patrick.net

I'm looking into a woodstove for the same reason. Are you going to run the vertical part of the chimney outside the house, or inside it?

I am going through the ceiling and the roof. Peninsula Heating and Air Conditioning can do this for you. They are real professionals!

Be careful with the local ordinances. Here in Santa Clara wood burning fireplaces are tightly regulated. I don't know if stoves are treated differently. One CAN install a wood burning fireplace but it must meet current emission standards which means it has a catalyst. Burn the wrong fuel, even a single sheet of glossy magazine paper and the very expensive catalyst is ruined.

A gas stove might also fit the bill. Gas works in power outages and a gas stove can radiate heat as effectively as a wood burner.

Yeah, check local codes. Things have gotten nuts in the Bay Area when it comes to adding a fireplace. As far as I am aware, no new wood stoves are allowed to be added. As new Renter said, maybe the ones with catalytic converters are still allowed. Even then, Thanksgiving and Christmas are more and more frequently becoming "no burn" or "spare the air" days around here.

I looked into putting in a wood burning fireplace just a few years ago. This manufacturer was one of the few that offered wood burners that were allowed. I personally spoke with the San Jose building department about permitting such a fireplace. As long as it meets the emission standards its fine. YMMV though.

http://www.fireplacex.com/ProductGuide/FuelTypeOverview.aspx?fueltype=wood&fueltab=0

I eventually decided to go with gas. This is the company we had put in the fireplace and they did an excellent job:

http://scstovesandfireplaces.com/stoves/

Before committing to wood be consider the possibility of blowback. Most fireplaces are sealed during operation but when you open the door to add wood if the conditions are right the smoke may go into the room rather than the chimney. Its very unpleasant. Wood burners also build up residue in the chimney which require periodic maintenance or a chimney fire may result.

Oh, I grew up with a wood burning stove (1990's compliant, had exhaust recirculation/burn, no catalyst though). One of my favorite things as a kid was getting to light it...and douse everything in rubbing alcohol to get it going when mom wasn't looking lol. But yeah, blowback is entirely possible and I set off the smoke alarms a few times when outside conditions were just right so as to push smoke into the house.

My uncle installed a pellet burning stove like 10 years ago. That sucker puts out some serious heat, has none of the hassle of wood and you still get some of the nice fire ambiance. Wood stoves are hard to beat in terms of ambiance, but gas or pellet burners are much more efficient, thermally and cost-wise.

Interesting. I didn't think that building new wood stoves is legal in CA - something about carbon black. At least, that's the story my builder gave me when I requested a wood fireplace. Perhaps it's only a permit issue for new houses, perhaps it's a local regulation, or possibly he was wrong.

lenar says

Interesting. I didn't think that building new wood stoves is legal in CA - something about carbon black. At least, that's the story my builder gave me when I requested a wood fireplace. Perhaps it's only a permit issue for new houses, perhaps it's a local regulation, or possibly he was wrong.

Don't take a builders word for ANYTHING! Check into it yourself.

I can't tell you how many outright lies I was fed by my builder. In one case I was told me a tree had to be removed at my expense as ordered by the city inspector. I went down to the building department to complain and they had no idea what I was talking about. There was nothing about it on the inspections and as I was told unless it is in writing it doesn't (legally) exist.

The builder just wanted it out of the way and didn't give a damn how it affected his customer.

I love wood stoves. They are great "off grid' solutions! I put a Jotul in my house in the mountains! Love it! When the power goes out in a big storm--we are cozy!