If you could do it all over again, what would you do different?

[nate_o23]

My main regret is the the size of my stove. Its a Jotul ( I dont remember the model #) and while I think the stove is well made and does a good job of heating the part of the house it is installed in, it is too small. I buy about half of the firewood i use from a guy who precuts and splits it. The problem is that since my stove wont take over a 20" log I end up re-cutting and splitting most of the wood. I like the Jotul but wish I had gone with a bigger model. Also I have found that you should NEVER force a piece that is too big into a glass door stove (DOH! :red: ) On the plus side I have found out that the local glass company sells fire rated glass much cheaper then the stove shop.

My 2nd regret is buying a Snowflame corn heater. I thought this would be a good way to heat the other side of the house since a woodstove wasnt practicle on that side. This thing is one big piece of crap! It is hard to light, clogs easily, fire goes out ALOT, and the door handle broke almost immediately. It also uses way more corn then advertised. Customer service sucks too. Dealer said talk to the company, company says talk to the dealer. It now sits unused.

3rd regret- buying one of those ecofans that sits on top of the stove and uses the stoves heat to make enough electricity to turn the fan. Seemed like a good idea, but in reality it didnt move a lot of air and stopped working after about 4 months of use.

Lesson learned- Do more reserch before buying stuff

 

[begreen]

Hi Nate, welcome. Your errors are not uncommon, particularly if you're trying to save money. But it's easy to try to be penny-wise and end up being pound-foolish. Good stoves are expensive, so it pays to network and ask questions. I would recommend starting a new thread to go over your heating needs and goals.

BTW, the EcoFan has a one-year warranty. Have you sent it back to them for repair?

 

[Bill]

My biggest regret was not to get a bigger and better stove in the first place, I am gonna lose some money on the old one. But quality purchases are not always in every-ones budgets. It's easy to think the cheaper model will handle the job. Sometimes that's the case and sometimes it's not. By the way I have one of those cheap side grinders and it works fine. I found more uses for it after I bought it.

I evaluated my wood harvesting system and fine tuned it this year. I put my wood racks in such a formation that I can drive my ATV trailer right up to them for loading or unloading. I set up enough racks and split enough wood to age three years. I have indoor racks in the pole barn for the wood I will use over winter.

This year I made a commitment to safety, I have all the PPE I need.

I guess you have to sit down and figure out how much it's going to cost upfront. Once you know how much first class is going to cost, than you decide to buy or wait. But quality is important.

I am looking forward to cold weather this winter, I want to see how hot much heat this new stove puts out.

 

[Eric Johnson]

Good strategy on the wood, Smokey. Personally, I think storing your wood under some kind of a roof is the way to go--for at least a few months before you burn it.

I think if most people considered the TOTAL cost of heating with wood upfront, few would get into it. But once you get your foot in the door, it becomes more like a hobby and/or a form of recreation and exercise, and you don't mind making further investments. Plus, it's one of those investments that really pays off over the long haul. You're into five-figure savings before long.

So I think cheap stoves, cheap saws, beat-up pickup trucks and scrounged wood play an important role in luring people into this weird lifestyle choice. It takes awhile to really figure out what you want and need. And you'll appreciate that new stove a whole lot more now that you have something to compare it to.