First Post, A Few ?'s

[Steve M]

First of all, hello everyone. I have been lurking here for a while trying to educate myself before purchasing a new stove.

I have 1,600 square feet of space to heat in Southern WV and have decided on the Country Performer ST210 to handle the job. The Performer is rated to heat between 1,200 and 2,000 square feet. I'm hoping that since I fall right into the middle of that range with good (not great) insulation and an open floor plan, the little stove will be up to the task. The stove will be profesionaly installed.

The wood I have seasoned for this year are poplar, cherry, maple, and locust. The poplar and cherry have seasoned for 1 to 2 years and will be fine. The maple and locust on the other hand, have been cut and split for 3 months so I'm doubting the maple will be ready by Jan. when I predict I will need it.

My questions are

1. Should I buy a cord of hardwood and save the maple and locust for next year? Just how seasoned does wood have to be to burn in the EPA non-cat stoves?

2. I grew up with a warm morning coal stove, a fisher wood stove, and have used a stove made in Taiwan for the last two years that looks very simular to a stove I have seen on this sight reffered to as a "death box". From the pictures and You-Tube videos I have seen of the EPA non-cat stoves burning the right way (flaming, never smoldering or choked down) I have a hard time believing that I will actualy use less wood with one of these. What am I missing.

3. Did I purchase the right size stove? I know the only true answer to this is "you will find out in December" but my decision was based on going up in size to the Legacy would be to much heat or to low of a burn in the shoulder months. I plan on using the stove for my only source of heat.

4. What about the Country brand stove? Aside from the fact that they are owned by Lennox and parts could become scarce there is not much info on them.

My descision to purchase this stove was based on how well it seemed to be built(436 lb. and a machined door with no nuts were two features I liked) a good discount off the original price of the stove, and admiditly without much knowledge of the EPA stoves , some of my descision was based on the fact that it is steel and has a familure look to it.

I have yet to talk to anyone in my area that seems to have much if any experience with the EPA stoves (including the sales staff at my local dealers) so all help is much appreciated.

 

[soupy1957]

My questions are

1. Should I buy a cord of hardwood and save the maple and locust for next year? Just how seasoned does wood have to be to burn in the EPA non-cat stoves? Depending on how often you want to burn wood this season, you might want more than a "cord." 20º moisture content is a good target. Check the inside of a split.

2. I grew up with a warm morning coal stove, a fisher wood stove, and have used a stove made in Taiwan for the last two years that looks very simular to a stove I have seen on this sight reffered to as a "death box". From the pictures and You-Tube videos I have seen of the EPA non-cat stoves burning the right way (flaming, never smoldering or choked down) I have a hard time believing that I will actualy use less wood with one of these. What am I missing. We have a non-cat EPA stove and when the damper is in more "closed" positions, it DOES slow down the burn.

3. Did I purchase the right size stove? I know the only true answer to this is "you will find out in December" but my decision was based on going up in size to the Legacy would be to much heat or to low of a burn in the shoulder months. I plan on using the stove for my only source of heat. I know it's a cop-out to say it this way, but the "right stove" is the stove that satisfies YOU.

4. What about the Country brand stove? Aside from the fact that they are owned by Lennox and parts could become scarce there is not much info on them. no comment

My descision to purchase this stove was based on how well it seemed to be built(436 lb. and a machined door with no nuts were two features I liked) a good discount off the original price of the stove, and admiditly without much knowledge of the EPA stoves , some of my decision was based on the fact that it is steel and has a familiar look to it. You just answered your own "Question 4."


-Soupy1957

 

[thinkxingu]

Steve,
I cut and split a maple in May and it was burning pretty good by November--if your pile's got lots of sun and air exposure, it'll be fine.
BUT: if you do order a cord, make sure it's from a reputable buyer that knows what 'seasoned' means. More likely than not, the 'seasoned' wood you buy will be fresher than the wood you have.

Good luck, and welcome.

S

 

[Jags]

And YES, the newer EPA stoves will burn less wood than a comparable sized pre-EPA. The smoke that the old stoves used to belch out the stack is now burned up in the stove. That smoke is fuel.

 

[branchburner]

Lennox may not have the best rep, but I have not heard any one knock the Country stoves. They sound like they are very solid. And I think the firebox size, about 2 cu ft, should work fine for you... if your wood is dry! If you burn semi-seasoned, try mixing in some very dry pallet/lumber scraps to help out.

 

[branchburner]

BTW, the poplar has less heat value than your other woods, so better to burn with warmer outdoor temps. About how much of each wood do you have?

 

[firefighterjake]

First of all, hello everyone. I have been lurking here for a while trying to educate myself before purchasing a new stove. Welcome . . . you're in the right place if you have questions about woodstoves and burning wood.

