New Woodstove Advice
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HAhahaha, no worries man! Banter is good and I'm a dog lover as well.......
I really really really love the Oslo stove but I think it's going to be a hard sell to the wife. I'm in the middle of some remodeling projects right now and the stove can't go in until I'm done so that will give me a little more time to sway her. It will probably be a woodstock if I can't get the Oslo but I'm still researching, I will definitely post my decision when I get it.
What are her primary criteria?
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
HAhahaha, no worries man! Banter is good and I'm a dog lover as well.......
I really really really love the Oslo stove but I think it's going to be a hard sell to the wife. I'm in the middle of some remodeling projects right now and the stove can't go in until I'm done so that will give me a little more time to sway her. It will probably be a woodstock if I can't get the Oslo but I'm still researching, I will definitely post my decision when I get it.
In the meantime, get yourself a nice stack of wood too. This way it might be ready to burn when you install the stove. Don't make the most common mistake of all, and that is to wait until the stove is in and then think about the wood. By then it is too late; it will cause you many problems. I also think this is one big reason people think about burning wood but then find out that it is dirty and stinky (creosote), etc. Good luck.
Unfortunately cost is her only concern really. She thinks a decent wood stove is about $400. she almost died when I told her I'm spending $2000. She just doesn't understand that you get what you pay for........
I still have about 2 cords left from last year, I have been burning wood for the last 10 years so that's not new to me. I don't even have to call my wood guy any more, he drops off first week in September and bills me!
That's a beautiful stove, starts at $2300. but that's a contender for sure. Dammit, thanks to you guys now I have too many stoves I want! Would it be wrong to put a stove in each room of my house?
There are lots of options. That's why it's good to settle on the most important needs. You started out by requesting good burn time which is a nice start. Is she going to also be running the stove? If so and she is unfamiliar with wood burning, you might want to keep it simple. You can get a good 2 cu ft stove for under $1000 if that helps.
I might be making her out to be a little worse than I intended. We all enjoy and appreciate the wood stove so it's important that we get something that will work well for us. It saves us a fortune in oil every year! We keep the stove burning all winter long so it's a family effort, I stoke the fire at 5:00 AM when I get up to go to work, my wife works second shift so she and the kids will keep it going during the day until I get home. Burn time, glass door, and an ash bin to easily empty the ash while the stove is burning is pretty much our criteria. My stove pipe is also 16." to the center away from the rear wall so clearance will also play a role. My current stove connects to the rear so that puts the stove a little further away.
wingsfan
Feeling the Heat
I am going to be installing an Englander 30 I got at HD this year. With the cost of the stove, hearth and 25ft of chimney, I will be at around $1500. The englander heats up to 2200sq. and has extended burn times and the fire box is HUGE. I think i'm gonna love it.
It sounds like you are both used to running a catalytic stove. Do you want to stick with a catalytic? If yes, I think you've gotten some good suggestions with a Woodstock stove or an Encore (or Dutchwest Large) cat stove. If you want more contemporary perhaps a Blaze King Chinook? Rumor is they are also going to have a cat stove this fall, but we still haven't seen it.
If you want a non-cat, then there several good stoves to consider there too.
If you want a non-cat, then there several good stoves to consider there too.
If'n you wanna cheap price on a good stove, get an Englander 30-NC for 649 being sold online at the HD in the L.A. area. Free shipping to your door. EPA and WA state approved. Lots of people have these stoves here on this site (including me). Yes, they are non-cat types, but they are the same quality as 90% of the non-cat stoves I have seen out there for sale for 3x or 4x more $$$. They usually go for about 1200 in season. Off season this time of year HD has several stores that put them on sale. Look at HD online and select Huntington Park, CA as your local store to get the price (store #1002). I got one at that price delivered here from VA earlier in the year (thanks to a tip from some others on this forum).
Yes we will stick with a catalytic stove. Another question, I'm seeing most stoves need about 30" of back clearance and the 15" with a heat sheild, is a double layer of 5/8 fire proof sheetrock considered a good enough heat shield? I just took down a brick heart and I'm looking to replace it with something just as safe as the brick.
That sounds off. Many stoves are down to about 12-18". ours is much less than that. Many stoves now come from the factory with a rear-heat shield for this reason. For example, with a rear-heat shield on the stove the Keystone is 15".
If the stove maker indicates further reduction is possible with an NFPA 211 heatshield, then yes it is permissible. Fire-rated sheetrock however, does not constitute a proper heatshield. You need to use cement board with a 1" air gap behind it, open at top and bottom. The cement board can have a tile, brick or stone veneer to dress it up. You can also use metal as a non-combustible heatshield as long as it has the proper air gap.
If the stove maker indicates further reduction is possible with an NFPA 211 heatshield, then yes it is permissible. Fire-rated sheetrock however, does not constitute a proper heatshield. You need to use cement board with a 1" air gap behind it, open at top and bottom. The cement board can have a tile, brick or stone veneer to dress it up. You can also use metal as a non-combustible heatshield as long as it has the proper air gap.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
There are a lot of EPA-exempt stoves you could buy for $400 that would heat your home, but you'll likely not be happy with any of them. Seems like you already recognize that, so now it's just a matter of convincing SWMBO. Are you buying your wood? If so, it's not tough to build a financial case for the higher efficiency of a catalytic stove. There are lots of steel (cheaper than cast iron or soapstone) catalytic stoves on the market, most of which are less expensive and better heaters (but less attractive) than an Oslo.
