wood burning stoves

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stevohut

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I have never had a stove before and wood really like one because my heating bills are expensive when it gets cold out. I have a primary electric furnace for heat but it just works to hard and my house isn't insulated very good. What is a good decent priced stove that wood heat about 1500 square foot. I use my fireplace a lot but all the heat goes up the flu and don't heat much of the house. Any input would be great. THNX

Steve:cheers:
 
Have you considered an insert?

Quadrafire has been a darn good company to deal with and I am just flat tickled with the zero clearance Fireplace.

For a free standing stove what price range are you looking at?

Cat or no Cat?

Stay safe!
Dingeryote
 
Don't want to spend more then $2000 if possible. Is buying a used stove risky or are they bullet proof? I have an exsisting chimney on the other side of the house that was used for an oil burning furnace just up until 2 years ago. Could I use that chimney, would it need a liner in it. Is an insert for my upstairs fireplace just as expensive as a free standing stove? THNX

steve
 
In my limited experience inserts aren't cheap for a new one. If you have a spot for a free standing stove, that is an easy choice as they way to go and I'd think the price isn't much different.

The liner is a must in my area, so you'd have to check locally. If your house were to burn down, without the permit & liner you'd get nothing from your insurance company.

Finally, around here these are listed in Craigslist all the time. A few fire bricks and maybe some paint and it's new (to you.)

Not sure if you are hustling for wood yet, but that's where you save the $ but pay for it in work. It's pretty much a part time job for me (ask my wife.)

Good luck with your decision.
 
Stevo, you'll get lots of good advice in here. But if you want something that will lead you through from start to finish and help you figure out ALL that's needed, check out "The Woodburner's Companion: Practical Ways of Heating with Wood" by Dirk Thomas. Not long, about 150 pages, but it's a complete guide covering all aspects of woodburning, from felling, bucking, splitting, stacking wood, to coverage of all details about which stove/furnace to choose and how to assess chimney condition/cleaning and what might need be done to make your setup safe for home heating.

Really a top notch guide.

You can buy them online through Bailey's, which is one of the site sponsors here. Costs about $15. I've been burning wood for 30 years, and I learned a thing or two reading through it.

The link for ordering the book is here: http://www.baileysonline.com/search.asp?PageNo=2&SKW=books&catID=

Good luck! :) :)
 
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Books are fine up to a big point. Better: ask around in the neighborhood the homes that use wood stoves for more than supplementing a furnace, or for entertainment fires. Look for woodburners with woodsheds and/or nicely stacked piles in their yards. Ask them how they do it.

$2000. is a high budget for a quality used wood stove. Leave room for your liner, wood, accessories (such as a hearth extension if you go with a free standing stove).

Spring and summer are fine times to find good used wood stoves. People are moving, getting a new stove, or just don't want thye effort of heating with wood. Look at the "Stove Rating" section of hearthnet.com for user's experience with brands and models. Most have had good luck with Woodstock (cat), Pacific Energy, Jotul, Morso, and others. Strong opinion: stay away from Vermont Castings' products.

Yes, a lining is mandatory for code, insurance, safety and efficiency. It will cost about the price of a stove IF you do it yourself. Go SS.

Decide with your family how they want the stove to look: cast, soapstone, steel. Non-cats are simpler to run, but catalytic stoves are more efficient with longer burn times ( we have one of each for 24/7, 100% wood heating), If you can find one, get porcelain.

Inserts are not efficient heaters compared with a free standing stove while the cost is the same. Visit dealers and fool with the stoves you like. Many dealers sell at discounts now their returns, trades, "scratch and dent" stoves.

Size: go slightly larger than the specs of the stoves for the space you need heated.

Finally as was said, NOW is the time to get your firewood: scrounge, harvest, or buy CSD (cut, split, delivered), or log length. Learn what species in your region burn best. Most firewood sellers are hard working and honest. Ask.

JMNSHO
 
With the biomass tax credit still out there for this year your smart move would be to go new and find a stove that falls into the program.

If a flue needs to be installed because of the new stove then it also fall into the tax credit .
 
Books are fine up to a big point. Better: ask around in the neighborhood the homes that use wood stoves for more than supplementing a furnace, or for entertainment fires. Look for woodburners with woodsheds and/or nicely stacked piles in their yards. Ask them how they do it.

