Tiny home, shallow pockets, why not Vogelzang?

[Debi]

Been reading the threads on Vogelzang stoves here and it sounds like they are not highly thought of. I have read reviews at other sites and find alot of positive posts.... hmmmm, unsure what we should do so therefore my question.
A bit of info - We are replacing a very old box stove and the entire chimney system. We do not have a big budget. Our home is 500 square feet that is not an open design, the wood stove is our main heat source (no furnace here), and we are in Wyoming which equals gorgeous but cold in winter. I've been looking at the Vogelzang Defender but am concerned it won't be quite warm enough, and the Vogelzang Performer but think it may bake us out. Also looked at a Lennox Grandview 230 but it doesn't have favorable reviews and it may also bake us out. We are going with double wall interior and insulated double wall exterior pipes. The ceramic tile was layed on top the cement board yesterday and we are ready to pick out the stove. Please tell me your opinions on one of these Volgelzang stoves, or another that may work for our situation. Thanks for any and all input. God bless.

 

[kingquad]

What is your insulation like? Could you provide a floor plan?

I personally know nothing about the Vozelzang stoves other than they have ridiculous BTU claims. Lots of cheap stoves out there though.
Englander
Century
Drolet
Timberwolf

If you want any chance of an overnight burn, then I'd be looking in the 2cuft range if I were buying a non cat. In your situation though, I'd be buying a cat stove. Woodstock Keystone or Buck Model 20. Not cheap though.

 

[Debi]

The floor plan is rectangular and you can walk through each room to get to the others and back to the first one again, no doors, there is a center wall through just about the middle with a doorway near each end. The stove is in the largest room on one end, on an angle in an outside corner. Not sure of the rating of our insulation but it seems "average". It's not a drafty old place but it's not airtight either.

 

[Shane]

I would really look at an Englander. It would be worth the little extra, or maybe look at a used stove as well. The extra expenditure could turn into extra years of useful stove life that save you money in the end.

 

[begreen]

Vogelzang is a seller of stoves. Most (if not all) are from China. But some are EPA approved and not a bad value. Just avoid the bottom of the barrel junk. Some can be unsafe in a home and can be a poor investment.

If you tell us more about the home, your heating needs and what your budget options are we can be of greater assistance. Please understand though that the flue system and installation has to be safe. This is not a place for compromise. One would be better holding off and saving if the installation can't be done correctly at this time due to budget.

 

[DexterDay]

Englander 30-NC can be had pretty cheap at times. Or the Englander 13-NC (little smaller).

The 30 is a great stove.

How large are the Firebox's on the stoves your looking at? Larger the box = Longer the burn

 

[BrowningBAR]

The majority of the issues with Vogelzang comes from their Non-EPA stoves as BeGreen mentioned. Some here have the EPA approved Colonial insert and it has worked out well for them.


Also, the thread title reminds me of the meme "Why Not Zoidberg?"

 

[kingquad]

Englander 30-NC can be had pretty cheap at times. Or the Englander 13-NC (little smaller).

The 30 is a great stove.

How large are the Firebox's on the stoves your looking at? Larger the box = Longer the burn

The 30 would be ridiculously overpowered for this setup.

 

[kingquad]

Debi, what kind of wood will you be burning?

 

[Debi]

We are going to have everything professionally installed by the company we are purchasing all the pipe from. They are very busy with their installations and I have not heard any issues or dissatisfaction about them. We are spending the most on the chimney system and installation for the very reason that we want it done correctly this time. We also don't want to purchase a stove that won't last or is incorrect, but we do need to preferably keep it under $1000.00, while still being able to heat our home (described in two posts above). Thank you all

Most everyone burns pine as Ponderosa Pine is mostly what there is out here. In fact, when you buy a cord, it's all pine. We usually take down our own trees, standing dead, and let it for a year. I realize this is a soft wood but it's plentiful. Plus in the past, I have had asthma issues when burning oak. Don't know of anything else around here other then maybe some ash but that may be hard to find.

 

[begreen]

As a sole source of heat my preference would be to get some mass around the stove to even out the temperature swings. A lightweight steel stove will be like an on/off heater. Hot when running and cold when not.

I would look at a small Woodstock stove as a good, safe investment that will give you the best comfort. Or perhaps a PE Alderlea T4?

