What to look for when buying a wood burning stove...

Hi everyone, I thought I’d start a thread for those that come on this board for advice when buying a wood stove. This would be a repository of all the communal wisdom in short form we can offer first timers or others who are confused by what to look for. This would not be a discussion of a particular brand vs another, but rather how to get the most value for the budget. If we have a consensus we may edit a final draft and make it a ‘Sticky’.

1) Determine what kind of user you are: While there’s all sort of information about Square footage & performance available on this forum & from dealers; you must first determine what kind of wood burning user you are/will become:

a.Emergency use: Your stove is mainly a convenience as a backup appliance. Worst case scenario, you can heat the house, boil some water and cook a can of beans. You will be looking for a smaller inexpensive unit. Mobile home users also fits this category.

b. Ambiance seeker: You & your family enjoy entertaining and want a nice looking unit when you have friends over. Heat output is a secondary consideration. Since you and your better half will likely be making babies in front of this you are likely looking for a medium size stove with a large glass viewing area such as a bay window. Since look is a prime consideration you will probably be willing to spend extra for cast iron, soap stone or European look.

c. Serious heater: You have a chainsaw, a woodlot, a maul and know how to use them. At the very least you have access to inexpensive wood. You want your stove to be the primary heat or seriously cut down on your utilities expenses. You will be looking for a large stove with long burn time.

d. While these are gross generalizations and there may be overlap in what you are looking for it at least help you to determine what you are after.

2) Where to buy:
a. Hearth Specialty Stores: These are folks that specialize in wood burning and they know their stuff. They install & service what they sell. They have a large selection from various manufacturers so are able to quote according to your budget. This works well for people who don’t want to lug a 500Lbs stove around and let someone else do the install.

b. Hardware Stores: They typically carry lower priced units with an ‘all black’ look. Level of knowledge and support is limited and these stores are geared for the DIY crowd. Need a pick up truck.

c. Internet re-sellers: Since they do not operate out of brick & mortar stores their main approach is low cost. If you don’t mind having a stove shipped and land on your driveway to save some money this is something to look at. Level of service is typically minimal.

3) Look: Unless for a man-cave make sure to take your better half along. As the sayin’ goes “if Mama aint’ happy, aint’ nobody happy!”

4) Catalytic stoves vs. Secondary Burn Stoves: Most stoves use a ‘secondary combustion’ to burn the smoke. A smaller proportion of stoves use a catalytic converter to reduce emissions. There are many posts on this forum discussing the pros & cons of either. You may want to do a search on this. But suffice it to say ‘Cat’ stoves are typically more expensive than the non-cat, they have a longer burn time due to lower burn temperature. Word of caution: Cat stove requires a user who knows how to use one properly otherwise you may damage the catalyst ($$$). Again do some research first.

5) Type:
a. Plate steel: By far the most popular and least expensive way to go. Look for the thickest plate possible. Thicker = better heat retention & solid construction.

b. Cast Iron: Retains heat longer due to thicker material. Now come in glazed colors & looks. More expensive than Plate Steel.

c. Stone type: Soapstone & other material to get a specific ‘look’. Most expensive units.

6) Baffle: The baffle is designed to hold the heat down for the secondary combustion tube to do their work. The baffle can be made of the following materials:
a. Bricks: least expensive material. Have to be replaced on a regular basis. Easy to replace.

b. Vermiculite: Typically comes in 3 density: light, medium & heavy. Has a heat resistance factor of up to 1,200f. Depending on density has to be replaced from time to time. Degrades over time. Can warp if overheated. Easy to replace.

c. Steel baffle: No maintenance & long lasting. Can warp & crack over time & if overfired. Next to impossible to replace.

d. ‘C’ Cast: This is a ceramic composite cast material typically found on better units. It’s more expensive but has a heat factor of close to 3,000f. Lasts a long time and helps the performance of the unit. It is not brittle and can take some abuse.

7) Bricks: Used to line the firebox & hold some heat in.
a. Low porosity: These are light duty bricks. Easy to identify, they are light & bumpy. Have to be replaced more often.

b. Refractory bricks: These are found in furnace & better quality stoves. You can tell them apart by their smooth surface. They are quite heavy & last a long time. Better heat retention.

