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Fredo

Member
Nov 24, 2011
206
Mi
I am delighted and thankful for finding this website. I recently purchased a Osburn 2000, Model # OBO2000, Wood Burning Stove.

Heating Capacity: 500-2100 square feet
2.3 cubic foot firebox
Optimum efficiency: 77%
130CM crossflow blower variable speed control

I live in Lapeer Mi and winter months are cold. My house is 1500 square feet and is 10 years old. Outside 3 walls are vinyl siding, blue foam board attached to OSB board. The front of my home is decorative stone/brick. I am currently heating home with propane that I pre-purchase every year. No matter what, heating with propane is like throwing money out the window. It is very costly to heat with propane.

As soon as my Forced Air Furnace finishes it heating cycle the temperatures in my home drop. This makes for a uncomfortable environment in my home so I finally took a leap of faith and purchased a Wood Burning Stove. The Dealer that I purchased it from was very professional and treated me like family. His business is out of his log cabin home. When my wife and I walked through front door and felt the warmth of the Osburn Wood Burning Stove radiate around us we were sold.

The thing that was most impressive about dealer was he took the time to educate me and my wife about stove. He showed us all the stove features, how the stove operates and the best part about our experience was it was a live, burning fire. We were at his home discussing stove for a few hours and I was impressed with how the stove kept his large home warm and cozy.

I only noticed a small drop in temperature as we went from living space to kitchen area and we were able to see how fire burned down over a few hours from just burning soft wood. Over all it was a great experience but I still have questions that are on my mind concerning stove.

I will be placing this stove just in front of my old Heatilator Propane Fireplace. I plan on blocking that space up next summer and tiling over it. That old fireplace is very drafty and I have shrink wrap plastic over it. It draws so much air in that plastic looks like a sailboat sail on a windy day. I was wondering if I could use this as a supplemental, outside combustion, air source to feed wood stove? If not, I have to windows that are between wood burning stove that will do.

My next question is will this stove be OVERKILL for the size home I have? Could I get away with something smaller like Osburn 1600 model? It has a heating capacity of 500-1800 square foot but only has a 1.85 cu.ft firebox volume.

I plan on burning so I can make the temps more comfortable in living space and bedrooms. My living space bleeds into my kitchen area and two bedrooms will be directly across from stove about 30 plus feet away. Another bedroom is around the corner from stove. That bedroom is at least 30 feet away from stove also.


I am not trying to heat the house where I feel like I am in a furnace per say. I am trying to heat my home where I do not have to freeze every time my furnace shuts off in the winter. Getting off the propane grid is my objective also.

I also would like to know about odor/pollution. I love the smell of a campfire and can sit around one all day but I am wondering about odor/pollution. The dealer that we went to did not have strong odor from burning wood but I am still concerned.

I know I have asked many questions and I was educated from Stove dealer but I also like to hear from wood burning community their thoughts and experiences.

Thanks for everyone taking the time to respond to my questions. I really appreciate it and Happy ThanksGiving to all...
 
Hi, and welcome.

I can't address the specific questions about your particular stove and its heating capacity, but I sure can tell you that the manufacturers' claims about the space stoves can heat are overstated from the new buyer's point of view. I doubt very much that you've bought too much stove, and in any case, it's far easier to build smaller fires in larger stoves than it is to have to run the heck out of a small one at top capacity all the time.

I hope your expectations aren't too high here, though. A woodstove is a space heater, and it's not going to heat more distant rooms as well as it heats the one it's in. You're just not going to have even heat throughout your house. There are ways of moving heat around somewhat with well-placed fans, but all of us living in cold climates and heating with wood tolerate cold spots in the house.

As for smoke odor-- if your stove and draft are functioning properly, you're running the stove right and your wood is well seasoned, there is none. Oh, a faint pleasant whiff now and again during reloading, but that's it.

Ah yes, the wood. Not having properly seasoned wood is the almost universal experience of new burners. Wood advertised and sold as "seasoned" isn't-- at least to the extent the new "EPA" stoves require. Firewood needs to be cut and split and then spend at least a year, preferably two (or even three if it's oak) outside in sun and wind before it's dry enough to burn properly.

Lastly-- it will take time, lots of trial and error, lots of good advice from the folks on this forum, to learn how to get the best out of your stove, so be prepared for some frustration along the way and don't despair! Even if the cost of heating oil collapsed and became cheap, I wouldn't go back. I love my stove, I love the soft quality of the heat, and I love wrangling the wood itself.
 
Thank you for your response to my concerns and I will use your advice. I want to make sure that I use my Wood Burning Stove correctly and benefit from it's capabilities. I have been in homes with wood burning stoves and the heat that radiates from wood burning stoves is awesome.

I will use the blower fan my model comes with and other fans within my home to circulate air. Hopefully I can rid my home of winter chills...


Have a great ThanksGiving

Fredo
 
Welcome
You'll answer allot of your own questions as you get the stove up & burning.
I'll add to the above about dry wood, #1 key.
You'll save allot of money on your heat bill & probably will be surprised how well it heats & how much less time the furnace is running.
Pictures of the install are real nice , we love seeing new stoves come online.
 
