DS Stoves

[JA600L]

I think that was Messick's Stoves that made the comment about cats. I never saw that in the manufactures brochure. I also saw on their ad that 110000 btus is for wood and coal does more.

 

[tarzan]

JA600L, Have you visited Nepacrossroads yet? I have researched the comfort max 75 some myself as it is advertised as both a coal and wood stove with secondary burn.

I worry though, that there may be to much of a trade off. Sorta like a street and trail motorcycle I once had. Turned out to be to street for trails and to trail for streets

 

[JA600L]

The reason I really want one of these Stoves is because I know these guys. They are a machine shop also and I have dealt with them with my job many times. They are legit. It's not just some Chinese stove thrown together overseas. They have good attention to detail. Not only that but I have the true product support in my own back yard. I know that if something doesn't work right they will work with me because they are honest people. Plus they have nowhere to hide I would mainly want to burn wood in this but might give coal a try once I'm comfortable with it. The best feature to me is the thermostat. .. I don't know why other companies don't do this... I work 10 hours a day so I can't open and close the air controls throughout the day. So that is an important feature to me.

 

[tarzan]

Don't get to hung up on the thermostat if you will be burning wood. That would be a nice feature for coal and a couple of other coal stove manufactures use it. With wood you can just shut the draft down in steps as a fresh load gets going. Many people here work and sleep without a thermostat on there stove.

But then again, if you will be gone over ten hours a day with know one to tend the stove heating with coal may be a better option for you cause with wood, you will be coming home to a wide open thermostat and a cold stove.

 

[hman]

Don't get hung up on the thermostat for burning wood? Why has Blaze King been using it so long with wood then.It works.You get a more steady heat without the peaks and valleys.

 

[tarzan]

Don't get hung up on the thermostat for burning wood? Why has Blaze King been using it so long with wood then.It works.You get a more steady heat without the peaks and valleys.

Yes Blaze King uses a thermostat but most wood stoves do not. How much benefit would a thermostat be on a non cat secondary burn stove? You would still have the peaks and valleys wouldn't you?

 

[JA600L]

It would help liven up the big coals at the end of the burn I would think. My Quadra Fire is dark when I get home after a complete burn. All I do is open up the air and the coals begin glowing again. By then the heat pump has already kicked on.

If I came home to a cold stove and a wide open thermostat after ten hours then I did something wrong. Using good quality hardwood like seasoned oak at a low to medium burn rate should last more like 12 hours with a thermostat feeding the coals.

If I was burning soft undesirable wood then yeah sure it wouldn't last. I have Oak, Locust, Mulberry, Cherry,Maple, and Hackberry.

 

[tarzan]

I'm not familiar with the secondary burn in the DS stoves so you could be right but the secondary (tube) burn stoves need a certain amount of heat to assist in burning off the gases. For my stove this is about 400F stove top. It seems to me that once the stove fell under that temp the thermostat would then begin opening to try and get back the lost heat but there would be a point where it can't and it would just burn the remaining wood quicker although 3.6 cubic foot is a big fire box

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the perspective hman. What are you using the Comfort Max to heat? The EnergyMax 100 looks like a decent solid 2.9 cu ft basement heater. I'm not sure it would outperform a big Drolet or Englander, but can't say never having even seen or burned in one.

The firebricks are stacked two high. Getting you 14” W. x 20 1/2” L. x 17 1/2” H. of burning space for wood or coal. That’s 2.90 cubic feet.
http://www.messickstove.com/Stove DS Machine EnergyMAX Plus 110.html

 

[JA600L]

The brochure from the manufacturers show room states wxd 14''x22''. Firebox volume 3.6 cu.ft.

 

[begreen]

Hard to say if that is marketing or factual. They may have measured unusable space, above the ashlip to the glass? Don't know. The dealer ad seems to have measured the actual inside chamber and posts that. Bring a tape measure when you visit and let us know what you find out. One corner they seem to have cut is with the secondary tubes. Instead of manifolding to both sides the tubes are fed from the left side only. This is the same side as the air intake. I suspect as a result the stove burns from left to right, but that is just a guess based on how it looks without a fire in the box. hman, is your firebox similar?

 

[tarzan]

Begreen, I don't think hman has a comfort max although he stated he has looked at them. He said he has a 1400.

 

[begreen]

Thanks, it's missing from his signature. Hey, so is yours.

 

[hman]

That is correct I do not have a comfort max.I have looked at one,but it is to big for my house.To many btu's.I had the 1400 installed in my house for 5 years but it also is too much stove and I burnt bituminous coal.I just burnt wood in it in the fall and spring.I put the Kuma back in.

The comfort max does have secondary air tubes and if I remember right it has a bypass above the baffle.The firebox is around 9"deep from the bottom of the door to the grate.They are installing a flat plate over the grate,which has a cut out for the ashes to fall through and air to come up through.The firebox is similar to the coal stoves.The comfort max has another row of firebrick and secondary burn tubes and baffle.The lever under the feed door is for secondary burn/air wash for the glass.I do not know why it is adjustable.I would really like too see a fire in one of these stoves.

 

[tarzan]

Thanks, it's missing from his signature. Hey, so is yours.

I will try to add it. As you probably can tell, I'm not completely internet savvy. Heck, I used to have some little smiley faces to choose from. I can't even find them anymore!

 

[tarzan]

Hman, is there anywhere in your area to get anthracite?

 

[hman]

Their is a place going towards Cincinnati on 32 called Wheat Ridge Energy which is south of Peebles.This is an Amish stove shop.That's the closest place I know.How far are you from Ohio.

 

[tarzan]

I live near Beckley but it's looking like I may have to travel a bit to get some anthracite. If I do I would sooner make a trip your way than anywhere. It's amazing to me how much different things look driving up 35 than the rest of this state.

 

[weatherguy]

That's funny,in the Comfort Max 75 brochure I got,it does not mention about or say anything negative about other stoves or about stoves with catalytic combustor replacement costing $400-$800.

Again call the company up,and talk to them.A person on the forum ask for info about them, I gave a little info about them,and the company and I take a beating for giving info as being False.That's great.

I don't sell or have anything in this company at all.I just own one of their great stoves.

I'm not knocking the stoves just the company doing the marketing. The stoves/furnaces look very interesting and would like to hear more user info on these stoves. They look like heating beasts.

 

[JA600L]

They are not epa certified because they don't have to be. They are considered a furnace. I called Amos today. He was very helpful and assured me that this stove has more than enough fire power to heat my house. The thing is... So does my Quadra Fire. The only real difference is the ds stove has a thermostat... If I could tend to my fire throughout the day it would be a no brainer.

 

[hman]

JA,I talked to Cherry Valley stoves,in Northern,Ohio last fall,and he was burning one.They handle other stove manufactures besides DS Machine.He was very informative about this stove.We compared it to the 1400 that I was burning at the time,the heat output was more than what I needed.So you might give them a call,and maybe they can shed some light on how it heats and burn time.