8) Door Latch: This may not seem like a big deal but this tells a lot about the quality of construction. Lesser stoves will have a bent rod as a latch, whereas better quality one will have an adjustable mechanism such as a roller for a smooth operation. The adjustment also allows you to tighten the door.

9) Warranty: You will typically find better warranties on stove brands available through Hearth Specialty stores. Items to look for on Warranty are the glass, stainless steel tubes, baffles & blower. Obviously, the longer the warranty on these components the better. Lesser warranties are typically from 1 to 5 years whereas ‘Limited Lifetime’ can be found by some manufacturers. Word of caution: some manufacturers will honor the warranty only if you have registered it within 30 days of purchase.

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10) Burn Time: Unfortunately no one regulates the definition of what is a ‘burn time’. It is up to each manufacturer to come up with their own definition. You may hear some wild numbers out there but a good definition is when you have started a good fire until there is enough coals left to re-ignite a stick of wood. You typically want an overnight burn. It also depends on your draft, type of wood etc... In case of doubt check the forums for a particular model.

11) Efficiency: If your stove is 80% efficient it means 20% of the heat is going up the chimney. The higher the efficiency the more desirable. The EPA label is not a good source of information for the efficiency since they test with small quantities of soft wood (Douglas Fir)

12) BTU: For the same reason as above the BTU rating on the EPA label is not accurate. Manufacturers will list BTU ratings based on seasoned hardwood. Remember EPA is primarily concerned with emissions, not efficiency and BTU output.

13) Size Cu ft: Manufacturers list their firebox size in Cubic feet to give an idea of how much wood can fit. Small stoves are about 1 to 2.0 cu ft, medium 2.0 to 2.5 & large 2.5 to 3 or more. Word of caution: some manufacturers list their size without brick therefore making it sound bigger than it is.

14) North South Vs East West configuration: Most stove allows you to place the wood ‘width wise’ or East/West. However, many serious wood burner like the deeper boxes North/South.

15) Nice to have: Blowers come standard on some models but are reasonably priced if you purchase after the fact. They help in distributing heat around you stove, look for a stove that allows adding a thermocouple option – turns blower on & off automatically.

a. Peds vs. Legs are a question of taste but pedestals allows for a larger ash pan.
b. Customizable look such as a door overlay, air mate & others can make a difference for some who would like to improve or change the look of their unit down the road.

I hope this helps. I know this is lengthy so any offer to edit is welcomed. We’ll try to make it as unbiased as possible.

Thanks Brother Bart, I'll try to figure out how to do the Wiki thing tomorrow.

As regards the Lopi bricks, I looked at the video and yes we use the same brick but note the sales rep stated in the video "should last the life of the stove". While it is true you should get a long life out of these bricks, how do do define the life of the stove? Depends on many things.

We use these bricks inside furnaces where the temperature gets higher and people tend to burn a whole lot more wood. So better be conservative and state they last a long time. Everything else is a sales pitch. I am a salesman so I should know.

Most if not all manufacturers including Lopi & Osburn warranty the bricks for one year.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll tweak the post some and put it in Wiki. On #8 re. the latch system... I have seen some cheap stoves with bent rod that just 'doesnt feel right' when you close the door. Maybe that point should just mention something about the overall quality of construction such as the latch etc...

Also since this is designed for someone who is new to wood burning or is looking for generic advice when buying a stove we should keep each point brief and to the point. We dont want to start a debate over Cat vs Non-Cat. Maybe for each point we can add a list to the forum where a specific point is discussed at length. for ex. for more info on cat vs non cat please follow this link.

On the baby making pun, the point is well taken.

On the baffle questions. I'll create another post to discuss the differences.

But... Heavy Clay (refractory bricks) are just fine as a baffle. Along with all the other materials mentioned. Lighter pumice bricks will degrade faster over time. The point is... Which one give you the longest life and best performance? Since we're doing discussing comparative 'value', perceived or real this is a valid point.