Wood burning stoves

[Sea Six]

Who has or has had one? I'm thinking about getting one for a corner room of my house.

How often did you use it? An problems or issues I should know about before buying?

I'm thinking about one of those small black cast iron ones that vent through an outside wall.


Like this one.
http://www.woodlanddirect.com/US_Stove_Logwood_Small_Cast_Iron_Heater-450px.jpg

[syf350]

My in-laws had one in Farmington. Used it exclusively for winter heat. worked like a charm and heated the whole house. Nice ambiance, too.

[Sea Six]

Any problems with it melting anything nearby?

[syf350]

They probably had a foot to a foot and a half clearance from the walls.

[mrvette]

Years ago the one to buy was made by Vermont Castings, best on the market, do a search.......

my ex inlaws heated their Carolina home with one, every winter.....had a vent into the bedrooms from that living room wall, with a fan in it....

:seasix:

[MEANZ06]

My Uncle that lives in the mountains uses one, it's all he has for heat. It works incredibly well in his 100yr old uninsulated cabin. As far as melting stuff, just use common sense and keep things clear of it... :seasix:

One other important thing is to be sure to keep the exhaust pipe clean.

[Cybercowboy]

Don't get a wood-burning stove, get a pellet stove. They are actually pretty amazing and operate much like a furnace in that you set the desired temperature you want to maintain that part of the house and the rest is automatic. The pellets are made from compressed wood that would otherwise not be used for anything. The furnace has an auto-feed system that adds pellets when needed from a big bin that you keep filled up (check it about once a week or so.) The pellets are cheap and widely available, and the furnace comes with a variable-speed fan for moving air through the heat exchanger and also an exhaust fan I think.

The pellets burn so hot and efficient that there is very little ash left to deal with, unlike a traditional wood burning stove.

[syf350]

Years ago the one to buy was made by Vermont Castings, best on the market, do a search.......

my ex inlaws heated their Carolina home with one, every winter.....had a vent into the bedrooms from that living room wall, with a fan in it....

:seasix:

Yeah, think a fan is a must. What surprised me it's that they had it in the living room with nothing piped like you said, but it still heated the whole house and without the living room being an oven to do it.

[Kerrmudgeon]

I've used one like this, mines similar but with 2 doors,a Selkirk Troubadour for 25 years at the lake. I love the glass doors for the ambiance, plus you don't have to open it to see if you need wood, and it's an airtight, which means I burn less wood and get no fumes in the house. The one you pictured is not an airtight I don't think, so you will get fumes with that style. Mine has to be turned down to low or you'll roast yourself inside, even at -30C temps. You can also open the 2 doors (on mine) and roast marshmallows and weiners etc, almost like a campfire. You can't do that with the one in your pic. Check out wood pellet stoves as well. I know folks that heat their whole house with them.:seasix:

http://www.welbecksawmill.com/Pictures/Regency%20Stove.jpg

For safety, get a double walled stainless chimney set up, in fact most insurance companies require it. Also check with your policy, you may have to have it professionally installed to be covered. Insurance companies don't like wood stoves very much at all! :nono:

[Cybercowboy]

Pellet stove - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Sea Six]

Don't get a wood-burning stove, get a pellet stove. They are actually pretty amazing and operate much like a furnace in that you set the desired temperature you want to maintain that part of the house and the rest is automatic. The pellets are made from compressed wood that would otherwise not be used for anything. The furnace has an auto-feed system that adds pellets when needed from a big bin that you keep filled up (check it about once a week or so.) The pellets are cheap and widely available, and the furnace comes with a variable-speed fan for moving air through the heat exchanger and also an exhaust fan I think.

The pellets burn so hot and efficient that there is very little ash left to deal with, unlike a traditional wood burning stove.

Hmmm. Checking into this.

[Kerrmudgeon]

Vermont castings made some beautiful stoves, all top quality heavy gauge. Cheap ones are not that heavy a gauge and don't have a good fire brick lining inside. This is all important for retaining heat.

Here's a VC unit......
http://rockymountainstove.com/images/products/detail/VCASPEN_crop.jpg

[mrvette]

Yeah, think a fan is a must. What surprised me it's that they had it in the living room with nothing piped like you said, but it still heated the whole house and without the living room being an oven to do it.

