I"m Clueless & Need Help Buying Wood Stove!

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Lisa*Ann

New Member
Feb 28, 2011
33
GA
Hi Everyone,

My mind is spinning. We moved into a house in the mountains, and need a wood stove. We saved up our money and have about $900.00 to spend on the stove. I found 2 stoves that I think would do the job, one is the Englander at Home Depot for $999.00 here is a link. http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

And the other is a Century brand at Ace hardware for $800.00 and here is a link to that one. http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3706809

So, I was all set to buy one of them, hadn't figured out which one tho. My husband said to find someone to install it and ask their opinion. So, I found 2 professional installers, and they want like $1,000.00 to install it and they both told me that all the stoves at ace hardware and home depot are pieces of garbage and won't do the job and won't last.

Now, I"m even more upset and don't know what to do. This is a huge deal for us, and alot of money to spend, and my head is spinning. When we first decided to go with a stove, I had looked at the older ones, the Fisher stoves, and someone told me that they are not as efficient as the new ones. That's why I went to home depot and started looking there.

Now I don't know what to do, what to buy, where to buy it, and I can't pay someone 1k to install it.

Any advise for me? How difficult is it to install, and are the home depot stoves any good?

Thanks so much for your help.

Lisa
 
The folks here who use the englander 30 love it! I would start by tyoing that model "englander 30" in the search bar and see for yourself! I think you would be very pleased with it... I also think it has a good warranty.

PS. Anything is junk if you don't take care of it!
 
Check all your local HD stores. Call them up and ask if they have any of the Englander 30NC (same as TimberRidge 50-TNC30) in stock and what they are selling it for. They are clearing these units out right now. If you are lucky, they will have one at a very pleasing discount. Don't snooze, they are going quickly.

But first, tell us more about how big an area you are heating and where it is being installed. There will be costs involved and it may cost as much or more than the stove depending on how good a deal you get.
 
It would take every dime I have to buy it tho..........I can't afford the installation or even the pipes. Should I buy it anyway?
 
Someone here got am Englander 30NC last week for around $660-$675.00 at Home Depot...I think I remember reading that. Do a search for Englander 30NC and your other choice, lot's of user info here.
 
Haggle with Home Depot! I do everytime! As for the piping look on here what it good and go on ebay and buy it! You will save some serious coin this way!
 
Lisa*Ann, first welcome. Second, tell us more of the situation. Do you currently have heat? How large a space are you heating? Describe the place a bit.
 
Installation can be done by a handy homeowner, but it requires cutting through the wall or roof and getting on the roof. Also requires the right parts and attention to detail. Since the stoves are heavy, they usually require at least two strong backs to move into position. In addition to the stove cost, I paid more than $900 for single wall black stove pipe, special connectors to go through the roof, and double-wall stainless steel pipe on the exterior. You'll need to spend something similar for parts (others may know of cheaper sources, but I don't want to low-ball your estimate). I then paid another $1,200 for installation, but my stove is 50 miles from the installers and included two installers and two roofers (because of my steep pitch metal roof, with difficult to seal ridges in it).
 
How big is you house ? open floor plan ? good windows? How cold does is it where the house is located . I am a nubie but all these things come into consideration . There are reconditioned stoves on line with free shipping to a dock in your area and $50.00 to your house . I bought an nc 13 from http://www.amfmenergy.com/manufacturer-refurbished-stoves.html and was very happy . My house is fairly new and 1700 sq.ft . Instillation can be very pricey .
Locate the stove in the middle of the house as possible and burn well seasoned wood . Good luck
 
We just moved into a small house in the mountains of north georgia. We are from florida and were able to short sale our house there and by the grace of God we got this fixer upper up here. We took our central air and heat unit with us when we moved, and installed it here when we first got here, but we can't afford the electric to run it long enough to heat the house and the winter here was soooooooo cold! Stayed under the electric blanket most of the time.

Our house here is 2 bedrooms on the first floor, and the knuckleheads that owned it before us took the attic and turned it into a loft area upstairs (unfinished) that we can't close off, so alot of the heat goes up there. The downstairs is about 1200 square feet or so and the upstairs is about 400 square feet or so.

