This week we're talking wood stoves. We've both heated with wood for decades, so this is the stuff we actually weigh when we're buying and using them.

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Welcome to the Greenhill Forge Podcast, with Eric from the Greenhill Forge YouTube channel, and my buddy Amal, a fellow builder of many trades.

In this podcast we’ll talk about where the real world meets experiments in alternative energy, wood heating, metal fabrication, off-grid engineering and self sufficiency, so expect discussions about workshops, tools, fabrication, building, homesteading, and what it actually takes to make those dreams real.

We’ll answer a question each week, so send yours to us at https://forms.gle/zNzKTtjDnBEupLBQA

In this episode:

• How to choose a wood stove for your house
• How to size a wood stove to square footage and insulation
• Oversized versus undersized stoves, and why running one too cool causes creosote
• How long to season firewood, how much wood a winter takes, and where to get it
• Primary heat versus an occasional fire
• Secondary-burn stoves versus catalytic stoves
• Steel versus cast iron versus soapstone
• What to check on a used stove, and what a new one costs
• Outside-air kits, indoor smoke, and carbon monoxide safety
• Clearances and getting a stove installed safely
• Listener question: How did you acquire your skills and knowledge?
• Weekly shop tips and tricks

Creosote powder: US: https://link.amazon/B0iKW8VfJ ; UK: https://shop.vitcas.com/cfc-chimney-flue-cleaner.html

WATCH the podcast on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@GreenhillPod

LISTEN on all your favorite podcast platforms.

See you next week!

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CHAPTERS

00:00:00 Seasoned wood, and staying ahead of a two-year supply

00:04:40 Sizing the wood stove to the house: stove size versus square footage and insulation

00:05:15 Oversized stoves, smoldering, and creosote

00:06:08 House insulation matters

00:07:43 Creosote, chimney fires, and smoke exposure

00:10:15 Sizing rule of thumb

00:11:51 Heat distribution: fans, ducting, basement furnaces, radiant floors

00:18:37 Primary heat versus occasional use

00:20:01 Wood use per winter, before and after insulation

00:21:16 Sourcing rounds and chips from tree crews

00:23:17 Single burn, secondary reburn, and catalytic stoves

00:25:01 EPA testing

00:28:24 Intake controls, exhaust dampers, and shutting a stove down

00:31:19 Carbon monoxide

00:32:08 How catalytic converters work, and the bypass

00:37:50 Fuel quality and catalytic lifespan

00:39:16 Hybrid stoves and short chimneys

00:42:53 A flue-mounted catalytic retrofit

00:47:18 After-stove modifications, heat exchangers, and insurance

00:49:15 Steel, cast iron, and soapstone

00:54:14 Repairing cracked cast iron

00:55:54 Thin sheet-metal stoves

00:56:51 Stove brands, regulation, and burn bans

01:10:05 Outside-air kits and indoor particulates

01:13:54 Listener question: How did you acquire your skills and knowledge?

01:18:52 Weekly tip: shop mice!