Thinking About Buying The Enerzone 2.3 Wood Burning Stove...Opinions Please

[offgridgirl]

My husband and I built a berm off grid home. We have not been lucky with our choices for heating even tough we have researched. We live in the East TN mountains. Our house is air tight, mostly underground, and about 1100 square feet. First we bought a propane Empire Fireplace. Little did we know how much moisture and humidity propane throws off. Our sliding doors were icing over on the inside in the winter and we couldn't get out. We sold that and bought a small Empire heater with hopes of adding to that and buying a wood stove. To save money, last Fall we bought a 1100 sq ft stove from Lowe's...I know...big mistake. So today we went to the only wood stove dealer in our area. He recommended, based on our wants and needs, the Enerzone 2.3. Does anyone have any experience with this or have you heard anything about this model? I would appreciate any input.

My husband and I want a an easy stove to use and something that will work. We have plenty of wood on our property so we want a wood stove. We don't need it as the main heater but it would be a bonus if propane gets super expensive. The stove is on the front wall of our house between 2 double paned sliding doors.

Thanks for your help.

 

[certified106]

Get an Aldelea T5
It's a gorgeous little stove, Very nice fire viewing, easy to operate, maintenance is super easy.
I should add that there are tons of possibilities to choose from stove wise and others will have some great suggestions. You definitely chose the right place to educated about woodstoves. Enjoy the journey.

 

[BrotherBart]

What is the problem with the stove you have now?

 

[offgridgirl]

What is the problem with the stove you have now?

It doesn't heat. Forget about heating the house, that stove won't even heat up our front living area which is @500 sq ft. The pipe is drafting with no trouble. Hubby has tried everything he could to get it hot. We even took the fire brick out which did make it hotter but still not even close to what it is rated for. It's pitiful...and it had good reviews...go figure.

 

[certified106]

What is the problem with the stove you have now?

It doesn't heat. Forget about heating the house, that stove won't even heat up our front living area which is @500 sq ft. The pipe is drafting with no trouble. Hubby has tried everything he could to get it hot. We even took the fire brick out which did make it hotter but still not even close to what it is rated for. It's pitiful...and it had good reviews...go figure.

Let's talk bout how it doesn't heat as it seems there is a problem.....Can you explain in detail how long the wood you are burning has seasoned/what type of wood it is, describe the chimney setup (what size flue/how tall is the chimney) and how tight your house is. You need to put the fire bricks back in the stove they are there for a reason, which is to help the firebox get hot enough to light and sustain secondaries. Pictures of the setup/chimney will help everyone around here diagnose the problems.

 

[offgridgirl]

What is the problem with the stove you have now?

It doesn't heat. Forget about heating the house, that stove won't even heat up our front living area which is @500 sq ft. The pipe is drafting with no trouble. Hubby has tried everything he could to get it hot. We even took the fire brick out which did make it hotter but still not even close to what it is rated for. It's pitiful...and it had good reviews...go figure.

Let's talk bout how it doesn't heat as it seems there is a problem.....Can you explain in detail how long the wood you are burning has seasoned/what type of wood it is, describe the chimney setup (what size flue/how tall is the chimney) and how tight your house is. You need to put the fire bricks back in the stove they are there for a reason, which is to help the firebox get hot enough to light and sustain secondaries. Pictures of the setup/chimney will help everyone around here diagnose the problems.

We are burning locust. It has been seasoned for 1 year. The pipe(chimney) is double wall, 6", 12 feet tall plus the 6 inch connector(?) o the top of the stove plus the cap. We have had roaring fires in the box..no problems with drafting. It just doesn't heat. I would love to fix this one as opposed to getting another one.

Here is a link with pictures of what we did. Sorry...it is in story form as I have been writing our off grid building story for almost 3 years. Just scroll down for my pictures.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/18527647-post2173.html

Thanks
Lisa

 

[begreen]

Well, to start with, that is a non-kosher flue installation. It seems like an invitation for leaks with the flashing under the roofing and no storm collar. Also, the stove is not supposed to be supporting the class A pipe. Some money could have been saved by not running the class A pipe in the house. I would also add 3 more feet for stronger draft.