I called the home depot here, and they only have 1 and the price right now is $999.00. The woman said that it will be marked down $100.00 in a month or so to get rid of it if nobody else buys it. So, I don't know.
 
Oh, and we have a metal roof, it's slanted, not flat. The house isn't well insulated, it's about 30 years old or so.
 
PLAYS WITH FIRE said:
Haggle with Home Depot! I do everytime! As for the piping look on here what it good and go on ebay and buy it! You will save some serious coin this way!
Click to expand...

You can haggle with home depot? Seriously? What do you say and who do you haggle with, the manager or the clerk?
 
The 30NC is a big stove, but it would heat the place and then some. The flue piping is going to cost somewhere around $900 in addition and it will need to be installed. There is only one way to do this - safely. All totaled I don't think you are going to get by for less than about $16-1700.

Do you have a good wood supply? What would you be burning?

Here's what I would do. First, get some 4mil plastic sheeting ($10.99) and a staple gun and close off that loft space. That should help. Then get an oil filled radiator heater ($59) and put it in the common area for additional warmth to get you through the cold weather. You are not going to break the bank this way, including heating bills. Then save up enough to install the right sized stove, installed correctly. In the meantime, start stashing wood for next fall.

PS: In your area if you want a small stove to chase the chills away there is the Englander VL17. You won't get spectacular overnight burntimes, but it will make a big difference and is more affordable at $549 or less if you haggle down the garden dept mgr at home depot.
http://www.overstockstoves.com/50tvl17--epa-certified-noncatalytic-wood-stove--1250171200.html
 
The Englander is a good stove. Those dealers just want you to buy from them.
My take is you need this stove for next year. If this gives you enough time to raise funds for chimney before next winter I would buy stove. It's only going to cost you more maybe lots more next fall.
So you need the Englander and to raise around $1000.00 [ballpark price should be lower] this summer for the chimney and parts. The install you can do. I assume your husband is on side. To save on pipe and have efficient stove a straight up chimney is best.
When it comes time to install this yourself just ask we love to help people though the whole process. Better yet check this site out all summer and you will have all the info needed locked away in your head for the fall install.
Another important issue is wood. You need to understand that only dry wood will give you good heat. If you go ahead with this then you should start getting your wood supply as soon as possible. Wet or green wood needs to evaporate all the water out of it before it heats properly. It's hard to get wet wood to even burn sometimes.
You will love how wood heat feels theres nothing like it. Best of luck
 
Yea, the cold winter is just about over here, so it would be for next year. I might buy the stove now and then save up for the parts and install, like you said. We are good on wood because we live in the woods and tons of fallen trees everywhere. We have a double sided wood burning prefab fireplace that we burn, it just does not put out hardly any heat at all. it's pretty to look at, but not much good for heating the house. Seems like all the heat it generates just goes up the chimney.
 
"Seems like all the heat it generates just goes up the chimney. "

You've learned quickly. I think everyone who has posted on this site ends up saying the same thing, sooner or later, which is why so many folks have wood stoves.

In order for your wood to be ready to burn next season, it needs to be both cut and split now, then stacked so that air can circulate around it. It doesn't begin serious drying until it has been split, and dry wood will make your life immeasurably easier next winter.

P.S. My sister has a cabin in Cherry Log, northeast of Ellijay. Where are you?
 
Put some sweat equity into attacking those drafts this summer, it's the best money and time you will spend. :zip:
 
Your fireplace is a possible location for new stove. That way you could just get a stainless liner for chimney and put the stove on the hearth in front of current fireplace. If you have the room in front of fireplace if not you could extend the current hearth enough to protect floor from new stove. Either way this could save you a few bucks and space in home.
You should get back to us with the type of fireplace. Best to take some pics of it. The Englander takes a 6" liner so should fit most chimneys.
 
Here are pics of the fireplace from both sides. It's a metal pre-fab.......

fireplace2.jpg


fireplace.jpg
 
Lisa*Ann. the stoves at OverstockStoves.com are Englander. That's the outlet store for Englander.
 
Retired Guy said:
Lisa*Ann. the stoves at OverstockStoves.com are Englander. That's the outlet store for Englander.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but if I can get my fireplace to work, I might try that instead if it would be cheaper?
 
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