Ed was an engineer....nuff said......:dance::rofl:

[Kerrmudgeon]

My next door neighbor at the lake had an automatic pellet stove for years until one winter when he was away for a few days something F'd up with it and it burnt his house to the ground, and almost took mine with it. Just sayin, with any kind of wood stove I wouldn't leave them unattended. When I leave to come back to the city, I make sure it's out or almost out, just embers sealed in, with no air. :seasix:

[Sea Six]

My next door neighbor at the lake had an automatic pellet stove for years until one winter when he was away for a few days something F'd up with it and it burnt his house to the ground, and almost took mine with it. Just sayin, with any kind of wood stove I wouldn't leave them unattended. When I leave to come back to the city, I make sure it's out or almost out, just embers sealed in, with no air. :seasix:

That's kinda how I'm thinking.

This will mostly be just for comfort, when I'm there and plan to stay so I can attend to it.

I don't think I really need the extra expense and trouble with all the automatic features.

[Cybercowboy]

The modern pellet stoves are nothing like the ones sold "years ago". They really have them down now. That said, I like my new HVAC system I had installed this summer after my 15-year-old contractor-grade unit crapped out. 16 SEER A/C paired with a 95% efficient gas furnace with variable speed fan. Our gas bill is already down 35% compared to last year.

[Kerrmudgeon]

I just love to put a maple fire on and go outside for a short walk or work around the property , THAT smell is what Christmas and winter in the country is all about. Mmmmmm....:hurray:

[lspencer534]

I had one in a previous house. The wall behind the heater was covered with 3/8" thick red brick, so no fire worries.

[mrvette]

I had one in a previous house. The wall behind the heater was covered with 3/8" thick red brick, so no fire worries.

Yup, Ed's was that way too, on a brick hearth ......:seasix:

[lspencer534]

Yup, Ed's was that way too, on a brick hearth ......:seasix:

You're right. I forgot that mine had a brick hearth. An interesting feature was that the wood heater was in the room behind the fireplace and vented into the exposed fireplace chimney. Good design, I thought.

[benny42]

We have one just like that in the living room. I put it in more as a decoration, but we use
it every time its cold enough. It works very well keeping the living room and kitchen warm.
I recommend them highly. I tiled a square in the corner for it to stand on (wood floors).
Have had no issues melting or burning anything.

[Sea Six]

Don't get a wood-burning stove, get a pellet stove. They are actually pretty amazing and operate much like a furnace in that you set the desired temperature you want to maintain that part of the house and the rest is automatic. The pellets are made from compressed wood that would otherwise not be used for anything. The furnace has an auto-feed system that adds pellets when needed from a big bin that you keep filled up (check it about once a week or so.) The pellets are cheap and widely available, and the furnace comes with a variable-speed fan for moving air through the heat exchanger and also an exhaust fan I think.

The pellets burn so hot and efficient that there is very little ash left to deal with, unlike a traditional wood burning stove.

Couldn't one simply burn the pellets in a regular wood stove?

[OddBall]

You're in Florida. Just light a match.

[Norm]

I like pellet stoves, if I had to start over, I would.........but the old wood stove was given to me by a family member, and I have plenty of wood where I'm located. That stove will warm up my 40x40 garage with a nice even heat hovering around 68-70*, perfect for me tinkering out there.

You may want to catch up on code for fireplaces in your home, so far away from walls, insulated piping, etc. If Lord forbid you have a fire caused by the stove, the insurance company may not honor your claim due to improperly installed stove. Somethin' to think about. Good luck with the install. :seasix:

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac46/nkiaunis/IMG_4487.jpg

[JRD77VET]

I was going to suggest coal until I saw you were in FL :lol:

Get a nice insulated stove with glass doors. You get both the warmth and get to watch the fire.


I did the tile myself when we put in the Harman insert in our fireplace.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/JRD77VET/fp6.jpg

Did the tile work for the propane heater in the backroom for the propane heater too.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/JRD77VET/DCP_1938A.jpg
yes, I did finish it by putting moulding down and corner round.

[Kerrmudgeon]

Couldn't one simply burn the pellets in a regular wood stove?

You could but they have a rotating hopper to slow burn, and are air tight. :seasix:

[Cybercowboy]

Couldn't one simply burn the pellets in a regular wood stove?

At any given time a pellet stove is burning maybe five pellets, very high temp. Totally different than a wood stove.

[Torqaholic]

My house had a bricked area for a wood stove when I bought it. Tore that out and installed a set of patio doors in its place (along with a patio). Wood stove would be nice but the patio is far better. Backyard was getting no use before putting in a backdoor.