Is that a Century stove? Looks a bit like the CB00012. It should heat pretty well, but it will want to burn dry wood and I would mix in some less dense wood for starter fuel and add the locust after a good coal bed is established. What I'm wondering is whether you are comparing the convective heat from this stove with that of a radiant stove. This stove has heat shields on the sides for close clearance. The firebrick should be kept in the stove, put them back in. You won't get strong side heat because of the side shields, but the fire will be cooler and secondary combustion is unlikely. With a thermometer on the stove and some different dry wood mixed in, tell us how you start up the fire, and run the stove once it is warmed up. Tell us the temperatures you are seeing so that we see what you are seeing.

Also, this place looks to be spray foamed which will make for a very tight house envelope. There is a possibility that the stove will need outside air. One thing you can try is to open up a nearby window or patio slider a crack (1/2" will be fine) and see if the fire perks up when you do this. If so, the stove needs outside air.

These stoves have weak documentation which may be part of the problem here. Reassemble the stove, get a stove top thermometer on it. Then we can go over how to burn in it for good heat.

Edit: I just downloaded the manual for the CB00012 and have to correct myself. The older Century stoves has poor docs, but this one (by SBI) has quite good docs, including installation diagrams and pictures.

 

[offgridgirl]

Thanks for the help.

Lowe's took our Pleasant Hearth stove back for a full refund.

We ended up buying an Englander. Installed it this morning and it is awesome. Love, love love it and saved lots of money

 

[webby3650]

That is great! I am glad it does better, which model is it? About the flue, it really needs a ceiling support box, or a roof support, without this the stove supports all the weight. The Class A chimney really needs to come through the drop ceiling, into the living space by several inches. This is a fire in your house, this really needs to be corrected.

 

[Mt Ski Bum]

Thanks for the help.

Lowe's took our Pleasant Hearth stove back for a full refund.

We ended up buying an Englander. Installed it this morning and it is awesome. Love, love love it and saved lots of money

pics?

 

[PapaDave]

Lisa, I was following your thread over there last year. Very cool what you and Mike have going.
As BeGreen mentioned, that flue setup isn't kosher, and the flashing setup will cause a problem down the road. Also, flue height is a little lacking.
I'm glad you were able to get an Englander to work for you. Which model did you get? In your situation, I hope you got the 13, it should do quite well.
You already know that people on forums love pics. Come on, post 'em up of the Englander. :lol:

 

[offgridgirl]

Thanks all. We got the Englander 30.


Ugg Having trouble with pictures. I'll have to re post.

 

[DexterDay]

Thanks all. We got the Englander 30.


Ugg Having trouble with pictures. I'll have to re post.

That is a big HEAVY stove. Just picked one up last weekend. A Great stove based on the reviews and comments made here.

I too have problems when I post pics. The ones I do manage to get up, come out sideways or upside-down.

Congrats. From what I read, with properly seasoned wood, this thing is a tank.

 

[offgridgirl]

Lisa, I was following your thread over there last year. Very cool what you and Mike have going.
As BeGreen mentioned, that flue setup isn't kosher, and the flashing setup will cause a problem down the road. Also, flue height is a little lacking.
I'm glad you were able to get an Englander to work for you. Which model did you get? In your situation, I hope you got the 13, it should do quite well.
You already know that people on forums love pics. Come on, post 'em up of the Englander. :lol:

Thank you for helping. Mike wants to know what is wrong with the flue system and flashing. He did brace it this time around because this stove is a keeper Our flue is also more than 15 feet from the floor to the top of the chimney which is what the manufacturer recommends. How should the flashing be done on a metal roof?

Thanks for the help.

P.S. How do I post pics from photobucket???/ Anybody, lol?

 

[offgridgirl]

Thanks all. We got the Englander 30.


Ugg Having trouble with pictures. I'll have to re post.

That is a big HEAVY stove. Just picked one up last weekend. A Great stove based on the reviews and comments made here.

I too have problems when I post pics. The ones I do manage to get up, come out sideways or upside-down.

Congrats. From what I read, with properly seasoned wood, this thing is a tank.

Congrats on yours. It is already heating up our house

Still trying to figure out the pics, lol.

 

[KodiakII]

That is great! I am glad it does better, which model is it? About the flue, it really needs a ceiling support box, or a roof support, without this the stove supports all the weight. The Class A chimney really needs to come through the drop ceiling, into the living space by several inches. This is a fire in your house, this really needs to be corrected.

