MAXimize your wood heat - Low/no cost tips for much more warmth

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Sharing notes on how we heat our home on much less wood using very low cost, low skill, easy to implement adjustments and enhancements to our wood stove.
Edible Acres is a full service permaculture nursery located in the Finger Lakes area of NY state. We grow all layers of perennial food forest systems and provide super hardy, edible, useful, medicinal, easy to propagate, perennial plants for sale locally or for shipping around the country...
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Happy growing!

[@paulgrieger8182]

You can make your own improved door gaskets by laying a thin bead of silicone in the areas where there are gaps, then placing a piece of waxed paper over the silicone to prevent it from sticking to the door. Close the door to compress the silicone and let it dry overnight. In the morning, remove the waxed paper, and you have a new custom door seal. I also used this method to repair a failed refrigerator door gasket.

[@edibleacres]

Really nice idea, much appreciated...

[@martink4205]

This is the perfect solution i needed thanks for your tip

[@rosbifle413]

Amazing tip! Thank you.

[@paladain55]

Same i used this to repair my garage door seal and my refrigerator seal lol

[@Fix-It-Jeff]

Wouldn’t the silicone melt in the furnace?..

[@rmann1122]

I was you 25 years ago. But there was no you tube. Fantastic job. Glad I stumbled upon this.

[@edibleacres]

Nice to meat you future me! Thanks for checking out the channel. I hope to see ya around!

[@karenbuckner1959]

Even 5 years later your words are helpful as we're setting up our wood stove. Impressed with your results. Thanks.

[@wilbertortiz9469]

I’m looking to buy a wood stove too, what brand would you recommend that is affordable

[@karenbuckner1959]

@@wilbertortiz9469 we bought a used small New Englander. I understand they are sold at big box stores. It was hard to find any where we lived when we got it. Maybe others will have advice for you. All best.

[@HartwoodFurniture]

A well spoken and informative video with no shaky camera and from a sensible sounding American. The song on the boiler ad is from Sestra.

[@georgestyer2153]

you need a job as a TV presenter. What a positive clear voice, no errs and ummms. great informative video..Thanks

[@edibleacres]

Thanks man. A lot of folks say my videos help them fall asleep... Not sure what to make of that.

[@irunamuk]

EdibleAcres Yeah, I'm gonna say a big no to that. It's 1:30 am and I'm trying to fall asleep. Instead I'm watching your videos learning stuff 😂

[@sly9263]

When people say your videos help them sleep, it's a compliment, in that context. People watch youtube videos to soothe/sleep. It's your even keel tone of voice and consistent communication.

[@pisces3121]

@@edibleacres Falling asleep is a good thing. Not because you're monotone, rather, because you're soothing and relaxing. I DID fall asleep watching your video 3 times. But...I was exhausted!

[@factsabouturmum9250]

ur mum is an informative video

[@n.b.p.davenport7066]

We lived with wood-burning our whole lives and you're on the right half you know what you're doing

[@rickkentner1713]

I love wood heat. Everything gets warm, furniture, walls, floors, etc. Gas fired furnaces only heat the air. You have a very smart setup there. I miss heating with wood. I have to go out to my garage to enjoy a wood stove now, but that’s ok ‘cause it’s where my toys and beers are kept. Cheers!

[@TreDogOfficial]

You're incredibly clever. You have a great understanding of drafts, stack effect, fuel, and efficiency.

[@nunyabizness3890]

Also, for your single panes, if you have any windows where you don't mind losing a bit of the view, get a roll of bubble wrap and cut pieces to fit those windows. You can attach the bubble wrap just by spraying a mist of water on the window, then pressing the BW onto the glass. We sometimes have to put a small piece or two of two-sided tape, but this really makes a difference in winter. You can use a sharpie to write a little code on each piece so when you take them off in spring and store them, you will know the next autumn where to reinstall the BW. The light still goes through the BW, but you do lose some of the view. We found that large bubble BW works better and gives more of a view than the small bubble BW. HTH.

[@kasdfg776]

That shepherd's a sweet old timer! God bless you for keeping him warm with that great system!

[@debbiewood7718]

I appreciate learning about the outside air draw. That is a game changer. If the stove has a flange for the dryer duct to slip onto it can likely be secured with a hose clamp once and not be a recurring chore. I did the conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius, -24 is a good day to stay closer to home or put on the heavy winter jacket. :)

[@edibleacres]

I think the external air is incredibly high value... Yeah, if there is a flange for it it's even easier!

[@RSLtreecare]

Very well prepared presentation. I grew up on a farm, a large cast iron stove that gave heat and cooking. I remember the chilly drafts across the floor.

[@edibleacres]

It really is nice to not have the chilly drafts with this!

[@carolford1115]

Couple additions to all those good tips 1) Check temperature of wall behind the stove. You will find it is hot. Why heat a poorly insulated wall? So, I put Al sheet to reflect the IR back into the room. Now the wall is 'cool' and room is warmer. 2) Have routed incoming air via a dryer hose to a 8" pipe around the 6" exhaust pipe, input is at bottom of the 8" pipe and the bottom is sealed. The 8" pipe is 24" long and sits on top of the damper. Incoming air is heated and creates positive pressure in the house reducing smoke leaking and brings in fresh air to the house. Whereas fresh going directly to stove per the video does not allow as much fresh air into the house. We do have to add humidity to the house because cold outside air, when heated, has very low relative humidity.

[@thomasoloughlin42]

Q

[@calebfuller4713]

I clad the wall behind my stove with stone. It looks good and absorbs heat to act as an extra thermal mass.

