Wood Stove Review-Likes/Dislikes

[logbutcher]

It's close to the end of heating season. For the serious wood heaters (no "wood heat "up from" the thenostat @ 65 F ). Tell about your stove(s): what you like , how it's used, problems, dislikes.
Also what you paid, your flue structure. Basically, the works about your wood stove heating your place.

Downeast Maine
There are 2 stoves here, heating both old (1200 ft² no plumbing, low insulation R11), and the new in 2000 ( 1100 ft², plumbing, heavy insulation) parts of the house. No backup furnace, the stoves go 24/7 in winter for 100% heating.

Stove 1 is a 2000 Vermont Castings Encore top loading cat in "Merlot" porcelain. Once the initial manufacturing problems were solved ( air leaks, poor controls :censored it's done the job well. The themostat coil air control is a joy. Since cats burn out after ~12,000 hours, the cat is replaced every 2-3 years. BUT: the Encore can be damped down to a low simmer WITH heat output for 10-12 hours with good wood. This stove needs a lot of $$$ maintenace and care.

Stove 2 is a 2005 Jotul Oslo non-cat heating about the same space as the Encore. The Oslo needs more wood to keep the space up to temp. The air cannot be damped very far so that it needs more wood for similar heating. The front door is a PITA, spilling ash out when opened. The side door is used for loading. The air control is badly designed, often sticking, simply fixed. The control is usually wide open or down low---not much variation compared with other stoves. Well made, good QC, fine heater all in all. Pretty in blue/black porcelain.

Much less maintenance for the non-cat Oslo. When operating as it should, the Encore does a better job as a heater. Would not buy the Encore again however.

 

[slowp]

This was my first winter in the new house. It was also an El Nino year here in the PNW. That means we had milder temperatures than normal. We had a cold snap the first week of December though. Cold being down in the teens.

The woodstove I had put in is a Quadrafire Millenium rated for 1600 sq. ft. This house is 1400, but follows the PNW style of lots of glass for light in the living room. I work during the day so only had a fire after I got home. The stove heats the house up quickly, with the aid of a ceiling fan. I fill the firebox up once and the house is warm. Put more on and the house is too warm--way too warm.

It has all the air pollution stuff on it plus more as our state has tougher requirements than the rest of the country. I do not think I could get a fire to hold all night if I wanted too. But we don't need that here. I usually sleep with a window cracked open anyway. So, I need to chop a lot of kindling. That can be a pain.

When our power went out, I was able to heat water on it. I didn't try cooking on it. I have camping gear for that.

I like the stove, it does what it says it will do. In my past, I've heated with an Earth Stove, 2 different Fischers, a Schrader fireplace insert, a pellet stove, a propane fake woodstove, and even a Franklin Fireplace.

For this climate, the Quadrafire is fine. I like that it is a clean burner.

Oh, and I learned to TURN OFF the whole house fan when starting up a fire in the stove. I had a smoke alarm test the day I learned that!

 

[Wife'nHubby]

Jotul Oslo in blue/black installed as a hearth mount. 13' ss insulated liner. Using side door for loading. Once a week we clean the glass on the front door. Heating 24/7 since February 12, 2010 so not a lot of experioence with it but loving it so far. Using a ceiling fan to move heated air around means we don't have the noisey stove fan competing with TV viewing.

Stove is in the living room which is open concept plan with dining room and kitchen, 1/2 bath and utility room. Easily heats that space, about 1400 sq ft to a balanced 78 degrees even if only using silver maple. On colder days we use hard maple and add a small floor fan pulling colder air from the bedroom/bathroom wing and blow the cold air towards the living room.

Total cost stove/liner/insulation/installation was right around $3,800. Using the $1,500 tax credit, payback should be right around 1-1/2 yrs. if the wood is free or even low cost (2-1/2 cords of hickory cost us $75 and a tank of gas in our truck).

VERY happy so far!