[Mike Mercury]

I had one at previous house (actually used it as a primary heat source during the winter)... and then had a new one in the house we're currently in. The first one had a small window in the door, though you couldn't really get a nice comfy view of the fire. All were the free-standing variety. The second one was more open, could see a nice fire caracklin... But

I WILL NEVER AGAIN mess with a wood burning stove/fireplace. :nonod:

PIA getting a source of good - seasoned - hardwood. Another PIA operating the device. PIA bringing in wood from outside - tracking mud/ice/snow/bark inside the house. PIA removing the ashes.

Also, if you don't have a sufficient flue already in place; take the price of the fireplace... and almost double it.. Proper flue's are expensive.

[mrvette]

I remember the ex, the kid's mom and I had a insert fireplace put in the basement wall, it was a heatalator style with a blower sucking air off the floor under the hearth, base, and forcing it around the metal sides of the insert, and out the heat tubes over top of the fire, and out openings in the bricks under the mantle piece.....

it would heat the entire house, the firewood was under the back deck next to the slider window for easy wood access....


:seasix::shots:

[onedef92]

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m111/onedef92/Bart-Inside.jpg

My parents had one. A Black Bart Stove made in Asheville, N.C. with a variable blower fan. No issues at all. It finally rusted in a seam to the point it was no longer safe and had to be decommisisioned, but it served my parents well for 20+ years.

[simpleman68]

I've run several pellet and wood stoves.
I've posted my opinion on each at length before, but if you want to knock some ideas around, shoot me a pm and we'll chat over the phone. Lots of pros and cons to each and will depend on what suits your needs best. :yesnod:
Scott

[Sea Six]

I'm thinking about getting a wood burning stove again. I don't plan on using it as a primary heat source. I always have plenty of firewood on hand because I like to go camping, so I'm inclined to go with a wood burning stove vs a pellet stove.

Couple of questions:

Do they smell the house up with smoke?

Also, if you want to run it for a few hours in the evening, how much wood do they consume... just a few pieces of firewood, or much more?

I've got a good exterior wall I'd like to mount the flue on. Is it better to have the stack exit a vertical wall or take it on up through the roof? How much can I expect to be charged to have it installed?

[Vet4jdc]

I vote for a pellet stove....most heat for small amount of material and less ash to dump...very efficient!

[Kerrmudgeon]

Couple of things to consider depending on the laws/rules in your area. Check before you buy. Some insurance policies will void your fire insurance if you have a wood stove. And here they MUST be installed by a qualified installer! There are rules for everything like wall clearance and chimney types. Nanny state bullshit as usual. :mad:

[Grey Ghost]

Had one about 30 yrs. ago. Never again. Made the house smell like a fire pit. Wood was/is expensive. Emptying the ashes was a mess. Brought scorpions and other things in with the wood.

I think you can buy scents to go on gas logs now if you want that smell.

[snide]

Check with your insurance company before you buy anything. They have guidelines on wood/pellet stoves. If you're not in compliance with your policy, they will not insure you when your house burns down.

[MrPeabody]

Lots of good advice here in this thread.

I've had wood burning stoves in several houses. IMO, the only reason to have wood over pellet would be if you had access to some very cheap or free wood. A wood burning stove will not put a smell in your house, but I always did notice a bit more dust. Also a pile of wood attracts insects and rodents.

Do check with your insurance company before you do anything. They usually have regulations about the surrounding materials for the stove.

[snide]

This may not be an issue down in Floriduh, but, if the power goes out, your pellet stove may be useless as it may require electricity to run. A wood stove does not require electricity to run. All it needs is wood and a match.

Here's a pellet stove that does not require electricity: http://www.wisewaypelletstove.com/

[Sea Six]

Thanks guys. I didn't even think about asking my insurance company how this would affect my policy.

[island14]

Clark,

Do you even need heat in the winter there in Florida? :island14:

[Sea Six]

Clark,

Do you even need heat in the winter there in Florida? :island14:

In this part of FL, yes. Absolutely.

[island14]

Couple of things to consider depending on the laws/rules in your area. Check before you buy. Some insurance policies will void your fire insurance if you have a wood stove. And here they MUST be installed by a qualified installer! There are rules for everything like wall clearance and chimney types. Nanny state bullshit as usual. :mad:

I am against rules and permits as much as anyone.. but safety stuffs like chimneys that get kinda hot are probably not a bad idea for insurance company's to be a bit pesky about.. :lol:

I almost burned a house down with a homemade chimney once years ago.

