1983 Energy Harvester stove specs

[Ratman]

I use an old 1983 cast iron wood stove.
I have air flow regulators on the door, one on top, one on the bottom.
The instructions for proper burning refer to them as primary and secondary.
Which is which?

Here are the specifications to this old boy:

Height: 26.75"
Width: 18.5"
Length: 34.5"
Door Opening: 9" x 10"
Flue: 5"
Log size: 20"
Heating Capacity: 4,000-50,000 BTUs
Materials: Class 30 grey iron (walls 1/4" thick)
Weight: 220 lbs
UL Specification 1482: passed

 

[Todd]

I believe the top one is for secondary air. Does it have a baffle inside? Pictures?

 

[Ratman]

It has a large thick curved upper baffle.

http://home.comcast.net/~ratline/Firewood/EnergyHarvester_side.jpg

 

[Todd]

Cool looking stove, how does she burn for ya?

 

[begreen]

Interesting old stove. Can you post some interior shots?

 

[Ratman]

Of course it eats more wood than my first girlfriend ate Big Macs but what do you want for free.

http://home.comcast.net/~ratline/Firewood/EnergyHarvester_screen.jpg

 

[begreen]

The bottom plate looks a bit like a Jotul's. Is there a baffle above the firebox?

 

[Ratman]

It has a large thick curved upper baffle.

 

[begreen]

I find it interesting in design. The Jotul 602 tapers slightly larger at the top of the stove. I always thought this was for greater heat dissipation at the hotter part of the stove. Energy Harvester inverts this practice.

 

[Frostbit]

That is a neat looking cast iron stove. I've never seen one like it. You mentioned the two air inlets, top of door and bottom, I too would imagine primary bottom and secondary top. From your pics, though, I cannot see where they are?

 

[BrotherBart]

There was a time I would have loved to light a fire in that stove. It wasn't in this century but...

 

[pen]

There was a time I would have loved to light a fire in that stove. It wasn't in this century but...

That sounds like me looking at the 2 cold stoves in my basement, the old fisher and the new 30. The old fisher is really more attractive just sitting there cold. I can't wait to be able to watch the flames dance in the 30 tho!

That's old school vs. new school I suppose. Hell, look at how those old parlor stoves were decorated! Guess we are moving more and more towards simplicity and functionality in many cases.

pen

 

[begreen]

We had at least one parlor stove rebuild owner here that was quite happy with the stove's burning last year. It was made at a time when the stove was the sole source of heat. Some did ok.

It sounds like ratman is happy with the Harvester. Basically, if you're warm when it's damn cold outside, you're a happy camper. Well, that is, until the bottom of the woodpile peeks at ya. Just be sure your fuel reserves match the stove's capacity times the heating days.

 

[Ratman]

Is there any type of fan placement or retro-fit blower solution that would be effective, safe and inexpensive for my stove above?
I read most of the posts on this site, most from very experienced and good old common sense members.

 

[begreen]

Depends on the house layout. Some use a simple self-powered fan (like an ecofan) to gently mix and distribute the heat. This can work in an open floorplan if the ceilings aren't too high. If you have a cold area that is somewhat line of sight to the stove, say a bedroom, that you want to get warmer, put a table or box fan on the floor at the entrance to the room (or cooler area) and blow the cool air - towards - the wood stove. Try it, this often works quite well.

 

[Ratman]

Thanks BeGreen...
My stove is on a porch that is two feet lower than the kitchen.
I agree with your logic since I to can feel the natural convection process occuring as the cold air from the kitchen floor is pulled down into the porch displacing the warmed air that exits at the ceiling level.
At the other end of the porch I have a double hung window into a different room and I can also feel the colder air being pulled into the porch via the lower window section, replacing the warmed air the fan (pic) is pushing out from the ceiling.
http://home.comcast.net/~ratline/Firewood/windowfan.JPG

A friend of mine has an old russo stove and he runs a box fan on low from behind the stove.
His house seems warm but I do not know if the fan has as much of an affect as he believes.
I am also concerned with how close he has the fan to the stove.

 

[Ratman]

I just polished the stove today...
My mouth is watering just looking at my stove, but I can't light it cause it's 80 out.

BrotherBart, go light your stove, and remember light it using the top down method or Vanassa will come and kick your ass.

 

[breakaway4]

Ratman,

I came on the computer today to get some more info. about an Energy Harvester stove my uncle gave us. Check it out....we sandblasted and painted it this morning. I really don't like winter but we are with you...can't wait to light a fire.

 

[Ratman]

Ratman,

I came on the computer today to get some more info. about an Energy Harvester stove my uncle gave us. Check it out....we sandblasted and painted it this morning. I really don't like winter but we are with you...can't wait to light a fire.

Hi breakaway4,

Awesome!
You did a great job on yours!
I should have investigated the sandblasting option; maybe next year.
I recently stove polished mine for the first time.

