Almost there

[DDC]

Hi everyone. This is my first post to the site. I have enjoyed reading all the post (lots of information). My back ground is, i have burnt wood all by life. As a boy i cut wood for my grandparents (Craft insert and home made), and our home (Dare insert). Also bought my first truck with the money i made selling firewood. I presently heat my 2400sqf shop with a Grandpa bear with blower, that i bought for $50.00 from a church.

Presently I am building a small vacation cabin in the North Carolina mountains. I know i wanted to burn wood in this cabin, so i set out to find a small used fisher stove to install. In researching different used stoves found on Craigslist, I found this site.

My question is: I am almost convinced to go to one of the newer more efficient stoves that many are using. However i'm just not there yet. Finding it hard to abandon the old style Fisher that i love some much. Just wanting a push from some others that made the leap.
note: wood supply is not a problem and house is vacation home.

 

[begreen]

A small cabin may not need a lot of heat depending on its size and insulation. Tell us more about it and how it will be used. How large? Will it have any alternative heating? Electricity? Would this be for just an occasional weekend or more frequent use?

 

[jetsam]

I'd be more interested in replacing the grandpa bear if I was you... I know it puts out tons of heat, but it also puts out tons of combustibles that would have been turned into heat if you had an EPA stove.

Why do you care? Because you are the one who has to get all that wood in!

Good time of year for stove shopping.

Here's your push: Pre-EPA stoves would go for $3000+ if they were better than new stoves. Some dogged luddites do still pay premiums for them, but for the most part they sell for only their scrap metal value. Why?

The new ones just flat out work better. More control, less wood used. They are more of a pain in the ass in that you have to use dry wood, but that's a pain you get over after the first 2 years of burning one.

 

[DDC]

A small cabin may not need a lot of heat depending on its size and insulation. Tell us more about it and how it will be used. How large? Will it have any alternative heating? Electricity? Would this be for just an occasional weekend or more frequent use?

950sqf with open loft 12-12 pitch roof. 2x6 walls with i believe R30. Will mostly use on weekends or occasional weeks.
Thinking of using electric base board heat and also install a wall mounted propane heater for quicker heat.

 

[begreen]

Sounds like a small stove would work well there, especially if you mostly want ambience. If this is a single story cabin then you'll probably want a stove that will work with a shorter chimney. Are you looking for something inexpensive or something with a bit of style? In low cost stoves checkout the Englander 17VL or 13NC, both are well under $700. There is also the True North TN20 which will work ok with a shorter chimney.

Modern EPA stoves burn differently than the old Fisher. The burn cycle is different and they are fussier about draft and the dryness of the wood. The old Fisher has nothing between the fire and the sky whereas a modern stove will have a secondary combustion system in between. The advantage is a lot less wood consumed and a whole lot less pollution created.

 

[jetsam]

950sqf with open loft 12-12 pitch roof. 2x6 walls with i believe R30. Will mostly use on weekends or occasional weeks.
Thinking of using electric base board heat and also install a wall mounted propane heater for quicker heat.

If they stuffed R30 into 2x6 walls, you will get much better insulation by pulling it out and putting in R19 or R21. When you compress fiberglass or stone wool insulation, the air gets squeezed out and it loses R value rapidly.

 

[DDC]

If they stuffed R30 into 2x6 walls, you will get much better insulation by pulling it out and putting in R19 or R21. When you compress fiberglass or stone wool insulation, the air gets squeezed out and it loses R value rapidly.

went back and looked the plan documentation. R38 in roof, R24 in walls and R30 in floor.

 

[begreen]

It's very well insulated for your climate zone. That shouldn't take too much to heat, once the interior mass is up to temperature, but it will temporarily take a lot of BTUs to get it to that point.

 

[Simonkenton]

The new stoves demand dry wood and you have to dry your wood for 2 or 3 years for it to work well.

 

[DDC]

Sounds like a small stove would work well there, especially if you mostly want ambience. If this is a single story cabin then you'll probably want a stove that will work with a shorter chimney. Are you looking for something inexpensive or something with a bit of style? In low cost stoves checkout the Englander 17VL or 13NC, both are well under $700. There is also the True North TN20 which will work ok with a shorter chimney.

Modern EPA stoves burn differently than the old Fisher. The burn cycle is different and they are fussier about draft and the dryness of the wood. The old Fisher has nothing between the fire and the sky whereas a modern stove will have a secondary combustion system in between. The advantage is a lot less wood consumed and a whole lot less pollution created.

Thanks for the information. This is a single story cabin with with a 12-12 pitch roof. Regarding the the shorter chimney. Yes, a shorter chimney would be great. The location that worked out for the heater is on the front side of the house. The cabin is a simple single "A" roof. This has been a concern of mine, due to the chimney protruding from the lower side of the roof and extending beyond the peak of the house. ( was told the chimney need to extend higher than the peak). To me this is going to look awkward.
Yes this will be a rustic cabin ( until my wife gets to the interior), so no style is needed, just basic.
How fussy on the draft??

 

[begreen]

A frames can be a hassle due to the roof pitch. Here is a guideline on the chimney height requirements. The other hassle is that heat pockets at the ceiling peak. It can be 100+º up there and just 60F at floor level. A ceiling fan is almost mandatory. If this is one story then dropping down the ceiling to 9 or 10ft and having an attic storage space above is another solution.

The Englander 13NC is a great value stove, but with a couple caveats - it wants at least a 15-16' chimney and it needs a very well insulated hearth. The True North TN20 will work on a 12' chimney and just needs ember protection for the hearth. Note that 90º turns in the flue path effectively reduce chimney height by about 2' per turn. Going straight up will provide the best results. There are other choices from Century, Drolet, etc. that are decent values, but one other thing that makes the TN20 a nice stove is that if can be loaded N/S or E/W.

 

[DDC]

I'd be more interested in replacing the grandpa bear if I was you... I know it puts out tons of heat, but it also puts out tons of combustibles that would have been turned into heat if you had an EPA stove.

Why do you care? Because you are the one who has to get all that wood in!

Good time of year for stove shopping.

Here's your push: Pre-EPA stoves would go for $3000+ if they were better than new stoves. Some dogged luddites do still pay premiums for them, but for the most part they sell for only their scrap metal value. Why?

The new ones just flat out work better. More control, less wood used. They are more of a pain in the ass in that you have to use dry wood, but that's a pain you get over after the first 2 years of burning one.

Thanks for the push.
If the dry wood is the main pain, then that is not a problem. i have been cutting and stacking the fallen trees on the property for about a year and a half.
would hate to pay $3000. Maybe i can find EPA stove on Craigslist??

 

[begreen]

Stoves I have mentioned are under $1000. The flue system will probably cost more.

There may be some decent EPA stoves showing up on Craigslist from time to time. Avoid junk and stoves that have been rode hard.

 

[begreen]

Just looked at Asheville craigslistings for wood stoves. Not impressed.