By Mark Clement
For builders scouting heating features and upgrades for a new home or remodel, thinking green (or greener) or fielding questions about effective ways to keep warm, wood burning stoves may be a smart, affordable choice. Quadra-Fire makes wood burning stoves for all kinds of applications, from small spaces for ornamental or utilitarian fires to stoves that crank out some serious BTUs.
Some customer's perceptions of wood may be that it's dirty, inefficient and not as safe as other forms of heating. This mentality has changed dramatically in recent years because wood stoves are more advanced than ever. Stoves are now are more efficient than units a decade ago and burn with tremendous efficiency. Wood burning appliances consume nearly all the fuel, converting it to heat with very little leftover waste that goes out the chimney or as ash to clean up.
When selecting a stove, there are three body types to choose from: steel, cast iron and soapstone. Quadra-Fire makes both steel and cast iron stoves. For my money, cast iron is the way to go if it fits with the amount of square footage you need heated. It warms up fairly quickly and cools down slower than steel, while heating and cooling faster than soapstone; this makes it a good middle ground.
It's temping to think—when you're thinking snow—that soapstone's ability to hold heat for longer periods of time is the way to go, but remember that it's not the dead of winter every day. Spring and fall don't always need full-on heat.
Quadra-Fire depends on its research to develop designs and technology that dovetail a tough feature-set: affordability, cutting edge heating features and good looks. The company claims their "Advanced Combustion Technology produces the most efficient and cleanest line of stoves available." Their Cumberland Gap model is a good example. The Cumberland Gap heats dependably and up to 2,100 square feet. It's simple to operate, takes up a small amount of floor space, and with enamel finishes and Victorian-style designs in the stove body, it looks great. Quadra-Fire's steel stoves heat the biggest footprint. The 5700 Step Top heats up to 3,500 square feet, according to the company.
As for installation, you can assign a couple crewmembers to do it. Directions must be followed to the letter, but it's typically inexpensive enough to sub out, even if you don't make any money on it. There's a lot less head scratching for a dedicated stove installer, and your lead carpenter can focus on what he or she does best.
You may, however, want to assign your crew the stove base installation. While there are stove supports you can buy, they might not have the custom look you need. And, if you have a corner installation or some other detail, you want to be able to control what the stove sits on and how it looks. Check with the stove manufacturer for recommendations and specs.
www.QuadraFire.com
Mark Clement is a remodeler and author of The Carpenter's Notebook and The Kid's Carpenter's Workbook, Fun Family Projects! Find out more at
www.TheCarpentersNotebook.com.
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