Product Description | News Release | Table of Contents

This book is intended to provide basic information on using wood or coal for home heating. Choosing a fuel, fireplaces, stoves, and furnaces are discussed. Stove installation basics and safety are reviewed. Intended for homeowners and educators.

Note: A brief "new book announcement" is also available; scroll down after the news release on this page.

Newly Revised Book Updates Solid-Fuel Heating Options

For Immediate Release
January 2004

If you're heating your home with a solid fuel, or are thinking about making a switch to a solid-fuel heating system, a newly revised book from NRAES (Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service) is a must-read. Heating with Wood and Coal, 2003 Revision, NRAES-23, ($12.00 plus S&H/sales tax; 72 pages; December 2003) provides updated information on technological advances and installation code changes in solid-fuel heating systems.

With today's uncertainty about the cost and availability of fossil fuels, many people are considering making the switch to a solid-fuel heating system, while others are opting to supplement an existing system. Consumers quickly learn there are many solid-fuel heating systems to choose from, and being well informed is critical to making the right decision. Since the strong revival of burning wood for home heating in the 1970s, major advances in stove design have caught up with present-day demands for convenience. These newly developed stoves, of which the most significant is the catalytic woodstove, reduce creosote and emission problems and burn solid fuels more efficiently.

This highly practical book is full of information to help you evaluate the strengths and drawbacks of various heating systems and how well each meets your personal needs. The book will be useful not only to consumers, but also to extension educators; stove manufacturers and retailers; energy specialists; and woodlot and sawmill owners.

Heating with Wood and Coal includes detailed sections on evaluating solid-fuel options, fireplaces, stoves, furnaces and boilers, installation, chimneys, wood as a fuel, coal as a fuel, and an appendix on cutting firewood with a chainsaw. This comprehensive book is designed to be used as a guide when selecting, installing, and operating a solid-fuel stove for home heating. It offers the pros and cons of wood and coal as fuels, helps you evaluate your needs and decide on available equipment options, provides guidance for working with a professional stove installer, and tells you how to keep your heating system maintained for top performance and safety.

While many resources compare relative fuel costs, this book considers the relative costs of the heating units themselves, as well as for their installation and maintenance. It also considers the investment in time required to use and maintain the various types of systems available today. Eleven tables, 45 figures, and a stove installation checklist supplement the text.

Heating with Wood and Coal was revised by John W. Bartok, Jr., Extension Professor Emeritus, Department of Natural Resources Management and Engineering, University of Connecticut. He was one of four authors of the 1985 version entitled Burning Wood and Coal, upon which this book is based. Co-authors and their affiliations when that book was published were Susan MacKay, NRAES; L. Dale Baker, International Harvester; and James P. Lassoie, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University.

Heating with Wood and Coal, 2003 Revision (NRAES-23) is available for $12.00 per copy (plus shipping and handling) from NRAES, Cooperative Extension, PO Box 4557, Ithaca, NY 14852-4557. Shipping and handling for one copy is $4.25 within the continental United States. New York residents, add sales tax (calculated on both the cost for publications and the shipping and handling charges. Click here for more information.) If ordering more than one book, or if ordering from outside the United States, contact NRAES for shipping rates and possible quantity discounts. Orders from outside the United States must be prepaid in U.S. funds. All major credit cards are accepted, and checks should be made payable to NRAES. For more information or a free publications catalog, contact NRAES by phone at (607) 255-7654, by fax at (607) 254-8770, or by e-mail at NRAES@CORNELL.EDU. To learn more about NRAES and browse through our entire catalog, visit our web site at WWW.NRAES.ORG.

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New Book Announcement

Newly Revised Book Updates Solid-Fuel Heating Options

For Immediate Release
January 2004

A newly revised book from NRAES is a must-read for anyone interested in heating their home with wood or coal. Heating with Wood and Coal, 2003 Revision, is an update of a 1985 book entitled Burning Wood and Coal. This highly practical resource updates readers on technological advances and installation code changes, and provides comprehensive information on the strengths and drawbacks of various solid-fuel heating systems. The 72-page book includes sections on evaluating solid-fuel options, fireplaces, stoves, furnaces and boilers, installation, chimneys, wood as a fuel, coal as a fuel, and an appendix on cutting firewood with a chainsaw. Eleven tables, 45 figures, and a stove installation checklist supplement the text.

Single copies of Heating with Wood and Coal are available from NRAES (Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service) for $12.00 plus $4.25 shipping and handling (within the continental U.S.) Make checks payable to NRAES; all major credit cards accepted. New York residents, add sales tax (on both the cost of the book and the shipping and handling charges. Click here for more information.) Contact NRAES for other shipping and handling rates and possible quantity discounts: NRAES, Cooperative Extension, PO Box 4557, Ithaca, NY 14852-4557; phone (607) 255-7654, fax (607) 254-8770; e-mail NRAES@CORNELL.EDU; web site WWW.NRAES.ORG.

Introduction

Chapter 1: Evaluating Solid Fuels

Advantages and Disadvantages
Wood, Coal, or Other Solid Fuel?
Comparing Heating Fuel Costs
Combustion Basics
Combustion of Wood

Combustion of Coal
Efficiency
Pollution and Air Quality

Chapter 2: Fireplaces

Chapter 3: Stoves

Stove Size
Materials of Construction
Stove Types
Coal Stove Design

Chapter 4: Furnaces and Boilers

Central Heating Options
Features

Chapter 5: Installation

Stove Testing and Certification
Stove Clearances
Floor Protection
Wall Protection
Furnace Duct Clearances

Stovepipe
Unlisted Stove Installation Checklist

Chapter 6: Chimneys

Factors Affecting the Draft
Chimney Types
Chimney Requirements
Two or More Connections to One Chimney
Chimney Caps

Chimney Height
Chimney Inspection
Chimney Cleaning
Heating System Maintenance
Chimney Fires

Chapter 7: Wood as a Fuel

Buying Firewood
Cutting Your Own Wood
Characteristics of Wood
Seasoning and Storing Wood
Operating Techniques

Creosote
Stove Operation

Chapter 8: Coal as a Fuel

Types of Coal
Purchasing Coal
Storage
Operating Techniques

Appendix A: Cutting Firewood with a Chainsaw

Equipment
Operation
Felling
Limbing
Bucking

Splitting Wood

References

About NRAES