Morning gents,
New to the forum - and to the industry. I am considering my first wood stove and have nearly settled on the F100 (don't need anything larger for my application - 1ksf in SC for supplemental & backup heating purposes).
However! I have been lurking hereabouts (great forum) and have read about a couple of aspects and would like some clarification from experienced owners:
1. Smoke spillage on reload - I have read that this seems to be a fairly common experience as well as how the design of the stove contributes to it. Makes it sound practically unavoidable. So here's my question - have any of you F100 guys managed to avoid this result? If so, how?
2. Lack of an ashpan - I am pretty unclear on the advantages of an ash pan. As a guy with NO experience in these matters it seems like it would just make things easier to clean rather than having to dig them out of the firebox. Also, I have read that without the ashpan underneath the ashes tend to build up in the firebox and spill out the front when opening the door. Again, what is your experience here?
3. Waffle top - I am attracted by the option of being able to heat stuff on top of the stove (especially when the power goes out!) and am just wondering to what extent the waffle top limits the ability to do so (as opposed to, say, the F3, which would be my first alternative). Anybody want to offer an opinion on that?
Finally - if anyone who has experience with both the F100 and the F3 would like to share any other relevant observations comparing the two, I'd be grate-ful (see what I did there?).
Cheers,
Scott in SC
New to the forum - and to the industry. I am considering my first wood stove and have nearly settled on the F100 (don't need anything larger for my application - 1ksf in SC for supplemental & backup heating purposes).
However! I have been lurking hereabouts (great forum) and have read about a couple of aspects and would like some clarification from experienced owners:
1. Smoke spillage on reload - I have read that this seems to be a fairly common experience as well as how the design of the stove contributes to it. Makes it sound practically unavoidable. So here's my question - have any of you F100 guys managed to avoid this result? If so, how?
2. Lack of an ashpan - I am pretty unclear on the advantages of an ash pan. As a guy with NO experience in these matters it seems like it would just make things easier to clean rather than having to dig them out of the firebox. Also, I have read that without the ashpan underneath the ashes tend to build up in the firebox and spill out the front when opening the door. Again, what is your experience here?
3. Waffle top - I am attracted by the option of being able to heat stuff on top of the stove (especially when the power goes out!) and am just wondering to what extent the waffle top limits the ability to do so (as opposed to, say, the F3, which would be my first alternative). Anybody want to offer an opinion on that?
Finally - if anyone who has experience with both the F100 and the F3 would like to share any other relevant observations comparing the two, I'd be grate-ful (see what I did there?).
Cheers,
Scott in SC