Connecticut Magazine - November 2014

Home Is Where the Hearth Is Fall is the time of year to curl up next to your fireplace With a glass of red wine and enjoy a quiet night in. That becomes a little more complicated when your house doesn’t have a fireplace or stove to light on a brisk autumn night. You shouldn’t be prevented from filling your home with the cozy ambiance you crave. There are plenty of heating options—wood, pellet and gas are three kinds of stoves that require three different levels of labor and maintenance. Which you choose is dependent upon your lifestyle. Professionals at fireplace and stove stores can guide you to the appliance that’s right for you. Brian Pieck, owner of House of Warmth Stove & Fireplace Shop in New Milford, is one such professional With a bevy of advice for potential customers. When someone walks into his shop, the first question Pieck asks is how much square footage they’re trying to heat. The answer to that question can significantly change a professional’s stove recommendation. “[Often] they want to see if they can heat their whole house, but just heating the main living area where you spend the most time will make a huge dent in your heating bills,” says Pieck. “You don’t want to go too big. You will cook yourself out of the main room.” Air circulation is key to heating your home with a fireplace or stove. A centralized air system can be a significant cost-saving measure. “If they’re looking for the biggest bang for their buck, turn on the air handler. [It will] suck warm air into other areas of house,” says Pieck. Deciding how much work you’re willing to invest in your new heating appliance merits major consideration. Your stove needs to fit with your lifestyle. Do you have the time to tend to a wood stove? Do you want to heat your home quickly after getting home from work? Wood stoves, while beautiful and energy efficient (you can heat your entire home with wood, cutting out oil prices completely), require a lot of effort. You have to maintain the fire while it’s burning and clean the stove regularly. “[With a wood stove] you have to hang around and put in wood to load it,” says Pieck. “The pellet stove feeds itself and the gas stove turns on and off with the flip of a switch.” A pattern emerges with stove customers. The younger buyers tend to go with wood because they don’t mind the labor involved with splitting it; those in middle age with children will go with pellet while older customers enjoy the convenience of gas. Again, it all depends on your lifestyle. If your home has an existing fireplace, utilizing it first is always preferable to installing a new system. Regardless of your house’s age, the fireplace is a known location where heat is leaking, says Pieck. The best option is to install a liner kit in the existing fireplace and then add any new appliance in that space. If your home doesn’t have a fireplace, an exterior vent through the roof or wall is a necessity. The type of stove you’re planning to install will determine which type of chimney is required. A wood stove requires a Class A chimney, which Pieck says is the, “more expensive way to go.” That is because the temperature from burning wood gets much higher than pellet or gas stoves. A double-wall insulated pipe is necessary to prevent heat damage to your house, and it needs to be vented two feet above the peak of your house. A Class A chimney can cost between $90 and $100 per foot. Venting pellet and gas stoves is cheaper because venting requirements don’t necessitate a chimney or vent going to the top of your home. Instead, these stoves can be vented out an exterior wall. Lower temps mean you can go with a cheaper exhaust pipe. Pieck encourages all homeowners to check their town halls for permit requirements. The worst thing that can happen is you pick out your dream stove only to find it doesn’t meet local code requirements. No matter which heating appliance you choose, plan now. For example, House of Warmth is currently two weeks out with stove installations. Consider all your options and pick the appliance that fits your lifestyle. Your stove should be a labor of love, not just a labor.