I've only had mine one full burn season, was given to me from a family member who went pellet.
He bought it right from the owner back in the 80's in Fitzwilliam, NH. where their shop was.
Here's a few links, two of my stove after I polished it and the other two are the manual and the info from their patent pertaining to the primary and secondary draft.
There's a rebuilder of these stoves out your way that seems knowledgable and was telling me he would trade mine strait-up for the cat version of the MC (Mount Chocorua). Does yours have the black molded slate ash tray piece like mine? I keep mine in all the time. Do you have the cool screen too?.

http://home.comcast.net/~ratline/Firewood/energy_havester_hearthside.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~ratline/Firewood/EnergyHarvester_side_after_polish.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~ratline/Firewood/Woodstove_Energy_Harvesters.pdf

http://home.comcast.net/~ratline/Firewood/Energy_Harvester_patent_description.txt

http://home.comcast.net/~ratline/Firewood/Energy_Harvester_Patent_US4407265.pdf

I am in Bedford, NH.
Where in Western. MA are you?
If you have any problems with the links etc. let me know and will go to plan B.

 

[breakaway4]

Nice! I hadn't noticed the detail of the slate ash tray. Ours is missing this piece and does not have the screen either. Luckily my husband is a stone mason and he is going to make a stone piece to put in the tray. We are in Southern Berkshire county...Great Barrington area if you are at all familiar.
If you sand blast use the fine grain black beauty sand, it works much better, at least for the blaster we had. We tried the coarser grain but it would have taken four times as long and not been as good a job.
I saw one of "our" stoves for sale on craigslist right out of Fitzwilliam NH. That was when I noticed we were missing the screen. OH well, as we are using it for heat I doubt we would have sat around burning up logs to look at...maybe for Christmas?
The links all work fine btw. Thanks! Today my husband is putting in a stainless insert into the chimney. We live in an old farmhouse and the chimney needed to be partially torn down and rebuilt and the insert added along with poured insulation to meet code. Nice to have a mason in the house!
You said your stove was eating logs. Was this your main heat source? We are trying to guage how many cord to have on hand.

 

[Ratman]

Nice! I hadn't noticed the detail of the slate ash tray. Ours is missing this piece and does not have the screen either. Luckily my husband is a stone mason and he is going to make a stone piece to put in the tray. We are in Southern Berkshire county...Great Barrington area if you are at all familiar.
If you sand blast use the fine grain black beauty sand, it works much better, at least for the blaster we had. We tried the coarser grain but it would have taken four times as long and not been as good a job.
I saw one of "our" stoves for sale on craigslist right out of Fitzwilliam NH. That was when I noticed we were missing the screen. OH well, as we are using it for heat I doubt we would have sat around burning up logs to look at...maybe for Christmas?
The links all work fine btw. Thanks! Today my husband is putting in a stainless insert into the chimney. We live in an old farmhouse and the chimney needed to be partially torn down and rebuilt and the insert added along with poured insulation to meet code. Nice to have a mason in the house!
You said your stove was eating logs. Was this your main heat source? We are trying to guage how many cord to have on hand.

Sounds like your chimney will be perfect soon.

I used this as my main heat source.
It was free but I bought all the correct flue and pipes from a local stove shop.
I used approximately $125 worth of oil last year and that's with the stove being out on a semi-insulated porch.
The stove works great and I used a little over 3 cords (mostly free) last year.
When you get it set up post some pics.
If you get any info about the stove lets share also.
See you around!

 

[Ratman]

I have never seen anyone using firebrick in these stoves have you?

 

[webbie]

Yeah, that's a great stove - the Energy Harvester!

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Energy_Harvesters/

https://www.hearth.com/gallery/pics/ads/source/eharvester.html

I used to love their ads because of that guy "the cast iron foundryman"........ having never been familiar with such a job description way back then.

 

[ephriam]

Hi Ratman,
I've burned my Energy Harvesters Stove hard every winter since 1983 to heat my basement workshop and keep the floor upstairs warm so my Sweeties toes don't turn blue. I guess I burned it too hard because the baffle began to disintegrate and a piece fell off this past winter. Its surface, exposed to direct flame, looks a little like a miniature dried up salt pan. Didn't know cast iron could do that. Anyway, I want to replace the baffle, ideally with an identical part, but if not then with a steel frame to support split firebrick (suggestion made by a moderator on an earlier thread). You mentioned a stove rebuilder - could you give me a contact name? Thanks a lot for the link to the patent.

Fred

 

[Ratman]

Hi Ratman,
I've burned my Energy Harvesters Stove hard every winter since 1983 to heat my basement workshop and keep the floor upstairs warm so my Sweeties toes don't turn blue. I guess I burned it too hard because the baffle began to disintegrate and a piece fell off this past winter. Its surface, exposed to direct flame, looks a little like a miniature dried up salt pan. Didn't know cast iron could do that. Anyway, I want to replace the baffle, ideally with an identical part, but if not then with a steel frame to support split firebrick (suggestion made by a moderator on an earlier thread). You mentioned a stove rebuilder - could you give me a contact name? Thanks a lot for the link to the patent.

Fred

Hi Fred,

He's out of N. Central MA.
Here's the Craigslist link: (broken link removed to http://nh.craigslist.org/for/1327774953.html)
Here's his email: [email protected]
His name is Rick.

Please share any interesting info with me.