Shari

 

[stackwood]

My unit is a norseman 1500 by volgulzang ($899) it came with a 550 cfm blower , 2 top side duct flanges and I hooked a 120 v direct current thermostat and spent $130 insulated flex duct . I have not used any heating oil in 2 years and my home was very hot all winter , I used 10 cords of wood that I get my self ,,,, hahahaha no saudi oil here , my house is 2400 , 2 floors , federal garrison style home built in the 20's.

 

[Manatarms]

Last year I installed a Blaze King "King". 4 cubic foot firebox, cat stove.

Heated my entire house (3000 sq. ft.) for the winter. Ran it 24/7. Kept the house at 75 with no problems. Typical burn times are 12 hours, but you could easily get upwards of 20 hours if you call for less heat.

Highly recommend this stove.

-Mark

 

[Oldtimer]

I use an 8 year old non-cat Ashley that I modified to be about 6000% more air tight than it was new. It serves, but it isn't the best stove I ever seen.

My brother has an "Old Mill" plate steel stove, and it absolutely rips. I swear, it doesn't "burn" wood so much as it produces nuclear fission with it.

The drawbacks to the Old Mill are:
1, No "ash-pan". I really loves me some ash-pan. What a pain in the butt to clean it out without removing all your "good hot coals".

2, If you touch it when it's burning, you leave skin behind. No shroud like the Ashley. NOT a stove for a house full of kids.

3, HEAVY. Takes 5 men, 2 oxen, and a small boy to move it.

Next door neighbor has a home-made stove, made out of an 80 gallon steel tank. It will fit about 1/8th of a cord of wood, and it throws heat like a neutron star. Best thing about it is the "perforated draft pipe" that runs the entire length of the firebox. It gets enough draft to suck a cat up the chimney.


I intend to make my own stove next time I need one, which is right now.
I will use the best features of the steel tank stove, the Ashley and the Old Mill when I do.

 

[fiasco]

OK, I may keep the thermostat at 65, but since I used less than 150 gallons of oil last winter, have hot water off the oil, and was gone a couple weeks, I'd say I got the VAST majority of my heat from wood. I'm in a late 1980's construction cape with the stairs right behind the chimney and opposite the stove, so getting air moving is a bit of a challenge.

Have a non-cat Vermont Castings Encore. Bought it the week before they went bankrupt. Oops. Was a choice between that and a Jotul something or other (probably the Oslo). I liked the top loading in the Encore because of the layout of the area where the stove is (converted from fireplace, left side would be a pain to load from). I also liked the reports that this stove was one of the cleanest burning ones out there -- as much as I like my 2 strokes and models made before catalytic converters so they'll run good on regular (leaded) gas, I do try to keep my destruction of the planet to a reasonable level.

The stove has always been a bit fussy -- slow to get going, heat control a bit iffy at times, but I got used to it. I went through about 5 cords each of the past two winters, keeping the living room at 78-81, and the upstairs in the mid to upper 60's. During the ice storm of 08, I was able to keep the downstairs at 72 and the upstairs above 60 with no help from oil.

But two seasons in, the rear refractory area (made of some sort of fiberglass composite) has a crack in it, and I've replaced all the gaskets at least once and will have to do several again this year. I'm looking at about $230 for that rear panel...and doubt there's any warranty to cover it.

Having grown up in with Vigilants in both my childhood homes, I counted on the Encore being, well, an encore performance to the fine older stoves which were abused way more than this new one (I don't want to think about the number of times those old Vigilants were glowing cherry red from running WFO). I don't know if it's like the new saws and the EPA, everything runs closer to the ragged edge to be cleaner, or if the quality just isn't there any more. I was hoping to go longer before having to take the stove apart to fix a failure of a major piece. If I find too many broken pieces, I may just find a Jotul to replace it (based on my oil usage before the stove, I've paid the Encore off anyway thanks to scrounging free wood).

 

[Rudedog]

I have the same Jotul F500 Oslo in Blue/Black as logbutcher. I love the stove. I have also noticed that you need more wood and or a bigger stove for these EPA compliant models. The Oslo is rated for 2,000 sq. feet which is the size of my house. It is just making it. I almost wish I had gone one up one size to the F600 which is rated for 2,500 sq. feet.