[@chrisolson6629]

I just started trying out this gasification method. I must admit it's amazing. I'm heating my home with wood and an unlimited supply of wood chips from the city. Nobody on KZbin influences my life as much as you. Thank you for all of the wonderful information that you share with all of us.

[@edibleacres]

Wow, what an incredibly rich and lovely compliment to share. I'm humbled. It really is our pleasure to share all these experiments and ideas with folks, so thank you so much for being an important part of that! Wow!

[@samdelpino3939]

Yeh I'm curious to what was happening there, how does it work? Do you just light a fire as normal and then sit a container full of woodchips on the coals? How tightly closed is the container?

[@chrisolson6629]

@@samdelpino3939 You pretty much nailed it. A nice hot bed of coals... Place the container in...maybe some smaller cut wood around that to light the escaping gases. Done. Like I think he says in the video, not a tight-fitting lid. If you Google "hotel pans with lids", that is what he and I use. He has a what is called a "half pan" size, I use a 1/3 pan size. You just fill it up and set the lid on top.

[@samdelpino3939]

@@chrisolson6629 Cheers, and then the idea is you get a tonne more efficiency? Why not just chop up bigger pieces of wood and do the same? Then if you don't have other uses, can you burn the charcoal as you would burn wood normally, getting double burn out of it?

[@chrisolson6629]

@@samdelpino3939 I think the idea is that you can use readily available free wood chips or scraps as fuel. Free heat and tons easier to gather than trees. Also, once that fuel is spent you have something called biochar, which if you are a gardener, it's pretty much gold.

[@djsgravely]

I love to see a guy making do with what he has available, and as a bonus it works really well. I’m watching my Jotul burning right now. With heating oil at $5 plus (and going up!) I’m glad I have about 5 cords of oak, hickory, cherry, maple, ash and even a little pine - all cut, split, seasoned and stacked under a barn overhang. I worked HARD to get it to this point. There are not many things as satisfying in life as standing back and admiring your firewood all ready to burn. You KNOW it’s going to put out the stored energy within it when you need it. Wood heat, baby!

[@edibleacres]

So glad you have a strong pile of warmth waiting for you for the winter. Stay warm and thanks for your comment.

[@maccliff2115]

You did a great job with that stove. I like how you maximized the efficiency of it by pulling hot air from it to the basement and getting cold air from the outside. I’m going to copy that from you.

[@happyhomelesshomesteaders158]

Run you a 12v electric branch the pc fans they move much air very minimal cost junk pc's in most houses

[@ladyowl9187]

I don't have a wood heater, i don't know how i got here and why im watching this...i thoroughly enjoyed watching this video 😂 no idea what's going on here...

[@edibleacres]

Glad you stumbled over!

[@vermontjeff2535]

St. Dymphna sounds it

[@Manny8669]

🤣🤣

[@-AnyWho]

same, i'd love to get one tho ... no clue where i would put one

[@petert3412]

When you get a chance in the summer remove the board, drywall, whatever it is behind the stove and inspect the material in the wall cavity for char. You need to protect the walls around the stove. You could have a spontaneous fire occur.

[@edibleacres]

I hear you... But each winter when the stove is running super hot I test the temps of the wall and it doesn't get that hot. Warm for sure, but not toasty.

[@debbiewood7718]

​@@edibleacres I had friends loose their house to fire because of the wood stove. apparently every time the paint is heated it lowers the combustion point. One day it just went up. They too had an old home and were lucky to get out alive. Perhaps do some of your own research to be completely sure and safe.

[@markothevrba]

@@debbiewood7718 I have a bit chimney pipe routed through the corridor in my house, should probably get an insulated one then? Thing gets close to 600 degrees sometimes and it's 1-2 inches from the wall. It is paint, but it's on a brick and mortar wall, so I never really gave it too much thought. The heat from it is nice though, burning wood for 4 years now and never opened the radiator in the corridor ever.

[@debbiewood7718]

@@markothevrba I am not an expert. A brick and mortar wall is the recommendation behind a stove pipe but what I don't know is if there is a minimum clearance required/recommended between the wall and the pipe. That is the question to have answered by someone who knows. Frankly, if you have house insurance I would check with them.

[@justme6515]

@@debbiewood7718 just need a proper herth, and fire resistant board behind with one inch space between it and the wall.

[@mejustme479]

Genius! Your comprehension of air cold intake for the stove is superior Cold air is attracted to warmth. Plus your using the output to feed the basement, (heat rises) you double the layers of heating. I'm very impressed! Great video. Please keep us updated with the tape and how to clean the stove out in spring. 👍

[@wp1769]

Great video, and an excellent set up, I live in Australia so I don't have your troubles! I lived in Wales for 30yrs so I know the cold, I decided to move country, however this is a much more realistic approach of keeping warm. Love how you eliminated the window draft by sourcing your own independent air source. Such a simple idea yet easily overlooked. Cats are great too, they keep pests out and are living heat packs at night!! Keep keeping warm .

[@breizhtoday]

Your cats are having you on. 😈They suck heat out of you, they don't give any back. Don't listen to their lies😁

[@purchases1]

I've been heating with wood for many years. Love it! In so for as bugs and alligators coming in with your wood, all it takes is a little attention to the wood you're taking in. If you see furrows or actually worms etc., leave it outside for next year, or your summer patio fire etc. So far it's always worked for me. Love your video.

[@edibleacres]

If you watch your wood closely you can generally catch the alligators before they become an issue :)

[@travisdavis1042]

Videos like this and your fruit tree guilds have been a blessing in my journey for knowledge. Bless you and thank you!

