Hold the Key to Eco-Wise Wood Stove Efficiency

What’s nice about a wood stove is that you can burn many kinds of naturally cut wood to take advantage of your local resources. However, your preferred wood choice must be not be too green, it has to be dry enough to be deemed well-seasoned, with a moisture content of 16-20%. To be precise you may want to purchase a digital moisture meter.

The key to wood burning success is planning. Before you strike a match, learn how to maximize heat output in an environmentally-friendly manner by watching this easy-to-follow wood quality educational video.

You should also schedule your wood delivery in advance to dry out during the warm summer months. If you are collecting fallen limbs and branches from your property, move them to a dry well ventilated location. Look up the required log length and size in your user manual before cutting, and split to a thickness of no more than 4”.

Be sure to stack and store your wood under a cover in an airy place for 9-18 months. Soft woods may actually take as little as one good hot summer to properly season, whereas harder woods, such as oak and maple, take longer.

Never, ever burn waste materials such as cardboard packaging, glossy magazines, or waste wood that has been painted or treated in some way. These wood by-products are likely to contain chemicals that are harmful.

All five Morsø educational videos are conveniently available on YouTube or Facebook.

Green Wise Bloggers Warm to Morso 7110

[photo caption: Amy and Monty with their dog Jake in front of their radiant 7110 cast iron wood stove ]

This blog was written by new Morso 7110 owners Amy and Monty who gave us permission to publish their Metro to Mountain Journal review and emailed us a kind note "we love the stove."

Morso Stove
The Heat is On

Over the past few years, we have been dedicated to keeping our winter thermostat setting at sixty degrees. Now, that doesn't sound like it's very cool, but our friends who visit us know that they need to bring a jacket!
Well, no longer! This year for Thanksgiving we will be able to eat sans down jacket! We have our Morso Stove installed and heating the house.

A few years back we stopped by (n)habit's booth at Earth Day. They were a Morso dealer and displayed brochures on the Morso company. Earth Day was in the spring but we still remembered how cold the house felt. Amy led the research into the company. She wanted to buy from a green company and wanted a low emissions stove.

This fall we visited the (n)habit store and met Rachel and Edward. They led us through the stove buying process. After we had decided on the Morso company, we had to decide what type and style of stove to buy and then who was going to install it.

After pestering Rachel and Edward for a few weeks, we finally decided on the Morso 7110, a radiant stove that "offers Scandinavian Design with an American Twist!"

The installation was not quite that easy. The person Rachel and Edward originally recommended was injured and not taking any jobs. Edward searched and found Sweeps and Ladders for us. Tommy Nelms of Sweeps and Ladders is a fireman who does chimney work on the side. He came out and looked at the stove and chimney and gave us a reasonable and fair bid.

Patiently, we waited for the installation day. Then, there was heat! The installation was flawless and soon the living room was warm. Yes, we are happy.

Wednesdays are normally the Metro to Mountain gear review day. We don't really classify our new Morso Stove as gear but we thought it would interest some.

So, a few Morso Stove notes ...

* The Morso site had videos that answered many of our questions.
* We harvest our own wood. Our primary source is dead limbs or trees from the neighborhood.
* We enjoy the cutting and splitting process. It is a lot of work but the activity is healthy for us.
* Our stove fits perfectly on our hearth and perfectly framed by the fireplace opening.
* The stove uses only a small fraction of the wood that we used to burn in the fireplace.
* The ash pan makes it easy to clean the ashes from the stove.
It took us a couple of fires before we learned how to best build a starter fire.
* We have had to make adjustments on the cut size of the wood.
* We also bought the glass hearth plate to protect the floor in front of the stove, we love it!

Our thermostat is still set at 60 degrees. However, when we are using the stove, the temperature rises to the 70's.

A concern is that the kitchen and bathrooms (places with pipes) might need warming - the rooms are not close to the stove. We are monitoring the temperatures in those rooms.

Edward and Rachel from (n)habit were great to work with and offered us a lot of advice.

We were also very happy with Tommy and Beka from Sweeps and Ladders. We already have an inspection and cleaning scheduled for next fall.

Oh, and if you listen closely you might hear a round of cheers from our family and friends for finally buying a Morso Stove! The heat is on.

Happy Morso Stove trails

It's Now EASIER to Find Nearest Dealer

If you haven’t visited Morsona.com lately, then you may not know about the newest “Where to Buy!” dealer lookup that uses sophisticated zip-code search programming. This new dealer locator feature is supported by sophisticated web software that gives you access to the nearest dealer to your location so that you can evaluate your favorite Morso cast iron wood stove up close and in person.

