new stove with simplest design ?

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Thank you for all the excellent information. My Kent stove is more than 20 years old & needs replacing (the interior top baffle is now so warped that the chimney damper will only move an inch or so). A welder has looked at it, but says it's not salvageable (well - not reasonably salvageable). It's my only source of heat & I've loved it - perfect for my home here in the Northwest Territories. Because we don't have easy access to parts or repair people, I need something really sturdy & reliable, able to heat from August to April with 8 weeks in middle of minus 40. I don't know the model of my Kent, but it's 19.5 " long X 15.25" high X 17.5" wide. My house is about 700 sq. ft with 437 sq ft on the main floor and a 256 sq. ft loft open to the main floor, so a bit of air volume. I've loved the welded contiguous steel and the simplicity. Knowledgeable people have suggested either Pacific Energy or Napolean as a replacement. I'd appreciate any feedback! Thanks!
 
Everybody has their favorite. Take a look at the Napoleon 1402 while you are at it. Simple design, and burns super clean.
 
Elm wood stoves have a history dating back to the mid 70's. There are still many Elms in service, and often needing work. I make new parts available for all the models. It is also possible to rebuild them and bring them back to their original condition. Catalytic Elm stoves can be rebuilt using stainless steel air tubes to replace the cat components which are prone to wearing out. These are called the Wildfire Elms. It may be some time before new stoves are made as they will need to go through the emissions testing. Smart stove shoppers will keep their eyes open for used Elms in good condition, and take advantage of the parts and knowledge I use to make them clean burning members of the wood stove community again. Elms have always enjoyed a reputation for being clean burning stoves, primarily because of the cylindrical barrel, the large baffle, the firebricks and their heavy gauge construction. If you have a catalytic Elm you should pay particular attention to the Cat parts and see that they are replaced regularly and operated according to the instructions in the owner's manual. go to www.vermontironstove.com for parts and info on caring for your Elm. The youtube videos are of my own Elms with updated improvements.
 
Well, last week I finally took the plunge & bought a new stove.

As mentioned frequently on these pages, the better half was the final arbiter - a stove that didn't stick out too much. This coincided with my desire not to pay too much.

An NC-13 or is it 13-NC.....depends whether you think you're buying Englander, Summer's Heat or Timber Ridge.

On ebay, one of their distributors has them for $631 free shipping delivered to door by semi-trailer . Less 30% tax credit of $189 :cheese:

After I got it in the door I realised that the rear heat shield had taken an almighty thump on one corner. If I'd have realised that the cardboard packing lifted off the stove in one easy movement I would have done so while it was still on the trailer's rear lift and probably not accepted it.

An email to the distributor with 27 black & white 8x10 photos resolved the situation. The $336 cheque is in the mail....

My wife has the kettle situated so that the not quite level (adjusted with astute use of a ripping bar) top of the rear heatshield is partially obscured. Functional utility appears not to be compromised.

So, a new stove for $106 seems a reasonable investment

Have to get used to east west loading & smaller loads. However, that double barreled doghouse in the front works like a laser beam lighting up the wood.

The Kent had a grill on top so I never measured stove top temp directly on the firebox. I went more with internal flue temp 18" up. The stove top temp goes pretty high...

By the way, the moral of my stove breaking in is "do not read about breaking in a new stove on Hearth.com while breaking in a new stove...stove top temp reaches 850" some of you guys write very distracting comments. does this sound like two pilots playing computer games on laptops while flying for Northwest?

Below is photo pre-adjustment
 

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I don't get how you can wind up with a stove that does anything if you only paid $100 for it. What sort of quality can you expect ? I look on the internet and it's going to cost more than that just to get a stove shipped.
 
blackwal said:
I don't get how you can wind up with a stove that does anything if you only paid $100 for it. What sort of quality can you expect ? I look on the internet and it's going to cost more than that just to get a stove shipped.

That price looks to include some discounts and a refund from the damage and possibly the tax credit the government is offering.
 
He bought an englander that doesn't normally sell for 100$. A great deal on a stove with a dependable reputation. You can't buy that stove for 100$.
 
Bigg_Redd said:
summit said:
PE spectrum series

x2

x3 i guess. Thats a great, simple stove. If you went with a 2.0-2.4 cubic foot firebox stove from
Quad
Regency
Lopi
Avalon
PE
The stove I heat my house with which I am not allowed to name because someone gets annoyed model 2.3

You would have an experience similar to what your used to. That Kent tile stove brings back great memories. I heated my home with one back in the 80s when I lived in Lake George area. What a pleasure to burn.
 
Hearthstone Homestead... single air control. One of my friends has one. Burns like a champ.

