Is a new stove worth it?

[bhop12]

So, looking to lower my electric bill, its getting rediculous. Especially with my dad preferring it over 72 in the house, and 70 at night... Anyways. I am going to start using the wood stove we have, and got me looking and wondering if a new stove would make a big difference? Its jut a Fisher free standing stove

Cant make out the model.

What do you all suggest? Its a 2600 sq foot house near Olympia Washington. I have plenty of Alder/Ash I can harvest on property and access to lots of down trees in local forests.

Thanks!

 

[kborndale]

Get this stove inspected and try using it for a season. If you don't mind everything involved with heating with wood after a season then look into getting a new stove. Stoves are expensive and it would suck to pay for a new one and then find out you don't like keeping one going.

 

[peakbagger]

Once you follow the prior post, there is an intermediate point and that is installing a internal baffle in the current stove which will increase the efficency and reduce the amount of unburnt gases going up the stack and potentially creating creosote. If you search the site for Fisher Baffle there is all sorts of info.

The dry wood issue is also something to consider. An older style stove like this one can burn wood that is poorly seasoned although it going to go through a lot of it and there could be creosote issues. For most woodburners, it takes a minimum of three seasons to figure out that seasoning wood takes time and its worth the wait. For some folks they never learn. The pretty much standard advise is any wood needs to seasoned properly undercover for two years. If someone buys a modern EPA wood stove they will be battling and losing the fight to burn poorly seasoned wood while the Fisher will be able to burn it. So if you decide you like and want to deal with extra work of burning wood, you can build up the wood inventory now and then decide to go with an EPA wodstove later in two or three years when you have 2 year old wood in sufficient quantity to make the switch.

The one thing to watch out for is that many new wood burners try to shortcut seasoning by buying dry wood. Yes dry seasoned wood is out there but its highly unlikely you will ever see if for sale and if you do you are going to be unwilling to pay the price. Unless it comes right out of drying kiln and into the truck, the odds are near 100% that what you are getting is partially seasoned or green wood. If you really want to try an EPA stove earlier, do youreslf a favor and buy a couple of pallets of biobricks, compressed ground up wood and shavings.

 

[kborndale]

OP is from Washington State so they will probably be burning mostly pine which will season in a year.

 

[Grinnell]

Simple Baffle Solution for your old FISHER ! More Heat Less Smoke under $25

This 5 minute baffle plate install is the easiest way I've found to reduce smoke and prevent intense heating of the rear outlet elbow or pipe. (20 years late, but better late than never) And possibly the best solution for anyone who can't afford to upgrade to a new stove; Approximate cost under...

www.hearth.com

 

[bhop12]

Get this stove inspected and try using it for a season. If you don't mind everything involved with heating with wood after a season then look into getting a new stove. Stoves are expensive and it would suck to pay for a new one and then find out you don't like keeping one going.

I already know I don't want to haha. It's purely economical for me. I Really don't want to run the stove in my living room either, I like it cold. But I like money more.

 

[bhop12]

OP is from Washington State so they will probably be burning mostly pine which will season in a year.

Alder, ash, and douglas fir

 

[bhop12]

Once you follow the prior post, there is an intermediate point and that is installing a internal baffle in the current stove which will increase the efficency and reduce the amount of unburnt gases going up the stack and potentially creating creosote. If you search the site for Fisher Baffle there is all sorts of info.

The dry wood issue is also something to consider. An older style stove like this one can burn wood that is poorly seasoned although it going to go through a lot of it and there could be creosote issues. For most woodburners, it takes a minimum of three seasons to figure out that seasoning wood takes time and its worth the wait. For some folks they never learn. The pretty much standard advise is any wood needs to seasoned properly undercover for two years. If someone buys a modern EPA wood stove they will be battling and losing the fight to burn poorly seasoned wood while the Fisher will be able to burn it. So if you decide you like and want to deal with extra work of burning wood, you can build up the wood inventory now and then decide to go with an EPA wodstove later in two or three years when you have 2 year old wood in sufficient quantity to make the switch.

