One of the greatest energy expenses in a home is heating water. Whether gas or electricity is used, your home’s water heater is likely the second largest energy consumer, second to heating and air conditioning. For many homes, a wood fired water heater can be an alternative. But are they really practical?

For over a decade, my family has been using a wood fired hot water heater in a remote off grid cabin we have. This unit is similar in shape and size to a traditional small gas water heater. It also works basically the same way. At the bottom there is a small firebox, in the same location that a gas burner would be.

Building a fire in it is simple. although the small size of the firebox makes it a little awkward to work with. We mostly use the large chips and slivers of wood that accumulate around the wood splitter. They dry quickly, ignite and burn well and are easy to fit into the small firebox.

The flue drafts well, so once a fire is lit, it maintains a good fire as long as it is kept fueled. After 20 minutes or so the water reaches 100 to 120 degrees. All this with an amazingly small amount of wood. At this point there is enough hot water for two showers and to wash the dishes. If more hot water is needed, just keep putting wood on the fire.

For a remote vacation home this works great. The downside is convenience. With an electric or gas water heater, there is always hot water without you having to do anything. With the wood fired water heater like this one, you have to build a fire ahead of time, before you need hot water, and keep the fire fueled. For most households this is not practical.

In the summer, we rarely use the wood fired water heater, and instead use a solar water shower. Filling a solar shower with water and setting out in the sun is much easier than building and maintaining a fire.

But for occasional use or for emergencies, I definitely recommend this type of water heater. Unfortunately the manufacturer of this one is no longer in business. But there are other types available. I recently found a website with on that I have not tried but it looks promising. It fits between the firebox and flue of a wood stove and ties into your existing water heater tank. While your wood stove is heating your home, it can also be heating your water. No need to maintain a separate fire. Learn more about this wood fired hot water heater.