stove style

[netmouse]

There is one more problem with trying to decide on what wood stove to buy to replace the 25-year old VC Defiant.

The Enerzone Solution 3.4 I'm strongly considering. But it is a front door only style. No side or top door for loading wood. Therefore, I would want to load wood front-to-back to avoid wood rolling and being against the glass doors if loaded side-to-side (as wood burns and settles). The issues are the depth is 18" - a problem if my wood is not precisely 18" - but even so it'd be right against the back and front glass door. Geez, I don't know why they did not make the depth 19" to give a wee bit of flexibility. And I do not see any metal posts in front of the glass doors to protect them as I see on some brands.

Your opinion?

 

[mhrischuk]

Funny you mention that. My two Hearthstones have the same issue. No wood catchers in the front to help keep logs from falling into the glass. On the Equinox it's not a big deal as there is a side load door. But with my Clydesdale insert, if a log falls into the glass you aren't opening the door for a while.

I'm considering fabricating something.

 

[begreen]

Andirons are somewhat of a throwback to a fireplace look in which all logs were loaded E/W. I have had top and front loaders and since moving to a front door, north south loading stove haven't looked back. The Enerzone should work out fine. You will like the additional wiggle room of the more square firebox. The occasional longer stick gets put in diagonally.

 

[Stump_Branch]

Funny you mention that. My two Hearthstones have the same issue. No wood catchers in the front to help keep logs from falling into the glass. On the Equinox it's not a big deal as there is a side load door. But with my Clydesdale insert, if a log falls into the glass you aren't opening the door for a while.

I'm considering fabricating something.

Id love to add adirons to mine. Not just to keep a log off but help in stuffing more wood in too.

 

[FyreBug]

Most boxes today are E/W. While the 3.4 gives you 18" depth you still have 22 1/2 sideways. It's a huge box with an internal lip, so you can cram a fair amount of wood in there.

 

[wkpoor]

I had a stove once that only had a front door and could only be loaded E-W. Good stove but didn't care for that part. Had to have log catchers in the front and had to work log in and around when loading. Didn't care for that part.

 

[netmouse]

Most boxes today are E/W. While the 3.4 gives you 18" depth you still have 22 1/2 sideways. It's a huge box with an internal lip, so you can cram a fair amount of wood in there.

The sideways wood load is what I do not want to avoid logs piled up at front doors. Loading front-back (north-south) is what I want but the depth is exactly 18 inches, what the standard wood cut is supposed to be. What if there is a slight mismatch and you can't load wood that way as the wood is just a hair longer than 18" as it is not a perfect world. They give no wiggle room, which also lessens the air flow if the wood is right up to the back and front.

I don't know what this internal lip is and how that works.

 

[FyreBug]

If you prefer a N/S loading stove, why not look at the Osburn 2300? A few users on this forum have it. You may want to PM Swedichef as he's a regular contributor and has one of them. http://www.osburn-mfg.com/product.aspx?CategoId=1&Id=548

It's a long firebox and you can load your wood N/S up to 20" in lenght. Since its a fairly deep box it comes with a build in bypass damper to help the draft on start up and when opening the door.

 

[netmouse]

If you prefer a N/S loading stove, why not look at the Osburn 2300? A few users on this forum have it. You may want to PM Swedichef as he's a regular contributor and has one of them. http://www.osburn-mfg.com/product.aspx?CategoId=1&Id=548

It's a long firebox and you can load your wood N/S up to 20" in lenght. Since its a fairly deep box it comes with a build in bypass damper to help the draft on start up and when opening the door.

I am looking at what stores in this area have (north New Jersey).

 

[tfdchief]

The sideways wood load is what I do not want to avoid logs piled up at front doors. Loading front-back (north-south) is what I want but the depth is exactly 18 inches, what the standard wood cut is supposed to be. What if there is a slight mismatch and you can't load wood that way as the wood is just a hair longer than 18" as it is not a perfect world. They give no wiggle room, which also lessens the air flow if the wood is right up to the back and front.