[@KentuckyFriedChicken99]

We paid 20k to insulate our home a few years ago. Made a huge difference and the value goes back into the house anyway.

[@lewishorsman2219]

What you need is to dot and dab the walls with half inch insulation behind. Make the walls thicker :) and also replace those old windows. You can double glaze yourself with the new dot and dab and have storm windows. Storm windows are great for outside noises as well. Is your flooring insulated? You could do the same with the ceiling, add another layer with rocksall insulation.

[@B0r0]

Some good tips, we also placed a window film on our single pain windows, that reflects the heat back into the room during winter, BUT keeps the sun out during summer. I think it was called gilla platinum. I think the tests made it nearly as good as double glazing. Even though we have been impressed with it, but I dont think its near as good as double glazing, but it gets 2 thumbs up from us because it was a hell of a lot cheaper than DG, and certainly made a noticeable difference.

[@sycoticdeninard7480]

I like the idea of the stove getting its air source from the outside rather than the inside and that you have a fan moving that hot air in the basement. You are creating a positive air pressure in the house thus reducing and or eliminating any incoming drafts. Only downside I can forsee is that it must be maintained whenever it's colder outside than it is inside or else you're going to feel drafty!

[@felixcat9318]

At less than 90 seconds in, I knew that this was an excellent channel to subscribe to, interesting, informative and entertaining, with good videography, presentation and narration.

[@edithcarlsonpatalla1962]

I appreciate your information and video. Very helpful and gives people hope for creating an affordable option for heating their home. Thank you.

[@edibleacres]

Glad it was helpful!

[@boat6868]

I think the outside air intake for combustion is a huge factor for efficiency. Thanks for sharing.

[@chrisadams8126]

Nice! I never knew about the air from outside, so glad I watched.

[@Oldnose63]

Same thing with hot air in summer.

[@CiaofCleburne]

Very informative. I hate winters. Too boring, too cold and last way too long. Just curl up by the heatin’ stove & wait for spring.

[@waywardbeast4589]

Absolutely brilliant!.. I love your simplistic approach. Very low cost yet extremely effective.

[@TheArchBodom]

Keep in mind that I've only used it for a couple weeks, that being said, so far so good kzbin.infoUgkxAU9pOCSV9Y5JprooHvfxTpOrt4hx8uRM . Using it at 8 ft. by 8ft. deer blind that is insulated. I have to keep the door cracked for it to get enough air to burn, but that is very likely the wood I've used. Much better quality than I expected for the price. Now if I can just take it easy in the beginning it won't be 90 degrees in my blind. All in all it seems like a keeper.

[@edibleacres]

We've enjoyed this stove for sure

[@yauwohn]

I've used "circulator" wood stoves for around 20 years, the one we have keeps a large single story home warm, even on the coldest days and nights of winter. I build it up in the evening before we go to bed, and shut down the inlet damper. Lasts all night and when we get up in the morning the house is nice and cozy.

[@bugoutbubba3912]

Back up heating system? Wow, that would be nice. Lol. We've heated with wood as our only source for nearly 35 years. Challenging at times but well worth the savings. We once had a wood stove that we stacked river stone around. Wow what a difference.

[@wjj4832]

Great video. If you’re going to live in the house for many years, exterior wall insulation and replacement windows and doors are a great investment and add significantly to your comfort level.

[@edibleacres]

It's something to consider as the windows get closer and closer to really needing to be replaced.

[@MrWillibaldvongluck1]

Very interesting and informative! You are/would have made a great teacher! Progressive, thoughtful, professional, engaging, I am very impressed. I live in an eco nightmare house. I couldn't even access the stove pipe to install a damper and my problem is TOO much draft. I have a boiler and non boiler stove and open fire. All burn like crazy so my chimneys are easy to clean such is the combustion. But you can guess the fuel consumption!

[@edibleacres]

Please consider subscribing and hitting like if you found this video useful! I've noticed a lot of comments about how this isn't to code... We followed manufacture specifics and had a professional installer help us get it all set up. It's to code. We submitted paperwork to the insurance agency with our specifics, etc. We are careful and thoughtful in the operation and keep a close eye on it, with a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector on and a fire extinguisher in the room to be extra safe. Just thought this was worth sharing since these comments keep coming.

[@eulawagner7656]

EdibleAcres I am

[@fike301]

I have to laugh about "code".. like inspection of footers then allowing the concrete to be poured on frozen ground. This code thing is mostly a money maker...it does not protect the home owner in many many cases. I see short cuts daily for 20 plus years in the business

[@rexbear9756]

There are all types of "codes". You have national code books, local, county, state. Some places do not require inspections so a code at any level is meaningless. People that say, "that is not code" likely do not know what they are talking about. It is likely that their friends cousin who is learning a trade told them something and they may or may bot be remember it correctly.

[@YourScaryMother]

There is code, which is going to vary from state to state and municipality to municipality, but in any case CODE = MINIMUM standard... you always want to do your best to be well above code where things are in regard to safety and efficiency. Sometimes this means more money up front, but generally you get a MUCH better return on the investment than you do when building to minimum code... either through longevity (lasting longer) or through efficiency gains. Or both.

[@DanielFreeMan365]

dont pay attention to "Code nayers" as they are just sytem enforcers to make people dumb and helpless to a point they cant wipe their ass without reading the code. good job.

[@leslieedwards7797]

Very useful and helpful and well presented by someone who articulates and enunciates clearly.

[@edibleacres]

Glad you liked it

[@mattlincoln6845]

Nice set up. We heat with stove in basement got a blower kit for it and made all the difference in the world. Get main floor upstairs 73 74 degrees no problem now.

