Wood Burning Stoves
Wood burning stoves have a long history: they are reliable, and have the advantage of using the fuel source most readily available to the majority of the populace throughout history. This has led them to be widely used by both poor and rich in those areas of the world where heat for comfort and cooking has been necessary.
Wood Stoves
Most wood stoves have a common basic design. A metal chamber contains the wood which is used for fuel: this chamber has ventilation to allow heat to be directed to the front of the stove, to allow air to be sucked in to ensure the fire keeps burning, and to allow exhaust gases to be expelled. Most stoves are connected to a flue or chimney designed to remove the waste gases to the outside of the building.
They can be made from a variety of metals, though traditionally cast iron stoves have been popular as they are both functional and decorative. Indeed, high quality cast iron stoves are increasingly sought after by style-conscious home owners that wish to use solid fuel heating. Fuels can include logs, wood pellets or even peat; indeed wood pellet stoves are becoming more sought after due to their efficiency.
Wood Burning Cookers
Wood burning stoves can serve more than one function. Though most often used for the purpose of space heating in a home or business, wood stoves can be used in cooking. Before wide-scale provision of gas and electricity, wood burning cookers were the main method used for preparing hot food in most homes, and with the rising price of gas and electricity they are becoming increasingly popular once more.
The standard wood burning cooker comprises of an oven and one or more hotplates; more advanced models include options for temperature control and can even act as solid fuel boilers in order to provide hot water for the kitchen, and for solid fuel central heating. It must be borne in mind, though, that kitchen ranges of this type can be expensive to run as they require constant feeding with wood or other fuel to ensure that the fire never goes out. If this fuel cost can be afforded, though, wood burning cookers are one of the most attractive solid fuel stoves, can prove an attractive, useful and versatile addition to a kitchen.
Franklin Stoves
The Franklin stove is not a true wood stove, but rather a modified and more efficient version of a fireplace: the front of the Franklin stove is not closed, but open to the room. Designed by the American inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin, they were designed to improve fuel efficiency at a time when wood was scarce around the larger cities of North America. It is still possible to buy fireplaces based on this design.
Used Wood Stoves
For those that want to use solid fuel to heat their homes but are unable to afford a wood burning stove (and do not want to consider coal stoves), used wood stoves can be a viable option. It is essential, though, that any used wood stove is thoroughly checked before purchase, as cracks on the stove can lead to poor heat retention and even the danger of exhaust fumes escaping into the living or cooking area. A good clue as to whether a used wood stove has been well maintained is its level of cleanliness: a stove that has built up soot and other residue is unlikely to have been cared for.