Heats up to: 1,800 sq. ft.
Burn Time: Up to 8 hours
Heat Life: Up to 12 hours
Size: 50,000 BTUs
EPA Rating: 1.9 grams per hour
Efficiency: 83.5%
Maximum Log Length: 21"
 
Bigg_Redd - 04 November 2009 01:07 PM

I’d recommend the Pacific Energy


BrotherBart 04 November 2009 04:33 PM

And a new welding rig to go with it. :coolgrin:


BrotherBart

Your ability to skewer is legendary :exclaim:
 
blackwal said:
I don't get how you can wind up with a stove that does anything if you only paid $100 for it. What sort of quality can you expect ? I look on the internet and it's going to cost more than that just to get a stove shipped.


BB said "Yeah, I know that wood stoves are just space heaters. But the space I want to heat is my house."


George Carlin said "A house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it....That's what your house is, a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get...more stuff! "


I say "A wood stove is just a fire with a cover on it."


If I can get one that heats the cover on my stuff without paying out a heap then I'm happy. Pay too much and then you have to buy a welding unit to fix the rips in the cover.
 
I have a kent tile fire I just got and I was wondering If you could tell me how you have the damper adjusted while you are running it.
 
The short answer is fully in so that the door is locked.

I have a probe flue thermometer about 18 or 20 inches up and I usually took the internal flue temp up to about 800 before closing the damper.

Below is an excerpt from the owner's manual (circa 1985):

PRINCIPAL OF OPERATION OF THE TILE FIRE:
The volatile gases given off by wood will burn, but only in the presence of high temperatures and
oxygen. The secondary chamber at the top of the main chamber has been specially designed to
slow the gases down and force them back over the hearth. The gases become thoroughly mixed
with the air supply, and this, together with the high temperatures on the hearth and at the base of the
upper chamber make the gases burn, releasing much more heat per pound of wood than conven-
tional burning. There are two controls which affect the rate of burning — a by-pass damper and an
air slide. The by-pass damper is controlled by the lever to the right of the unit above the door. This
must be pulled out when lighting the fire. With the by-pass damper open (fully out) the hot gases can
escape up the chimney connector, and warm the heating system to operating temperature. Once
the fire is established, the damper must be closed (lever fully in) and left in this position unless the
door is opened. The door cannot be opened while the damper is in. The air supply is controlled by
the knob on the left hand side of the unit and allows a controlled air supply into the main chamber to
give the best burning characteristics at the rate of firing required.
Moving the knob to the Left allows more air in and the fire burns faster. Moving the knob to the Right
gives a slower controlled burn. The knob should be fully to the left during light up and after
refuelling.

LIGHTING THE TILE FIRE: Do not use a grate or elevate fire, Build fire directly on hearth.
1. Pull the bypass damper lever forward and open the door. Move the air slide knob to the left so
that it is in the ‘full open’ position. Place several pieces of crumpled newspaper in the centre of
the Tile Fire, criss—cross 8 or 10 pieces of dry kindling wood on top of the paper, then stack
several small pieces of dry wood over the kindling.
2. Ignite the paper and close the door. Leave the damper lever pulled out. This will allow the hot
gases to vent directly into the chimney and quickly create the necessary draft for combustion.
3. The fire will take a few minutes to establish itself. When it has, open the door add two or three
logs, depending on size, then close the door and push the bypass damper lever in for the normal
operation (this will lock the door closed). The air slide knob should be fully open, and when the
flames have started to char the logs the slide can be adjusted to suit burning conditions and heat
requirements. · `
4. To restart a fire from overnight operation, simply rake hot embers towards the front of the Tile
Fire and add a couple of logs so that they rest on the hot cinders. Open the air slide and the logs
should begin burning in just a few minutes.

LOADING THE TILE FIRE:
One of the great features of your Tile Fire is that it can be fully loaded and left to burn efficiently for
many hours. There are, however, ways in which you should load your Tile Fire to give you maximum I
efficiency and reduced maintenance.
* It doesn’t make sense to add more wood than you have to. You will get the best efficiency when
you add only the amount of wood needed until next time you are free to refuel.
* Don’t be afraid to use woods of different types, shapes, diameters and lengths (up to 19" long).
* Always try to place the logs so that air can flow between them. This will enhance combustion and
fire appearance considerably. .
* Always use dry wood. If you have green or wet wood, use only small amounts mixed in with dry
wood on a good hot fire.
 
I think my Jotul is pretty great. Very easy to operate. Like most here, we like what we own.
 
I found this thread doing a search for the kent tileside. Just to add a positive note to the person who got the stove for $100.00, I fot my tileside that is 8 years old for free, yes free, off of craigslist.com here in the US. I think I scored big time. I didnt even know what I had gotten till I researched it. Do not doubt the power of the internet for great deals people. Also, thank you to those who have provided great info that I was looking for. I grew up in Massachusetts in a split with a huge fireplace insert stove(cant remember name) and absolutely love wood heat. We burned 8 cords over the cold months. Please just dont doubt the quality of deals that are out there for great products.
 
Kent Wood Stove - $150 (Kittery)

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Date: 2010-09-03, 11:17AM EDT
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]

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Kent Wood Stove, very limited use. ex.cond. Kittery
207-451-8482. First $150 takes it


Location: Kittery
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
 
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