Need Advice, Woodstove FS ....**Update with Questions 9/2**

[slinger646]

Right now I'm heating with a Vogelzang Deluxe Boxwood.

This appeared in the local trader

They are asking 350 and say the rust is just surface from setting in a shed, no pitting.

I have no Idea what it is, but it looks like the one I grew up with and it has to be better/easier to use than the Vogelzang.

What say the stove gurus?



Thanks!

 

[CTburning]

Wow, I felt guilty about selling my Garrison for $350 but that thing is far more archiac. I think you would be better off getting an englander or something like it. It will be much more efficient.

 

[skinnykid]

Buy or fly? FLY!

 

[slinger646]

What do Englanders run? Im not of well means, and I don't like going into debt.

The stove I had growing up heated 3,500Sq Ft.

Im currently in a 138 yr old Log Home, 1,500 Sq Ft.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

VA doesn't need as much heat as up here. I've heated half my 90 year old 1600 sq ft house with a 25K btu stove. If you have an open floor plan you could do well with a stove slightly larger.

I just picked up an Englander 30 NC (75K btu) for $899 at Home Depot. Smaller stoves should run less.

With a more efficient stove you will also burn less wood. I don't know if you get your wood for free or not, but less firewood burnt is money in the bank... for your wallet and your back!

Matt

 

[firefighterjake]

I think it's safe to say that most of us here don't spend our free time polishing the silver and counting the gold bullion we have stacked in our safe . . . but buying a decent stove that will keep you warm, work well and work efficiently to me is more important than saving a few hundred dollars.

If I were me (and I am me) I would pass on the used stove for a few reasons (but of course this is just me).

Reason #1: Buying a used stove seems to me to be a crap shoot. You could get a stove run by a person who has babied the stove, only used it on weekends and has religiously followed the instruction manual's directions on the max temp, how to properly burn wood, etc. . . . or you could end up with a stove run by a person who really has no clue on how to run a stove, has used it 24/7 for the past 15 years and thinks nothing of temps exceeding 900 degrees or more. In other words, you could get a deal . . . or you could get figuratively burned if you don't know what to look for in the stove to determine how the stove was used and run. As for me, I don't feel that confident in being able to make that determination beyond a few obvious and basic tell-tale signs.

Reason #2: $350 is a lot of money to spend on a stove that to me seems a bit dated . . . many folks say the new stoves are more efficient which is important if you buy your wood . . . and I agree. I have been amazed with the peformance of the new EPA stoves (and my stove in particular) . . . but I say even if you get your wood for "free" having a more efficient stove is important -- since even "free" wood entails money to buy gas and oil to cut the wood, money for the gas used to haul the wood to the wood pile, money for the gas for the woodsplitter if used . . . and most important of all -- burning less wood means more time for me . . . and honestly time is the one commodity that I never seem to have enough of in the course of the day, week or month.

Reason #3: Newer stoves burn cleaner. No, I am not a greenie who wants to save the world . . . although I do try to make a small difference. What I am more concerned with however is the health and well-being of my family and my neighbors . . . there's something about having a raging fire in the firebox and then going outside and not seeing any visible smoke coming from the chimney. It makes you feel good knowing you're burning better . . . burning cleaner (less time spent cleaning the chimney or worrying about a chimney fire from the creosote build up) . . . and you're not losing all kinds of heat up the chimney.

If price is an issue I would encourage you to look at the Englander line up . . . you can typically find them sold at local hardware stores and the big box hardware stores. A lot of folks are very happy with them and their performance. Sure, they'll cost a bit more, but to me there are a lot of benefits to using a newer stove.

That said . . . there's nothing to stop you from continuing to scour the ads . . . there is always a chance someone who bought a woodstove a year or so ago when oil prices increased might be trying to sell their woodstove with the oil prices back "down." You could potentially get a very good deal if this were the case.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

non-epa box stove with top exhaust work great with MAGIC HEAT added. whats the chimni configuration from stove to top of chimni?

Do you sell Magic Heat? You seem to mention them in nearly every post.

Matt

 

[begreen]

It's the outhouse party's solution for burning off excess methane.

 

[burr]

It seems that a $300 Englander is going to end up as a several thousand dollar job in the end run, with no less than $1,000 going to the liner, and installation (if required, and a proper installation and passing inspection) is required, and don't forget a thousand on surrounding clearances and heat shields. So you can forget the $300 stove...

I understand the money squeeze; I'm in the same boat shopping for a stove, slinger. Maybe the first step for us should be to check with our homeowners agent and see what HE requires for continuing coverage. See my post below.

 

[begreen]

Where would the stove be installed Slinger? Need to know the installation location first before knowing what installation costs might be. Extra heatshielding is only required where clearances can't be met. If this is a freestanding stove going into a preexisting flue, the installation costs may be much lower. Expect to pay about $6-700 for a new Englander 13NC. That is what I would consider long before paying $350 for the old stove, especially if you can use the tax credit for the stove and installation. The new stove will burn cleaner and as hot, using less wood.

 

[slinger646]

Im burning a Vogelzang Boxwood now. I bought it because It was cheap, I was poor and I needed heat.

I had the chimney professionally refurbished in summer '08. It sets in the Eastern of 3 equal size rooms on the ground floor, Far Left if you're at the front door.

http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i68/slinger646/House Pictures/?action=view&current=n7801574_37521908_7390.jpg

Our bedroom is over the stove room.

The 'Zang did fine, but I think I can do better.

Thanks for the help

 

[begreen]

Looks like a nice home.

Switching from the boxwood is a good plan. The Englanders are better built. You should use less wood and burn cleaner. I would expect longer burntimes too. The Vzang Boxwood requires 36" clearances on all sides, so it should be a good fit for a 13NC or equivalent. If the hearth is sized correctly, then this should be a pretty easy install.

