Horse Sense

Remember to keep your wood in a covered shelter! Plastic coverings or exposed to the weather will increase the water content of the wood and cause your normally clean burning, efficient wood stove to have black windows and the heat output will be lower. An open fireplace can burn greener wood because of the heat generated by the large amounts of air going up the chimney. But an air-tight wood stove is not designed to handle a large amount of water.

Got Kids Or Pets?

Remember to child/animal proof your gas or wood appliance. A 3-sided screen helps encourage them to stay away while not reducing your heat. Keep an eye out for those little toys too! They can either melt or burn! And if some one does get accidentally burned, keep an aloe-vera plant handy. For more serious burns, please see your doctor!



Have a Warm Winter

Toasty is good but not for walls, ceilings or floors. Please follow all manufacturer specifications for clearances for the wood appliance or venting system. Furniture, appliances, drapes and even plants have to maintain the distance specified. Floor protection for your wood appliance also has specs to follow. Each stove is different. It is for you and your family's safety!

Remember have your chimney system inspected yearly. Birds, small animals and storm damage and cause unseen damage. Do not assume everything is working properly. We can recommend certified chimney sweeps locally or you can use the CSIA link on the homepage to located one in your area.

Stove Not Looking It's Best?

Stove not looking its best? Give it a new look by cleaning and painting it again! It looks like you have a brand new stove! Wipe it off first and depending on the amount of rust, use fine steel wool or a stiff wire brush. (Not on glass or brass surfaces.) Wipe it down again and let dry and then repaint, being careful to cover any glass or non-paint surfaces. Paste or spray paint works fine. But only use good quality, high temperature paint. Regular paint will not work as it cannot handle the high temperatures that a wood appliance can generate.