whats the cost of a good wood stove?

[excess650]

We bought a Quadrafire 4300 steptop for our new house. Its a non-cat, but has secondary burn above the firebox for a very clean, high efficiency burn. At $2500 it wasn't inexpensive, but then I wouldn't even want the ones sold at Lowes, etc. I'm thinking that I should have bought their bigger 5700 instead, but time will tell.

At our hunting camp we have a Fisher airtight for the mid to late 80s. Its a very large steptop, and can produce large amounts of heat. I wish that I could have found one like that for the new house! It may not be as efficient or clean burning as the new stoves, but must have a 6 cu ft firebox.

The new stoves have the draft configured such that you can't cut the intake air back to just let the fire smolder. They are designed for a very clean burn, so burn hot, and not necessarily for long.

 

[husky455rancher]

my house is setup for forced hot water it was fired with an oil burner. i disconnected the burner and hooked up the woodstove in the cellar.

would getting a "airtite" stove really make that much of a difference? also if im looking for stoves how do i know if the one im looking at is better than what i currently have?

 

[excess650]

since these stoves seem to be in your neck 'o the woods

http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38.l1313&_nkw=fisher+wood+stove&_sacat=See-All-Categories

We have a top vent steptop like some of these. Its a superb older stove, and I DO recommend it for someone on a budget wanting a woodstove for whole house heat. The steptop design provides 2 surfaces with different temperatures for cooking, etc.

At our hunting camp, we went a step further. We installed a 30 gallon SS tank between the stove and wall to heat water.

Airtight stoves give better draft control than their predecessors. Their welded plate construction and doors with seals allowed the user to cut the air to the firebox back to nothing. The cast iron stoves that go waaaaay back had seams that either needed to be sealed, otherwise the draft control was a joke.

Newer stoves go further along the airtight idea. By having a catalytic converter, or secondary air above the firebox, emissions are minute. Unfortunately, you can't cut the draft back to nothing to let a fire just smolder.

 

[Richard_]

I'm still waiting for one of these to pop up on craig's list for a couple hundred bucks or so:

lol.


Wishful thinking.

if you don't mind driving a little:biggrinbounce2:
wood/gas cook range - $250 (Salem Oregon)
http://salem.craigslist.org/hsh/921814921.html
Gas/wood range: "Univerassl Gibbons/Sexton" with warming ovens, four gas burners, oven heated with gas or wood, gas broiler in warming oven. All parts are on the stove and in good condition. In fair shape but needs restoration.

xxx-xxx-xxxx

 

[1savagehunter]

Check out a Blaze King

I haven't read all the postings here but I've owned a number of wood and cool stoves so feel I can talk with some authority. I've owned a Regancy ... crap. Have run a Pacific Energy stove - good heat +++ but not a long burner. Have used several others but bar none the best is the blaze king. It is a cat. stove that will burn at a consistant temp long after the other stoves are cold. No more damper tag here :

 

[savageactor7]

my house is setup for forced hot water it was fired with an oil burner. i disconnected the burner and hooked up the woodstove in the cellar.

would getting a "airtite" stove really make that much of a difference? also if im looking for stoves how do i know if the one im looking at is better than what i currently have?

That Shenandoah r77 you have is considered an airtight stove...but it's meant to be a parlor stove. We've burned with that one for a number of years and I really didn't think it went threw wood as bad as you claim.

Once the stove is loaded and burning OK do you leave the flue damper at 45*?

Also the thermostat is probably broke...that was the weak link in both the 65's and 77's.

What you want to do is when the stove is cool open the door and from underneath stick some folded up tin foil in the intake damper operated by the thermostat. Figure on leaving in open half way to start. the more it's opened the faster it will burn.

I don't think you realize what a fine stove you have there...unfortunately as my wife was all too willing to point out... it does look like hell.

 

[husky455rancher]

savage i believe the thermostat works, i dont know how well but it does move on its own.

i didnt know if was a airtite stove or not. i havent been able to find any info on it really.

also when i load it up i been closeing iot a bit more than 45* it seems to work well that way. i changed the door gaskit saturday and it seemed to make a difference as now i have to open up the intake more to get the same heat out of it as i did before i did the gaskit.

 

[Graybeard]

Stay away from cheapies

i been using a old shenandoah as some of you know. its a fine stove but man does it destroy the wood. my wood has been free but if a good stove aint much money maybe ill go that route any suggestions?

Stay away from Vogelzang and other cheapies. Make sure you have an air control on the stove body, and not depend on the damper to control air flow.