Lowes stove-worth it?

[paulgp602]

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=200300-594-BX26E&lpage=none


Would this be worth it for a small cabin? Looks alright for the money.

 

[Rob From Wisconsin]

NO!!
This is a stove that has no approvals,
cheaply built, and is better suited in one's
garden holding flowers, and not burning wood.

Rob

 

[wg_bent]

Be sure you can actually install that legally. It's not EPA approved...Is it?

I don't believe it's an airtight stove either, so it's probably not as easy to control as an airtight stove such as a Jotul 602.

I've not seen good things about this stove on this site, no personal experience.

 

[seaken]

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=200300-594-BX26E&lpage=none


Would this be worth it for a small cabin? Looks alright for the money.

Not for a small cabin. The clearances needed take up more space than you probably want to give up in that cabin. Now, these stoves are marketed directly at the "cabin in the woods" folks. Hunting cabin, perhaps. But if you want to keep the cabin, either educate yourself about how wood stoves work and understand creosote, chimney fires, wood species, etc. or buy a stove that is designed for home use and is tested with modern safety codes. Lowes won't help. They also won't come out to your cabin to help. If you're a DIYer, fine. You can get lots of help here. But education is the key. If you want something in a hurry, I'd go look at the Lopi or Regency stoves at your local dealer and skip the Volgelzang.

Sean

 

[ChrisN]

I happened to be in a Lowes yesterday and looked at this exact model. I was amazed at it's cheapness. It looked to be very loose, the door has no gasket, the only air control is a damper built into the outlet to the stovepipe, the top has two removable cooktops, there is no ash pan or grate system. Frankly I was surprised that Lowes would even offer this for sale, considering the potential liability issues that could arise if someone actually tried to install one fo these in a living space. I guess at $130.00 Rob is correct, it might make make an interesting yard ornament.

Chris

 

[paulgp602]

Wow I guess it is a no brainer on this stove! I have a Regency insert that is a top notch stove.

I didn't realize that a stove could be built so cheaply and sold like this Lowe's model. I will look around some more.

 

[Sandor]

Why not an Englander?

 

[begreen]

Wow I guess it is a no brainer on this stove! I have a Regency insert that is a top notch stove.

I didn't realize that a stove could be built so cheaply and sold like this Lowe's model. I will look around some more.

Glad you asked Paul. It would be an unsafe waste of money. You might try finding used Jotul 602 in good condition.

 

[webbie]

Why not an Englander?

Or a century - or even a Volgelzang EPA small steel model if the price is right- but the century might win the price war.

 

[wg_bent]

Well, 170 for that stove vs a Jotul 602 or VC Aspen both of which are about 800 bucks. The Century stoves at the BORG are about 650 and they're pretty big stoves. Recently I saw the Morso 1410 for about 750.

I've never seen anyone compalin that those stoves were un-controllable, and all seem to heat well. I have to say though that the Jotul 602 is the standard for very small stoves like that "box" stove though.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

Yea you can control them, but there not worth the cast iron that there made out of. I would not be comfortable going to sleep with one burning, and if your splitting wood, your ROI on a decent stove will be about three cords. There is no reason to buy one of these unless its temporary in a hunting camp or wall tent. I would not put it in place that is carrying insurance. You might as well buy a volgelzane barrel stove kit for 50 bucks and strap it to a 33 gallon drum, it would be about the same thing except the 33 gallon drum will burn all night.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yea you can control them, but there not worth the cast iron that there made out of. I would not be comfortable going to sleep with one burning, and if your splitting wood, your ROI on a decent stove will be about three cords. There is no reason to buy one of these unless its temporary in a hunting camp or wall tent. I would not put it in place that is carrying insurance. You might as well buy a volgelzane barrel stove kit for 50 bucks and strap it to a 33 gallon drum, it would be about the same thing except the 33 gallon drum will burn all night.

I haven't had the heart to tell my insurance agent yet that I replaced the 55 gallon barrel stove in the basement with a cast iron wood stove a few years ago. I don't want him sleeping too well. That was one heat throwing SOB. And never a drop of creosote in the tile flue. In fact when I took the thing out the flue tiles looked like the day the chimney was built. Start it up, throw in three three foot logs, whole, and you were set. Concrete floor and walls required. The little Jotul down there now is cute, but that sucker was a HEATER. When I took it out I added the top barrel kit to it, cut doors in the top barrel and put in grates. You could smoke a whole pig in the dude.

I keep thinking that someday somebody is going to pop up with a picture of a barrel stove sticking out of a masonry fireplace. One has to be out there somewhere.

 

[martel]

Yea you can control them, but there not worth the cast iron that there made out of. I would not be comfortable going to sleep with one burning, and if your splitting wood, your ROI on a decent stove will be about three cords. There is no reason to buy one of these unless its temporary in a hunting camp or wall tent. I would not put it in place that is carrying insurance. You might as well buy a volgelzane barrel stove kit for 50 bucks and strap it to a 33 gallon drum, it would be about the same thing except the 33 gallon drum will burn all night.