Live in an area without a dealer within a 75 mile driving distance? Morso has also incorporated an online shopping option just for you. After reviewing the large choose of wood stove sizes, models, and designs you can order direct from Morsona.com and have your new wood stove delivered right to your door.

While visiting one of the many authorized Morso wood stove dealers across the USA and Canada to buy your new or replacement wood stove is ideal, all USA homeowners, even in states without authorized Morso dealers, can now buy a new Morso wood stove with 10-year warranty against casting and production defects.

Unlike home accessories that you often times buy impulsively to refresh and accent your home decor, a wood stove purchase is a long term investment that requires research, comparison, and how-to instructions. Understanding this learning curve, Morso frequently enriches Morsona.com with new content, such as educational videos, good advice, digital brochures, product manuals, and even an interactive photo tool that allows you to see a wood stove in your home.


We invite you to visit Morsona.com today.

Vermont Dealer Earns Return Trip to Morso DK Factory

Photo caption: Ray & Susan Plagge, owners of Montpelier Stove and Flag Works in Montpelier and Williston, VT, look on as a Morso DK employee demonstrates handcrafted wood stove construction.

Ray and Sue Plagge eagerly embarked on the Denmark dealer trip journey to, once again, partake in the ultimate hearth education adventure and fabulous Morso DK hospitality.

As returning guests, it seems that these Montpelier Stove & Flag owners have mastered the art of selling Morsø wood stoves, however this was not always the case.

As Ray recalls, they were at first reluctant to even carry the Morso line in their Montpelier and Williston retail stores because many of the stoves did not burn the standard 16” log. However, in time the persistent reps at Hearthlink hammered home the Morso benefits and now Montpelier Stove & Flag displays at least 9 different Morsø wood stoves and have achieved high enough sales levels to earn several Morso Denmark incentive trips.

While one might think the cold and woodsy green mountian location would make it easier to sell a Morso wood stove, Ray describes a more difficult sales environment that requires a patient sales approach, education, good consistent service, and great retail locations.

“In a cold state like Vermont where homeowners are acustomed to large wood stoves, we have to re-educate our customers so the discussion is not about the log size but the right stove for their particular situation”, explains Ray. “While many folks still want a large traditional stove that uses larger logs, we also serve plenty of bed and breakfast customers and home owners who recognize Morsø and like the selection.”

When asked what sets Montpelier Stove & Flag Works apart from other Vermont hearth dealerships, Ray confidentially states that his full-service Montpelier Stove & Flag Works store has been around since 1976 and good service gets noticed.

To learn more about Montpelier Stove & Flag Works vist www.stoveandflagworks.com

2011 Morso Dealer Trip: Ultimate Hearth Education Adventure

On August 28th, 30 US and Canadian dealers, manufacturer representatives, and guests traveled to Denmark for an event-packed Danish Dealer Week excursion. Morsø has sponsored this Dealer Week promotion every couple of years as a sales incentive. It is also the ultimate hearth education adventure.

In past years, many dealer trip participants reported higher Morsø sales after returning from Denmark because the trip sparked passion and loyalty. Meeting the craftspeople and seeing the assembly process helps the dealers to better communicate the unique Morsø wood stove qualities - construction methods, skilled craftsmen, high efficiency standards, and wide-range of stove designs.

This year’s Dealer trip highlights included: three days in Copenhagen visiting Royal Palace (changing of the guard), Rosenburg Castle and enjoying a leisurely canal tour, followed by three eventful days on the beautiful Isle of Mors taking part in a factory tour, working on the production line, touring the island, and concluding with a fun company-wide Morsø summer party.

Pictured in the photo above are: Front Row L to R : Bo & Dawn Hilliard (Biltmore Stove, NC), Steve Vorhees & Melyssa Cowles (Santa Cruz Stoves, CA), Jacquie Shankster (Morso US) Lone Bak Atterman (Morso DK), Susan & Ray Plagge (Montpelier Stoves, VT). Brent Boucher (Hearth & Home Calgary, AB), Beth Urban (Rich's for the Home, WA). 2nd Row L to R : Desiree Sirois & Jeramiah Graham (Evergreen Home & Hearth, ME), Bob & Kandie Diskin (Viking Sewing & Spa, OR) Brian Richards & Margaret Lui (Canned Heat distributor, Canada) Keith & Linda Perriman (Northeat, AK), Ernest & Debra Bingham (Great American Chimney Fireplace Folks, WI), Sherry & Vince Woods (Homestead Stove Co, OR) Bob & Paula Williamson (American Chimney Sweeps, VT), John Sullivan (Energy Unlimited, MA), Adam King (Hearthlink Int, Distributor, NE), Troy Smith (Rich's for the home, WA) 3rd Row, R to L; Michael Henning (Complete Heat, NH), Bill Murphy (Ashleigh's Hearth & Home, NY), Roy Matthews (Complete Heat, NH), Craig Shankster (Morsø US)

