The Hidden Benefits and Hazards of Owning a Woodstove

Everyone thinks of no electric bill when you heat with wood, but that is not the only benefit. People think of chimney or house fires when they think of woodstoves, but watch out there are other hazards. I am sure that most of you realize that there are some hidden benefits and hidden hazards to owning a woodstove. If not, I am here to tell you what some of those benefits or hazards might be. Two benefits come to mind quickly. Both are health related, but both also have hazards involved in them.

The first benefit is being more physically fit. There is a lot of physical activity that goes into owning a wood stove. First, you have to cut the trees or logs up with a chain saw. Then you have to split the logs, either mechanically or manually, but either way there is a lot of heavy lifting done here. If you have the ability to roll the logs up an incline to the splitter, it will save on some of the heavy lifting. Once the wood is cut and split, you need to stack it. Sometimes the wood is cut up close to where it will be stacked and other times it is not. If it is cut in close proximity to where it is stacked, then you may just be picking up the cut wood by hand and turning to stack it. If you have to transport the wood to a location further off, you may have to load the wood into a wagon and tractor. Once again, this means more lifting and bending. Finally, the wood will need to be carried to the house as needed. With all this physical lifting and bending, there is a danger also. Someone can easily lift too much, lift incorrectly, or turn wrong pulling a muscle or hurting their back. Of course, you need make sure when doing the work necessary that you take the safety precautions needed while using a chain saw or other equipment.

The second thing I see as a hidden benefit is that many people who own a woodstove, usually do more cooking at home and cooking from scratch. Woodstove owners like to cook, not just open a pre-packaged item and pop it in the microwave. This means a better diet, consisting of home cooked food instead of going out for fast food. After a hard day’s work, there is something about a home cooked meal that hits the spot. Of course, there is a drawback here too. Since home cooked food tastes so good, it is easy to over eat.

With all the work that goes into owning a woodstove, I don’t know of anyone who said, “I want to get in better shape or improve my health, so I think I will buy a woodstove.” Most of us bought our woodstoves for another reason & never stopped to think that we may benefits from it in other ways.

– Wrangler Jane.