I have 1,600 square feet of space to heat in Southern WV and have decided on the Country Performer ST210 to handle the job. The Performer is rated to heat between 1,200 and 2,000 square feet. I'm hoping that since I fall right into the middle of that range with good (not great) insulation and an open floor plan, the little stove will be up to the task. The stove will be profesionaly installed.

The wood I have seasoned for this year are poplar, cherry, maple, and locust. The poplar and cherry have seasoned for 1 to 2 years and will be fine. The maple and locust on the other hand, have been cut and split for 3 months so I'm doubting the maple will be ready by Jan. when I predict I will need it. I think you're right . . . unless perhaps it's silver maple . . . never burned silver maple myself, but some folks here say it seasons pretty quickly . . . I don't know if it seasons in 6 months though . . . me . . . I wouldn't chance it. The cherry and poplar on the other hand should be very good if it has been bucked and split for 1-2 years.

My questions are

1. Should I buy a cord of hardwood and save the maple and locust for next year? Just how seasoned does wood have to be to burn in the EPA non-cat stoves? Short answer: 20-25% moisture seems to be the desired result. Long answer: I season my wood for a year outside and then another year in the shed . . . I would try to save the maple and locust for next year . . . but getting truly seasoned wood from a dealer at this point may be a challenge in itself.

2. I grew up with a warm morning coal stove, a fisher wood stove, and have used a stove made in Taiwan for the last two years that looks very simular to a stove I have seen on this sight reffered to as a "death box". From the pictures and You-Tube videos I have seen of the EPA non-cat stoves burning the right way (flaming, never smoldering or choked down) I have a hard time believing that I will actualy use less wood with one of these. What am I missing. What you are missing is the beauty of secondary combustion (well that and catalytic combustors) . . . the reason you use less wood is that very intense fire you see burning . . . the Bowels of Heall, Propane BBQ Jets of Fire and the Northern Lights . . . that's the smoke burning . . . the secondary burn if you would . . . so that hot smoke you would have lost up the chimney is now being burned so you get more heat with the same load of wood . . . and the nice fact is . . . you're also burning cleanly.


3. Did I purchase the right size stove? I know the only true answer to this is "you will find out in December" but my decision was based on going up in size to the Legacy would be to much heat or to low of a burn in the shoulder months. I plan on using the stove for my only source of heat. Only you can answer this question. Generally I recommend folks size the stove to their home . . . and then go one size larger . . . this is what has worked for me . . . and seems to work for many others. Far more people seem to complain about stoves being too small for their needs then folks complaining about being driven out by the heat . . . as for the shoulder seasons . . . there is a technique, but you can burn in a larger stove during the shoulder seasons without being driven out of house and home . . . I would rather size the stove to when I truly need the heat -- i.e. the winter -- then during the times of year when it is nice to just have a fire to take the chill out of the air.

4. What about the Country brand stove? Aside from the fact that they are owned by Lennox and parts could become scarce there is not much info on them.

My descision to purchase this stove was based on how well it seemed to be built(436 lb. and a machined door with no nuts were two features I liked) a good discount off the original price of the stove, and admiditly without much knowledge of the EPA stoves , some of my descision was based on the fact that it is steel and has a familure look to it. Can't help you here . . . don't know much about Country stoves
.

I have yet to talk to anyone in my area that seems to have much if any experience with the EPA stoves (including the sales staff at my local dealers) so all help is much appreciated.

 

[Steve M]

Thanks for the replies.

I have enough Poplar to do me all winter if needed, but from past experiance I do not want to be using poplar when the weather turns bad.

Re-read my post, sorry for all the questions. They must sound redundent to those of you who have been using the EPA stoves for a few years. Anyhow, can't wait to get my new stove fired up and learn from experience.

Again, thanks for the replies. Very helpfull!

 

[karl]

I live in Southern WV too and the guys who sell wood around here will say it's seasoned even though they cut three months ago or less. Tell me what part you're in. If you're close to me I can steer you to a cheap place for wood.

I think you have a 2.1 cubic foot fire box. That's a bit small to get all night burns with poplar, but you will be impressed with the EPA stoves over the old ones. I have a 3 cubic foot box and I can get all night burns with poplar slab wood, but I better not sleep in or the house is going to be chilly. When I load the thing up with oak, I get 10 hours and enough coals to just throw more wood on.

You're going to love the EPA so much for forcing the manufacturers to make these stoves; that you'll want to put the catalytic converter back on your car.

 

[Steve M]

I live in Southern WV too and the guys who sell wood around here will say it's seasoned even though they cut three months ago or less. Tell me what part you're in. If you're close to me I can steer you to a cheap place for wood.