[@edibleacres]

So great!

[@spikefivefivefive]

It makes perfect sense that you wouldn't want to send more heat than necessary up and out the chimney.

[@edibleacres]

Thats what I'm thinking!

[@hansvermeersch4822]

the valve regulates how much oxigen the fire gets => you control the speed of the burning process. Only the right place to put a valve like this is in the inlet pipe.

[@Sailorman6996]

It's LETHAL to reduce smoke leaving your stove. NEVER close or choke stove in any way!!! Any kind of throttle or vent gate on smoke channel MUST be fully OPEN during use. You may reduce fresh air flow towards stove though. Many stoves comes with a inlet throttle.

[@xendarcodm]

Sailorman6996 stoves with catalytic converters are a good way to choke the heat leaving the stove. Slows it down but creates a double burn.

[@dangerdavefreestyle]

the manual for my stove says not to use a damper, the combustion and draft is controlled via the intake. though my stove is very efficient and could possibly be designed differently than most folks running dampers. or perhaps they put it in there for some safety reason that is not likely to be an issue, just a rare possibility, i have no idea. and with all of the various air inlets on my stove, i'd have to have one heck of a complicated contraption to do what this guy simply did with his intake.

[@jase1911]

another really helpful tip is to buy a flat piece of 2" thick soapstone as big as the top of the flat top of the stove and place it on the top of your stove ... amazing results

[@sephardishalom2693]

Wow thanks!! Jesus loves you and your soul is priceless!

[@lizmacrae4970]

I have a similar home in the UK...single 2mm glass...thin brick walls and the 260 year old house sits directly on the earth... I have two wood-burners each end of the house BUT the thing that has made the greatest difference in keeping us warm is having interior shutters made and used...two rooms have box shutters but I have had made MDF shutters for the rest....money back in no time... cosy and less wood used.

[@edibleacres]

We've been making more insulated curtains for the coldest rooms when we have super cold nights.

[@JesusIsaFlatEarther]

I never thought about pressurizing the house, that's smart and you're not burning the air you need to breath.

[@jimmytate7587]

I understand your problem with adding insulation. You might consider placing drapes along the outside walls and see what the effect is. I put moving blankets purchased on sale at Harbor Freight in my garage shop and the difference was amazing.

[@Mudpuppynme]

yes, my old farm, we collected old wool and thick blankets to hang on walls and bunch against the floor mouldings..was so cozy, I sort of miss the multi blanket look lol

[@CMAenergy]

One big suggestion Allow the colder air to enter your cold storage room first before you allow it to burn in your stove, The cold storage room will always have an exchange of fresh cold air, and any contaminated air or fouled air gets burned up, especially in spring when potatoes can become very dangerous and give off toxic fumes that kill.

[@edibleacres]

This is a really interesting idea... Something for me to consider this fall. We have a 4" inlet of air coming into our root cellar space on the opposite side, so it wouldn't be a huge adjustment to explore this. Good observation and definitely on my list of ideas to think seriously about this fall...

[@rick419]

Never heard of anyone dying from potato fumes before. Sounds like b.s.

[@CMAenergy]

The idea is to draw the air from the cold room to burn , Rather than burn the air from the room the stove is in, and it prevents from putting CO in the room. I draw my air from the cold room to burn in my stove @@rick419

[@NadesikoRose]

I grew up with wood heat myself and am more comfortable with it than other forms of heat, we had a wood stove that we cooked on and heated our little house. I plan on doing the same once I have enough money saved up to purchase the needed acreage, but going to use a yurt instead of building a traditional or modern home. It’s all I really need to survive in, most of my savings is going toward the various other buildings needed for my homestead and so on

[@lindamarquis6117]

I made warm curtains at our last house and they helped keep our house warm as well. and rugs helped keep the floors warm.

[@edibleacres]

Nice notes... My wife Sasha made a thick curtain for one window so far and plans to make more. Seems helpful for the super cold nights.

[@sithyarael6807]

Love the fan on it. Might be good to add one or two more on the hot side of the stove. Love the old school heater/stoves like this.

[@todderschannel4705]

I'll just say that when I went to wood to heat up my place it was the best decision I've made. Prior to it I heated my place with a kerosene furnace and it konked out a couple of times one winter and I had it. With the kerosene it ran me about a $1200 a heating season. The woodstove cost was $50 for a steel barrel conversion kit. $350 for stovepipe and chimney. The 55 gallon barrel was free. The first cord of wood went $240 and lasted me for a month. The heat was better than the kerosene and it ran me for the season around just under $850 well worth it for me. I burn just under 5 cord a season. That first year with it was one of the coldest winters here in 3 decades. I have been heating this way for 5 years now and best decision I've made.

[@edibleacres]

We love the wood heat. We truly live by it!

[@nickguthrie9309]

fire insurance costs re your setup?

[@ryanmkeisling9089]

Thank you Shawn for posting this, nowhere is this posted even the woodstove sellers don't provide this information. That neutral air info is key to woodstove heating....

[@edibleacres]

I really believe so

[@s.pursell8901]

This looks like a great recipe for a chimney fire. Your pipe chimney pipe needs to stay hot for the creosote to exit out the top as much as possible. That heat and air pressure do that. I hope you clean your chimney no less than every three weeks with maneuver. Post a video of your chimney pipe outside glowing red hot from a fire inside at night. They look cool.

[@mtadams2009]

I have burnt wood for decades and I only clean my chimney once a year. I have never had a single issue with similar setup. I burn mostly oak.

[@bovellois]

Dual combustion stove like yours is the way to go. I reduced my firewood use by half and had more heat than with my old airtight Fisher.