Worth checking around though. You might be able to get a mid-sized Napoleon 1400 or a Buck stove easier depending on nearby stores. Or maybe just head over to Englander's factory and see the folks that make em.

 

[BrotherBart]

If you decide you want something like the 13-NC the Timber Ridge labeled one, exactly the same stove, is available from overstockstoves.com for $789 delivered to a freight terminal near you. It will be a whole nother world compared to that Zang box. Less wood, more heat, won't crack in two in the middle of the night etc. And will hold a burn a lot longer. It is made in and shipped from Monroe over by Lynchburg, VA. To get optimum performance it would be a good thing to run a stainless steel liner up that chimney but it ain't a show stopper.

http://overstockstoves.com/50epacenowos.html

 

[slinger646]

Looks like a nice home.

Switching from the boxwood is a good plan. The Englanders are better built. You should use less wood and burn cleaner. I would expect longer burntimes too. The Vzang Boxwood requires 36" clearances on all sides, so it should be a good fit for a 13NC or equivalent. If the hearth is sized correctly, then this should be a pretty easy install.

Worth checking around though. You might be able to get a mid-sized Napoleon 1400 or a Buck stove easier depending on nearby stores. Or maybe just head over to Englander's factory and see the folks that make em.

Thanks.

What is this hearth you speak of?

I just threw a stove board on top of the floor and let her eat. Should I have built something?

We have a Home Depot, Lowes, and various Co-Ops.

There is an Acme Stove Co. In the city, but they seem pricey from just driving by.

Brother Bart,

Wonder if It'd be cheaper to get one from the factory? I used to come through Monroe on my old Truck Route.

 

[BrotherBart]

VA doesn't need as much heat as up here. I've heated half my 90 year old 1600 sq ft house with a 25K btu stove. If you have an open floor plan you could do well with a stove slightly larger.

If he is around St. Paul, VA the split between Schenectady's and his highs and lows are around 5 to 8 degrees in winter so he needs to toss some heat in the joint.

 

[webbie]

RUN

 

[Dix]

Nice house. I want a porch

Is it a duplex? If so, are you trying to heat both sides of it with the stove? I notice 2 chimneys.

 

[slinger646]

Nice house. I want a porch

Is it a duplex? If so, are you trying to heat both sides of it with the stove? I notice 2 chimneys.

Thanks!

The left door is at the stove room, the middle room is a family room.

The house was designed for a wood cookstove and the right door allows access to the kitchen and stairs. The rest of the house can be shut off from the kitchen.

Laundry and Toilet are in an 1920's addition. House didn't get indoor plumbing until 1974.

There are three jacks on the L chimney and 2 on the right.

Limestone, Im along the WV border, it gets damn cold. We had a few weeks of sub-zero temps, not to mention I'm in a holler (that's hollow for those of you in points north)

 

[slinger646]

Ok, so the Home Depot is running a credit promotion, and im torn....Do I get the Model 13-NCH for 1,149 or the 30NCH for 1,299.

Ive always gone larger if given a chance, can any of you gurus advise me?

Much obliged,

Slinger

 

[mellow]

Easy, buy the 30 for $999 from Lowes

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=268086-76845-50-SNC30LC&lpage=none

Zero Monthly Payments and Interest for 12 Months if Paid in full Within 12 Months on single-receipt
purchases of $299 or more on your Lowe's Consumer Credit Card.
September 3, 2009 through September 7, 2009.

 

[slinger646]

Easy, buy the 30 for $999 from Lowes

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=268086-76845-50-SNC30LC&lpage=none

Zero Monthly Payments and Interest for 12 Months if Paid in full Within 12 Months on single-receipt
purchases of $299 or more on your Lowe's Consumer Credit Card.
September 3, 2009 through September 7, 2009.

Even better, but it's not offered at any of my local (50 +/-miles) stores

 

[gasavage]

Try www.overstockstoves.com These stoves are made in Va, and this is their outlet. Their site says free shipping. How close are you to Monroe? You may be able to pick one up.

 

[CTburning]

To me it is simple. You need a more efficient stove. I looked at Lowe's website for the store next to me. The 13 is $729 for 1800 sq ft or the 30 is $999 for 2200 sq ft. If you have poor insulation you might want to go with the bigger stove. With the 30% tax credit the big stove is going to be $999+ tax and you get an extra $300 back in April. I'm going to tell you my story because we have some things in common. I was broke last winter but ran through two cords of soft maple in two months and was cold from the middle of January on. I used oil and some scraps and bio bricks to get by but kept the house at 55 all the time. That was my incentive to buy this spring. I bought a new Fireview during their best sale in years, sold my old stove and in the end I'm going to have spent about 1400 out of pocket for the new stove(vs 2700 reg price, "you could say I picked it up at the factory, it's cheaper that way"). Yes I had to stretch a little to use all my savings to pay for the stove but in I am going to be a lot better off in the end.

You are on this site so you have access to a computer. Go to Home Depot and Lowe's website and look at these stoves. They can always ship one from another store to a store close to you. They are the same stoves! If you can only get credit at home depot, see if they will price match. As long as they are not loosing money, they will work with you. Now that I think about it, $700 net for the stove -$350 for my old. If it takes the same size pipe I would be out like $400 with tax. Just my opinion but it seems pretty straight forward to me.

 

[BrotherBart]

Get it from overstockstoves.com for $1,089 with shipping included. They will be shipping it about 70 miles if you are in Appalachia.

 

[mellow]

I think the 12 months 0% interest is really what got his attention, can't get that from overstockstoves.com.