To contact a near near you, use the easy dealer locator at Morsona.com

NY Times Features Clever Cube House Heated by Morso 6148 Freestanding Wood Stove

Photo Caption: Home Designers Yumiko Foust Virant and Tom Virant with sons Wil and Andy

When it comes to good news the saying goes “it travels fast”. In our case, great news also travels long distances as a Morso friend in Denmark caught a glimpse of our Morso 6148 wood stove when reading the July 20th New York Times and sent us the Home & Garden feature - A House Built on Trust http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/garden/in-virginia-a-house-built-on-trust-on-location.html -written by Karrie Jacobs.

In Jacob’s home design article she describes the vision, architecture and construction of a sweet Charlottesville, Virginia cube house owned by Alison Threatt. Completed last summer, the house was designed and built by Tom Virant at Virant Design Inc and his Architect wife Yumiko Foust Virant at Virant Architecture Inc.

While just seeing our 6148 wood stove stand tall in this clever designer cube house was certainly a source of pride, we were still curious to learn how this highly skilled design team decided that a freestanding Morso cast iron wood stove was the best choice.

Fortunately, Asheville, North Carolina- based General Contractor Tom Virant took time between new construction projects to graciously answer our questions:

What prompted you to include a wood stove in this house? Our good friend and client Alison Threatt spent time in Canada and knew she wanted a wood stove in her home. In addition, I personally use a wood stove and recommend them to other clients who appreciate fire as a design element and want energy efficient heating.

Why did you choose a Morso wood stove? Honestly, we evaluated several different wood stove brands and found that Morso was highly recommended and had a wide chose of small freestanding wood stove models within our price range.

Is the Morso 6148 used for supplemental heating in the Charlottesville house? It is actually the primary heating system for this open, two-story home with 1,000 square feet living space. Radiant floor heating on the first level and a mini split ductless air/heat system with heat recirculation fan supplement the stove to keep the entire house warm in the most energy efficient and sustainable way.

To learn more about Virant Design visit http://virantdesign.com/home.html

Historical Foundation Give Morso Energy Efficient Wood Stoves Strength

The history of Morsø Jernstøberi dates all the way back to 1853, when business graduate, N. A. Christensen, started his own iron foundry on the Limfjord island of Mors in Denmark. In the first few years, the small handful of employees manufactured everything from barn windows and memorial crosses to cooking stoves, pots and pans.

However, N. A. Christensen wasn’t your typical business man. With his well-honed talent for good business and his many creative and forward-thinking ideas, he succeeded in turning Morso into a leading cast iron foundry. Towards the close of the century, Morso cast goods were well-known, especially the popular solid fuel wood stoves and wood burning cooking stoves which had now become the company’s most important product.

Royal warmth
At the turn of the 20th century, Morso began supplying wood burning heating systems to churches, schools and a number of public buildings, including the state railways and various ministries. And at the start of the 1900s, the popular imperial-style wood stoves found their way into the royal apartments at Amalienborg. In 1915, various wood stoves had already been supplied to the palaces at Amalienborg and to several other royal residences, and the company was therefore bestowed the prestigious title of Purveyor to His Majesty the King by King Christian X. Later, in 1969, the title was changed to By Appointments to the Royal Danish Court.

Always in front
When central heating and, therefore, radiators pushed solid fuel stove was out of fashion. Morso - once again- showed that it had its finger on the pulse, when the revolutionary open fireplace stove, the 1122, was launched. In so doing, Morsø opened up a completely new market and a completely new way of making life warmer, in two senses of the word.

Step by step, Morsø has led the way in wood stove design innovation and new ways of combining form and function; efficiency with beauty and comfort – and also in recent years with environmental awareness and respect. Today, Morso Energy Efficient Wood Stoves exports a wide choice of high performing wood stoves to 25 countries, irrespective of the climate – from northern Scandinavia to South Africa, from the USA and Canada to Australia and Japan.