[@dorethameek5671]

Very creative

[@CriticalRoleHighlights]

1) Matter holds heat about 2000 times more efficiently than air so using stones and bricks makes perfect sense. 2) Another thing that most people don't think of is extending the stove pipe. If you have enough space to have an angled stove pipe that goes diagonally along the wall it's much better for heat. I've seen tons of people who have off-grid cabins where the stove pipe goes straight up and out and then they complain that it's cold in the morning when they wake up. Changing the position of the stove and extending the stove pipe gives you so much more thermal mass. Putting fire bricks in the bottom of the stove is also a really good idea. 3) An eco fan is supposed to be pointed at the stove pipe for optimal effect. You're one of the few people I've seen who actually does it properly. The reason for this is that it's supposed to take colder air and blow it over and around the steaming hot surfaces, thus heating it up and pushing it out into the room. Too many people put it at the edge of the stove, pointing away from it. 4) A clean burning stove is also more efficient since you get a more effective burn and more BTU's for the same amount of fuel, meaning you can actually use less wood while still getting the same efficiency out of your stove. Any stove can easily be modified with just a small length of pipe and a drill.

[@KossolaxtheForesworn]

why I like masonry heaters. doesnt need to be much different from classic scandinavian. dont need to have fancy 17th century designs. tho I suppose it would be easy to modify by removing the glazed tiles and adding a fancier look for it. would not effect how it works.

[@rickkentner1713]

Critical Role Highlights Everything you say is bang-on. Reminds me of being a young fella living in old farm houses. Stove pipe ran through every room in the house before it exited through the roof. We even had the tilting windows above the doors to let heat circulate into the hallways etc, you know, you’ve seen them in old black and white movies.

[@ACoupleStoners]

You seem very knowledgeable on this. We recently installed a nestor martin r33 in our bus and are totally in love with it. My question though is why does this not have a cold air intake hookup like all, or so I though, others have?

[@gregorythomas333]

The long stovepipe reminds me of the old Ma & Pa Kettle movies that had one in it. That thing went about 30ft+ across the room to the wall before exiting. I just thought it was there to be kinda funny...but maybe it was showing a functional side.

[@guntherultraboltnovacrunch5248]

Air is matter. It is made up of elements. Elements have atomic weight.

[@raulgil7389]

Confortable in the bone chilling environment with a wood burning stove sounds amazing. I think I need one in my 40-50° F home and my 9yr. Old puppy may enjoy the warmth too. Cregslisting….

[@gordonmitchell729]

I like the air venting coming in, and especially the air movement to the basement which interests me the most. I have been thinking about doing this, and now that I can see it working, I will most definately work on that this summer. Great video thank you...

[@markwaters7802]

Yes, very good job! I'm in Colorado & seen -50 overnight (rare) but it gets cold. Knew about the cold air intake but haven't done it. Now I think I will. Also like the fan! Thank you!

[@krtolebiohazardcs1.681]

I like how you deliver fresh air in to stove.

[@y5mvbc]

All new wood stoves have an optional fresh air kit which consists of a replacement plate with a 4" hole in it. I replaced the flex pipe it came with for rigid 4" 22gauge sheet metal duct. Nice clean look

[@frankmueller25]

The reason you get more drafts when the woodstove gets air from inside the home is because that air becomes heated and rises up the chimney creating a partial vacuum in the home. It doesn't matter if you're heating your home with a furnace or woodstove, both will cause that partial vacuum. In fact a clothes dryer is probably the worst because it pushes a lot of warm house air out of the house, only to be replaced by cold outside air via 'holes' to the outside. They often emphasize that we should plug those leaks, but I feel we should change the source of air for these appliances.

[@edibleacres]

I agree fully with you!

[@Rescue3EMS]

Just a note: Something far safer than the tape on the 4" intake and what it is made for is a clamp. It will cost you about $5 tops at the hardware store. Sometimes sold as dryer vent clamp. The pipe is meant to go on the OUTSIDE of the intake and be clamped in place. Not go on the inside and be taped. THANK YOU for your video. I truly appreciated it!

[@edibleacres]

The challenge is that the 'port' on the back of the stove is flush/flat to the stove... There isn't a lip or protrusion to use a clamp on, otherwise I certainly would have preferred that.... hmmm

[@Rescue3EMS]

@@edibleacres Yes. They make a flu that goes in and you connect to that. I did not know it was not on. That sucks. :-( Hard flu and 2000 degree F furnace cement maybe. Not sure. I guess if tape not leaking then great. Just scares me to think if it comes loose while you are sleeping. That said. You seem to good at improvising. Do what ya gota do! LOL

[@dumper87]

My 1970s stove doesn’t have the option for outside air intake. Besides, I like the fact that the stove constantly draws fresh air into the house while removing moisture. Before I put the stove in, I was using gas, then electric heat after the gas furnace croaked. I was constantly dealing with mold from condensation, but no longer.

[@deangriffee8898]

Nice job, love wood stoves and you do understand air flow.

[@robbourn7379]

Taught me one there, Thanks 👍

[@wholesystems]

Big fan! Especially of the supplied air source and the final drying of wood next to stove. Takes it to the next level.

[@edibleacres]

Thanks man! Yeah, it's been fun getting such a wide range of feedback on this system. At the end of the day, it works for us and you can't beat the price so it's been a great experience. Hope you are staying warm up there. It's been mellow and mild the last little bit down our way...

[@wholesystems]

Hey buddy.. one thing i was thinking about - the bricks - that's an inconsequential amount o thermal mass in my experience. And masonry folks would agree - meaningful mass starts at the multi thousand kilo amount - so you could free up that space if you'd like, i'd think with no consequence. But that supplied air source doh! That's huge.

