Wood Stove for winter comfort

Energy independence next steps

After the ice storms and multi-day power outages of 2021 and 2023, we were determined to gain some energy independence.  With 8 kilowatts of Solar panel to meet our power needs, it was time to think about winter heat. Solar power could be used to pump water, provide lighting, charge various devices and run small appliances, it just wasn’t going to be enough for heating — especially at night. We have a nearly endless source of deadfall live oak here at the ranch though, and a wood stove was the obvious answer. We looked into wood stoves when we built in 1996, but just couldn’t fit one into the budget.

Heat Pumps are awesome but . . .

We installed two heat pumps (upstairs and downstairs) when we built in 1996. They were a relatively new approach at the time, and were supposed to be the most efficient way to heat and cool with electric power. Both units have been replaced over the years with better models, and they are very efficient.

The dirty little secret is that heat pumps don’t work well with outdoor temperatures below 40 degrees. To account for those rare events, resistance heating assist units are usually included in heat pump systems. Ironically, resistance heating is one of the least efficient ways to heat a home. Maybe it was time to fulfill the wood stove dream. We hoped to kill two birds with one stove — avoid using the resistance heating units and have heat during a power outage.

How to choose a Wood Stove

Wood stoves vary widely in price depending on quality and features. I’ve seen them for as little as a few hundred dollars, while EPA-rated, designer models can run be 20 times that or more. I wasn’t so concerned with style — basic black would do — but I did want one that could burn safely for hours at a time without much attention. Thermostatic control would be nice, and the option of drawing outside air might be helpful. Most important of all, it had to be safe. I planned on placing it near an interior wall with the flue piercing the ceiling and roof above.

Not surprisingly, there aren’t a lot of wood stoves vendors in Austin. Let’s face it, fireplaces and stoves seem out of place where outdoor temperatures can remain above 90 degrees for months at a time. There are four seasons in Central Texas, but they are: nearly summer, summer, still summer and huntin’ season.

There was one vendor in Georgetown, Texas (just north of Austin) we had visited over 25 years ago. They were still there, although now styled as a fireplace and patio store. The salesman we talked with was very helpful and spent over an hour answering our questions. We could do it, but it was going to be expensive. It would also require the replacement of a carpeted area with a non-flammable surface like tile.

Vermont Castings Intrepid — best for us

Ultimately, we decided on the Vermont Castings Intrepid model with a peak output of 55,000 BTU. It’s pretty small, a good thing for our roughly 20 by 17 foot living room. The heat output might be a little low, but we weren’t planning on heating the entire house for the whole winter. We just wanted backup heat on the coldest days and during power outages.

Plan ahead

By August, we had struck a deal and found a contractor, but would have to wait until early October for installation. Amazingly, wood stoves are in short supply year ‘round, and installers are busy as well. I didn’t even try to find a tile contractor, since coming an hour from Austin to install 32 square feet of tile didn’t seem realistic in Austin’s overheated housing market. I could install it myself.

Installing a heat proof tile floor

Tile is easy to find in Austin, and not too expensive. We ended up with a Marazzi pattern from Dal Tile. The 32 square feet set us back just under $100. There is no shortage of helpful video on YouTube for tile installation either. These videos from “Ask The Builder” were most helpful.

Also needed, a bag of thinset mortar, grout, a serrated trowel, a sponge and buckets for mixing mortar and water for washing. I was able to lay the tile in two 3-4 hour sessions. I learned to take my time and use the sponge to clean up spillage often. I think it turned out pretty well for a novice effort.

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Installation Day

The hardest part of the project was waiting for the installer, Hill Country Hearth. As mentioned before, they’re busy and almost a month passed between finishing the tile and installing the stove. When they did arrive, the entire installation took about 4 1/2 hours. Almost a non-event. Very professional, and concerned about minimizing mess, it was fun to watch the process.

The stove weighs around 500 pounds, so it took both of them at maximum effort to get it positioned. The pictures below show the process.

Because the Intrepid has an integrated heat shield in the back, it can be positioned only 14-inches from drywall. It sits on one half of the 4-foot by 8-foot tile floor, leaving space for wood storage and a bookcase on the end. The tall, black chimney is striking against the wall behind, and the whole thing looks like it was always meant to be there.

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Lovely winter heat

The proof is in the pudding. I wasn’t expecting to use the stove until January, but we had a cold snap in mid-October and got to try it out. Vermont Castings recommends building a series of 3 or 4 modest fires to help the stove settle in. I also found it helpful to work on my fire-building technique. What a treat to have the stove’s warmth during those first chilly evenings.

As I write this, we’ve already used it several times. It’s easy to get a fire going, the chimney “draws” well, and the stove produces very little smoke into the living room. I haven’t gotten it hot enough yet to try closing the damper that engages the secondary smoke chamber. When I do, unburned gasses in the smoke are consumed, leaving very little smoke out the chimney and a 15% increase in the stove’s overall efficiency. Not bad.

So I think we’re ready for winter. I’m not wishing for another epic ice storm, but it if happens we’ll be a lot more comfortable then we were last year or two years before that. In the meanwhile, as Marilyn and I sit reading and petting the dogs, it seems like we’ve returned to an earlier age. Slow evenings by the fire, contemplating the good things in life.