Mattox Energy Saver

[RedEyedRooster]

My uncle just gave me a wood stove for my barn and I wanted to find out if anyone knew anything about these stoves. The door says Mattox Energy Saver it's 50"H x 36"D x 30"W. Has six or seven rows of @ 1" tubes that go the length at the top and two slots on the sides that are @ 1.5"x3" that go the length. Has a large squirrel fan blower on the back that blows out the tubes and slots. Large ash pan that goes the length with 3 air vents in front. Don't know how old it is but I assume it's old, very heavy. Thought about having it reconditioned, just remove rust, polish black, and replace fire brick inside. Looks like it will take 30" logs, 27" would be ideal but my splitter does about 24" max.

 

[beavis331]

Looks like a cool old stove.

 

[RedEyedRooster]

One of my sons ( the one that changes his oil) disconnected my original stove and moved this one in it's place, so I guess I'll hook it up this weekend while the weathers good. My old stove is about 29"H x 27"W x 21"D. Original stove couldn't begin to heat our 20' x 40' pole barn. 15' at the rafters, no insulation and cement floor, man it gets cold in there. I've got a big thermometer in there so I plan to check the temp & time, get the new-old stove up to temp, turn on the blower, turn on my 30" osculating fan beside the stove that will blow right over the top and wait for an hour or two to see what we get out of her. Cant wait, cause I need to fix a leak on the zero turn and the beer fridge has over a 30 pack in there.

 

[beavis331]

Are you sure you have enough beer?

 

[zogger]

Those pipes give a lot of surface area to extract heat, I bet it will work pretty good.

 

[NSMaple1]

What is access like to the inside of the stove around the tube area? Does a panel (easily) come off the back?

Looks like it might be a bear to keep clean around the tubes - they will likely make creosote. Does look like some good heat making potential though.

 

[RedEyedRooster]

Looked at the tubes today they look ok. Back panel looks easy to remove, has a cap that open to the air way. Was wondering if I needed to worry about a log grate sense the bottom is a grate more or less over the ash pan and the ash pan has the air controls. Last picture is stove that is being replaced. Another mod I'd like to do is add a thermal switch for the blower fan. That way you don't forget to turn it off when you've had a hard night of fixing stuff, you know.

 

[beavis331]

Your old stove is an earth stove. I have one just like it.

 

[flotek]

Good score I have no idea what it is but I like it . I suspect it's going to eat a lot of wood but I also suspect judging by the size and design it's going to throw some major heat ! When that firebox is rocking and rolling those tubes will act as a heat exchanger with blowing air through them from the back will result in much better efficiency than a simple top plate and get tons of hot air moving into your shop . I wouldn't be surprised if that stove could heat 4000+ sq ft. I would wire brush the stove and paint it black with temp BBQ paint then put all new firebrick in it , looks very worthy of reconditioning . Being it has incoming under air I would guess you could burn coal in it with good success mixed with wood

 

[RedEyedRooster]

I took the old flanged flue pipe off and blew off the pipes inside with a air compressor. Not bad but did have some creosote chips that was flaked. I saw a small hole in one of the pipes on top, hope it doesn't smoke, we'll see. The bottom grates are five steel C channels going across with firebrick inserted (all good) and two 2"steel support pieces that go the length of the bottom. I haven't got it all clean out completely but the side bricks have a 1" gap between them(at the end of each C channel) while the front and back are tight together. Isn't that weird or is it just, you'll have that? Also noticed the exterior cap above the blower allows air to be forced through the bottom side C channels inside the fire box which has 3/4" holes drilled for the air to exit above the firebrick, what do you make of that? The old flue was flanged and reduced down about a inch to 7"5/8 diameter. I got the 8" pipe with a damper in there a little but I'm not happy with it, I'm going to put some stove pipe caulking or furnace cement around it, just to make me feel a little better. Looking at the weather it will be January before it gets cold enough for a decent test (suppose to be 55-60 all week).

 

[RedEyedRooster]

Nashua N24 in the house basement.

 

[NSMaple1]

Yes, you should watch very closely for smoke & flue gases coming out the tubes. It does look like cleaning all the outside surfaces (the side the fire is against) of all the tubes might be a chore, and if the previous owner(s) didn't stay on top of it and let it smoulder much it could promote some tube corrosion.

 

[DFK]

Man! That is a Beast.
Those 3/4" holes above the fire brick must be some kind of secondary air burn pipes.
If air is "forced" threw them by the fan.... That thing is going to burn some wood.
If you could figure out how to rig secondary air pipes "just under" those air tubes
you would get even more heat out of it.

David

 

[RedEyedRooster]

I found out why no one knows about these stoves, it's because their custom built by a man named Jerry Mattox in the Salem - Campbellsburg area here in Indiana. I didn't realize it but I have another uncle with a shorter-wider version in his basement for the past 35 years. I guess he makes them for a living but doesn't go commercial because of insurance. I'm guessing it's 35 to 40 years old, not as old as I thought. I'm glad I got it but I don't like my original chimney that was here when I bought the place (7" single wall SS about 5" from the interior wall) so I'm going to put up a SuperVent double wall, thru the wall chimney pipe. I'll go out above the window, extend the base out with custom angle iron rectangle base frame to miss the 16" over hang using a 24" L horizontal and go 120"vertical (roof peaks about 12' away, about 102" from center of tee) supporting with two wall bands extended out. 8" SuperVent kit at Lowe's with locking bands for each section should be about $1062.69 after tax. I'll hook up the interior with 8"single wall with damper. Sound like a good deal? or is there something better? have I missed something?

 

[RedEyedRooster]

Found SuperVent class A stainless steel wall support kit ,6"L pipe for bottom of tee, insulated tee plug, 24" L thru wall, 12"L + 3x 36"L vertical pipe, roof guy kit, and 6x locking bands for $985.07. Stove was free but chimney pipe sure is an eye opener. Hope it gets the barn warm cause wife may have me stay out there. I can see it now me, the dog(Anatolian Shepard named Barley), a feral cat(named Gizmo), beer fridge and freezer full of meat. I can survive.

 

[RedEyedRooster]

Did a test run this evening and fired the stove up. Started at 8pm it was 31* in the barn, at 10pm it was 65* in the barn. I was really pleased with the amount of heat this stove puts out it's amazing. I was really shocked with how much wood you can put in this thing though. Probably put in 12-15 red oak splits 21" L was a little less than half way full. At 12pm I had about 6 or 7 inches of hot coals and the barn was at 60* so I'm happy with it.