entire house.
In the case of stoves & nbsp; inserts & nbsp; these will be installed embedded in the wall , leaving only the door visible, the tube will be hidden which aesthetically looks better. The space of the old fireplace is usually used. The & nbsp; inserts & nbsp; include a fan or turbine to expel the smoke. The advantage of this model is that they allow, by means of hidden tubes, to heat more than one room.
How to light a wood stove?
If we store the firewood outside the house or in a cold or humid place, we will enter the amount we plan to use a few days in advance so that it is completely dry when the time comes.
A good place to store it inside the house is near the stove itself, either next to or underneath. There are some stoves that have a storage area that helps the wood to finish eliminating any moisture it may have.
Before turning on the stove, open the draft regulators, some have only one while others have two.
To light it we will split small pieces of firewood that will be easier to light and will burn more easily.
We will put two logs inside the stove and on top of these several layers of small pieces of firewood will be placed until the secondary air inlets are covered. On top of all this we will place a log of normal size.
If we have difficulty for the wood to ignite, we can use two or three ignition pads by placing them under the last layer of smaller firewood and lighting them.
Once this is done, we will close the door so that the fire gains strength.
At the beginning we must add firewood frequently, in small quantities, until the flame is stable and the smoke is imperceptible.
How to clean a wood stove?
If we want to enjoy our stove for a long time, it will be necessary to carry out, periodically, a good cleaning of it, thus favoring its correct operation and avoiding possible accidents.
When cleaning a stove we should also check the flue pipe, since it may accumulate a significant amount of soot that could reduce its evacuation capacity and decrease the performance of the stove. To clean the tube we must have a brush with a handle to sweep wood stoves.
In order to trap and drag the ash accumulation we can help ourselves with a damp cloth or vacuum cleaner.
There are chemical products specially designed for cleaning the tube and all the rest of the elements that make up the stove.
If we do not want to buy any product, we can try a very simple homemade solution to prepare: for two measures of water we will add one of vinegar and we will store it in a plastic bottle for use.
The frequency with which we will have to clean the stove will largely depend on the type of firewood we use. If the firewood is dry, the combustion is carried out more effectively, leaving a small amount of ash as a residue, while if the wood is wet, its combustion will be less efficient, generating a greater amount of ash, so we will have to carry out several cleanings per year.
To clean we will always wait for the stove to be cold to avoid burns and to be able to thoroughly clean all its elements.
How to choose a wood stove
We detail what characteristics you should look at when choosing a wood stove to suit your needs:
| Type of stove | The type of stove that we choose will be determined both by the restrictions of space for installation as our needs and tastes. Choosing the right type of stove will guarantee that our needs are covered. |
| Yield | Yield determines the% of heat obtained per amount of wood burned. Bearing this in mind, we must know that the higher its performance, the greater the savings in wood will be. In addition, a stove with a high performance can benefit from aids that are applied to the purchase price. |
| Power | Determining that the power is correct is important so as not to overheat or overheat our home. Power is the result factors such as the size of the home, the surface in contact with the air, the material with which the stove is made and the technology it has. Each manufacturer will give us the caloric power of the stove. We can take as a reference that a power of 10kW will allow us to heat up to 100 m². |
| Size of the hearth or combustion chamber | The size of the hearth will determine the size of the wooden logs that we can place in it, directly influencing its autonomy . The larger the size of the combustion chamber, the greater its autonomy. |
| Material | The choice of materials with which the wood stove is manufactured will be decisive for its potential for restitution of radiation heat. Cast iron has better inertia than other materials such as steel or iron. If the combustion chamber is lined with refractory bricks, we will also achieve better combustion and greater heat generation. |
Now you know everything you need to find your wood stove from the selection that we have made of the best for this 2022.
Have a nice shopping ?!
Can’t you make up your mind?
If you are still not clear on the choice, you can review other types of heaters and see if they better suit your needs or on the contrary, you end up convincing yourself that a wood stove is the best option for you.
If you are looking to heat up quickly you need an air heater.
Wall heating panels to save space without sacrificing comfort.
Oil radiators to keep the environment warm for longer.
Gas stoves for both indoor and outdoor.
Infrared heaters for small spaces.
Electric radiators to heat any space in your house.
Wall heaters for the bathroom.
Graphene radiators for greater savings.
Towel radiators to always have dry and warm towels.
Electric fireplaces to give a touch of warmth to your home.
Pellet stoves for efficient and ecological air conditioning.