There is something that has gone from my life that I miss terribly, a wood burning stove. I had one in my study in a previous domestic incarnation and used to fire it up in the winter until it was almost incandescent. It was total bliss sweating in my shirtsleeves, two fingers of malt, dogs snuffling in their sleep, rereading Conrad or London to the snap crackle and pop of a truly overdone log fire and the fragrance of my smouldering boots.
Regrettably Mrs Ivan the second will not countenance it. She agrees that it is all tres charmant while it is happening but leaves a residue of smoke, dust and ashes over everything, in and out of sight, also that the cleaning out and refuelling creates even more mess. I cannot say she is wrong. I have had the concession that if I sign a legally drawn up contract to redecorate and replace all soft furnishings on an annual basis at my own cost, then she will sanction the installation of the aforementioned stove. I don't much fancy this and as we have an agreed rule of consensus on all domestic puchases I have to fret in in a centrally heated desert.
So when my company invested in particulate filtrating welding helmets for the fabricators it set me to thinking... These helmets have an air compressor which feeds through a high efficiency filter to blow a stream of cool ultra clean air over the faces of the welders protecting them from smoke inhalation and making life a lot more pleasant. So lets have a pot bellied stove with a short crooked chimney containing an extraction fan and a larger version of the same filter to completely remove the smoke and other particles, before discharging the cleaned air back into the room. The negative air pressure would prevent any escape from the front of the stove and also assist the creation of a satisfactory blaze by drawing air through the newly lit fire. Obviously carbon monoxide is the next problem, this could be removed by passing the air through a canister of a catalyst for its conversion to carbon dioxide. NASA have developed a compound which does this at room temperature and it should work even better in the hot chimney. Lastly put the whole thing on elegant castors so that it can be wheeled outside for cleaning and refuelling.
So now even people who don't possess chimneys can bask in the pleasure of a real fire without the grime, mess and recriminations.-- IvanIdea, Apr 19 2002 CO Catalyst http://www.pulsepla...ive/Sep96/1304.html [IvanIdea, Apr 19 2002, last modified Oct 05 2004] Unless you have a drafty abode or a lot of plants, O2 depletion and CO2 buildup might prove harmful.-- FarmerJohn, Apr 19 2002 Fond recollection you have there. There exist now a wondrous plethora of Potbellied Stoves or Fireplace Modifications, etc. which extend clear to pellets which are amazingly efficient as well as lovely to look at. Warmth. Here's a factoid for you - Robert Evans, the Producer of Chinatown and other films, keeps a fireplace burning year round - in Los Angeles. I'm surprised his nose hasn't melted yet. Or has it? It does look kind of funny.-- thumbwax, Apr 19 2002 you can get totally flueless gas fireplaces and stoves - they are intended as decorative flamboyance and (minor) supplemental heat, but not as primary home heating --- check with gas appliance retailers, and check if they're permitted by applicable building codes-- quarterbaker, Apr 19 2002 [UnaBubba] Unless possibly you live in Canberra?-- IvanIdea, Apr 19 2002 You'll be thankfull for them when the ice age comes and mastedon roam the streets of Brisbane!-- dare99, Apr 19 2002 A properly installed stove shouldn't create the mess the missus objects to as there are ways of providing air to the combustion chamber directly from outside and enclosing the ducting to prevent any leakage from creating problems.
Also, furnace/fireplace caulking can seal leaks in the stove lining caused by shipping. The tighter your stove is before you light it up, the more efficiently it will burn. Unless you have cooking equipment to fit the plates in the stove top, I'd suggest welding or otherwise sealing those shut to eliminate the chance of leaks.
As to cleaning it; a 20 liter metal pail such as used for paint can be handy to clean out the ash. By modifying it to fit between the actual vacuum cleaner and the nozzels via hoses, it will intercept most, if not all, the ash and grime in the stove before it can reach your vacuum cleaner. There are commercial units available in the USA for this. You might check if there are models available in your area.
You also might look into a masonary heater, if you want to go full bore. They are much more expensive than a stove, but are efficient compared to a fire place. However, I doubt you'd get the red heat you like so well.-- blane69, Jul 24 2003 just tell her "too bad"-- John_T, Jun 10 2004 "..rereading London...". The book or the author?-- simonj, Jun 11 2004 random, halfbakery