Bogydave, thanks for your response. Like all newbies I have many questions and concerns.

As for wood I have a few good resources and my son will be moving a bit of it to my pole barn for storage. He is my backbone at the present moment. I herniated a disk in my back and not able to lift, bend or do anything at the present moment! What a time to hurt my back!

My stove is still at dealers house where I have to pick it up. Dealer is loading stove into back of my truck and I am going to have it off loaded by a great neighbor. He is using his large farm tractor with forks and placing it on back of my deck.

My good friends are coming over to figure out how to ramp stove up through back of door wall into my living space. One of my buds is German and can make rocketships out of paper clips! I know he will get this stove to its resting place!

Another good friend and neighbor is coming over tomorrow to build my ceramic tile hearth. I am grateful to my buds. They are a blessing in my time of need.

Out of the 10 neighbors in my neighborhood I will be fifth to jump on board heating my home with a wood burning stove. We are trying to get off the utility grid and trying to become self sufficient instead of relying on resources that are controlled by others.


Thanks

Fredo
 
Hey Fredo,

Welcome to the forum and happy thanksgiving. The unit you bought should be the perfect size for your home and climate. I have the Osburn 2400 and I love it. Its great to hear you have so many great buds to help you out. wood burning is pretty labor intensive so having help in your time of need. You're gonna love it. Good luck with the install. And as everyone has said, seasoned wood is key.
 
DaFattKidd, thanks for your response. I was wondering if you had to get your stove into your home? I am at a crossroad as how to get this stove into my house? I am wondering now if my deck will hold 410lbs? I would hate to find out the day that my neighbor forks it onto deck.

I also thought about building a ramp up to my front door and dolly it up and in. Thats what my stove dealer suggested but I am not sure what to do at this point? Stove will be on a wooden pallet. Dealer also suggested if I had moving straps and for two men to move stove that way. I think that would be asking for trouble and could/would injure someone.

If you have any suggestions about my situation I would really appreciate them.

As I mentioned from previous post I have a herniated disk and I am completely helpless in doing anything that will compromise my back...

Thanks loads my friend...
 
Will your deck hold 410 poounds? That is the same as two big fellas standing side by side. I think the deck will hold, unless it is a really flimsy deck. 410 pounds is a lot for one guy, but not really a major problem for two guys, especially with a dolly and some experience moving heavy things.

I would make sure your friend who is building the ceramic tile hearth knows how to design a hearth for a wood burner. Your stove manual should specify the R value of the hearth in front of the stove, and in many cases proper design requires more than just non-flammable tiles. The wood under the tiles is still flammable, and if the tiles get very hot the wood could catch fire. Check before you build.

Get lots of firewood and let it season as long as possible. You will have to make due with what you have this year. I'd try to put wood for the following two winters in the barn and let it season. Next year you'll be a lot better off than you are this year, and in two winters you will be amazed how much better the stove works.
 
Hello and thanks for your reply. You are correct about two men standing side by side on deck. It will hold the weight of stove. As for Fire protection under stove. Owners manual states Ceramic Tiles back filled with grout.

I plan on ceramic tiling onto backer board onto 3/4 inch plywood screwed into sub floor. I should be all set with hearth unless you recommend something else that needs to be addressed concerning floor safety?

Thanks

Fredo
 
I had to get the unit up 2 steps and into the house. I removed the door and firebricks. This probably reduced the weight by 100 lbs or so. Two of us used a handtruck and straps. It was not a big deal. I did break a hearth tile during the install process, but that's only because whoever built the hearth didn't bother to carry the mud all the way to the edges. Hope that helps. Feel free to ask any other questions.
 
Know the back issues all to well.
I did the herniated disk thing last year & was down all fall & in winter had the surgery.
Back t cutting & stuff again just to it in smaller pieces & roll the big round around & split vertical.
Sound like you'll be burning soon.
Good luck with the install.
Good to have good neighbors ;)
 
Dafattkidd and bogudave thanks a million. I am so grateful for people like yourselves that are willing to help. I appreciate your input about wood burning and issues we have discussed.

My German bud yelled at me yesterday concerning stove. He told me to get off my bum and get the stove to my house. He is retired from the military. He is 82nd AirBorne Division and truly an amazing individual.

I told him I am moving a little slower these days do to my back plus I am in the process of building my hearth.

I rechecked owners manual and it states ceramic tile for a heat barrier. My neighbor that is building hearth told me that 3/8 inch cement backer board and 1/4 inch ceramic tile will do the trick.

Well, it's time for morning meditation and some hot java to fill the veins.

Have an awesome day my friends and thanks again.

Fredo
 
Welcome Fredo, I think you are going to be very happy in your decision. The warm heat from your stove is going to feel great and I think your furnace will not even have to come on when you are properly operating your wood stove. One thing that I did on my hearth and was not very much money was I used porcelian tile instead of ceramic. Porcelian is a lot more stronger and will not chip and is rated much better with the heat. Porcelian is graded in a 1 thru 5 rating with the 5 the best. I did my hearth in porcelian and it was not much more money at all and I have been using for 2 years and have had no problems at all and have no cracks or chips at all. Good luck, and just like everyone says the dryness of your wood is the key to burning. Fellow Michiganier.
 
