Life of a Stove?

Just finished 10th on little Morso, which provides most all the heat of the house. Once I clean it out (so humidity and ash don't rust it) it'll be ready to go. Wouldn't care to guess how many years it'll go from here.

You'll probably want to look most often to door gaskets, seeing that they're in proper place and sealing tight. Of course, you NEVER want to run it so it's glowing.

Check out the ages on these stoves. Many of their original owners have long since crumbled to dust, and these are still functional (after restoration). http://www.goodtimestove.com/ I'm really intrigued by the design that went into some of these in terms of reburns and circulating air in a room. Sharp cookies, some of those folks.

Prices on good stoves can be steep, but if you prorate it out over 100 years or longer, as these have lasted, they look pretty reasonable.

I'm running my stove with the expectation that it will serve long after I no longer need it, and think of my relationship with it as a stewardship rather than an ownership.

NordicSplitter said:

In about a month my new Jotul F600 will be installed. The owner of the company said I should get an easy 20yrs out of it providing I take care of it. For those seasoned wood burners, how long has your stoves lasted and what are some common things that I should look out for as far as replacement accessories, if any at all. Thanks guys

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First, congratulations on the new F600- mine was installed this week. The VC Vigilant the Jotul replaced was built in 1978 and was still functioning well, but needed some TLC. Stove should last you a minimum of 20 years if treated right. As mentioned, gaskets will be the most common issue to watch, but you should also inspect regularly for any signs of wear/cracks etc....Enjoy!

p.s. Your break in burns will also be very crucial. Be certain to do all of them and ease into the full burns at first. Just like a newborn calf, the stove will need to find its legs for a little while.

Our stove was here when we bought the house. The tag says it was made in 1985, and the door casting has the date of June of that year.
Popped weld has been repaired. That looked like it was caused by PO over firing it pretty bad.
It should serve another 20 years or more, but it won't do it in this house.
I'm getting a newer stove that's more efficient as soon as finances allow.
If you amortize the cost of the stove over 15-20 years, it's pretty cheap/inexpensive.

The Vigilant we had and got rid of before we used it 1984 (due to some sensible reading) was in almost new condition.Not sure of it's burning hrs though. This new 50 tl sure reminds me of it.Bet the old timer would've liked the wood though.

When i was in my late 30's we went shopping for a ceiling fan. I found a nice fan fairly cheap when the old lady told me she found a half decent fan with a remote and a 75 yr warranty,YES 75.I asked her just how long she thought we were going to live.lol The fan was noisy as heck. What a waste. %-P

Our 1986 QF3000 also came with the house... it has been heating it for about 25 years as the sole heat source.

I replaced the fire brick last year, added a fan to it a couple of years prior.

I will most likely replace the door gasket this year, if I can ever let it cool off... sheesh, June 4th and we have snow forecast for tonight!

Been a few morns here i could've started a stove. All those rainy days we had were no treat either.I had some fresh cut maple all stacked and out where the sun (when it's out) can stay on it all day and out in the wind and this wood molded on the ends. Finally getting some cloudy broken weather so it's helping.That's a nice lookin setup.Hope it was the cheap firebrick,gasket is a cheap tuneup.Thinking of getting some soapstone to replace my $5.00 brick but it will be next yr.Gotta start the insulation process next yr also.Just trying to tackle what i can when i can.Have to strip clapboard and vinyl siding to do it and i'm sure clapboard wont make the return trip.

Old stoves are kinda like people, "If I knowed I was going to live this long, I'da taken better care of myself."

lol 10-4,i think all of us can say that 1.I wish they made an epa stove that looked like some of the old parlor stoves. Wish i had held up like some of those.I'm rusty, my pipes bent and my grates warped. %-P

I never get a chance to find out how long a stove will last, seems like I buy a new one every few years. I need to kick this addiction. :lol:

My 13 year old stove shows no signs of wearing out. It's never even had the gaskets changed. Needs a little touch up paint now and then.

We have found some surprisingly old stoves - some of them Fisher, in houses that have been for sale around my neck of the woods. These homes and stoves were on the market due to an estate sale. It looks like many of the stoves have been burning since the late 70's or into the 80's. All of these stoves we've seen were steel plate stoves - a testimony to their long term endurance. I've never seen a cast iron stove in an old house, like an original Vermont Castings Defiant or Vigilant. Maybe they get sold before the house goes on the market. The old steel stoves we've seen, except for a brown/bronze painted Fisher stove, looked like unwanted items to my eyes and likely others too.

I should think 20+ years in a properly maintained woodstove would be reasonable.

Bill

I've never worn out a stove yet and we've had a few. The last one we had was built sometime in the 1970's. We purchased it from a private individual and used it for over 25 years. It is still being used in someone's else's home and that is after we had it sitting outdoor and used for only burning papers. I expect it should last another 25 years even if it was a cheap stove.

In the time we had the stove we replaced the door (firebox and ash pan) gasket one time. I also adjusted the door latch a few times and also had to do a little fixing on said door latch. Other than that, just the normal cleaning.

Our old woodfurnace was 25 years old before we retired it. After 20 years we replaced the baffle, welded new baffle rails and replaced a set of shaker grates. Like anything after that amount of time, there are better options. We decided a few years after to replace the unit with something that's EPA certified. The old furnace paid for itself 10x's over.

My response got deleted again. Waa.

Dune said:

My response got deleted again. Waa.

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Thats because your a commie!

My standard answer when someone is buying a cast iron stove is "I've seen cast iron stoves older than me that still work fine. You may have to replace some of the guts but Cast can last a lifetime"

Steel stoves, I tell folks they'll probably get 15-20 years of hard use out of it.

Dune, try closing one eye before you post.

Dune said:

My response got deleted again. Waa.

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potty-mouth!

Backwoods Savage said:

Dune, try closing one eye before you post.

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Thanks Dennis, that seemed to do the trick.

My cast iron stove is 130 years old and has been rebuilt once that I know of, possibly more.

My steel stove is thirty something and going strong. It has never been repaired(other than firebrick).

The old buck in my signature is still burning and looks and functions like the day I put it in. We will see how the Hampton does.