A Jotul Castine Woodstove has been our little joy for two winters.  Ours is ivory enamel, and we bought it from a dealer in Pittsburgh (Spa and Fireplaces).  He delivered it and we installed it ourselves.  Here are a few tips for you if you are considering heating with a woodstove.

Finish: Ivory doesn't show dust or ashes!  Look at the white cars on the road, they look cleaner. It's worth the money.

Lining chimney:   It is a must for good draw with this type of stove.  If you insulate it then it will draw better and stay cleaner.

Reburn system:  It works great if the stove is over 300 degrees.  Smoke doesn't show outside.

The glass:  As long as you get a good hot fire going the glass will be fairly clean all by itself.  Don't push logs with the door.

The ashpan:  It only needs to be emptied every couple of weeks with continuous burning! 

Burn time:  The most we can get it to burn is about 4 hours. Usually two hours.

Heating:  A fan is helpful to distribute the heat.  We use a cheap box fan.

Combustion air:  It needs a three inch source of fresh air!  Crack a window near the stove and it will burn SO much better, you won't get sleepy sitting near it, and all the heat it produces will stay in your room and not get used by the stove for combustion.  This is the most important thing to remember!  Give your stove the air it needs to work properly and you will stay warmer and breathe better!  If you don't crack a window then it will pull air from all your windows and the whole house will feel cold.

Wood:  The best is Locust.  I like Magnolia too.  Osage Orange is supposed to produce lots of heat.  Poplar is good but it burns up fast and leaves lots of resin in the pipe which needs to be cleaned out.  Oak is fine, maple is ok, cherry is ok.

Enjoy your hot living room!