$2000. is a high budget for a quality used wood stove. Leave room for your liner, wood, accessories (such as a hearth extension if you go with a free standing stove).

Spring and summer are fine times to find good used wood stoves. People are moving, getting a new stove, or just don't want thye effort of heating with wood. Look at the "Stove Rating" section of hearthnet.com for user's experience with brands and models. Most have had good luck with Woodstock (cat), Pacific Energy, Jotul, Morso, and others. Strong opinion: stay away from Vermont Castings' products.

Yes, a lining is mandatory for code, insurance, safety and efficiency. It will cost about the price of a stove IF you do it yourself. Go SS.

Decide with your family how they want the stove to look: cast, soapstone, steel. Non-cats are simpler to run, but catalytic stoves are more efficient with longer burn times ( we have one of each for 24/7, 100% wood heating), If you can find one, get porcelain.

Inserts are not efficient heaters compared with a free standing stove while the cost is the same. Visit dealers and fool with the stoves you like. Many dealers sell at discounts now their returns, trades, "scratch and dent" stoves.

Size: go slightly larger than the specs of the stoves for the space you need heated.

Finally as was said, NOW is the time to get your firewood: scrounge, harvest, or buy CSD (cut, split, delivered), or log length. Learn what species in your region burn best. Most firewood sellers are hard working and honest. Ask.

JMNSHO

+1. Really good advice. On the book, I am in logbutcher's camp, generally. There's book learning, and then there's real life. But this book was written by a chimney sweep and woodburner, and it literally contains every necessary thing I ever learned in 30 years of woodburning, and a few things I didn't learn until I read the book. It really is a start-to-finish how-to. :clap: :clap:

And I'm with Crappie Keith on the tax credit. That's why we're upgrading our 35-year-old wood furnace with a new one. I believe this is the last year the tax credit is in force. :) :)
 
stevohut if you've never had a stove it can be complicated to get the right stove for YOUR HOME.

I recommend you go to **********, Visit the heart room forum and check out the sticky topic 'whats the best stove for me'. Lots of good info there.
 
stevohut if you've never had a stove it can be complicated to get the right stove for YOUR HOME.

I recommend you go to **********, Visit the heart room forum and check out the sticky topic 'whats the best stove for me'. Lots of good info there.

:agree2:
There are stove brand fanatics like the perpetual Stihl vs Husky, or Ford vs Chevy, or Glock vs Sig debates.

Make up your own mind after blogging hearthnet. Fondle stoves at dealers
(they also have their favorites to sell). Ask around. Get advice on what to look for on a used stove, and balance off the "tax credit" against the net savings. No free lunch.

Be sure you really want to heat with wood; besides the $$$$ savings it is a hands-on constant job that you and family need to want to do. After the fuel is stored and stacked, there is hauling, loading, sweeping up the debris, stove maintenance, chimney cleaning, watching the burns. Frankly we still enjoy it all. With any kind of wood burning--masonry fire, furnace, OWB, stove--it is a full time job. No thermostat to set and forget.

One real benefit: Mr and Mrs. Goodbody !:greenchainsaw:

JMNSHO
 
Don't want to spend more then $2000 if possible. Is buying a used stove risky or are they bullet proof? I have an exsisting chimney on the other side of the house that was used for an oil burning furnace just up until 2 years ago. Could I use that chimney, would it need a liner in it. Is an insert for my upstairs fireplace just as expensive as a free standing stove? THNX

steve

You can always go the insulated stove pipe route , and basically place your stove any where you want in your house where it would be most efficient. like said air tights are IMO the best as far as heat (BTU's) .
Check criags list for good used stoves , I picked up a consolidated dutch west air tight insert for a 100 bucks , all it needed was new gaskets and cat.
 
Don't want to spend more then $2000 if possible. Is buying a used stove risky or are they bullet proof? I have an exsisting chimney on the other side of the house that was used for an oil burning furnace just up until 2 years ago. Could I use that chimney, would it need a liner in it. Is an insert for my upstairs fireplace just as expensive as a free standing stove? THNX

steve

Bought mine for $350. Flu parts another $300. Installed myself though the house. (You can install flu outside of house). Insert will be close to $2000 installed but get a wood insert not pellets.

You can get a blower on a wood stove and its the same concept. But if you dont have room for a stove then an insert is the way to go. Mine is a small stove and it heats 1400 sq ft but struggles when its under 15 degrees "with wind"
 
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