New vs.old; wood used

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Thanks all for the additional replies.
Pen: Thanks for the heads-up on getting the wood ready, but I think I have that covered. I have been on this property for>10 years and have been cutting/splitting/stacking wood for most of those. I think I have ~3--4 years supply on hand now--primarily red oak, some birch. My only question is if some of the original stuff is too punky by now. As for the tax credit--oops. However, I did get some of it for last calender year with some new windows and insulation, and there still is a max $300.00 for this calender year.
formula__pilot: Thanks for the clarification on wood usage; any comparison will be somewhat of a guess, and it helps to know you changed your heating habits.
Jimbob and sesmith: Again, hats off to you both for the retro-fits. I guess I would be alittle concerned with the Lange drilling into the curved cast sides and weldng on; also don't know if ther are considerations regarding concentrating heat with a secondary burn in an area that maybe the old one wasn't designed to handle--under the original baffle set-up that has two 180 degree turns for exhaust.
 
bogydave: Don't know how I missed your post, but reading it those are pretty awesome observations--congrats!!
 
riverbrother said:
As for anybody talking me out of the Lange, if I do retire it, I wouldn't want to part with it for the little cash it would probably bring.
Click to expand...

You probably know this already, but please put it someplace dry. I keep seeing these stoves that someone has left in the porch/basement/garage/barn, and they are destroyed amazingly fast. It's a crime.

Have fun with whatever decision you make. Sounds to me like you know what you want.
 
Battenkiller said:
IMHO the only useful comparisons are the ones done in a controlled setting (i.e. combustion laboratory), and that measure useful heat output/mass dry wood fiber consumed. This is not just the combustion efficiency, but rather, the total or overall efficiency. These tests have fairly consistently shown that there is about about a 25% reduction in pounds of wood consumed per thousand BTUs released into the living space for non-cats, and up to 33% reduction in wood use for cat stoves in peak operating condition when both are compared to a typical pre-EPA airtight stove (having roughly only 50% overall efficiency).

Of course, not all stoves are the same, neither the older ones nor the EPA stoves. My old Vigilant tested fairly well in some of these tests because it has a rudimentary secondary combustion. Overall efficiency on my stove is probably on the order of 60%. The best non-cat EPA stoves are up around 75%, while cat stoves can have overall efficiencies in the mid-80% range at low to medium burn rates - a very significant increase in overall efficiency.
Click to expand...

+1 Very helpful.
 
riverbrother said:
I read with interest the post by BrowningBAR 12/17 regarding wood consumption. I have decided as I wrestle with my plans to use my 79 Lange or a new stove with new technology, I should probably factor in how much wear and tear my 60 year old carcase has to go thru to make firewood. Anyone else want to chime-in with either personal experiences or statistics they have run across that compare using a modern stove equipped with secondary burn features against a 60's or 70's stove without such capabilities? When thinking about cost, labor, moving the wood once/twice/three times, cleaning the chimney, etc., it would be interesting to know if a newer stove in general cuts down the consumption of wood by 5%, 10%, 25%, more??... assuming other factors are more or less constant. Thanks.
Click to expand...

My new cat stove cut down the amount of wood i burned by over 50%

I'm 3 1/2 cords in to my 7 cord stock pile and i live in upstate NY and have been burning since the mid of October.
 
We have just replaced our 30 year old OSBURN (which I always liked) with a new Blaze King Ultra. I am totally amazed at the long burn times and heat output. I thought it would be just a supplemental heat, but it is heating the whole house. Next month when I get my oil bill I will be interested to see how much it has decreased. We spend about $1000 an month on fuel oil. Get a Blaze King Ultra if you can. It is astonishing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

E
How effective are the new Lopi NexGen Hybrid woodstove inserts without using the blower
Replies
2
Views
316
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
MinM
M
K
Wood Stove suggestions for new to me 2500 sqft house
Replies
18
Views
1K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
Wildflush
W
A
New or Used Stove?
Replies
12
Views
1K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
mellow
mellow
N
Wood Stove Insert decision- Englander or Drolet?
Replies
51
Views
4K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
turbo-power
T
J
Enterprise Wood / Oil Cookstove Questions
Replies
1
Views
835
Classic Wood Stove Forums (prior to approx. 1993)
begreen
begreen
Top Bottom
Back