Any Thelin T-4000 users out there?

[lbcynya]

Just curious. Virtually ZERO info on the web about them. T-2000 has been around for many years, but the 4000 is EPA certified. Great little stove. Very well made. I think of it as a piece of furniture with a payback. Ours is solid metallic black. Some Thelin's tend to have too much "bling" for my taste, but everyone has their own preferences... If you do have one, let me know how you like it. Thanks.

 

[Todd]

Don't have one, but they are a pretty cool lookin stove. What size fire box is in those? Can they achieve an overnight burn? Have any pics?

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

I sell thelin, and i have recieved zero feedback. In this industry no news is good news. Im glad to hear you like it. How much space does it heat and how long does it burn? What kind of wood are you burning? Does it draft well and how tall is your chimney?

 

[lbcynya]

I sell thelin, and i have recieved zero feedback. In this industry no news is good news. Im glad to hear you like it. How much space does it heat and how long does it burn? What kind of wood are you burning? Does it draft well and how tall is your chimney?

I have 1860 on the main floor (ranch with 9 ft ceilings) and the stove is in the center of the house in the main living area. I have a solid 20 feet of Class A, double wall all the way and it goes straight up. Most of the chimney is inside the attic, with about 4 feet protruding above the roof. So far, I have been in severe overdraft mode and I am taking some low tech steps to reduce the draft before I determine whether a flue damper is necessary.

My goal was to supplement my propane use and the enjoyment of having and tending a fire. I knew this stove was one of the smaller ones out there, but I also didn't want to "over cook" the main living area. Outside temp's have been pretty mild (high 30's, low 40's) so the actual heating capabilities are not truely known. So far we have been able to keep the living area in the high 70's and the bedrooms in the 67-69 degree range.

The firebox is approximately 14" deep, 12" high and 13" wide at the widest point (stove box is a hexagon) , so burn times are around 3 hours from loading to coals burning red oak exclusively. Now that I have the draft in check (hopefully), the stove top temps range from 600 to 700 in secondary burn with the air control about 1/3 open. I usually refill the stove when the stove top thermometer reaches 250 degrees and the coals are still very active. Keep in mind that "a load" is basically an 8 inch diameter round, 12 inches long, split 4 ways. I could fit 2 more pieces, but we'd get too much heat given the outside temps.

If I load the box full of wood using the east/west method at 10 PM, I will still have a few coals at 6:00, but the stove is hardly warm. I don't think I've figured out how to load the stove for longest burn times without chugging smoke all night becuse burn temps aren't high enough.

I hope this answers all of your questions and feel free to comment if you like. I'll get some pictures up soon.

-Michael

 

[Mike Wilson]

MSG, if you can, what's a Little Gnome sell for?

-- Mike

 

[mgambuzza]

The Thelin Little Gnome is a pellet stove, compared to the T-4000 that is a wood burner. I paid $2200 for the Little Gnome that I purchased last year. I have pictures posted in the Picture forum under the title Thelin Pellet Stoves. If your room is under 800sq ft, and insulated, this would be a great stove!

 

[lbcynya]

Does it draft well?

Tell me what you think... https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/4144/

 

[Definca]

I have been burning this stove since I installed it in 2003.
The firebox is too small to do an over night burn.
You can throttle it down way low with only about 1/2 open on the
feed rod or probably even down all the way since the firebox is so well
insulated. If you close the rod down all the way the only air is up top in the
secondary tubes so you want a little on the bottom jet.

Not in print much but this stove is only 40,000 btu's which is not
much for a 1500 sq ft home. In my opinion its too INSULATED
for EPA clean burn stats and not enough of that heat is coming into the room.

It's like if I could have a fully insulated window into your room and show
you a brilliant fire to enjoy but you get no heat. How fun is that?

Thelin T 4000 - nice stove, some heat, handcuffed by the design and EPA.

I intend to fix it, however, I do have a shop and welder and a heat exchanger
and fans it will soon have.

D.

 

[Definca]

One year later. I am still using the Thelin T-4000 this winter. It is a delightful stove to burn and view.
I have had better luck with using it with a fan placed directly in front of the stove aimed at the window glass and upward
to gain some air circulation around the stove. It is still not enough heat for my 1100 sq ft place which I admit is not insulated
all that well. It does take the chill off the place however and is easy on wood use. Easy to light and keep lit.

I have been going over ideas for an improved heat exchanger for this stove by designing a chamber after the stack outlet of the stove
I believe I can fabricate a round chamber with heat exchanger fresh air tubes to exit the existing vent openings in the front of the stove
which is where the Thelin Pellet stoves are equipped with air exchange tubes. This modification should not effect the burn qualities or combustion
ppm of the stove but it will allow more heat to enter the room.

The location I have the stove set up in is a smaller corner so the vertical parlor style is a positive design.
If I can go "up" and get more heat exchange into the room I will be quite happy with this little stove
40,000 btu is a bit on the low side for a wood burner, more in line with the output of a pellet stove.

I am really happy with the stove in general, it just needs "turbocharging".

Looking for the Thelin Co to evolve this stove to the next level of heat output.

Perhaps a bit larger firebox and bigger heat exchange area into the room.

D.

 

[begreen]

You'll want to proceed carefully. A common result of stack heat robbers is creosote condensation from cooling the flue gases too much. A couple probe thermometers can help monitor this. Also, be sure to think about cleaning as this device may need it frequently.

Seems like the effort might be better spent addressing the root cause of the problem. Fixing leaks and insulating will benefit this house year round.

 

[lbcynya]

Well, this is my 5th year running this stove and I'm still very happy with it! It does like very dry wood for the small fire box, but, as I said earlier, I can heat a newer 1800+ ranch home with no problem. Craftsmanship of this stove is 2nd to none. Still as tight and pretty as day 1.

I've run the stove hot since day 1 and it shows zero signs of wear or problems. I have a Rutland magnetic thermometer on top of the fire box (front/center) and I have a flue temp probe about 24' above the stove top. Currently running a flue temp of 700 and a stove top temp of 650. That's about where I like to keep it, but I've gone higher. After things settle down, I will maintain 550+ stove top and 450 or so for the flue temp. I also have the Thelin fan attached to the back of the stove. This helps a lot if you need to pump out the heat.

Everyone that comes into my house is fascinated with the stove...it's a real conversation piece.

If you plan to burn nights and weekends, this is a great stove. For 24/7 people, I'd suggest something much bigger for good overnight burns.

It's all good!

 

[begreen]

Coincidentally, I was just looking at an ad for this stove a few minutes before you posted. Thanks for the update.