AbetterChimneynm
Member
The ease of loading the harman and being able to cook inside of it make it a awesome stove imo, I also long the very long burn times.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Woodstoves are expensive . . . then again so is buying a decent oven range . . . and just like an oven range you can go cheap and simple or more expensive and fancier . . . and just like an oven range you need to remember that regardless of which way you go in the end a) you'll have to look at this all the time for many years so you should be happy with the way it looks, b) you'll be using this on a daily basis once you get going so you should be comfortable with the way it looks and runs, c) you need to make sure that whichever one you go with is installed correctly and maintained properly so you don't have any unexpected fires and d) . . . in the end . . . whether you go with a cheaper woodstove like an Englander or a fancier woodstove like a Woodstock . . . at the end of the day what really matters is that it heats your home and keeps you warm.
AbetterChimneynm
Member
We burned the harman Oakwood as a demo stove (i think it was the oakwood it was the bigger of the two) and it was great e cooked on it and after the first time we lit it it stayed going the whole winter which is nice and the cooking was great
sappy
Member
You will find lots of good advice and support here for ur dicision.
Like Dennis mentioned the Woodstock Soapstone stoves are excellent, and you can't ask for a better customer service company. They are great. I bought a fireview last season and am loving it. Best of luck with your shopping.
Like Dennis mentioned the Woodstock Soapstone stoves are excellent, and you can't ask for a better customer service company. They are great. I bought a fireview last season and am loving it. Best of luck with your shopping.
Shadow&Flame
Minister of Fire
There are many criteria for finding a stove that will fit you, your family and your home.
Its very difficult to choose from all the myriad of quality stoves out there and the good people here are an invaluable resource in your search.
Just a few thoughts on buying a stove...
1. Wood (get some and get it dry)
2. Find dealers in your area and see what kinds of stoves that are available ( some may be hard to find/service in your area) Ask around and find
stove owners. They may know what dealers to stay away from and who is the best in the area.
3. Set a budget (you said 2000 and your wife thinks 400...find some common ground. Either way you will prob run over budget...I sure did)
4. Figure out what you and your family like. Cat, non-cat, hybrid, cast, steel, stone.... ( you said you wanted another cat...good, that part is done)
5. Figure out what you want out of the stove(backup, 24/7, ambiance....) and try to size it for your home(you don’t need a 3500sq ft stove, but getting it
a bit bigger is always a good plan)
6. Read everything you can on this website...
Remember, this is just free advice...its only free if you don’t take it. Best of luck with your new stove.
Its very difficult to choose from all the myriad of quality stoves out there and the good people here are an invaluable resource in your search.
Just a few thoughts on buying a stove...
1. Wood (get some and get it dry)
2. Find dealers in your area and see what kinds of stoves that are available ( some may be hard to find/service in your area) Ask around and find
stove owners. They may know what dealers to stay away from and who is the best in the area.
3. Set a budget (you said 2000 and your wife thinks 400...find some common ground. Either way you will prob run over budget...I sure did)
4. Figure out what you and your family like. Cat, non-cat, hybrid, cast, steel, stone.... ( you said you wanted another cat...good, that part is done)
5. Figure out what you want out of the stove(backup, 24/7, ambiance....) and try to size it for your home(you don’t need a 3500sq ft stove, but getting it
a bit bigger is always a good plan)
6. Read everything you can on this website...
Remember, this is just free advice...its only free if you don’t take it. Best of luck with your new stove.
You should drive to their place in NH. Once you see their stoves in person, who the people are and the attention to detail, you won't leave without putting down a deposit
You are absolutely right charly! I took the ride out there, went out back and hand picked my stove. I put a deposit down on a Fireview and will be picking it up next weekend.......
Dave M
Member
Dang I'm jealous, I'll be freezing my tootsies off until mine hopefully comes in November. Good luck with it, dylskee!
My Fireview is sitting on it's pallet in my back room. I'm building a bigger hearth pad for it. Old pad was not wide enough. After looking at the Fireview, I knew that was the cut N dry stove I wanted, like an old straight 6 cyl motor. Easy to work on and they run for ever. It's amazing how those stoves sell themselves,,,, once you get a close up look at how well they are built and designed. I really feel they have no competition. Be nice if they made a very detailed video showing how easy everything is to replace or service and how well things were thought out. It's almost like looking at workmanship and pride that folks in the trades had back 50 years ago. Can't wait to run mine and head over to what will be my first open house. I want to support those good folks all I can! Wow and then we could begin to talk about all their great serviceYou are absolutely right charly! I took the ride out there, went out back and hand picked my stove. I put a deposit down on a Fireview and will be picking it up next weekend.......
Yeah you're right about the quality. I've been looking at stoves for a while now and I have to admit if I didn't go out there and see the stove in person I probably would have bought a different stove. Great quality and the stoves in person are amazing so there was no way I was coming home without putting my name on one. I'm just not sure how I'm going to get it out of my truck when I get it home.
I invested in a quick detach implement set up for my Kubota tractor. Bought a pallet for set up. Took the Fireview right off my truck. Dragged it back with a rope first and then worked it back with the pallet forks. Once in the air I built a bottom for the pallet, then drove it around to the back of my house where a have a small entrance way to a back enclosed finished porch, set the stove down onto a furniture dolly, added straps, then wheeled it into my back porch. Next it will go up some ramps into the living room where I'm working on the new hearth pad. Took my old stove out the same way. Have a neighbor with a tractor maybe?
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