[@irunamuk]

EdibleAcres I do the same thing. Wood brought in fresh from outside here is never completely dry even after 8+ months cut and stored under a roof and off the ground. I have a pile beside the stove waiting to go in next.

[@worldproof7703]

My stove doesn’t seem to have a 4” hole anywhere. Is there another way to feed outside air to it?

[@wholesystems]

Is the thermocouple fan still working? Ours died mostly after a few years.

[@listenup1711]

Thank you for making wood burning a better idea. I've burned wood for years and didn't realize how much better I can use my stove.

[@edibleacres]

So glad you found some ideas that feel useful to you.

[@blakeman438]

I live in the southern part of the USA where it is HOT 90% of the year and chilly the other 10%, I'd love to live in a place that cold for a year or so just to see how it is. On the very few days a year its cold enough to start the fireplace, I take full advantage of heating the house with wood. Thanks for making this great video!

[@edibleacres]

Our pleasure.

[@Kcducttaper1]

When I buy a house (instead of renting) I totally want to drop in a wood stove! They're so cozy, cheap, and just works.

[@happyhomelesshomesteaders158]

I love it and have burned wood just about everywhere, but getting the wood out of the woods can weigh down an old fella. Dreaded arthritis makes it hard to do anything after sawing and chopping loading and putting brush where it goes then hauling and stacking. All keep ya strong in the end. Then yiu must learn what will burn for you and what will not like gum is a no no some you can burn green , but later consequences. Some wood will get so hot it will damage the stove and flue system. It's all good though much leArning in the woodpile. The act of splitting the wood can be very dangerous

[@RobertJohnson-th2yf]

Emphasis is on your last two words "just works" because that is all you will be doing. Work, work, work with a wood stove. None of it is easy. First you have to find suitable trees to cut down. Trees that are laying on the ground are no good unless they were knocked over in a storm or something. The you have to actually cut the trees down. Then either split the logs there or transport the logs to your home and split them there. Then you stack the split wood and let it dry out for a year or more. You will spend six months every year doing this and the other six months burning the wood. Lots of fun.

[@ph.d.browne235]

Very cool. I am going to do the outside air and basement fan trick on my setup. Thanks for the ideas. Good video. Hey side note- I upcycled some old aluminium shutters I found in the attic into a heat shield for the wall behind my stove.

[@CJDe-kx8of]

You've done what I have in my home with the exception of a basement which I wish I had. My late grandfolk's home was completed in May 1954 (I was born Oct 1953). I heat with an older WonderWood wood stove. I added a damper as you did years ago, single wall telescoping stovepipe to ceiling then, double wall insulated from there out. Box fan behind stove to keep heat pushed out from the corner, use of stove brick, etc. Good video!

[@edibleacres]

Very similar setup! We've been really pleased with this basic setup for sure.

[@Rangband1]

I use the nearly identical old "Wonder Coal" that was made in TN not the new junk made in China. It's from the early 1990's. Dad has the same one and he cut a fresh air inlet on the back side to feed fresh outside air in. The pipe coming into the stove has an in line damper he uses to adjust the flow of air. The damper controlled by the knob on the front he just disconnects and lets it always lay closed. Will be adding to my stove as well. Love the big firebox on the wonder line too..can load up 2-3 good sized sticks of oak and shut the damper and it burns perfectly for 12hrs. Top it off in morning and before bed and thats it!

[@seadog2396]

Excellent Video, with valuable passive techniques for significantly improving the returns on your average wood stove. Everyone burning a wood stove should study this vid. Fact. Respect.

[@mrcharrington1]

Thanks. Great tips. I grew up in a house similar to yours, but in S.C. Winters aren't that bad. But still, stoking the fire at 5 a.m. was no fun. It's a dang wonder we didn't burn the house down. I guess everyone at school could tell who the poor kids were from our smell of wood ash. Sure wish I could go back to those days.

[@voodoomelons]

Very articulated and soothing voice!

[@jamesmatheson5115]

Many things help with efficiency of a wood heater, quality hard woods to start with, carpeted floors, double glazing windows, heavy drapes and clean pipes just to name a few.

[@edubbya]

Just bought an ecofan for my stove after seeing yours. Sponsor this man!

[@y5mvbc]

Just bought one too and took it out of the box 5 minutes ago, so funny I just saw this

[@timjeckewicz5536]

I've had 3 ecofans and not a one of them were worth a Shit! The first two were sent back with problems right away. I thought I'd try a third when they changed the design, and once again after about a year, I had to purchase a new motor which lasted about a year. I now have one I purchased at Walmart.com for $45 and have not yet had any problems.

[@RobertViani]

Good vid. Edible Acres. We've been heating with wood for 15 years. This year setting up the outside air intake. I think it will make a huge difference.

[@ryanbaker6059]

Did you fit your external air supply? Did it make a difference?

[@johnstone9396]

great video, it never occurred to me to draw fresh air from other than the room the wood burner is in, your way seems so much more efficient. thank you

[@edibleacres]

That single adjustment makes a MASSIVE difference overall.

[@ChristnThms]

Giving this older vid a bump for the algorithm. Clear and good info for those not in the know.

[@moekakke]

Drawing th air from outside is verry clever !! I fixed this alwel woth my stove but i used a tube with a self made valve so i can choke the stove as i wish...

