Is a woodstove worth it?
- Thread starter Bszweda
- Start date
hokiehunter
Yearling... With promise
I burn about 9 pickup loads of wood a year, and it definitely saves on the electric bill as well as provides a heat that feels better than any other. I got my stove off Craigslist for $200 and replaced some broken firebrick in it. I wouldn't be concerned about someone stealing the stove or pipe. The stove should be very heavy, and the pipe would be pretty inconvenient to take for what it would be worth. An older Fisher type wood stove is the cheapest best way to go as far as I know.
kl9
5 year old buck +
Nothing better than burning wood as a heat source. A nice quality cast iron stove is quite heavy and would be a PITA to steal with 1 person. 2-3 guys could likely steal it pretty quick I suppose... but you’re probably already running that risk with other stuff you have down there.
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kfab12
5 year old buck +
Well sometimes you can't predict what someone will do. My brother-in-laws cabin is in the middle of National Forest here in Michigan, deep. Someone broke into his cabin, took the wood burning stove and the cement slab under the stove! The slab was not cemented to the floor but sitting on the floor with the wood stove on top. Stove, cement slab, piping and all of the cast iron cookware were taken. So now when he leaves he doesn't lock the door because they ripped that off the first time so this way if they get in at least he doesn't have to fix the door. My suggestion is to do what hokie did and get a decent one off of Craig's list and don't worry if someone steals it. If they want it bad enough then they are going to come back with the right tools and get it. Don't put a lot of money into it. In my cabin I don't put anything expensive in it. I figure if they take it then so be it, I can't worry myself about what will happen. I would never sleep. No firearms or ammo are left in the cabin.
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
If you are going to worry about it, don't do it. If you do it, don't worry about it. As stated above, stealing a wood stove would not be a one man job. Life's too short to be worried about things you can't control ...
FarmerDan
5 year old buck +
Guess the theft part depends on your neighborhood. Seems like a lot of work to me and most -- not all -- thieves aren't interested in a lot of work. I've never heard of it happening around here. Since it is a lot of work, one option is make the value proposition a little tougher.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/us-stove-barrel-wood-stove-kit
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/us-stove-barrel-wood-stove-kit
Catscratch
5 year old buck +
I love wood burning heat. It just feels good!
Craigslist and facebook marketplace would be good places to find a cheap one.
You might check with your insurance agent to see if it's going to change your payments or coverage any. This may or may not influence what you do.
I have no idea if you should worry about thieves. Seems crazy to steal something like that but crazy stuff happens all the time.
Craigslist and facebook marketplace would be good places to find a cheap one.
You might check with your insurance agent to see if it's going to change your payments or coverage any. This may or may not influence what you do.
I have no idea if you should worry about thieves. Seems crazy to steal something like that but crazy stuff happens all the time.
Northbound
5 year old buck +
I too can't imagine a cabin without a wood stove.
And to stereotype- most thieves are lazy and wouldn't work hard enough to steal a heavy stove.
If you have electric I'd highly recommend a 'magic heat' heat reclaimer in the stove pipe. They pump out some good heat that would normally be lost as well as circulate air. My favorite thing is when you hear it shut off you know it's time to add wood to the fire.
I heat my home only with wood. Guessing that magic heat saves me half a cord of wood a year at least.
For insurance, you may need a fireplace endorsement. State farm is 55 bucks a year I belive. Some companies won't cover at all because most stoves are installed incorrectly by homeowners so a bill of installation from a contractor may be required.
And to stereotype- most thieves are lazy and wouldn't work hard enough to steal a heavy stove.
If you have electric I'd highly recommend a 'magic heat' heat reclaimer in the stove pipe. They pump out some good heat that would normally be lost as well as circulate air. My favorite thing is when you hear it shut off you know it's time to add wood to the fire.
I heat my home only with wood. Guessing that magic heat saves me half a cord of wood a year at least.
For insurance, you may need a fireplace endorsement. State farm is 55 bucks a year I belive. Some companies won't cover at all because most stoves are installed incorrectly by homeowners so a bill of installation from a contractor may be required.
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
I had a metal gate off one end of our property stolen last year. Thing was over 14' long and had to weigh over 225 lbs. Had been there over 20 years never chained or locked and was right at the roadside. Had to be anchored to a 16" diameter phone pole ... would've taken 2 guys to remove.
For $75 they could've bought a brand new aluminum one at Menards.
Bszweda
5 year old buck +
My insurance agent is pretty cool so I'll give her a ring. My insurance actually went down last year after she found out I had propane heat. I'd probably only use the fireplace 10 days out of the year.(I think a 30 Gallon oil drum kit or a used stove on craigslist will do the trick).
Bowsnbucks
5 year old buck +
I'd say stealing a heavy iron / boiler plate type stove would depend on access. If they can get a vehicle right up to your cabin, all they have to do is get it out of the cabin and onto a truck. If you have steel gates that lock, making any thief carry the stove for a distance, they probably won't even attempt it. If you have open ground and a 4x4 could drive into a field around a locked gate - it's much easier for thieves to get a stove or anything else. Quick get-away with a vehicle then too.
I burn wood for most of our heat at home. Nothing takes the chill / dampness out like wood heat.
I burn wood for most of our heat at home. Nothing takes the chill / dampness out like wood heat.
MA VT Flatlander
5 year old buck +
Bowsnbucks How many cords of wood do you burn per year?
Nova
5 year old buck +
I also can't imagine a cabin without a wood stove, heck I can't even imagine a house without it. I love wood heat and really hate it when my furnace back up turns on. Heating the house with wood is a lot of work, but good exercise and fun work. I would have never even thought about someone stealing a wood stove, jeepers.
j-bird
Moderator
If folks are going to steal it.....they are going to steal anything else you leave there as well! The only thing you can do is make them work for it and sometimes that will help, but it won't stop the more determined ones. People will steal anything. I sort of figured a wood stove was standard issue for a "cabin"..... I am sure there are other means as well, just sort of the rustic definition of a cabin as far as I am concerned I guess. We heated the house with wood as a kid. Not sure about the "fun" Nova speaks of but it's certainly a dry and dirty heat. Us boys would help dad cut the wood, stack the wood, split the wood (by hand), and bring the wood in the house. I don't remember any of it being "fun". Make sure you still have some means to distribute that heat. Electric blows and even a ceiling fan to push that rising heat down helps a ton. I don't miss heating with wood one bit.....I thought I would...be far less mess, far less work.
dsinwi
5 year old buck +
Put the woodstove in, it's a must have for any cabin. Thieves will break into anything and steal anything. No sense in worrying about that sort of thing. A wood stove would be fairly low on the list but no telling what a low life would take. Not sure what kind of stove you are looking at for 2k. I helped my buddy put one in his place last fall. All said and done he was into for around $350 but we installed it ourselves. Well, to be fair, I did most of the work. He can barley nail 2 boards together. He got it off CList double wall pipe included.
