I love a good, roaring fire, don’t you? When we moved to WayMaker Acres at the end of 2019, we had no idea what was going to be required to keep our home warm through the winter . The house was set up with an external propane tank and the previous owner led us to believe that it would be an affordable to way to keep the house warm. Maybe we heard what we wanted to hear. Maybe he didn’t understand our questions. Suffice it to say, after a few months we discovered that heating a drafty, century-old farmhouse with propane is not as economical we had hoped it to be. Our bank account was a bit stunned.

One of the things we wanted in a home when we were on our Unicorn Hunt was a fireplace or a wood stove. Not having one was not a deal breaker (obviously) because we figured we could always install a wood burning stove at some point. Due to the higher-than-expected heating costs last winter, we decided that we’d move that project up the priority list. The Firefighter got to work on the research and found a great option on Craigslist.

Over the course of several months (yes, several) and with the help of some friends and some problem solving, the woodstove was finally installed! Sure, it took a little retrofitting and the ordering a few extra pieces of chimney pipe, but he got it done.

As this winter approached, we worked together to make sure we had a solid wood supply. Let’s be honest, though. He did the hard labor of log splitting and stacking wood. I did the easy part of arranging to have a couple of cords of wood delivered. Still, it was teamwork.

We’re about a month into heating out home with wood and here are some things I’ve learned and observed:

1. Heating with wood can be messy. We’ve noticed that cleaning out the firebox, if not done with care, can spread ash around the house. There’s also the soot and fallen embers that can get on hands and clothes. We’re learning to not rush through this process so as to avoid stirring up the ash.
2. Heating with wood is far less convenient than adjusting a thermostat. Keeping your fire hot and fed requires time and attention. You can’t just “set it and forget it.” If we’re gone for the day, we can expect to come home to a colder-than-desired house. If we neglect to set up the fire properly before we go to bed, we very well may wake up because of the cold.
3. Heating with wood requires the right mix of ingredients. Your fuel source *must* be dry and your flue *must* be open. You must have enough space in the firebox for proper airflow. A congested box – be it congested with too much wood or too much ash – will suffocate and die… but only after it’s filled your living room with smoke. (Ask me how I know.)
4. Heating with wood requires hard work. Harvesting wood. Splitting logs. Stacking the pieces. Keeping it all dry. Replenishing the inside wood bins. Keeping the fire built up. Cleaning out the ashes. Dealing with fires that don’t quite start (read: smoke-filled living rooms). All of this is work. It takes time and energy.

This may seem like the cost savings involved just isn’t worth it. You may even be saying, “Just use the propane, people!” But the truth is, we actually enjoy the work involved. Let me explain:

1. In the short time that we’ve lived here, we’ve discovered the deeply rich satisfaction of enjoying the fruit of our labor in new ways. Whether it’s building a chicken tractor, feasting on our pasture-raised meat, or sitting by a warm fire that we built with fuel we put our hands to, there is something intrinsically pleasing about working with our hands and relishing the result.
2. We like having a backup heating source. If we only had propane and we lost power, we’d lose heat as well since we wouldn’t have a blower to distribute the heat. Let’s face it: if we lose power out here, we’re not high on the priority list for the electric company to get back on the grid. With the woodstove and an ample wood supply, we can rest easy regardless of what the weather might be.
3. The woodstove is a natural gathering place in our home. Lest I give the impression that the woodstove magically makes my teenagers want to spend all of their time downstairs with me, let me be clear: that’s not what I’m saying. It is true, however, that with the fire as our main heat source, I do find that The Inventor and The Equestrian wander in and out of the living room on a more regular basis and even linger for a while as they warm themselves. I can’t complain about that.
4. I can’t help but see so many parallels to my walk with Christ. If I don’t keep my faith fueled with the right ingredients (spending time in the Word daily, prayer, fellowship, worship, etc.), if I try to fit too much into my life, if I don’t take care to remove the build up of “ash,” if I am not willing to do the hard work required to keep my faith’s fire burning and thereby neglect my faith, then I’m going to end up with a cold faith. Just like I have to tend to my woodstove if I want to keep my home warm, I have to tend to my faith. “For lack of wood the fire goes out…” ~Proverbs 26:20a

So there you have it. The investment of the stove and the extra piping needed to install it plus our wood supply for the winter will probably make this winter’s heating expenses about equal to last winter’s. That said, moving forward, I am confident that we will save a good bit of money by heating our home this way, to say nothing of the other priceless benefits I’ve mentioned.

Off to stoke the fire,

~Louise