The not-so-difficult to run EPA stove

[Vermonster]

I can make it go there if you'd like.

Yes, please do that Steve. Thanks my fellow hard water fisherman.

 

[Ronaldo]

I like the enamel finish on the PE stove, Whitespider. They called those the Spectrum models, I believe, and my wife and I looked at those when we got ours, but they were priced bout a thousand more than the Super 27, which is just black and no gold trim etc. Decided they both had the same firebox, so we could get along with the less expensive one, since the only difference is the finish.

 

[dustytools]

Spider, Im not seeing the draft control lever on the stovace or am I missing something. Also, the stove before the conversion looks like someone blocked the air inlet on the back. ???

 

[Whitespider]

dustytools,
The draft control lever is behind the right side gold/brass trim piece... it swings open for access.
The air inlet isn't really blocked in that picture... LOL... it has a piece of window screen black-taped over it to keep mice out... LOL
Anyway, I removed the window screen and black tape during the "build"... and even if it was blocked, having the "stovace" up on concrete blocks opens the lower inlet hole anyway.
Good catch though...

 

[dustytools]

That's cool, just curious. My lever is just below the ledge below the door, next to the ash dump handle. I assumed that the nipple on the back of the stovace was the new air inlet. Nice build, its a shame it didn't work out for ya. I think that over time as I get to know the ins an outs of my new Super 27 that it will make me a pretty good heater. One thing that I did notice about my stove was that the air inlet coming in to the front of the stove would/will not completely shut the stove down, in the fully closed position it still lacks about 1/4" of covering the inlet hole. I remedied that for now with a piece of metal duct tape, some say that a good magnet will do the trick too.

 

[naturelover]

Aww Spidey, that was your setup? That poor stove never had a chance.

Will say that is quite the handywork though.
Anyway, loadin' up the 30. It was gusting to 30mph and in the mid 20's, and the garage is just a tad drafty (snow blows in the door in the back...), and even as big as this stove is, she was runnin' pretty hard today.

Loaded up.



Up and running...



And with the fan on low, which lowers it about 100 degrees than when not running it.

 

[Whitespider]

Aww Spidey, that was your setup? That poor stove never had a chance.

Yeah, I suppose your right. But you'd have been downright impressed by the amount of heat exiting the vents upstairs when the secondary burn was active. From an empty firebox cold start I never had a problem raising the temperature of the whole house a couple degrees, even in sub-zero weather... the problems came when I needed to continue raising the temp, or maintain it after the secondary shut down. As you can see from the pics, there wasn't an appreciable size difference between the old (homemade) furnace and the "stovace"... I think that's what frustrated me the most. I mean, I kept reading on this site the, "More heat, less wood" mantra... but I ended up with less heat (overall) and burning more wood using the same size box (shrug) Actually, after I removed the firebrick, the "stovace" had a larger firebox...
*

 

[Locust Cutter]

Well, either way, my next stove will be a cast iron unit, not a plate steel. I'm not really impressed with the reality of a plate steel stove. It sounded good on paper, but I don't think the advertising stands up to the test.

 

[sunfish]

Well, either way, my next stove will be a cast iron unit, not a plate steel. I'm not really impressed with the reality of a plate steel stove. It sounded good on paper, but I don't think the advertising stands up to the test.

Bryan to be fair, steel stoves have been around a long time and the better ones do OK. But I do like cast much better! Cast iron takes high heat better & takes the heating/cooling cycles over many years much better. Most cast stoves will kick out more heat quicker also. This winter has Really sold me on this Jotul 118CB!

 

[slowp]

It's 28 outside, 52 inside (let the stove go out last night and opened the window) and the Quadrafire is roaring away with a load of alder in it. Coals? I have this antique that my grandpa made and it is called a poker. Since the coals build up in the back and burn up in the front, I simply open the door and rake said coals so there is an even bed of them and put in more firewood, close the door and life is good. Coals burn up.

Maybe you should burn Doug fir and alder in your modified stove, and a bit of maple sometimes.

I don't understand the coals thing, and I won't try. It isn't a problem for me.

 

[Chris-PA]

Well, either way, my next stove will be a cast iron unit, not a plate steel. I'm not really impressed with the reality of a plate steel stove. It sounded good on paper, but I don't think the advertising stands up to the test.

Bryan to be fair, steel stoves have been around a long time and the better ones do OK. But I do like cast much better! Cast iron takes high heat better & takes the heating/cooling cycles over many years much better. Most cast stoves will kick out more heat quicker also. This winter has Really sold me on this Jotul 118CB!