 

[komatsuvarna]

I have an Englander 13. Its a epa heater. Its small, but it heats my little 1300 sq ft home pretty good. It has a small box, which = more fill ups. This little heater puts off ALOT of heat for its size. If you touch it you'll leave skin behind. Ill probably up grade to a bigger one in a few years just for the bigger box and longer burn times.

 

[StephieDoll]

Picked up a used Quad 3100 steptop in 08. 3,000SF rased ranch with the stove in the basement at the bottom of the stairs. NG bills this past winter were estimated at $80 per month with March at $140. This includes gas, water and sewer so I am really happy with it. Would love to find a bigger stove and watching for something used again. We kept the house more than warm enough + had the winter from heck. Only down side, I went through what I thought was 2 years supply of wood. Still have about that much split and ready to go with lots of oak and locust cut to lenght just waiting to be split. Got a couple loads of maple today.

 

[Locust Cutter]

Wood Stove

I bought a new Pacific Energy Alderlea T-6 caststove this year (Feb) as an addition to the propane heater for the house I bought in (Jan) of this year.
First the house: 130yr old 2-story farm house (2,900sqft) =drafty, R value of roughly 2, layed out horribly for airflow. I think whoever layed it out actually was trying to avoid having natural airflow,...
The stove: According to the manufacturer, it's rated to heat up to 3,000sqft. It was about 5,100 w/tax. The double wall flue pipe (2.5 stories worth) was over half of the cost.
The first month I was here I went through an entire 500 gallon propane tank, trying to maintain around a 63 degree indoor temp. After the stove was installed, My fuel rate with assorted KS hardwood was about .75/full cord/month at a 14hr a day burn rate. It heated my family rm to somwhere around 80-85, the rest of the ground floor to 63-67and the upstairs to 60-63 (F). At that rate the propane burn went down by over 3/4. I also sell firewood on the side which more than pays for the wood that I burn here. I already have over 3 cords stashed and am working on more.
I like the stove a lot. It puts out deceptively warm heat for an EPA stove. A friend's Vermont Castings Defiant puts out a bit more heat, but I dont have a Cat to crack out to I'm ok with that.

 

[deerlakejens]

I have an older Fisher that was in the house when we purchased it. Our house was built in the late 70's and is moderately well insulated but a litle drafty (lots of windows). The stove is located at the north end of the walk-out basement and heats the kitchen and dining room floor directly above. A central stairs allows heat to travel to the two upper levels but I haven't yet figured out how to "pull" the heat to the upstairs south end of the house. My forced air electric furnace has not cycled ( except for periodic testing) in two years. I go through 4-5 mixed cords of fir, hemlock, and maple per year, which is basically October through mid May. Using well seasoned wood, there is no visible smoke (my neighbors often comment that they don't think I burn) and I get 6-8 hour burns. I'm sure I could get by with less wood if I went with a more modern stove, but I really like the Fisher and have often cooked on it when we lose power (nine straight days a few years ago). A two story plus flue creates a great draft, I never use kindling, just stack the wood fairly close, twist up some newspaper, and leave the doors cracked open until the stove hits about 350. Close the doors, dial it down and it really throws the heat. I love it.

 

[Locust Cutter]

Woodstove Part II

I also have a cheap Harbor Freight special, chinese volglezang box stove. It's drafty, it leaks, it's rusty and the paint started peeling off after the third burn. For the price and the and the amount of heat it produces relative to it's small size though, it makes a great old barn stove. Easliy gets hot enough to boil water on (or remove 4 layers of skin if you touch it - definitely need to keep the kiddos away,...) For $85 new, I love it. For a house - Fuggeddaboudit.

 

[jaroh]

I have a Lopi Answer rated for my 1200 sq ft home. Paid approx $2800 with base, double wall pipe, installation and state inspection. Warms the inside of the house to the 80's once I get it up to temp with a small fan pushing air from behind. Burn mostly fir with a mix of whatever may fall in the pile. Wife is from central America so a warm house in the winter is a must, so the 2 to 3chords of wood I cut per year save me big time in electic bills.

 

[bass_on_tap]

Woodstock Soapstone Fireview came with the house. Best money I ever spent.