Cleaning, adjusting burners, regulating pilot lights and other activities have been left to the utility companies or vendors that supply the fuel. Use of wood in home heating is quite a different matter. Firewood is derived from many tree species, each with its own special characteristics. Firewood comes in many different shapes and sizes, and the convenience and safety of burning varies widely. Unlike the uniform convenience fuels, each stick of wood will burn differently from the next and each individual piece must be handled by a member of the household.
Safety suddenly becomes more important.
Earlier in this century children were reared with the fireplace, the wood-burning heater and cook stove. Caution in the use of fire and respect for heating appliances were almost inbred. This is not true today. Many of us, who have lost touch with the art of woodburning, find heating with wood to be a new adventure. Safety should be a prime consideration in the decision to change to wood as a fuel for back-up or as a main source of home heat.