I don't know what this internal lip is and how that works.

netmouse,
I am going to assume you buy your wood. Standard can be whatever you want it to be if you cut your own. If you buy, ask them to cut to your length. If they won't, I would go looking somewhere else.

 

[netmouse]

netmouse,
I am going to assume you buy your wood. Standard can be whatever you want it to be if you cut your own. If you buy, ask them to cut to your length. If they won't, I would go looking somewhere else.

North NJ is not a big wood stove area with very few stores. 2 went out of business and the big tax credit incentive is gone. There are a few sources to buy wood, and they price at several standard lengths (18", etc.). I finally found one that does provide really good wood and the price is OK. Given that 18" is a standard, I'm just amazed the stove mfg does not cut a tiny bit deeper.

 

[tfdchief]

netmouse,
I am going to assume you buy your wood. Standard can be whatever you want it to be if you cut your own. If you buy, ask them to cut to your length. If they won't, I would go looking somewhere else.

North NJ is not a big wood stove area with very few stores. 2 went out of business and the big tax credit incentive is gone. There are a few sources to buy wood, and they price at several standard lengths (18", etc.). I finally found one that does provide really good wood and the price is OK. Given that 18" is a standard, I'm just amazed the stove mfg does not cut a tiny bit deeper.

That would be a problem then. I don't know that much about firewood dealers because I have never purchased wood. But I have never heard of that standard. I can remember when 24" was standard for fireplaces. Anyway, that doesn't help you. Some members have jigs they use to cut a bunch of wood off that is to long and they seem to work well. You can still burn the pieces that are left. If you are interested, the threads were in the wood shed. I will try to find them if you are interested.

 

[FyreBug]

netmouse,
I am going to assume you buy your wood. Standard can be whatever you want it to be if you cut your own. If you buy, ask them to cut to your length. If they won't, I would go looking somewhere else.

North NJ is not a big wood stove area with very few stores. 2 went out of business and the big tax credit incentive is gone. There are a few sources to buy wood, and they price at several standard lengths (18", etc.). I finally found one that does provide really good wood and the price is OK. Given that 18" is a standard, I'm just amazed the stove mfg does not cut a tiny bit deeper.

Cord wood is typically 12 to 16" in length. So it looks like you are getting a 'bakers dozen' when it comes to length. 18" is not standard unless someone wants to correct me.

 

[BrotherBart]

If you are looking at the stove at a local dealer, take a sixteen, eighteen and nineteen inch split to the shop and see how they fit. With most stoves of that design you will find that the 18" splits can go on the bottom N/S and that ones an inch or two longer work just fine on top of them where they can extend over the air distribution lip inside the door.

 

[netmouse]

If you are looking at the stove at a local dealer, take a sixteen, eighteen and nineteen inch split to the shop and see how they fit. With most stoves of that design you will find that the 18" splits can go on the bottom N/S and that ones an inch or two longer work just fine on top of them where they can extend over the air distribution lip inside the door.

The store is newly bringing in this stove and does not have one in the store yet. I also called my wood dealer and they said the "average length is 18 inches". Some longer, and some shorter. They say they can't trim each piece to be sure it is not more than 18". They don't custom cut for whatever reason (if I want 16" or whatever). The new yellow pages phone book is down to 3 wood suppliers and I'm waiting on call backs to see if I get a better answer.

I may just say the heck with this and get the Jotul 500, a smaller stove but probably ok and a bit more expensive. The Jotul 600 is large, but that means more expensive. I'm unemployed and every penny counts. And this stove choice is getting too many issues popping up.

 

[BrotherBart]

The fact is that you can get an electric chainsaw for thirty or forty bucks and trim what you need to. You won't have it as bad as I did when my old dtove busted and I had five cord of 24" firewood on the stacks and had to trim it all to 18"-19". Get up. Load stove. Eat breakfast. Trim tomorrow's wood. Do some work. Repeat tomorrow.

 

[fredarm]

What about an Englander NC 30? It will take an 18 inch split N/S with room to spare.