I haven't had the heart to tell my insurance agent yet that I replaced the 55 gallon barrel stove in the basement with a cast iron wood stove a few years ago. I don't want him sleeping too well. That was one heat throwing SOB. And never a drop of creosote in the tile flue. In fact when I took the thing out the flue tiles looked like the day the chimney was built. Start it up, throw in three three foot logs, whole, and you were set. Concrete floor and walls required. The little Jotul down there now is cute, but that sucker was a HEATER. When I took it out I added the top barrel kit to it, cut doors in the top barrel and put in grates. You could smoke a whole pig in the dude.

I keep thinking that someday somebody is going to pop up with a picture of a barrel stove sticking out of a masonry fireplace. One has to be out there somewhere.

Is this at your place BB?

 

[BrotherBart]

That is a "tin stove". Actually had one for a while. Every hardware store used to sell the things. Made of thin sheet metal and acid blued like a gun. You couldn't control the air worth a darn and when it started firing too hard it would actually start rocking and the lid on top would start bouncing up and down. That would get your attention.

Sitting a brick on the lid was known as controlling the stove.

Wonder why I chuckle sometimes at all of the fancy stoves out there now? People heated for a lot of years with things nobody would get within a block of these days. And didn't burn down their houses. Well, not too often. Think about the days when railroad passenger cars each had a wood stove in them. Talk about trouble controlling the draft. Try having your chimney moving at thirty or forty miles an hour.

 

[wg_bent]

Well, 170 for that stove vs a Jotul 602 or VC Aspen both of which are about 800 bucks. The Century stoves at the BORG are about 650 and they're pretty big stoves. Recently I saw the Morso 1410 for about 750.

I've never seen anyone compalin that those stoves were un-controllable, and all seem to heat well. I have to say though that the Jotul 602 is the standard for very small stoves like that "box" stove though.

Hey MSG...I got seriously distracted during that post....Kids..

To clarify.... My intention was to say that 170 poorly spent for an uncontrollable stove, vs th 800 or so for a very controllable quality stove from Jotul, VC, Century, or Morso.

The 600 bucks in savings will surely be worth the price of your cabin.

Sorry if I mislead. MSG is right....

 

[Webwidow]

That is a "tin stove". Actually had one for a while. Every hardware store used to sell the things. Made of thin sheet metal and acid blued like a gun. You couldn't control the air worth a darn and when it started firing too hard it would actually start rocking and the lid on top would start bouncing up and down. That would get your attention.

Sitting a brick on the lid was known as controlling the stove.

Wonder why I chuckle sometimes at all of the fancy stoves out there now? People heated for a lot of years with things nobody would get within a block of these days. And didn't burn down their houses. Well, not too often. Think about the days when railroad passenger cars each had a wood stove in them. Talk about trouble controlling the draft. Try having your chimney moving at thirty or forty miles an hour.

**WARNING illegal stove yarns***
Yup fond memories of the Ole Tin Stove. haha First stove we ever had, we had 2 in fact. First one when we lived in an old 20x20 army tent in TN. Next when we rented a house/shack in WV on the banks of the Gauley River. Used to watch the ole tin turn cherry red at night, for fun we would spritz some water on it and watch it sizzle and pop.Warning do not try this at home. We were young and stupid, but by golly could those suckers heat. Stick a huge stump in and let it rip. Must remember to add the ole tin in my list of stoves. This was back in the early 70's before the "airtights."

 

[BrotherBart]

The little Century for $450 at Lowes should be a cabin heating son of a gun.

 

[begreen]

That was my first wood heating experience too. The cabin was leaky and uninsulated with an Ashley tin stove. I developed a real love for that stove. The cherry red glow did make me nervous at times, but I'd have froze without it. That cabin experience was enough for me to get off my butt by the next winter and work to get some real shelter.

 

[BrotherBart]

That is a "tin stove". Actually had one for a while. Every hardware store used to sell the things. Made of thin sheet metal and acid blued like a gun. You couldn't control the air worth a darn and when it started firing too hard it would actually start rocking and the lid on top would start bouncing up and down. That would get your attention.

Sitting a brick on the lid was known as controlling the stove.

Wonder why I chuckle sometimes at all of the fancy stoves out there now? People heated for a lot of years with things nobody would get within a block of these days. And didn't burn down their houses. Well, not too often. Think about the days when railroad passenger cars each had a wood stove in them. Talk about trouble controlling the draft. Try having your chimney moving at thirty or forty miles an hour.

**WARNING illegal stove yarns***
Yup fond memories of the Ole Tin Stove. haha First stove we ever had, we had 2 in fact. First one when we lived in an old 20x20 army tent in TN. Next when we rented a house/shack in WV on the banks of the Gauley River. Used to watch the ole tin turn cherry red at night, for fun we would spritz some water on it and watch it sizzle and pop.Warning do not try this at home. We were young and stupid, but by golly could those suckers heat. Stick a huge stump in and let it rip. Must remember to add the ole tin in my list of stoves. This was back in the early 70's before the "airtights."

