Allergies//sick all the time

[kimie937]

We have a woodstove, Mounteneer 140,000 btu with a pipe going strait out the roof. It has a magic heat in the pipe as well. Every time we open to put in wood it smokes, always has. The top is cracked and bellied down and the seal on the door is not good anymore. But it has ALWAYS smoked. We have to replace the stove. But we always suffer from allergies and chronic respitory congestion in the winter. I cannot afford other heat as we have a 1900 sq ft house.
I need advise on the best stove to get to reduce smoke in the house. To put out the most heat on the least wood. Or anything you can tell me!! Also Hearth.com is so big, can you direct me to any place you think might be helpful????

 

[DAKSY]

How tall is your chimney?
Are there any offsets in the run?
GET RID OF THE MAGIC HEAT!

 

[crossout]

the best you would have to do is stop burning wood i know people have respiratory problem from burning wood for yrs after yrs of use and i can't wait for spring to come i am debating which to buy a cord of wood or $500 worth of fuel oil for the last few months of heating honestly i am sick of burning wood already!! and only been burning since end of nov and man its too much of a hassle for me i like the button on the thermostat to do the work...next house will be rigged up with natural gas by next winter i learn my lesson not to buy or rent a place with propane and fuel oil crap..

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Kimie937.

It is no wonder you have problems with what you describe!

The key to not having smoke in the house is not the stove It is either the chimney or the wood and most times it is the wood. Folks continue to try to burn wood long before that wood is truly ready to burn. Have a 2-3 year wood supply on hand at all times and always burn the oldest stuff and you will very rarely, if ever have a smoke problem.

btw, I have known more than a dozen folks with allergy problems and they have no problem with burning wood. Well, I also have known one that has had a problem but the first time I walked into their home in the winter, I must say that I would have had a problem living there! Not only could you smell smoke but the creosote smell was downright awful!

 

[Hankjones]

Others can probably help with picking out a stove, but if heating with wood is the ONLY choice, I would say just make sure you have the stove installed right and keep it maintained. I think with the proper installation, you should be able to minimize smoke, but if you are really sensitive, you need to take extra steps. I've found that no matter how I try to reload my stove, I get some sort of fine particles coming out of the stove when I open it. I don't smell smoke at all, but I have a particle counter that shows a direct correlation of when I open the door and when there is at least a 30% increase in fine particles. Also there probably leaks in the house, smoke may get in trough cracks. So basically, it would be a good idea to get a hepa air filter in the house.

 

[Pagey]

I am not too familiar with their operation, but would a pellet stove ease allergies? Of course the cost of fuel may nix that idea right away...

 

[Shari]

We have a woodstove, Mounteneer 140,000 btu with a pipe going strait out the roof. It has a magic heat in the pipe as well. Every time we open to put in wood it smokes, always has. The top is cracked and bellied down and the seal on the door is not good anymore. But it has ALWAYS smoked. We have to replace the stove. But we always suffer from allergies and chronic respitory congestion in the winter. I cannot afford other heat as we have a 1900 sq ft house.
I need advise on the best stove to get to reduce smoke in the house. To put out the most heat on the least wood. Or anything you can tell me!! Also Hearth.com is so big, can you direct me to any place you think might be helpful????

Kimie937: Welcome to hearth.com! You have come to the 'right place' to get some good advice. In order to do that, we need some more information:

1. Where is your chimney currently located? Is it inside the house or is it on an exterior wall?

2. What material is your chimney lined with? Clay tile or is there a stainless steel liner in place?

3. What size is the interior dimension of your chimney? How tall is it?

4. How well is your home insulated? Are the windows/doors/insulation sufficient?

Now, I've highlighted a couple of things in your post that somewhat alarm me:


A. Magic Heat does not have a good reputation around here. Basically it is considered a creosote enabling device.

B. Your stove is cracked/bellied down/door not sealing - a stove in this condition is a house fire waiting to happen. Please, do you have any other way to temporarily heat your home? It sounds like you should not be burning this stove at all!

C. It has always smoked: What kind of wood are burning? How long has your wood been split and stacked? How are you storing your wood (covered/uncovered/on the ground/off the ground/inside the house/outside the house/etc.)?

Yes, it sounds like a laundry list of questions, but the more info we have the better we can help you on your way.

 

[48rob]

Stove leaking issues aside it sounds like you need a humidifier...

Do you know what the humidity levels are in your home?

Rob

 

[webbie]

Consider a central heater -but a clean one like the Caddy or the Blaze King. This is likely to keep most of the smoke downstairs.

As mentioned, ditch the Magic Heat.
Check all other appliances in the house.....hot water heater, etc. venting.

A humidifier and an ionizer would help.

There is no way all of you should be sick due to the wood stove! But some people are really sensitive to such things. It's hard to say if that is your family because the existing setup is so poor.

That particular brand of stove (Vogelzang) has not been the favorite of a lot of folks here...a decent stove would definitely start to make a difference.

 

[colebrookman]

I am not too familiar with their operation, but would a pellet stove ease allergies? Of course the cost of fuel may nix that idea right away...

Unless you have your own source of wood I would seriously consider a pellet stove. It will eliminate keeping wood in the house, eliminate opening the stove door to fill and minimize the amount of ash/dust in the air. Even if you have your own wood source you could sell enough cords to pay for pellets. If you have children you will have to be even more careful.
Childhood allergies along with asthma and other respiratory problems are increasing drastically. It can become a pay me now or pay me later with health issues. Be safe.
Ed

 

[cmonSTART]

Looking beyond the stove issue, do you have a chronically wet basement? Any mold problems?