I think you have a 2.1 cubic foot fire box. That's a bit small to get all night burns with poplar, but you will be impressed with the EPA stoves over the old ones. I have a 3 cubic foot box and I can get all night burns with poplar slab wood, but I better not sleep in or the house is going to be chilly. When I load the thing up with oak, I get 10 hours and enough coals to just throw more wood on.

You're going to love the EPA so much for forcing the manufacturers to make these stoves; that you'll want to put the catalytic converter back on your car.

Thanks for the offer, but I live near Beckley. I see you are from Huntington. Still, thats close enough that you understand my situation. Most around here cut there firewood around Labor day (just got the last of the red oak cut up for my dad yesterday) and if they have even heard of an EPA stove they would steer clear of them like an alien space ship!

I'm 40 years old and dread the day when my dad sees my new wood stove. I can only imagine what it will be like explaining this new stove to him LOL

 

[begreen]

Good that you are sticking to dry wood. Check several dealers and if possible, visit where they store and cut the wood. Show up with a splitting maul and a moisture meter. Resplit a piece of wood in half, then test the fresh surface with the meter. If it is at 20% or below go for it. Even if it is at 25%, if you store it properly so that it gets good air circulation, it could be ready to burn by the time the snows fly.

As for dad, wait until it is cold outside and have a nice fire already going. Don't say a word, just let his bones soak up the nice heat. When he notices the stove and its nice warmth, he'll dig it. Be sure to show him the flue with no smoke coming out of it.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thanks for the replies.

I have enough Poplar to do me all winter if needed, but from past experiance I do not want to be using poplar when the weather turns bad.

Re-read my post, sorry for all the questions. They must sound redundent to those of you who have been using the EPA stoves for a few years. Anyhow, can't wait to get my new stove fired up and learn from experience.

Again, thanks for the replies. Very helpfull!

No problem . . . we like helping folks out . . . heck . . . just about every one of us here was helped out by a veteran at some point or another . . . except for Fossil . . . he is just naturally wicked smart and was born that way.

 

[firefighterjake]

I live in Southern WV too and the guys who sell wood around here will say it's seasoned even though they cut three months ago or less. Tell me what part you're in. If you're close to me I can steer you to a cheap place for wood.

I think you have a 2.1 cubic foot fire box. That's a bit small to get all night burns with poplar, but you will be impressed with the EPA stoves over the old ones. I have a 3 cubic foot box and I can get all night burns with poplar slab wood, but I better not sleep in or the house is going to be chilly. When I load the thing up with oak, I get 10 hours and enough coals to just throw more wood on.

You're going to love the EPA so much for forcing the manufacturers to make these stoves; that you'll want to put the catalytic converter back on your car.

Thanks for the offer, but I live near Beckley. I see you are from Huntington. Still, thats close enough that you understand my situation. Most around here cut there firewood around Labor day (just got the last of the red oak cut up for my dad yesterday) and if they have even heard of an EPA stove they would steer clear of them like an alien space ship!

I'm 40 years old and dread the day when my dad sees my new wood stove. I can only imagine what it will be like explaining this new stove to him LOL

It takes a bit of re-learning . . . but once folks see the advantages of more heat when the secondaries light off and it looks like Lucifer has opened a portal of hell in your stove . . . well, seeing is believing . . . and feeling is even more telling . . . plus I always get a kick out of seeing folks faces when they don't realize I have a roaring fire going when they look at my chimney outside . . . until I bring them inside and they see and feel the heat pouring out of the stove. It is the view of the fire and the sweet heat that will sell them on seasoned wood and EPA stoves.

 

[rdust]

Everyone has pretty much touched on all the talking points. Last season was my first and this site was very helpful with all my questions/worries. I was searching the forum for something the other day and came across a bunch of my old posts. Now the questions seem like second nature since I've seen them answered so many times. My first season turned out way better than expected thanks to this site. My wood was cut/split in March/April and was decent by the time I needed it. When I was left with mostly lousy not ready oak near the end of the season a member here(Dennis aka Backwoods Savage) hooked me up with a cord+ of seasoned wood to get me through. I still have about 2/3 of a cord left from that wood.

What I found to be most important my first season was the wood. You will see a bunch of posts here shortly if you stay active on the board from new members who just bought an EPA stove, it'll be a piece of crap and doesn't throw the heat like their old stove. The problem will either be the chimney is not sized correctly for the stove, the wood isn't seasoned(they will insist it is a bunch of times) or the stove is being burned wrong. I think I benefited from never burning one of the old stoves so I never had to re-learn how to burn an EPA stove. From what I've gathered you can forget everything you learned about burning the old stove and start fresh.


BTW, Welcome and no reason for the sorry on the questions. Feel free to post anything that comes to mind, that's what we're here for.