Yep. And made sure you put sand in the bottom to keep it from burning through the bottom of the stove.

 

[jeffatus]

When I started hunting with my uncle and his friends, they had that same stove in their cabin. I loved that thing, it was great....it's actually what got me into wanting a wood stove (I just bought a Century stove last week). I think it was there long before I started going hunting with them (over ten years ago), and they never had a problem. Boy, that thing kicked out the heat too. WHen it was really cooking, you could not stand too close to it for long.

It's funny to hear everyone warning you about it, I never really gave it much thought. I can see how it would be very inefficient though, there was not too much in the way of controlling the air flow...just a plate that would sometimes get blocked by ashes! I remember it glowing when it was hot as well.

I want to clarify that I am not telling you to go out and buy one, but if I had never been on this website, I would have bought one of those, for that kind of money, in a second. The phrase that comes to mind is "you go with what you know". I guess I would have to ask the experts here; can it be that dangerous if they are allowed to sell it, especially in such large numbers? I can only imagine how many there are in use in little cabins like the one I used to go to.

Hhhmmph, something to think about....

 

[BrotherBart]

When I started hunting with my uncle and his friends, they had that same stove in their cabin. I loved that thing, it was great....it's actually what got me into wanting a wood stove (I just bought a Century stove last week). I think it was there long before I started going hunting with them (over ten years ago), and they never had a problem. Boy, that thing kicked out the heat too. WHen it was really cooking, you could not stand too close to it for long.

It's funny to hear everyone warning you about it, I never really gave it much thought. I can see how it would be very inefficient though, there was not too much in the way of controlling the air flow...just a plate that would sometimes get blocked by ashes! I remember it glowing when it was hot as well.

I want to clarify that I am not telling you to go out and buy one, but if I had never been on this website, I would have bought one of those, for that kind of money, in a second. The phrase that comes to mind is "you go with what you know". I guess I would have to ask the experts here; can it be that dangerous if they are allowed to sell it, especially in such large numbers? I can only imagine how many there are in use in little cabins like the one I used to go to.

Hhhmmph, something to think about....

Something to think about with the little VZ box stoves is that either they have never submitted one for UL safety testing or they submitted on and it failed. In all the years they have been selling them they have never obtained a UL safety listing on the things.

 

[suematteva]

Yea you can control them, but there not worth the cast iron that there made out of. I would not be comfortable going to sleep with one burning, and if your splitting wood, your ROI on a decent stove will be about three cords. There is no reason to buy one of these unless its temporary in a hunting camp or wall tent. I would not put it in place that is carrying insurance. You might as well buy a volgelzane barrel stove kit for 50 bucks and strap it to a 33 gallon drum, it would be about the same thing except the 33 gallon drum will burn all night.

I haven't had the heart to tell my insurance agent yet that I replaced the 55 gallon barrel stove in the basement with a cast iron wood stove a few years ago. I don't want him sleeping too well. That was one heat throwing SOB. And never a drop of creosote in the tile flue. In fact when I took the thing out the flue tiles looked like the day the chimney was built. Start it up, throw in three three foot logs, whole, and you were set. Concrete floor and walls required. The little Jotul down there now is cute, but that sucker was a HEATER. When I took it out I added the top barrel kit to it, cut doors in the top barrel and put in grates. You could smoke a whole pig in the dude.

I keep thinking that someday somebody is going to pop up with a picture of a barrel stove sticking out of a masonry fireplace. One has to be out there somewhere.

Amazing where those barrel stoves turn up!

BB cracking me up!

Back in 89 down in the South Bronx, not far from Hunts Point... an equipment repair shop that would help us out had one. Not the vertical type on on the sidewalk with people standing around... familiar with them in VT, never thought in da Bronx....the big apple of wood burning... used to heat the majority of the shop mostly with pallets....HEAT.... chainsaw'em in thirds or quarters whatever fit in the door.

 

[Willhound]

That is a "tin stove". Actually had one for a while. Every hardware store used to sell the things. Made of thin sheet metal and acid blued like a gun. You couldn't control the air worth a darn and when it started firing too hard it would actually start rocking and the lid on top would start bouncing up and down. That would get your attention.

Sitting a brick on the lid was known as controlling the stove.

Wonder why I chuckle sometimes at all of the fancy stoves out there now? People heated for a lot of years with things nobody would get within a block of these days. And didn't burn down their houses. Well, not too often. Think about the days when railroad passenger cars each had a wood stove in them. Talk about trouble controlling the draft. Try having your chimney moving at thirty or forty miles an hour.

Ha.. Brother Bart, you certrainly have experience with one of these if you know the "brick trick". If you leave the top lid cracked open slighly after lighting, they took off really well, and without too much shake, rattle and roll. Around here they were called "Quebec Heaters" because most were manufactured in Quebec and used in small northern bush camps.

Always reminded me of a large tomato can on legs.