There were no building codes in the county I lived in at the time, or building permits even required, the only permit they worried about was septic as most used well water for drinking around there.

My chimney was made out of 1/4 thick 6 inch well casing pipe, and where it went through the wall there was a larger 8 inch pipe to give it an air barrier before contacting the wood siding.

Normally it was ok, but came home late one night after being away a few days, the house had no other heat in it but the wood stove.. so it was really really cold.

I had left the dampener open all the way to get heat going faster, but fell asleep.

Where the pipe went through the wall it caught fire, and by the time I woke to a smoke filled house, the front wall was completely in flames.

Luckily I had a fire extinguisher as all the water pipes in the house were frozen.

The next day I was sitting in my living room looking at the snow outside through the wall.. :D

Had it fixed the same day with the help of a neighbor though..

[Sea Six]

Had one about 30 yrs. ago. Never again. Made the house smell like a fire pit. Wood was/is expensive. Emptying the ashes was a mess. Brought scorpions and other things in with the wood.

I think you can buy scents to go on gas logs now if you want that smell.

Lots of good advice here in this thread.

I've had wood burning stoves in several houses. IMO, the only reason to have wood over pellet would be if you had access to some very cheap or free wood. A wood burning stove will not put a smell in your house, but I always did notice a bit more dust. Also a pile of wood attracts insects and rodents.

Do check with your insurance company before you do anything. They usually have regulations about the surrounding materials for the stove.

Ok, now I have one guy saying it does make the house smell like a firepit, and one guy saying it doesn't.

Which is it?

Mr Peabody, did you have a sealed wood stove vs an unsealed one or something?

GG, what type did you have?

[Cybercowboy]

There's no way a wood burning stove will be totally sealed up. There will be some smoke odor, but a modern properly installed wood burning stove (especially the pellet models) will have minimal smoke smell. But it will be there. You'll get used to it quickly, people coming into your house for the first time will probably notice it for the first minute or two. It's not a bad smell though.

[Sea Six]

I've had wood burning fireplaces in many of the places I lived. I know that smell of ash. It's not too bad. You can smell it but it's not that noticeable.

[Cybercowboy]

Let's put it this way. If you fry fish in your kitchen you'll smell it 20 times more than you will the stove. I always liked the way a fireplace smelled, miss having one sometimes although I do have a two-sided glass gas fireplace in the kitchen/living room. It gets a lot of use in the winter.

[Sea Six]

I just want the stove for a little bit of supplemental heating and for the ambience. I doubt it would be used more than a few hours per week.

Sounds like it might work for me.

[Mike Mercury]

I'm thinking about getting one for a corner room of my house.



what is the intended primary use; heating or asthetics/decorative ?

[Sea Six]

what is the intended primary use; heating or asthetics/decorative ?

Oh, little of both.

If I'm going to be cooking for several hours or watching tv, it would be nice to have the wood stove going.

[6spdC6]

Don't get a wood-burning stove, get a pellet stove. They are actually pretty amazing and operate much like a furnace in that you set the desired temperature you want to maintain that part of the house and the rest is automatic. The pellets are made from compressed wood that would otherwise not be used for anything. The furnace has an auto-feed system that adds pellets when needed from a big bin that you keep filled up (check it about once a week or so.) The pellets are cheap and widely available, and the furnace comes with a variable-speed fan for moving air through the heat exchanger and also an exhaust fan I think.

The pellets burn so hot and efficient that there is very little ash left to deal with, unlike a traditional wood burning stove.

Wow you live where it is not that cold We can easily hit -25 in the winter.. I have a pellet that does about 5/8-2/3 of the house and we use on the average 1 bag a day, sub zero days at least a bag and a half. For people that do not use pellets a bag is 40# and you buy it by the ton..

I have to have the furnace running to heat the other third of the upstairs and the basement where it’s located so pipes there and running out to the kitchen do not freeze.

[6spdC6]

Check with your insurance company before you buy anything. They have guidelines on wood/pellet stoves. If you're not in compliance with your policy, they will not insure you when your house burns down.

Mine was put in right (pipe goes straight out through the wall) and I have a paper signed by the building inspector so stating that and my insurance company is quite happy, and no it did not raise my rates.

[onedef92]

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m111/onedef92/download_zpsab367c14.jpg

My parents had a Black Bart wood stove when I was growing up. Lasted about 25 years before the firebox eventually rusted out. Good, reliable heat the whole time, though. My Mom kept it in the fireplace for ornamental purposes. The blower fan and thermostat still works.