A wood stove is a purchase for twenty years. All the more annoying if it is too big and overheats the room, too small for winter or does not suit the house. This checklist walks through the seven questions that should be settled before buying – from the chimney to the fuel.
1. Does the chimney fit?
Before anything else: the chimney sweep. They check whether a flue is free, what diameter it has and whether a connection is possible. In new builds and houses with ventilation systems, a room-air-independent stove (DIBt approval) with external combustion air is usually mandatory. Do not order anything without this preliminary check.
2. How much output does the room need?
The rule of thumb: in well-insulated houses 0.05 to 0.07 kW per square metre is enough, in old buildings 0.1 kW. A 40 square metre living room therefore needs 3 to 5 kW – not 8. Oversized stoves constantly run throttled, soot up and overheat the room. Better small and happily blazing than big and always on a low flame.
3. Does the stove meet the 1st BImSchV?
New stoves must comply with the level 2 limits of the 1st Federal Immission Control Ordinance (particulate matter 40 mg/m³, CO 1,250 mg/m³). Look for the manufacturer's certificate and, if the stove is to be particularly clean, for the Blue Angel label or an integrated particulate filter. Which older appliances are affected is explained in the article Wood stoves and the BImSchV.
4. Steel, cast iron or soapstone?
A steel stove heats up quickly and cools down quickly – ideal for the evening after work. Cast iron stores a little longer. Stoves with soapstone or firebrick mass continue to give off heat for hours after the fire has burned down and are suitable when the stove is the main heat source of the room. The more mass, the better dense fuels such as hardwood briquettes suit it, as they deliver long-lasting embers.
5. Which fuel does the stove allow?
The type plate names the approved fuels. For most wood stoves these are logs and wood briquettes. Coal is not allowed there, nor are pellets. Also check the maximum log length of the firebox – 33 cm logs fit almost every stove, 50 cm only large models. Which combination makes sense is explained in the article Firewood or wood briquettes.
6. Comfort: airwash, automatic control, water jacket
An airwash system guides secondary air along the glass and keeps it clear. Automatic combustion air control saves you readjusting and saves fuel. If you want to relieve the central heating, choose a water-bearing wood stove that feeds part of the heat into the buffer tank – a sensible complement in combination with a heat pump or gas heating (see Wood stove and heat pump).
7. Installation and safety
Combustible floors need a floor plate made of glass or steel (at least 50 cm at the front, 30 cm at the sides), the manufacturer's minimum distances apply to combustible walls, and a smoke alarm belongs in the room anyway. A wood store near the stove is cosy, but only at a distance – and dry, as described in the article Storing firewood properly .
The checklist to tick off
- Chimney sweep has confirmed flue and connection
- Output matches room size (3–5 kW for a normal living room)
- BImSchV level 2, ideally Blue Angel
- room-air independent if ventilation system or new build
- Storage mass suited to use
- Approved fuels and log length checked
- Floor plate, distances, smoke alarm planned
- First fuel supply ordered: kiln-dried firewood and hardwood briquettes for the night
HEIZFUXX® · SIMPLE. CLEVER. HEATING.
Wood pellets, wood briquettes, firewood, kindling, peat briquettes and hard coal – by the bag at DIY stores, by the pallet online. Where to get HEIZFUXX®.