Looking for advice- sears franklin 143-433 owner

[Brokenrod]

Hi all,
New member first post. I have always wanted a wood stove to supplement my heat bill, and finally scored ( or not ) a Sears Franklin model #143-433 for free. After researching this site, it seems they are not the best units for heating. My house is very small, 900 sq. ft, 1 story. The stove came with 8" single wall piping, but no chimney.
My question is, should i spend the money for the proper piping and chimney? I understand it eats wood, with very little heat, but wood is plentiful where im at.
I see that most newer units are 6" pipe- What issues will i have if i use this for 2 yrs, then by a newer stove . 8" vs. 6" Thanks for any help in advance, as i'm eager to learn about this. Look forward to talking with ya's
Brokenrod

 

[Don2222]

Hello

When I moved in to my home, there was a Franklin Wood Stove in the garage not hooked up. So I hooked it up in the basement for a year or so. It was fun but not much heat, so I purchased an air tight wood stove. A 600 lb cast iron extra large FA288CCL Vermont Castings Consolidated Dutch West Federal Design wood/coal stove for $1060.00. Had it for 19 years only used it for about 3. Wood is alot of work. Then I sold it for $400 and finally purchased an Avalon Astoria Wood Pellet stove and I am very happy. This pellet stove heats the whole house with NO Oil for $600 per year and it only takes 3 hours to get and stack the 3 tons of wood pellets for the winter in the garage and basement!!

So that is my experience good luck with what you decide. See my pics below.

BTW
I have this nice Pelpro Bay View for sale if you are interested.
Pelpro Bay View 42,000 BTU FS Wood Pellet stove for sale - $1400
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/86348/

 

[begreen]

Welcome. I would think twice about installing that stove as a regular source of heat, especially if not in the house. Reports consistently warn that it is poorly sealed and hard to control.

 

[Stephen in SoKY]

I'm a huge fan of pre EPA/EPA exempt stoves, but, even I draw the line at Franklin type heaters and Vogelzang boxwood stoves. Personally I would not put either in my home.

 

[Brokenrod]

Thanks for the updates. While I agree that the stove is poorly sealed, it would be used under close supervision only. I am prepared to build a safe hearth and place an air barrier between the combustible walls and the stove. I am not trying to justify using this unit, but why shouldn't I if precautions are made? Would poor sealing lead to alot of smoke in the house? Am I going to lose alot of heat through the chimney? I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible, Thanks again.
Brokenrod

 

[pen]

Poor sealing means under the right conditions it's easy for this stove to go nuclear and be uncontrollable. The stove won't care if you are watching it or not. If that happens, you'll be forced to decide to ride it out or else carry flaming logs out of your home, pour sand or ashes on the fire, etc, etc. None of these options are pleasant.

Another thing to consider is, the 8 inch flue it requires is more costly than 6 in flue. The majority of new stoves on the market call for 6 in. Mismatching sizes is not recommended and can cause operational difficulties as your old stove may need the 8 inch to vent properly, while a new stoves w/ a 6 in collar going into an 8 inch pipe wouldn't get the strong draft pull it needs. This means, if you spend the money on an 8 in liner which this stove needs, an upgrade to the majority of the stoves on the market today may yield poor performance and lead you to change the chimney out again.

I too love the old stoves too and still operate a few. However, i'm with Stephen and the others that this is a stove that I woulc not consider using in my home. Even for intermittant use. The chimney is too expensive to be tied to this stove and then limit you later on.

I purchased the stove I run (Englander 30) for 450 bucks (less than 400 after the tax credit) and it was only 1 year old. If you look a bit, you can find a solid stove for not so very much money that will be safer, give you better performance, will be easier to get approved by your insurance company, and be something you could trust keeping things warm for days at a time if the power was out or if you decide to take wood burning to more than just intermittant use.

pen

 

[Brokenrod]

Thankyou very much for clearing up my questions. I guess this thing will become an outdoor fireplace now. I want to burn inside the house, but I also want to be safe about it. Now my only problem is letting down the wife.... she was more excited than I was!