The one thing to watch out for is that many new wood burners try to shortcut seasoning by buying dry wood. Yes dry seasoned wood is out there but its highly unlikely you will ever see if for sale and if you do you are going to be unwilling to pay the price. Unless it comes right out of drying kiln and into the truck, the odds are near 100% that what you are getting is partially seasoned or green wood. If you really want to try an EPA stove earlier, do youreslf a favor and buy a couple of pallets of biobricks, compressed ground up wood and shavings.

Great info, thank you.

I have a large pile of logs ill need to chop and dry but I assume it's not the best, also got a few dead trees standing to chop up. So might make sense to do the baffle insert and load the other shed fully of fresh alder/ash

 

[begreen]

OP is from Washington State so they will probably be burning mostly pine which will season in a year.

That would be more common in Eastern WA. Western WA is a completely different climate zone with much more moisture. Deciduous trees are plentiful here.

 

[begreen]

Great info, thank you.

I have a large pile of logs ill need to chop and dry but I assume it's not the best, also got a few dead trees standing to chop up. So might make sense to do the baffle insert and load the other shed fully of fresh alder/ash

Make sure the chimney system is clean and safe to use. Is there a clay liner in the chimney? If so, what size?

Note that alder and Doug fir will dry well enough if split and stacked now and allowed to season over the summer. Ash maybe. Maple and madrona will need a couple of years to fully season after splitting and stacking off the ground. A top cover is recommended.

 

[bhop12]

Make sure the chimney system is clean and safe to use. Is there a clay liner in the chimney? If so, what size?

Note that alder and Doug fir will dry well enough if split and stacked now and allowed to season over the summer. Ash maybe. Maple and madrona will need a couple of years to fully season after splitting and stacking off the ground. A top cover is recommended.

We had the chimney cleaned earlier this year. not sure about a clay liner. What do I need to know that for?

Good to know on the wood, we have a large wood shed, 10x20x7 or 8

 

[bhop12]

Pics of the inside, also posted on Coalys baffle thread. Looks like its a papa bear

 

[begreen]

A chimney liner is important from a safety and functional perspective. The old Fisher will run on just about anything, but that has little to do with safety. An unlined brick or block chimney should never be used to vent any type of heating appliance or fireplace. If the chimney flue is too large then the flue gases can cool so much that creosote readily forms. The rough interior of an unlined chimney presents lots of nooks and crannies for creosote to accumulate that are hard to clean. This can lead to a chimney fire.

The Fisher lacks a baffle so a major portion of the heat generated is going up the flue. Right now there is nothing between the fire and the flue outlet. Adding a baffle will help a bit by slowing down the flue gases as the pass around the baffle. This longer residence time allows the flue gases to be more completely combusted. The Fisher forum has more information on the topic of improvements.

Simple Baffle Solution for your old FISHER ! More Heat Less Smoke under $25

You have the angle iron going longwise, did you do that to help with the warping? Yes. But I have plenty of scrap and can weld up any design, even grid it, if I want - so messing around is no big deal. Not much matters, it seems, except bulk. Beefier bits don't warp as much, if at all, or rust...

www.hearth.com

 

[bhop12]

A chimney liner is important from a safety and functional perspective. The old Fisher will run on just about anything, but that has little to do with safety. An unlined brick or block chimney should never be used to vent any type of heating appliance or fireplace. If the chimney flue is too large then the flue gases can cool so much that creosote readily forms. The rough interior of an unlined chimney presents lots of nooks and crannies for creosote to accumulate that are hard to clean. This can lead to a chimney fire.

The Fisher lacks a baffle so a major portion of the heat generated is going up the flue. Right now there is nothing between the fire and the flue outlet. Adding a baffle will help a bit by slowing down the flue gases as the pass around the baffle. This longer residence time allows the flue gases to be more completely combusted. The Fisher forum has more information on the topic of improvements.

Simple Baffle Solution for your old FISHER ! More Heat Less Smoke under $25

You have the angle iron going longwise, did you do that to help with the warping? Yes. But I have plenty of scrap and can weld up any design, even grid it, if I want - so messing around is no big deal. Not much matters, it seems, except bulk. Beefier bits don't warp as much, if at all, or rust...

www.hearth.com

Thanks, Ill find out. I posted in that thread as well, looks like mine isnt going to be as easy to add a baffle as it has brackets up top that most dont seem to have.

 

[begreen]

The baffle might need to be sloped starting out lower in the back at the first brick level and higher on the front to the second brick level.