HighHeat22, thanks for your response. I am looking forward to setting up my wood burning stove and heating my home. I will look into what you mentioned about porcelain as I begin the project of building my heart today.


Take care and thanks

Fredo
 
Fredo,

Welcome to the Osburn club! My 2200 works as good as it looks, and I've been very happy with the amount of heat it puts out. I think you'll be very pleased once you get yours installed and running. Like others have stated, good DRY wood is the key. Once you get a bed of coals established, these stoves practically run themselves (with a little human interaction!)
 
gd9704, thanks for your response and yes I can't wait to get my stove up and running. I am talking with my neighbors that are helping me get this behemoth into my home.

I have to go to the dealer today and pick her up. Thank GOD for Ford 150s because that is how I will transport stove!

It's great being a part of this Hearth.com community. All of you have been very supportive and friendly...

Thanks

Fredo
 
Welcome to the forum Fredo. Looks like we're about 65 miles or so apart as we live west of Chesaning.


Congratulations on the new stove and you'll be happy when you get it fired up. As for moving the stove, we were faced with the same situation and a 500 lb stove. This is what we used and it made things like child's play:

Dolly.jpg


Harbor Freight has them at times around $10-$15 so it is not a big outlay and they will come in handy for many years moving things around.


I agree with gyrfalcon except for the part about the colder rooms. We have very little temperature difference in our home which is heated totally with the wood stove and we have no furnace backup. There are some times it might get a bit cooler in the rear of the house but to fix that, we set a small desktop fan (not big and not pedestal) in the hallway and blow the cool air (on low speed) towards the stove room and it is amazing how fast the other end heats up.

As for the wood, that can't be stressed enough. I like to recommend having 2-3 years of wood on hand at all times. Why? First and foremost so it is dry by the time you are ready to burn it. Second, think about that back of yours! There are many with the same problem and when it happens, if you do not have a stockpile of wood on hand, then you are either buying wood or asking someone else to put it up for you. I believe it is better to put your own wood up. I also believe drying the wood outdoors is much, much better than putting it into a barn. Our wood goes into the barn only after it has been dried. btw, we never count drying time until the wood has been cut to length, split and stacked. If it isn't split, it won't dry except on the ends.

Good luck to you.
 
As for spreading the heat around the house- I do well with the fan on the insert, and ceiling fans on low. I also have electric heaters in the bedrooms to get the rooms up to temp quick, or have the ability to keep warm and close the doors. I don't use them much, they are not necessary, but its nice to have in the bedrooms. * Also worth noting I got them all for free.
 
But if you would also use a small desktop fan you likely would not need those electric heaters. It is amazing what this can do for evening out the heat. The blower on the insert is great for getting the warm air into the room and the other will only compliment it.
 
Backwoods savage, nice meeting you and thanks for your input.

I have run into a snag with the installation of wood stove. As my one neighbor and I were laying hearth design on floor my next door neighbor happened to stop over. He is a custom builder by trade and wanted to see where my ceiling trusses ran above stove area.

Lo and Behold, stove stack runs directly into truss! Thank God my neighbor came over before I fixed backer board to floor! That would have been a disaster explaining that one to the wife.

So it's back to the drawing board. My builder neighbor is crunching numbers as I write to come up with a price for an alcove. This would save me the headache of offsetting stack and prevent eye sore in my living space!

In the mean while I am ordering hard wood for my son to stash in pole barn for winter. At least I can get something done while my stove project is in limbo....

Fredo
 
We had a picture perfect install for the Castine with a plumb straightup flue. Then we upgraded to the T6. Clearances were met, in spite of being a larger stove, but the flue location was different. Fortunately I could make a clean offset using a pair of 45s. At first I thought it would bother me, but now we don't even notice it.

If you are planning to make an alcove, be sure the stove qualifies for this type installation and follow the manual directives for the hearth and clearances. They are often different, but I find no mention of alcove installation in the manual. If possible, exceed clearances and be sure that the ceiling height in the alcove is at least 84".

PS: I wouldn't worry about overkill with the heat output. Often in cold climates, the opposite it the case. Although the 2000 is rated at 2.3? cu ft, the usable firebox size is smaller, more like 1.7 cu ft.
 
Begreen, thanks for your input. I have to look into wether or not my stove is rated for an alcove. If not, I hope that I can manage to place stove into my living room without a major offset eyesore.

My neighbor is aware of clearances for my model stove.

If the above falls through than I will look into a model that will fit alcove. So far I have remained cool and collected because my project seems to be all over the map wright now.

I am just grateful that I have good neighbors and friends at Hearth.com that have supported me on my wood burning project...


Fredo
 
I am not an expert so check with your custom builder, but why couldn't you box off the bottom of the truss and then do two 45s to go in between the upper parts of the truss?
 
The 45s have to be on the connector side. The largest angle elbow allowed with class A is 30 degrees. But if that would work and there is room, that is another options.
 
Firestarter - you will LOVE the savings in your energy bills, and there is something about wood stove heat it is so much warmer than from a heat pump, you will love it!
 
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