Dalmatian90
Addicted to ArboristSite
Considering purchasing this summer a used EPA stove.
I have a 650 square foot house (it's my grandparents old summer cottage).
Currently using a Vogelzang Boxwood stove...does well, burns a hellacious amount of wood -- I'm figuring 4-1/2 cords this year, and a lot of that is green as Kermit. I'm hoping to be under 2-1/2 cords with a used EPA stove.
Just started a regular job after three years of living contract-to-contract, so I was penciling in $800-1000 budget this summer that originally I was planning to buy a load of logs (about 8 cords) to get ahead on my firewood needs, thinking that plus what I normally cut in my woods would give me 8 cords seasoned at least a year by 2012 and buy an EPA stove then.
But now I'm thinking the same budget this summer, but instead spend it $400-500 for a used stove plus one or two cords of seasoned oak for $225/cord. I'll have 2 to 3 OK but not well seasoned red maple and ash cut this spring for next fall.
That should be enough to allow me to get ahead of the curve, maybe need to buy seasoned oak once more in 2012 while I let my own stuff season more.
A Jotul F118 "Black Bear" is probably ideal size BTU wise, and I like it takes longer logs (means I don't have to be religious on cutting nothing longer then 16" or 18" like many of the EPA stoves).
But they don't come on the market very often, especially for my price point of not-much-more then $500.
Vermont Casting Defiants are easy to find, usually 2-3 within an hour or so drive for $500 on Craigslist. And they also take long logs.
But the Defiants can throw a lot more heat then I need -- rated at 2400 s.f.
Is there anything wrong with buying too big of a stove and just not keeping it chock-a-block full all the time?
I'm figuring people with the Defiants have to spend quite a bit of the year not having them cranked to the max anyways.
Or is it a really bad idea for some reason to put such a big stove in such a small house?
I have a 650 square foot house (it's my grandparents old summer cottage).
Currently using a Vogelzang Boxwood stove...does well, burns a hellacious amount of wood -- I'm figuring 4-1/2 cords this year, and a lot of that is green as Kermit. I'm hoping to be under 2-1/2 cords with a used EPA stove.
Just started a regular job after three years of living contract-to-contract, so I was penciling in $800-1000 budget this summer that originally I was planning to buy a load of logs (about 8 cords) to get ahead on my firewood needs, thinking that plus what I normally cut in my woods would give me 8 cords seasoned at least a year by 2012 and buy an EPA stove then.
But now I'm thinking the same budget this summer, but instead spend it $400-500 for a used stove plus one or two cords of seasoned oak for $225/cord. I'll have 2 to 3 OK but not well seasoned red maple and ash cut this spring for next fall.
That should be enough to allow me to get ahead of the curve, maybe need to buy seasoned oak once more in 2012 while I let my own stuff season more.
A Jotul F118 "Black Bear" is probably ideal size BTU wise, and I like it takes longer logs (means I don't have to be religious on cutting nothing longer then 16" or 18" like many of the EPA stoves).
But they don't come on the market very often, especially for my price point of not-much-more then $500.
Vermont Casting Defiants are easy to find, usually 2-3 within an hour or so drive for $500 on Craigslist. And they also take long logs.
But the Defiants can throw a lot more heat then I need -- rated at 2400 s.f.
Is there anything wrong with buying too big of a stove and just not keeping it chock-a-block full all the time?
I'm figuring people with the Defiants have to spend quite a bit of the year not having them cranked to the max anyways.
Or is it a really bad idea for some reason to put such a big stove in such a small house?