The wood stove It is the perfect combination between design and energy efficiency. The company Estufas Panadero has been a pioneer in manufacturing models that comply with the European EcoDesign 2022 regulation. In this way, they improve the performance of their wood-burning stoves, but with minimal emissions that ensure a low environmental impact and a energy rating A / A +).
Taking into account the increase in the prices of electricity, diesel and gas, a wood stove is one of the best options to heat the house since it improves the energy efficiency of your home and prevents you from ruining your economy.
In addition, in recent years they have incorporated important variations in burning technology and its operation that you should know to know which is the one that best suits your needs.
How to choose a wood stove?
When choosing our wood-burning stove, there are a number of aspects that must be taken into account, which are detailed below.
Cubic meters of the room
The heating volume appears in the technical descriptions of almost all stoves. To know the cubic meters of the room, we only have to multiply the m2 by the height (normally between 2.4 and 2.5 meters). In this way, we will ensure that we are choosing the necessary power for the room we want. to warm.
On the other hand, the kW that the stove has will also guide us on its power. For example, with 10 kW you can heat 100 m².
Sheet wood stove or cast iron wood stove
The main characteristics of a sheet metal wood stove are:
- They are made of steel about 4 mm thick.
- They are lighter than cast iron.
- They heat up and begin to emit heat before the function ones, but they also lose strength before when the flame lowers its intensity.
- Its price is lower than that of cast iron.
While the characteristics of a cast iron stove are:
- They usually have a thickness of between 1 and 2 cm.
- They take longer to heat up and begin to emit heat than sheet metal, but also to cool down since the heat of these stoves is more constant.
- Cast iron stoves are more durable than sheet metal stoves because their thickness better withstands the expansion and contraction processes produced by fire.
There are also hybrid wood stoves, which have parts made of cast iron and others made of sheet metal. Normally, the cast parts are the ones that withstand the most heat, such as the grill where the logs are placed, the door and the rear part. In addition, these types of stoves offer a good quality/price ratio since they are cheaper than cast iron ones.
inner size
Each stove has a different internal capacity to be able to use logs of different sizes. The autonomy and the heat released will also be related to the type of wood that is burned. For example, oak hardwood has a higher heating value and burning time than pine softwood.
The ideal would be to choose a wood stove with a heating volume appropriate to your home and your comfort/convenience habits.
combustion system
The double combustion system is used so that wood stoves and fireplaces are much more efficient and pollute less. For this reason, the double combustion achieves a better burning of the wood and a higher yield.
Currently, technology has improved the combustion system, incorporating new triple-combustion wood-burning stoves onto the market.
With or without deflector?
The deflector or draft regulator is a piece that goes inside the combustion chamber of the wood-burning stove and serves to improve the draft of the stove, reducing the possibility of plastering or return of smoke.
The cheapest wood stoves do not have this deflector, which means that they consume more wood and that the smoke can return to the interior of the house.
Other aspects to assess
In addition to those indicated, other characteristics that we must assess when buying our wood stove are:
- Double chamber: improves the wood stove’s ability to distribute heat further and faster.
- High-density vermiculite: vermiculite is a ceramic material that reflects heat and prevents it from remaining inside the body of the stove, achieving greater comfort.
- Clean glass system: retards the glass of wood stoves from staining and turning black.
- National manufacturing: a national brand, well established and with a future as Panadero, will always offer us the necessary guarantees and spare parts so that our wood stove lasts for many years.
- Design: a modern and contemporary design will highlight the decoration of any room.
The 5 key points to choose your wood stove
In summary, these are the most important aspects that you should take into account when choosing your wood stove:
- Stove material: it is decisive both in the durability of the stove and in its thermal inertia.
- Interior size: it will condition the size of the logs and will influence autonomy.
- Energy efficiency: choosing a high-performance wood stove will always lead to short-term savings.
- Power: choosing the correct power is essential to avoid underheating or overheating the home.
- Location: have enough space since the stove must be located near an outside outlet to be able to install the smoke outlet pipes.
Finally, it is advisable to avoid having combustible materials, electrical appliances, carpets or any element that can be damaged by heat near the stove.
I hope this practical guide on how to choose a wood stove help you improve the energy efficiency of your home and reduce your spending on heating. Do not forget that you can find many more guides on DIY and decoration on and on .
