Hello all I have an old small franklin stove. I have read and read and was wondering will a new modern stove make a REAL difference? My current stove is just a steel box. It is located in a back room, not centerall. I have ducting that moves the heat around. Would a new stove put out more heat and use less wood? I am thinking I need a bigger stove with modern features but dont want to replace a stove that works (but doesnt put out much heat). I will continue to research but want some opinions. Thanks all. I have radiant heat and would really like a "back boiler" to tie into my boiler but finding it difficult to find one in the US. Seems like europe has them but not america (thanks EPA).
Old Franklin stove VS new stoves
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SteveKG
Minister of Fire
My mother's vacation cottage has one of those old Franklins. I use it on rainy, chilly mornings when at the place. It heats the cottage just fine, long as I keep the wood added. I also heat my home exclusively with two more-modern stoves. I just switched out from an old seventies stove to a Woodstock catalytic. I also have an air-tight cookstove, which replaced an old cookstove. I'd used those old stoves for many years, and my house has always been toasty.
I have been using the new cookstove for about three yr. and the new catalytic for a month. They also keep the house toasty. What they also do is use far less wood than the old stoves, for the same heating job. Far less. I don't have "numbers," but they use somewhere between one-third less and half the wood than their old counterparts.
So, in my case, it's been well worth it to switch. I fought the idea for years. ["This old stove works great, why the heck would I spend $$ to replace it."]
I am very glad I have switched, now that I see how much more efficiently they use the firewood. They both also hold their heat far longer than my old stoves did once the fire has burned down. Mom's old Franklin is iron, and it holds its heat, too, but nowhere near as long. And, I have to be sure to keep the wood shoved into it.
I have been using the new cookstove for about three yr. and the new catalytic for a month. They also keep the house toasty. What they also do is use far less wood than the old stoves, for the same heating job. Far less. I don't have "numbers," but they use somewhere between one-third less and half the wood than their old counterparts.
So, in my case, it's been well worth it to switch. I fought the idea for years. ["This old stove works great, why the heck would I spend $$ to replace it."]
I am very glad I have switched, now that I see how much more efficiently they use the firewood. They both also hold their heat far longer than my old stoves did once the fire has burned down. Mom's old Franklin is iron, and it holds its heat, too, but nowhere near as long. And, I have to be sure to keep the wood shoved into it.
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Thanks Steve, Thats exactly what i am going threw. You made up my mind. Going shopping now. I burned about 27-32 FC last year in my little stove. I could not believe how much wood I burnt. I know it was a cold winter but the amount of wood I went threw was crazy. Using less wood alone is a good reason to switch. Less work for me. Thanks again!
Grisu
Minister of Fire
I think that's a good decision and you will be much happier down the road. However, make sure you have plenty of dry wood (less than 20% moisture) on hand. That usually means splitting the wood and stacking in a sunny and windy spot for one to two years before it is ready to burn. In addition, modern EPA-stoves rely on good draft to work well. You will probably need a 6" chimney of at least 15 ft or a masonry chimney with a 6" liner.
If you tell us more about your home (size, insulation level, layout) and what temps you are usually seeing you will give plenty of recommendations for an appropriately sized stove. Also, do you have a budget in mind?
The house is an 1896 American Foursquare. 2,000 sqft. The stove sits in an addition at the back. It has no basement in the "stove room". It has ducting on the ceiling that feeds the upstairs. Gravity. I installed ducting to feed the main floor with inline fans. If the wife is not home it heats to 58 without the boiler on the coldest days. insulation I doubt it. original 1896 windows that have been rebuilt and are actually good. No drafts. The chimney is 6' of 6" to an elbow then masonry cinder block. Wide open. I am thinking of plumbing in a coil to feed my boiler. thats a whole different thing. Future. I am looking at the Drolet HT2000. I have 12 acres of hardwoods. All the ash / elm is gone. Budget is any amount as I only want to do this once. I do not want an outdoor boiler. I want a pressurized system.
I think a good stove would do? Let me know if I can provide more info.
The Drolet would be a good choice. Is the masonry chimney clay lined and inspected? You may need to put a stainless liner down it if it there are cracked tiles, it is too large, or if you want to improve stove performance.
No lining. Simply 12"x12". I'm an inspector / licensed builder. Wouldn't the 6' of 6" be enough to draw? It draws great with the franklin. I was trying to avoid the liner as I dont have to ever clean my chimney. I look down it every year. Fill any cracks in the bricks...
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Batman
Member
A modern stove is not at all like the Franklin. It relies on proper draft created by the flue system to pull the air through its manifolds. The stove must be connected with a 6" stainless liner in the 12 x 12 clay liner. Imagine trying to drink from a pail with a 4" pipe instead of a 1/4" straw, almost impossible. Too much suction is needed for a big pipe. The stove may draft with the current setup, but may never go into secondary burn, which is where the efficiency lies.
PS: What stove is that pictured? It doesn't look anything like a Franklin stove.
PS: What stove is that pictured? It doesn't look anything like a Franklin stove.
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Warnock Hersey is the inspecting lab, not the stove make or model. Look at the rear label for more details. Definitely not a Franklin stove or an incinerator from what I can see.
Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
I don't think that is a very open floor plan, but you might be able to heat it partially with a large free-standing stove that is centrally located, tougher to do from the addition. I'd get one with a convective design and a blower, to help move heat around the space. Is the stairway large and open? If so, a lot of the heat will go upstairs...not what you want. But with no insulation, maybe high ceilings, it sounds like it will be an uphill battle to heat entirely with a stove. You may be able to put a big dent in your heat bill, however...
I'll echo what has been said previously; Start splitting and stacking fast-drying wood types now for next season. Any Oak will probably need 2 yrs to get acceptably dry...
I'll echo what has been said previously; Start splitting and stacking fast-drying wood types now for next season. Any Oak will probably need 2 yrs to get acceptably dry...
The current stove does cut the gas bill in half. It is a bad location. The house has two stairways. I have a door on the back stairs. It does have the high ceilings. It does sound like a new stove will use less wood and burn longer. Eventually it will be tied into the house boiler with some kind of copper coil. Still trying to figure that all out...
But from the post it does sound like a new stove would be beneficial? Thanks all.
But from the post it does sound like a new stove would be beneficial? Thanks all.
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