The way I see it is they have chimney all the way down to the stove. The stove is supporting the whole weight, because I haven't seen a support. It amazes me the length people go to when going through a tin roof when proper flashing kits are available. Location looks like a little slice of Heaven though.

 

[begreen]

Lisa, I was following your thread over there last year. Very cool what you and Mike have going.
As BeGreen mentioned, that flue setup isn't kosher, and the flashing setup will cause a problem down the road. Also, flue height is a little lacking.
I'm glad you were able to get an Englander to work for you. Which model did you get? In your situation, I hope you got the 13, it should do quite well.
You already know that people on forums love pics. Come on, post 'em up of the Englander. :lol:

Thank you for helping. Mike wants to know what is wrong with the flue system and flashing. He did brace it this time around because this stove is a keeper Our flue is also more than 15 feet from the floor to the top of the chimney which is what the manufacturer recommends. How should the flashing be done on a metal roof?

Thanks for the help.

P.S. How do I post pics from photobucket???/ Anybody, lol?

Here's a section describing how to post pictures on the forum. If you need help, feel free to PM me.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewannounce/27_2/

 

[KodiakII]

A rubber boot type flashing kit for a metal roof should have been used. Your install should also have stove pipe (double wall preferably) up to the ceiling where it would have joined into a cathedral ceiling type mounting kit. Your stove should not be the base of your chimney.

 

[webby3650]

That is great! I am glad it does better, which model is it? About the flue, it really needs a ceiling support box, or a roof support, without this the stove supports all the weight. The Class A chimney really needs to come through the drop ceiling, into the living space by several inches. This is a fire in your house, this really needs to be corrected.

The way I see it is they have chimney all the way down to the stove. The stove is supporting the whole weight, because I haven't seen a support. It amazes me the length people go to when going through a tin roof when proper flashing kits are available. Location looks like a little slice of Heaven though.

No, they have double wall connector pipe from the class A down. The class A needs to come all the way into the room, if it is in a support box, it needs to protrude into the room.

 

[summit]

That is great! I am glad it does better, which model is it? About the flue, it really needs a ceiling support box, or a roof support, without this the stove supports all the weight. The Class A chimney really needs to come through the drop ceiling, into the living space by several inches. This is a fire in your house, this really needs to be corrected.

The way I see it is they have chimney all the way down to the stove. The stove is supporting the whole weight, because I haven't seen a support. It amazes me the length people go to when going through a tin roof when proper flashing kits are available. Location looks like a little slice of Heaven though.

despite the lack of a support, initially, and the dw pipe thru the drop ceiling, the flashing job he did was pretty good. He tucked the whole thing thru a neat and precise hole up under the metal, plenty of goo where they meet... the only thing I woulda done different for the flashing would have been to cut the hole slightly different, put a return edge on the bottom of the flashing, and overlapped the low side of it like a shingle over the lower side of the roof, makes sure water can't pool there.

 

[offgridgirl]

Thank you all again. Right now we just wanted to get the stove started. Hubby and I are changing out the roof this summer. Taking the metal off and doing shingles. At that time we will have to redo the chimney. If any of you follow our story, hubby and I do most things on our own. We eventually get it all right, lol.

This is our crazy story, lol. Lots of pictures there

http://www.city-data.com/forum/tennessee/359683-going-off-grid-east-tennessee.html

 

[begreen]

Why change out a metal roof for a higher maintenance one? It looks to be in decent condition.

 

[KodiakII]

Why change out a metal roof for a higher maintenance one? It looks to be in decent condition.

X2!
With your low slope roof shingles would be a really bad idea.

 

[PapaDave]

Lisa, these guys did a great job answering Mike's questions. My biggest concern was the flashing tucked under on the low side.
Summit addressed it well.
As BeGreen and KodiakII said, why change to shingled roof? Too much noise? Sis-in-laws place has metal and she says it helps her sleep. :coolsmile:
If you have a ceiling support box, no need to mess with the class A if you want/need to work on the stove pipe inside.
Fifteen ft. sounds good, straight up.....it looked like less. Mah bad. :sick:
I think the 30 is going to cause skimpy clothing syndrome.

 

[offgridgirl]

I think the 30 is going to cause skimpy clothing syndrome.

Man..I wish it would cause "skinny body" syndrome, lol.


Mike doesn't like the metal roof...too loud...even though we put a rubber coating on it last year. Oh well...gotta keep my man happy