Wood stoves are not just an appliance; they are also a way to add beauty and charm to a home, along with the savings in fuel costs. And with the appropriate accessories you can get a lot more out of your wood stove than you probably thought you could. Here is a short review of a few of the most popular wood stove accessories and how they can be used to make your wood stove an even more valuable addition to your home.
Wood Stove Accessories
Fans can be an attractive and practical accessory for a wood stove . Circulating fans help transfer the warm air from the stove throughout the room. There are also doorway fans that move the heat into other rooms and fans that are built to fit into existing ducts to spread the heat all throughout the home.
Modern homes are more air-tight than ever, which can cause problems with a wood stove’s drafting. This keeps it from drawing sufficient air from the home to burn efficiently and can also create excessive smoking. Air supply ventilators resolve this problem and can be installed through an outside wall. Because they take advantage of the negative air pressure inside today’s tight homes there is no power source required. The improved draft means more efficient burning.
There are also electrically operated Draft Inducers which are helpful in increasing the air flow up a chimney. This increases the negative pressure (draft) in the stove and prevents smoke from leaking.
Heat from a wood stove can cause the air in your home to dry out. Wood stove kettles are a simple way to humidify a room and as an added bonus, they can be used as a decorative element. All you have to do is fill them with water and place them on the wood stove . I suggest the porcelain coated kettles that won’t rust on the inside
Wood stove steamers can also be used to humidify the air and by adding potpourri to the water you can fill your home with the necessary humidity and a nice fragrance.
Trivets are durable cast iron hot plates. They are very decorative and can be used to protect the top of your stove from getting rust spots from a kettle or steamer. They also keep kettles or cooking pots from getting too hot.
A wood stove thermometer will help you make sure your fireplace is burning at highest efficiency. This saves on the cost of wood, reduces maintenance and improves safety. Wood stove thermometers usually attach to the stovepipe magnetically or by drilling a small hole in the stove pipe.
If your wood stove is not sitting on a fire proof floor, you can use a hearth pad to provide the necessary fire proof protection between a wood stove and the flooring.
Stove pipe shams can turn your plain stove pipe into a wonderful accent piece. Stove pipe shams are designed to dress up your plain old black stove pipe and add a touch of color. Shams are easy to install and there is no need to disconnect or remove the pipe.
Many high temperature paints are available for touching up, renewing, and protecting the finish on steel or cast-iron wood stoves . These paints resist peeling and blistering when subjected to high temperatures. There are also high temperature polishes available to make your wood stove black and shiny.
Properly installed gaskets greatly improve the efficiency of a wood stove and help keep stove glass cleaner. These usually last a long time, but if your stoves gaskets have worn out there are kits available to replace old gaskets and return your stove to peak efficiency.