 

[begreen]

Good choice. Free is very tempting, but this is infrastructure that will be containing a 1000F fire close by your love ones. Right now it is harder to find bargains, but consider these two options while looking. Price includes delivery to nearest loading dock.

This one needs a good hearth and decent clearances, but is a good little heater:
http://www.overstockstoves.com/50epacenowos.html

This one is a bit smaller, but has easier clearances and hearth requirements:
http://www.overstockstoves.com/50tvl17--epa-certified-noncatalytic-wood-stove--1250171200.html

If you are in the Chicago area, this one includes the pipe:
http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/grd/2760393223.html

 

[pen]

Thankyou very much for clearing up my questions. I guess this thing will become an outdoor fireplace now. I want to burn inside the house, but I also want to be safe about it. Now my only problem is letting down the wife.... she was more excited than I was!

BG gave you some good options. If / when you decide to do this, if you give us the area you are looking to install a stove in, and some info on the house, we can tell you what it will take to install properly so that it's safe, good by the insurance and "should" make you happy so long as you have good fuel to put in it.

If you are serious about getting into the wood burning game my advice would be to start on your wood supplies now. While I don't know your level of burning experience, I can say that the VAST majority of issues we have found on this site relating to new wood burners and issues comes from having poorly seasoned wood.

If you get some wood on hand now it will be ready for you in a year and it will help to kind of put you on a time table for getting an install going. Sort of like putting something on layaway.

Good things are worth waiting for. Nobody here wants to see you spend hard earned money on something that isn't going to give you what you are looking for. It's much better to take a step back, do it right, and do it once. Ends up being cheaper and you end up being happier. Additionally, as with most things in life, the anticipation for something good coming is 1/2 the fun of actually getting it! Spend your time now feeding that desire you and your wife have with knowledge so that when you make this happen, you know things will fulfill what you are expecting!

Also, forgot to welcome you to the site!

pen

 

[Brokenrod]

I burn quite a bit in my outdoor pits ( at least twice a week), and scrounge all my wood, it gives me an opportunity to fire up the Stihl! Right now, i have about 3/4 cord of split oak in my basement, that's been there for 2 yrs so far, just waiting for the stove. Outside, i have about 2 cords of split white birch, mulberry, and piss elm.
As I said before, my home is small- a little less than 900 sq. ft. single story, with attic. Where the stove is going to be installed (centrally located in the house), there is an 8' ceiling, then through the blown insulated attic (roughly 4' from floor of attic to roof, 18" of blown insulation) then out of pitched roof about 4' down from the peak. I'm not sure what the pitch is, but it isn't very steep at all. I have hardwood floors throughout, and the walls are drywall. The floorplan is not the greatest, so a fan is desired.
When I get the stove I will definitely post pics and ask for help. I'm pretty handy, small engine mechanic, jack of all trades, ( I know enough to get me in trouble) master of none. Hopefully I can return the favor to someone somehow.
Thanks again, Brokenrod

 

[pen]

Sounds like you are ahead of the curve. With a username like Brokenrod, I figured you had to turn wrenches.

Lots of good stoves to pick from these days and lots of money doesn't need to be involved.

Good luck

pen

 

[Brokenrod]

The name actually comes from fishing. About 5 yrs ago, I had a 1 week stretch of bad luck. I broke 3 Fishing rods ( 1 was new and mine, other 2 were borrowed), under the most normal conditions. just wading through a small river looking for smallmouth and casting a small rebel crawdad. My friend who was with me, gave me the name Chief Brokenrod, and it stuck. The name works for the engine work too, so i still use it. I have not injured any other tackle since then.

 

[pen]

The name actually comes from fishing. About 5 yrs ago, I had a 1 week stretch of bad luck. I broke 3 Fishing rods ( 1 was new and mine, other 2 were borrowed), under the most normal conditions. just wading through a small river looking for smallmouth and casting a small rebel crawdad. My friend who was with me, gave me the name Chief Brokenrod, and it stuck. The name works for the engine work too, so i still use it. I have not injured any other tackle since then.

Hehe, been there done that.

Name fits you in more ways than one then.

pen