After 11 years of depending on a woodstove for winter heat in our Ohio cabin, we’ve learned to only burn hardwoods in cold months, and to never burn green wood because it creates creosote buildup in the chimney, which can cause fires. We also keep fresh batteries in all of our smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and we check the battery levels regularly. Here are some of the tasks we make sure to perform each year:
• Remove accumulated wood ash from inside our woodstove.
• Check all internal and external seals and replace them if necessary.
• Split, stack and season our wood in spring. It’s a great way to lose 10 pounds for the upcoming shorts season!
• Call our chimney sweep.
Robin Mullet
Warsaw, Ohio
At MOTHER EARTH NEWS for 50 years and counting, we are dedicated to conserving our planet's natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. You'll find tips for slashing heating bills, growing fresh, natural produce at home, and more. That's why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $5 and get 6 issues of MOTHER EARTH NEWS for only $12.95 (USA only). 
Annette, what is a soapstone stove? How do they work? Is it the same as a "Russian Furnace"?
Annette, what is a soapstone stove? Is it the same as a "Russian Furnace"?
Please help. My husband used You Tube to clean the chimney. I am confused, aren't you suppose to clean it from the roof, not from bottom up? Also, The door is coated with something shiny and gummy, what is going on with our woodstove?
Stop pushing the " burn only hardwoods" crap. Pine makes a very good burning wood as long as it is dried correctly - it just burns faster than hardwood. Pine also will get a stove going faster and hotter initially, then switch to a pine/hardwood mix. Chimney fires don't exist if you simply clean your chimney every two or three years; I've been doing it for 40+ years.
Stop pushing the " burn only hardwoods" crap. Pine makes a very good burning wood as long as it is dried correctly - it just burns faster than hardwood. Pine also will get a stove going faster and hotter initially, then switch to a pine/hardwood mix. Chimney fires don't exist if you simply clean your chimney every two or three years; I've been doing it for 40+ years.
Stop pushing the " burn only hardwoods" crap. Pine makes a very good burning wood as long as it is dried correctly - it just burns faster than hardwood. Pine also will get a stove going faster and hotter initially, then switch to a pine/hardwood mix. Chimney fires don't exist if you simply clean your chimney every two or three years; I've been doing it for 40+ years.
This wasn’t very informative at all. “Call our chimney sweep”? How about you tell me how to do it myself?
A well tended, EPA certified wood stove is the best way to go. We totally depend on ours for main level heat through heating season AND hot water when power is out. Look for a dedicated fresh air supply when selecting your unit to avoid pulling interior air into the unit for combustion. Burning well cured wood will produce little or no smoke. That is the indication of your quality of firewood.
There are many EPA certified wood stoves. We totally depend on our soapstone stove. It is easy to load, burns for a long time, than radiates stored heat even longer. Ours came with a dedicated fresh air supply so you are NOT pulling air from the inside of the home. With 22 acres of woods, we have plenty of wood to gather just from what dies off as our woods transition from pines into hardwoods. With well cured wood, there is little or no smoke from a well tended wood stove.
upnorthmn, while things may have changed the last I heard they are grandfathering in the ones currently in use but tightening the standards for new stoves. I am not sure how it would apply to a used stove purchased from an individual.
EPA is banning 80% of today's woodstoves.