[@roberthill4239]

Cold air intake is an excellent way to run your stove. It's way better for inside air quality And you are right damping the pipe will keep heat in the box longer and your box is made out of 3/16 steel and will show signs of warping when its getting to hot keep an eye on it and adjust accordingly...also another tip dont leave the house with a fire going AFTER altering your fuel supply as different woods burn at different temps and you may end up overturning while your not home to control the output.. I would keep the thermometer below the damper because that's were the hotter temperature will be.... and you definitely wanna know how hot it is.

[@nickguthrie9309]

Does the damper lead to creosote in chimney?

[@nealsimon8279]

It's an air tight stove and the hole in the back is for a blower motor to circulate the air in the room over the stove i have two wood stoves and have uses them both ever year for the past 15 years And both have the hole in them for bolt on blower fans

[@aysenuri2419]

Who is this guy and why do i suddenly feel sleepy and comfy and warm inside like i drank a pumpkin spice latte o.o who ever hes with definitely will never suffer from insomnia. You can just hear a sweet soul. My cat fell asleep listening too! Also...the stove looks extremely cool i wonder how it would work in an old school apartment in Istanbul.

[@bguen1234]

"Figure out what feels safe by you" Safety isn't subject to opinions or feelings.

[@kathrynb4683]

Especially considering the increasing decrease in common sense lately!🤣

[@joshuacrumley2031]

No, but risk tolerance is.

[@jgdooley2003]

Realy need a CO detection alarm. Not essential given the airgaps around the house but if future improvements call for sealing off the house and getting rid of airgaps and drafts then such an alarm would be needed to avoid CO buildup and possible poisoning. The external vent is a great idea.

[@igounfazed]

Actually, it is subject to opinions and feelings. That is how safety guidelines are determined. That is also why some safety mandates are recalled after being created, sometimes years after people have ingrained the recalled measure as proper. Researching the word safety and its usage will show it is not objective and is actually subjective.

[@royjones59344]

One of the great things about a wood stove is that how well your house is insulated shouldn't matter much. That stove should give off plenty of heat to overcome any drafts or leaks. Also outdoor temperature doesn't matter either you burn the same amount of wood whether it's -10 or 30 unlike oil or gas.

[@paulmaxwell8851]

Roy, the insulation level of your house DOES materr, very much. I've lived in many homes, some of them completely uninsulated, some poorly insulated, the new one super-insulated. Cold drafty homes are miserable things, and you only stay warm by sitting close to the stove. Not my idea of fun. There's nothing magical about wood. Btus are Btus, no matter where they come from. 1000 Btus from a woodstove are same as 1000 Btus from an oil furnace. Believe me, I burn more wood in my high-tech super-insulated home AND my old-school log cottage at minus 30C than I do at zero.

[@xX4estXx]

I'd love more homestead useful tips and tricks. I think you do more than you show. Keep up the great content and bring love to that baby.

[@TalentedDilittante]

Great video, honest, transparent comments . . . Hahaha getting close to 0ºF ('17ºC)!!! (Writing here from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, arguably the coldest CITY in the world. 3 TO 5 months of the year between -37C and -55ºC (-35F and -67F) and even with triple window panes, cold!) Wood stoves are wonderful, great advice. Thank you.

[@edibleacres]

That seems incredibly challenging. I hope you stay warm :)

[@TalentedDilittante]

@@edibleacres You bet it is! especially emotionally, in a citywide society where people go for months without interacting personally with anyone else--because people are so huddled in their own homes, away from the cold. loneliness and isolation reign.

[@russg1801]

I heated with a stove a few years ago; used mostly hardwood pallets for fuel - free but a PITA to break up. Starting a fire and keeping it controlled was always a concern - overfiring the stove and causing a flue blowout will burn down your house pretty damn fast. This year I went with pellets - I bought a stove for $250 a couple of weeks ago off Craig's. Well, now it's getting a bit chilly and that same stove is going for $600 to $900, proving the old adage: You Snooze, You Lose!

[@billrose2083]

I used pallets too for several years. I mostly used the 8 foot long ones and cut them up with a chainsaw. Worked great. Pallets were free. Biggest pain is getting the nails out, so I just burned them too. They'll come out with a magnet later when the ash piles cool down. I used a band saw for the 4x4 pallets. Works great. Burn those nails too. It's great wood.

[@billrose2083]

Something else; I have an odd habbit of collecting wood stoves. I fix them up and give them to people that can't afford to buy one. I still have 4 in the barn to rework.

[@stevenhardy2898]

Outside air intake? Are you sure that the inlet port is connected to the firebox and not the firebox jacket? On mine that port is where you connect a blower to push cold air into the stove so that hot air comes out the vent. For combustion air it best to have a very small opening directly under the stove. You don't need the fan to get hot air upstairs. HOT AIR rises quickly. Cold air falls. Another important thing to consider. When you use a fan to move air off a stove ,you are also reducing the radiant infrared heat. Infrared heat is more comfortable and does not give you a drafty feeling as lukewarm moving air does. You are setting yourself up for a chimney fire with that damper. You should be checking for creosote buildup very often. Creosote condenses when the chimney is too cool.

[@edibleacres]

Thanks, these are good points. We check the chimney and clean a few times a winter as needed. It's a small run so its easy to keep up with that. The intake is for external air as it leads ultimately to the combustion area, not the outer jacket of the stove. Thanks for sharing your knowledge on all this. Its good for people to see a wider range of opinions.

[@leneger2999]

EdibleAcres burn a tin can once a week, no creosote

[@jeffpeters2241]

Steven Hardy

[@larryjackson7661]

Len Eger up

[@chtomlin]

I bet you don't get a build up do you? You would seem to have plenty of heat to keep the creosote very low, right?

