Helping on the best budget stove for screened porch

[MTy5001]

I'm located in TN. I am having a screened porch built and I have been talking with the contractor about the possibility of putting a wood stove for atmosphere and some heat around the stove. Porch floor will be concrete and its going to have to be permitted so all clearances and chimney heights will be dealt with. Gas and a masonry fireplace are going to be too expensive and I don't want to deal with propane tanks. I don't have a strict budget number but can do any high 2ks-3k+ stoves.

From my research it appears that I want one that is primary a radiating stove and maybe not catalytic? Ideally I could try cooking on the top of it every once and a while but not a requirement. Being out on the porch the stove wouldn't be heavily used or run for more the a few hours at a time usually. I was looking at the Englander Blue Ridge 300L and Hearthstone Lincoln. I don't know a lot about wood stoves. Suggestions?

 

[begreen]

Looks like a leg version of the Drolet Heritage and Escape 1800. The side shielding will reduce radiant heat. For a more radiant heater consider the unshielded Drolet Savannah II or the larger Drolet Austral III, as long as close clearances are not an issue. For the way the stove will be used, any basic pre-EPA stove with a glass door will work unless the screens are replaced with windows in the winter.

 

[RockyMtnGriz]

For that use I'd be looking at any older stove that looked nice and was as unshielded as possible while still working with your clearances. It doesn't have to weigh a ton either. Consider that a heavy and/or cat stove will just be getting really warm and settled into working when you are ready to move on to some other activity and location after a couple of hours, whereas a thinner non-cat or pre-epa stove will heat faster and be less trouble to operate. Glass doors would be a plus if you want the ambiance and quicker radiant heat. Radiant heat is what you want if you can't contain the hot air or don't have insulation because you'll never win at heating the outdoors. I doubt you would really experience the difference between a cheap or free stove off of Craigalist vs. a $3.000 new stove in this application, but it's your money.

It's an extreme example but I had one of those super cheap sheet metal stoves in an uninsulated workshop at one time. I'm talking like $30 new in the early 80s. Kind of an overgrown ovaled coffee can, except made of thinner metal! I wouldn't want to have to heat a house with one, though I've seen people who did, but it was great for heating the shop for the couple of hours duration of a project. Newspaper, kindling and a couple little chunks of wood and the thing was cranking out heat in seconds. Toasting one side of me in a minute or two. Take it a little too far, and you could literally see the flames through the metal, but it was super quick and simple to operate and cranked out the heat fast.

In contrast, I started the pre-heat kindling load in my heavy cat stove about an hour ago, and just did put a load of wood in for the night. It's just now getting warm enough to start to do some real heating of me, and I'll be turning the draft down gradually for probably the next hour to get it into a stable burn mode. If I don't get that exactly right, I'll have to turn it back up for a bit, then start trimming down again. By morning it'll all be thoroughly warmed up and on its game until I decide to let it go out, but I don't think long term performance is what you're looking for. There are cat stoves that are quicker and easier to get going than this one, but still...

 

[BillBurns]

If it were me, Id look into an old Parlor Stove, or any smaller vintage stoves that look nice. If you want to use it once in while....Itll look good even just sitting there. They dont make em like they used to! Thats my 2 cents...

 

[MTy5001]

Looks like a leg version of the Drolet Heritage and Escape 1800. The side shielding will reduce radiant heat. For a more radiant heater consider the unshielded Drolet Savannah II or the larger Drolet Austral III, as long as close clearances are not an issue. For the way the stove will be used, any basic pre-EPA stove with a glass door will work unless the screens are replaced with windows in the winter.

I've been reading that the quality of Drolet isn't the best? Granted it could be just fine for my use and budget.

For that use I'd be looking at any older stove that looked nice and was as unshielded as possible while still working with your clearances. It doesn't have to weigh a ton either. Consider that a heavy and/or cat stove will just be getting really warm and settled into working when you are ready to move on to some other activity and location after a couple of hours, whereas a thinner non-cat or pre-epa stove will heat faster and be less trouble to operate. Glass doors would be a plus if you want the ambiance and quicker radiant heat. Radiant heat is what you want if you can't contain the hot air or don't have insulation because you'll never win at heating the outdoors. I doubt you would really experience the difference between a cheap or free stove off of Craigalist vs. a $3.000 new stove in this application, but it's your money.

It's an extreme example but I had one of those super cheap sheet metal stoves in an uninsulated workshop at one time. I'm talking like $30 new in the early 80s. Kind of an overgrown ovaled coffee can, except made of thinner metal! I wouldn't want to have to heat a house with one, though I've seen people who did, but it was great for heating the shop for the couple of hours duration of a project. Newspaper, kindling and a couple little chunks of wood and the thing was cranking out heat in seconds. Toasting one side of me in a minute or two. Take it a little too far, and you could literally see the flames through the metal, but it was super quick and simple to operate and cranked out the heat fast.

In contrast, I started the pre-heat kindling load in my heavy cat stove about an hour ago, and just did put a load of wood in for the night. It's just now getting warm enough to start to do some real heating of me, and I'll be turning the draft down gradually for probably the next hour to get it into a stable burn mode. If I don't get that exactly right, I'll have to turn it back up for a bit, then start trimming down again. By morning it'll all be thoroughly warmed up and on its game until I decide to let it go out, but I don't think long term performance is what you're looking for. There are cat stoves that are quicker and easier to get going than this one, but still...

Thanks for the information. I've considered used or antique stoves but there is nothing in my area as wood stoves really aren't common around here. Plus the sense I got from my contractor is they aren't comfortable installing anything that isn't UL listed and code enforcement probably wouldn't allow it anyway. At least I don't have an HOA to worry about.

Looks like I need to find a cheaper steel stove that is not catalytic. Unfortunately a lot of the those aren't eligible for the tax credit which I was hoping to take advantage of to help offset some of the costs. I guess I can't have my cake and eat it too.

 

[begreen]

I've been reading that the quality of Drolet isn't the best? Granted it could be just fine for my use and budget.

Not sure where that is coming from or when. The early Drolets were good, but some had a weakness with a welded in baffle. That was replaced about 10+ yrs ago. Since then their stoves have been very good. The baffle is fiber based and needs to be respected, but the stove itself is strong and essentially the same as it's upgraded siblings in the Osburn line that uses c-cast baffles. Many of the Drolets have the tax credit though the usage as what sounds like an outdoor fireplace is contrary to the purpose.