 

[RIDGERUNNER30]

Hey debi, welcome to the forum and it's good to see you doing some research on other stove brands, everybody has there own brand they perfer and such but the vogelzang brand i believe is made in china and over the years the stove will not hold up to the work load you will put the stove threw, I see you don't have alot of square footage to heat and if you have good insulation you don't need a big stove, I like the england stoves for a stove that is cheap to buy, made in the usa, and has a big following on here and with many good reviews, they are sold at big box stores and online to, I don't own one myself but would purchase one. I would love to go see wyoming some day they say it's a nice place. go to england website and look at the diffrent models but least get a 2cubic feet firebox so you don't have to load the stove so often. good luck

 

[begreen]

I like the Englander 13NC, but it needs a very well insulated hearth (R=2.0). My concern is that the OP has indicated they have already laid tile on the hearth. If this is just ember protection, the choice of stoves is going to be constrained by the hearth. Hopefully it is large enough for the stove clearances. This is why one should never build a hearth before knowing what is going on it unless one builds it large and with a high insulation value to cover a wide range of installations.

 

[kingquad]

BeGreen,
Don't you feel like the T5 would be a better fit? That T4 will struggle to get an overnight burn, especially with pine. The super firebox seems to tolerate small loads well, and give overnight burns with softwood. Plus N/S loading.

I'm honestly sticking with my original suggestion, Keystone or Buck Model 20. This screams cat stove.

 

[begreen]

500 sq ft is a tough size and this is not an open floorplan. Yes a T5 might work, but mostly at idle with small loads of wood which also means more frequent reloads. The T4 is capable of 6 hr burns which is about as good as I would expect for this small home unless one puts in a cat stove. At least the T4 has some added mass to release heat until a reload.

 

[Debi]

I really appreciate all your input, shared knowledge and help! In regards to the tile and hearth, it was already built for the old box stove but never prettied up, which is why the tile was done. It is a fairly large area and 4 feet up the walls in the corner. Probably way overboard for a smaller stove. When you say cat stove, are you referring to a catalytic?

 

[begreen]

Yes cat = catalytic. What is the construction of the current hearth and what is its dimensions. That will help refine stove choices.

 

[Debi]

I don't know the full construction of the hearth as I wasn't present when it was built, but do know that the tile was layed over cement board and it was at least 64 square feet.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

the defender by "v-gang" is A nice little stove , totally unlike the "death box" cast unit that most in here shun like the spanish flu.

its an effective heater similar to out 13-NC, guys its a real stove, dont bash it too hard , i'd actually like to see the "v-gang" get into real stoves and gain some good cred from them so they would quit selling the 279.00 POS cast ornament we all love to beat on so much.

if the Op is looking to save and put in a safe epa certified stove its not a bad choice for the economy budget. personally , i'd prefer he looked at the 13-NC we carry but im biased. simply put either unit would heat 500 sq ft with any insulation at all for well under a grand for the stove.

to the OP, welcome to the hearth, i warn you now, its addictive

 

[Dix]

Hi Debi, welcome to the forums, and welcome to Dah Sistahood (see link below in my signature ! )

I use the NC 13 to heat an accessory apartment in my home (easy, as my daughter lives there) that is 550 Sf. It does the job well. The chimney runs straight up through a one story roof. The entire install (hearth - on a slab -, stove, chimney, and incidentals) was $1100 dollars. You'll get a 6 hour tops burn out of it, but it's a serious heater. It heats another 400 Sf of my home if the connectiog doors are open.

You'd have to check the clearances to combustibles to see if it would work.

Manual info here :

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

 

[SlyFerret]

Englander 30-NC can be had pretty cheap at times. Or the Englander 13-NC (little smaller).

The 30 is a great stove.

How large are the Firebox's on the stoves your looking at? Larger the box = Longer the burn

The 30 would be ridiculously overpowered for this setup.

Yes, don't put a 30 in a 500 sqft house. It will easily make the house uncomfortably warm. Waaaay too big!

-SF

 

[HotCoals]

How can it be just 500sq.ft.?
Your talking 25x20...with a hall in the middle?
You sure it's just 500 sq.ft?
My family room alone is 432 sq.ft...and it's not that big.

 

[fossil]

...In regards to the tile and hearth, it was already built for the old box stove but never prettied up, which is why the tile was done. It is a fairly large area and 4 feet up the walls in the corner...

A corner installation adds a bit of complexity to the Clearance To Combustibles (CTC) requirements with which every stove installation must comply. As you learn more about what you're doing here, you'll likely start hearing about reducing CTC's by means of appropriately constructed wall shielding. Whether or not this is even permissable will depend upon what the appliance manufacturer says in the owner's/installer's documentation. In any case, if the tiles that you refer to as going 4 feet up your walls are bonded directly to a combustible wall, or even to a non-combustible substrate that's bonded directly to the wall (no air space built-in), then the manufacturer's stated CTC's for the appliance may not be reduced. Rick

 

[Loco Gringo]

http://www.overstockstoves.com/50wost31sqft.html

At this time of year, this is a deal.

 

[fossil]

http://www.overstockstoves.com/50wost31sqft.html

At this time of year, this is a deal.

35-1, EPA exempt. Personally, I'd hardly call it a deal anytime of the year. I really think the OP can do better than this by finding a certified stove that's still within budget. Rick