Hey Y'all!
After much weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth as well as probably 200 hours spent on-line, I think we're stuck. Judging from all the great input and analysis, 99% provided by folks on Hearth.com, here's what we need to find:
A non-cat, firewood-burning, stove with a rear exit flue--preferrably 6 inch. I don't know that I care if it's cast, plate steel or soapstone, as long as it's good quality, efficient and with as large a firebox as possible for the money. Circumstances have recently conspired against us so that the total outlay for the stove and the flue liner must now be at or under $1000. The plan is to get a "make do" stove for in the house, until I can get my shop (maybe in a few years) and then it will be moved there and a better unit will go into the house. I have looked all over the Net, but I continually come up with new ones even after I'm convinced that there could not possibly be any I've missed.
We have found exactly what we want for the make do unit in all aspects except one . . . they're all top vents and we can't use 'em! We've even found a rear vent stove and traveled to the dealer to see it. He had one, but it was "in the warehouse" and we didn't get to see it. He wanted us to buy an insert and spend a zillion. An insert just will not work. We STILL don't know the price on that one and I've written direct to the manufacturer outlining the problem, but doubt anything will work out.
Y'all have helped us figure out what configuration we have to have and now we've just got to find it. Y'all have been unbelievably helpful. Unfortunately, the funding limit exists--something we can't help for a while. I'm convinced that somewhere out there IS a stove we can use. Sure would appreciate it if someone could just point it out to us, otherwise it's going to be a very cold winter.
And we WILL consider a "previously owned" unit.
Hope I've covered all the bases. Much obliged!
Texas Boy
After much weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth as well as probably 200 hours spent on-line, I think we're stuck. Judging from all the great input and analysis, 99% provided by folks on Hearth.com, here's what we need to find:
A non-cat, firewood-burning, stove with a rear exit flue--preferrably 6 inch. I don't know that I care if it's cast, plate steel or soapstone, as long as it's good quality, efficient and with as large a firebox as possible for the money. Circumstances have recently conspired against us so that the total outlay for the stove and the flue liner must now be at or under $1000. The plan is to get a "make do" stove for in the house, until I can get my shop (maybe in a few years) and then it will be moved there and a better unit will go into the house. I have looked all over the Net, but I continually come up with new ones even after I'm convinced that there could not possibly be any I've missed.
We have found exactly what we want for the make do unit in all aspects except one . . . they're all top vents and we can't use 'em! We've even found a rear vent stove and traveled to the dealer to see it. He had one, but it was "in the warehouse" and we didn't get to see it. He wanted us to buy an insert and spend a zillion. An insert just will not work. We STILL don't know the price on that one and I've written direct to the manufacturer outlining the problem, but doubt anything will work out.
Y'all have helped us figure out what configuration we have to have and now we've just got to find it. Y'all have been unbelievably helpful. Unfortunately, the funding limit exists--something we can't help for a while. I'm convinced that somewhere out there IS a stove we can use. Sure would appreciate it if someone could just point it out to us, otherwise it's going to be a very cold winter.
And we WILL consider a "previously owned" unit.
Hope I've covered all the bases. Much obliged!
Texas Boy
