wood burning stove

[Cheryl]

Can we have a wood burning stove with the birds? What about a fire place that burns wood and not gas or pellets?

[Patty, Linus and Co.]

Aside from ways that it might compromise air quality, I would be frightened that one of my birds would land on it.

[Dot]

Fireplaces shoot out sparks. Also, there is some smoke that gets in the house. I don't know if it is enough to be bad for the birds.

[Chrissy and Flock]

Fireplaces bother me ... so there won't be any in my house any time soon. Glad I live in Florida...;)

[iti hoa's mom]

Wood burning stoves are ok. Just take the usual precautions of keeping the flu clean and using proper seasoned wood...no prepackaged stuff as that contains chemicals.

[Anne-Samantha's Mom]

I work for a fireplace manufacturer...and the senior tech person at my company has reiterated over and over...NO NO NO...they are not safe for small animals and rodents, including birds...even seasoned wood...any smoke that gets back into their lungs is not good...not good at all....when we got Sam that is the primary reason we stopped using our woodburning fireplace...the answer is no...the fireplace just sits there now.. if yo umust use ina power outage, make sure the birdies are not in the room

[Don]

Well, you've already been warned and should be aware of the perils -

I have heated my home since 1974 with a Franklin Stove as an open fireplace - and never had a problem. It has never set of a smoke alarm, yet the broiler in the kitchen stove sometimes does. I burn oak, avocado, pine and eucalyptus and anything else I can get locally, usually seasoned one year.

I will continue to use our Franklin a lot, but what the others have posted may apply to you.

Don

[Larry, Baby and Me]

Fireplaces shooting out sparks... depends on the wood that is used. If it is green with sap - it will snap and crackle. Also sappy wood will quickly build up resin in the chimney. We lived in New Hampshire for several years and wood was the ONLY way to heat those homes. Electricity was just too darned expensive.

We bought our wood one year ahead, stacked it outside and open sheded it. That let it air dry a year before using it. Also - the wood was ONLY oak and nothing else. NEVER use pine or any other sappy wood. You are asking for trouble and a chimney fire that most of the time is next to impossible for the fire department to put out and your house will burn to the ground.

The problem with wood stoves and fireplaces is in areas in the country whrere it is not common to heat the homes with wood but it is a cute novelty. Experienced folks using wood to heat their homes do not have the problems with sparks, soot, or resin. And a properly built and vented fireplace will not send smoke back into the room. We also had a Papa Bear Franklin wood burning stove and it never sent smoke into the room.

Oh yeah - We had parrots at the time. But the wood stove was on the first level and the birds were on the second level of our 3 story home. I would never have let my birds in the same room with the stove for fear of them flying into it.

Just my experience folks.

Lar

[Larry, Baby and Me]

I almost forgot... NEVER EVER burn those rolled logs that are sold in stores. They are dangerous. And this has nothing to do with birds - Those logs will eventually burn your house down.

Just read the warning label.

Lar

[Anne-Samantha's Mom]

also as our tech people at work say..those ones that clean the fireplace..they dont work..you need a pro...also the ones that smell etc...full of dangerous chemicals...even to humans..imagine what they can do to a birdie??

[Larry, Baby and Me]

Anne, your tech folks are absolutely right.

When we moved to New Hampshire, we had not a clue about how to properly and safely use wood heat. Neighbors and church members helped us. Without them - we would have surely burned our house down.

There is a lot more to using wood burning stoves than just throwing a log in.

And fireplaces - can't heat a room worth a darn - let alone heat a whole house like a good wood stove.

Lar

[too&me]

The key here is excellent ventilation and safety with the heat source. The one place we do burn candles is in the fireplace with the flue open to draft the smoke and fumes out..

[Cheryl]

Thanks for the input. I will not be getting a fireplace.

[Don]

Franklin stoves won't smoke up a house if they have a sufficient chase(chimney length). As for the afore mentioned sparks - that's what the screens are for. With all the different types of wood we burn, we never set the carpet afire, nor killled any of the birds that live in the same room, and still do. But you do have to pay attention, but you should be doing that anyway.

Don

[Anne-Samantha's Mom]

no stove will smoke up a house if there is proper installation...however youstill have to open the door or the lid or whatever at some point..then the smoke gets out even just a puff...and that is TOO MUCH according to our tech people.....I listen to them...gas is fine not while first firingup when brand new...and those unvented jobbies..NOT GOOD...so you wanna stay warm....sorry I dont trst them...I mean how many people out there want to save money by not getting a certified installer to install their woodburning stove and even if the guy or gal is certified...are they any good? I have seentoo much with my own eyes at work tht can go wrong and has gone wrong in the terms of stuff emitted into rooms to trust wood