Wood Heat Stoves & Solar

When choosing your new Wood, Gas or Pellet stove and you will want to know the comparative costs of heating. Click here to go to this interactive chart and find out how the cost of heating with different fuels compares in your home.  Here is a comparison of fuel costs at our home town, Nevada City, based on price quotes in May, 2013.    

After spending a weekend at The Union's 28th Annual Home and Garden Show, it became apparent that many who own gas stoves are skipping their annual service call. We in fact ran into some customers from the past who purchased their gas stove years ago and admitted to never having scheduled maintenance. Skipping this crucial maintenance step can keep you from having heat when you need it most. Stoves and inserts using natural gas or propane should be checked annually by a licensed stove technician for proper function. Any time your burner does not respond to the thermostat is an...

Fireplace and Stove Glass Safety video Each year, millions of people enjoy the warmth, comfort and utility of modern fireplaces. Today, many gas fireplaces, stoves and inserts have glass fronts to enhance the beauty of the fire. While gas fireplaces, stoves and inserts are a great asset to any home, glass fronts can become extremely hot during and even long after operation. Therefore, it’s important to remember, touching the hot glass front can lead to serious, irreversible burns. Below is information that will allow you to continue to enjoy the many benefits of your gas fireplace, stove or insert while...

Sound familiar? My stove burned great after the chimney was swept but gradually it got "sluggish". The wood didn't start as quickly, it wouldn't burn as hot as it used to and smoke started coming out the door when you first started a fire or opened it to load more wood. These are all classic signs of a plugged chimney cap. It doesn't have to be completely blocked to cause these symptoms, just restricted enough by a build up of creosote, a by-product of the un-burned gases and moisture driven out of the wood during the burning process. We've received a string of phone...

Mobile Homes and Modular Homes are issued BUILDING PERMITS by HUD (U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development) which is a federal agency instead of local city or county building departments. Woodstoves, pellet stoves and gas stoves require different standards in Mobile and Modular homes. These often include a ground wire, outside air and double wall interior and possibly other specific details. Consult your stove owners manual for specific details on your installation. Click here for more information about the HUD agency. We supply all of the Woodstove chimney pipe you will need on our web site. Click here for...