[@Just1Spark]

Dont forget the advantage of the glass on the stove door. Allows the more IR to escape. Well done. Ive done similar measures in my shop.

[@MrMelange]

The air supply from outside opened my eyes about how stoves work. It makes so much sense! I reckon the inside air also doesn't dry up that much/fast in comparison to when you don't use that special duct. I feel like i've learned so much from this video. What about a damper on the pipe providing the outside air? You could force the fire to burn slower and last longer, so you won't have to get up at night to refill the wood. One day man, one day I'll get a wood stove or fireplace and incorporate all tips and tricks I know. And I will thank you for it.

[@edibleacres]

So glad some of the ideas in this resonated as valuable for ya... I don't know about dampening the incoming air, seems intuitively like not an ideal way to go, but I also don't know for sure...

[@barrybrum]

Firebricks stacked up along the outside of your stove prevents the heat from passing through the stove walls out into the room. This style stove usually has fire bricks lining the interior side and rear walls. Remove the firebricks lining the inside of the stove's walls so the exterior walls of the firebox (room side) will heat up and heat your room more efficiently.

[@paulmaxwell8851]

No, do NOT remove those firebricks! They take the intense heat of the fire so your steel firebox doesn't. Without the firebricks your stove will burn out within a few years. Ask me how I know!

[@claude6141]

Paul Maxwell is right. NO NOT REMOVE THE FIREBRICK FROM INSIDE THE STOVE.

[@Wheeler590]

I thought that was a great vid and very informative, Granted I did some "I should of known that" or "why didn't I see this 3 years ago", but good job! And now I know.

[@chickybiker]

Lidl had a passive fan in for 20 gbp, so I grabbed one quick thanks to your recommendation of them here. It is about the same size, and appears to work just as well as yours. A lot of our heat was headed straight up the chimney, so this helps, thank you.

[@dereklonewolf9011]

@ 70+ what a clear & concise understanding of convection young fella, 🇨🇦 expat

[@RobertSmith-ft9qz]

By code, the cold air intake must be insulated to keep condensation/frost from forming on it but it is a good idea. I keeps the stove from sucking warm air from the house to have it replaced by cold air from the outside due to negative pressure.

[@jludikrazy9147]

Code? What's that? :-D

[@anthonylabeau6159]

I have a blaze king, garbage, imo, and the fresh air inlet is for the fan, that blows across the front of stove, now if it went to the firebox, with a on off valve, that would sure keep it from sucking all the cold air from leaky doors, windows, that would be ultimate, but right now alls it does is sucks cold from outside and cools off your fan air., imo

[@cpjc7829]

@@anthonylabeau6159 thinking of a blaze king stove. Would help to know your dislikes with it. Thanks

[@moefritz9568]

@@jludikrazy9147 It's just some people being overlords and making people follow made up rules. Almost as if they think they are more important than everyone else.

[@chimo1961]

@@moefritz9568 yeah just ignore the safety aspect,

[@thra5herxb12s]

Great little set up, cant wait for mine to arrive in the next few days. If you're going to close off the flue with a damper it might be a good idea to get a carbon monoxide detector just to be safe.

[@edibleacres]

Thanks, we have one set up. This is a good reminder to test it to be sure it's working!

[@sawzallmanken253]

With the flames you have on that fire don't tell me a cord of wood !! I've lived on wood stoves for over 40 years -- The fan in the back is the best thing you did !!

[@edibleacres]

The fan helps immensely in moving and stirring the air through the house.

[@Manny8669]

The mans an engineer,took something already great and made it better 😲😎🙌🏼 well done sir

[@edibleacres]

Thanks kindly! Definitely not an engineer, but enjoy tinkering and refining when I can

[@ianpalmer4840]

When my woodburner reaches a good temperature, I shut down the air vents so it is just ticking over. Seems much more efficient to me , not blasting out continually. Wood must be extremely dry though.

[@frydemwingz]

Nice setup, I have a stove similar to this one. I got 2 pine cones and a twig from outside that have really offset my charcoal usage this winter. A hamster on a wheel powers a fan that circulates all the air throughout the entire house. The hamster eats only acorns and a handful of snow left to melt into drinking water near the hamster wheel. This is all passive. I might have to gather some more acorns next fall. I bought the stove with change I found under my couch from a homeless man that was using it to store crushed aluminum cans, it was in even worse shape. My entire house is insulated with 8 Sunday newspapers, the sports section was cut into strips and mixed with a corn starch plaster to make the pipe that feeds the heated air into my basement, the rest of the newspapers just line my walls on the inside to retain a little extra heat.

[@edibleacres]

Nicely done :) Typed out on a laptop made of moist paper bags, corn kernels for the keyboard and a screen made from a stretched out Chinese takeout bag I'm guessing? Thats what I currently use.

[@johnfetzer9637]

good retro fit.... I have used wood for 40+ years , and its the best of all heat , as long as you can chop wood and keep expenses down. I have a 1600 sq ft home and heat it 6 months a year for about 650 bucks... :)

[@sarcasmo57]

Yeah, that pipe from the outside directly in is a great feature.

[@mynameisearlb]

Man really great stuff. We just moved onto our new property and after going through a full tank of propane in less than two months, we decided to go with wood. The wood stove and the well were the two main selling points for me. So far we've went through almost 2 face cords and it's going pretty quick. However these tips should do very much. I found your channel looking at ways to make charcoal in our wood stove top help offset the cost of wood. Great stuff, subscribed!

[@edibleacres]

I plan to make an update video on the charcoal aspect. We heat exclusively with wood and this winter only used 1.5 cord so far, BUT made at least many hundreds of pounds of pure charcoal. Crazy beneficial.