I have one of each. They both work really well. I liked the idea of a welded steel stove, as I figured it should be very well sealed and last a long time. So far this has turned out to be true - the only place it can leak is the door gasket and glass, which are no big deal to keep up with. I suppose if I overfired it regularly it could warp and be a problem, but this is hardly good for a cast stove either. Cast iron can warp and change shape quite drastically too.

The smaller cast stove has been equally flawless in performance though, and it is certainly prettier.

I must say that these two secondary combustion stoves are pieces of equipment that have constantly impressed me over a span of years. I am more than satisfied with both, and using them makes my smile - that is not all that common with purchases any more.

 

[husky455rancher]

i got a blaze king king model this year and i was a little worried cuse of how hard these cat stoves supposidly are to run. so far i dont understand the issues people are having. you light it like any other stove. once the temp in the cat is up you close the cat. then what ive been doing and it isnt even really necessary is i run the thermostat a little higher than id like it for a twenty mins or so. then i go and turn it to the temp i like.

its running in an uninsullated basement with cement rock foundation. i take the cellar door off during the winter so the heat just comes up and it keeps the floors nice and warm too its usually 68-69 upstairs. id like to get some insullation in the cellar at some point so my foundation dosent suck up all me heat.

i still have my secondary burn tube insert in the living room. ive lit it a few times just for the hell of it but i really like the blaze king. i dont regret buying it one bit it really is a great stove.

 

[Locust Cutter]

I've heard good and bad about VC and PE stoves. I rally haven't heard a bad thing about Jotuls or Blaze Kings... For whatever that's worth.

 

[sunfish]

I've heard good and bad about VC and PE stoves. I rally haven't heard a bad thing about Jotuls or Blaze Kings... For whatever that's worth.

VC used to be pretty good, but they have changed so much in the last 20 years. I had a not so good experience with one for about 9 years. I do read good things about Blaze King, but don't know anyone who has one & have never seen one? Jotul is top shelf stuff!

 

[Ronaldo]

I've heard good and bad about VC and PE stoves. I rally haven't heard a bad thing about Jotuls or Blaze Kings... For whatever that's worth.

I have a friend that has a jotul f400 and does not like it. It is very finicky about draft settings and smokes out the door every time unless you reload ONLY when burnt down to coals. Did some research and it seems to be a problem with this particular model.

 

[flotek]

It surprises me somebody would build a air jacket around a modern wood stove like that in an effort to heat a building Seems like a lot of time and effort for nothing I like the ducting very interesting to say the least lol ( don't quit your day job ! I think spidey has been watching to many red green reruns on TV land ( if the ladies don't find you handsome they can at least find you handy. ) when he came up with this contraption . If it didn't put out the btus as a stove to heat the house it stands to reason it's not going to as a furnace either but to each their own . I probably would have just sold the pe before making a mcgyverism out of it but then again I would have bought the appropriate size and design stove for my needs in the first place too

 

[Locust Cutter]

Well Flotek, I understand your point, but when you're on a budget and are trying to do the best you can within your budget you do what you gotta do. I'd love to have one of the nice, BIG OWBs, but right now it's not in the cards.

 

[Whitespider]

I'm hoping you can help me out here flotek
See... I'm having a bit of trouble with the math, no doubt because I dropped out'a school and ain't as smart as you.

Anyway...
If the old non-EPA firebox of the same size (that I also "mcgyverised" in the same way) was capable of heating my home...
And the wiz-bang, new-fangled, EPA firebox of the same size was not capable of heating my home, while using at least as much wood, probably more by my measurements...
How exactly does that add-up to more heat burning less wood??
Am I forgetting to carry a "1" somewhere... maybe dividing when I should be multiplying??
Maybe my giant brain isn't pulsating as much as usual??

Help me out man...
*

 

[sunfish]

I have a friend that has a jotul f400 and does not like it. It is very finicky about draft settings and smokes out the door every time unless you reload ONLY when burnt down to coals. Did some research and it seems to be a problem with this particular model.

I've heard the f400 needs very dry wood and the 'right procedure'. There are also a lot of folks out there that are completely happy with the f400. Our f118 is not so finicky.

 

[naturelover]

I'm hoping you can help me out here flotek
See... I'm having a bit of trouble with the math, no doubt because I dropped out'a school and ain't as smart as you.

Anyway...
If the old non-EPA firebox of the same size (that I also "mcgyverised" in the same way) was capable of heating my home...
And the wiz-bang, new-fangled, EPA firebox of the same size was not capable of heating my home, while using at least as much wood, probably more by my measurements...
How exactly does that add-up to more heat burning less wood??
Am I forgetting to carry a "1" somewhere... maybe dividing when I should be multiplying??
Maybe my giant brain isn't pulsating as much as usual??

Help me out man...
*

If you had taken the baffles out of your PE stove and made it a smoke dragon, do you think it would have heated your house?


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