another new guy, same old question

[jotul?]

I've been heating with a cozeburn 250 wood/coal boiler for the last 7 years and have been very happy with it. 8 tons of house coal and 2-3 cords of wood per winter for 72 degrees no matter the outside temp. However, we are moving to my wife's family farm house that is 100`ish yrs old with oil fired hot water baseboard. I don't have the means to install another outdoor boiler at this time,and being honestly sick and tired of coal smoke, I am going to build a hearth and install a wood stove to at least supplement the oil. I am stuck on Jotul as I love Norwegian things for some reason, and I have 1700 square feet in western Pennsylvania to to keep warm. I will be able to centrally locate the stove in this two story (with central staircase) farm house and I am thinking Oslo, Rangeley, Carrabasset, or Firelight cb. I personally really like the Black Bear, but I don't think I'll be able to coax the burn times out of it that I'm looking for. So gentlemen, do your worst, let me have it, and hopefully I can not screw this up too bad.

 

[Mt Bob]

You can always tell a norwegian,but you can't tell them much,except to have another drink! OK got the "pick on the new guy out of the way.If I still lived back that way I would be burning coal,esp. in an old house.Cannot help you,have not burned wood for a long time,but others will chip in.If it makes you feel better(after the joke) I have an austroflamm and a jonsered.Bob

 

[HotCoals]

I've been heating with a cozeburn 250 wood/coal boiler for the last 7 years and have been very happy with it. 8 tons of house coal and 2-3 cords of wood per winter for 72 degrees no matter the outside temp. However, we are moving to my wife's family farm house that is 100`ish yrs old with oil fired hot water baseboard. I don't have the means to install another outdoor boiler at this time,and being honestly sick and tired of coal smoke, I am going to build a hearth and install a wood stove to at least supplement the oil. I am stuck on Jotul as I love Norwegian things for some reason, and I have 1700 square feet in western Pennsylvania to to keep warm. I will be able to centrally locate the stove in this two story (with central staircase) farm house and I am thinking Oslo, Rangeley, Carrabasset, or Firelight cb. I personally really like the Black Bear, but I don't think I'll be able to coax the burn times out of it that I'm looking for. So gentlemen, do your worst, let me have it, and hopefully I can not screw this up too bad.

Sounds like you have it under control but why not do it right the first time and put a BKK in there!

Joking.

I know what a Jonsered is but I have a Stihl ..you have any idea what a austroflamm is?..lol.

 

[Mt Bob]

Sounds like you have it under control but why not do it right the first time and put a BKK in there!

Joking.

I know what a Jonsered is but I have a Stihl ..you have any idea what a austroflamm is?..lol.

OH that hurt! It's a black heat box that puts out heat like lots of peoples except I only have to touch it once a day!

 

[HotCoals]

OH that hurt! It's a black heat box that puts out heat like lots of peoples except I only have to touch it once a day!

You fill it that often? lol
I did google it after I posted. Nice!

 

[jotul?]

Sounds like you have it under control but why not do it right the first time and put a BKK in there!

Joking.

I know what a Jonsered is but I have a Stihl ..you have any idea what a austroflamm is?..lol.

I have no idea what an austroflamm is. I got lucky with the Cozeburn performance but I'm ready to move on, especially as the Cozeburn adds a nice bump to my home sale value. Also, as a brick layer I am dying for an excuse to build a hearth for myself!

 

[Mt Bob]

You fill it that often? lol
I did google it after I posted. Nice!

1 bag every 24 hrs,2 in cold.No hard coal out here.Back in MD could fill coal stove every 3 days,did have to shake it once a day.

 

[HotCoals]

as old as I'm getting I have to shake it at least 3 times a day now!

Still not bad I bag a day!
I load twice a day in the deep cold..once a day in the shoulders. Thing holds like 80lbs of wood though.

 

[Mt Bob]

I have small cabin,24' square 3 floors,stove in dirt floor basement,excellent southern exposure.But getting old,thinking about an upstairs stove for shouldering.

 

[HotCoals]

I have no idea what an austroflamm is. I got lucky with the Cozeburn performance but I'm ready to move on, especially as the Cozeburn adds a nice bump to my home sale value. Also, as a brick layer I am dying for an excuse to build a hearth for myself!

My wife hired a guy to do ours in 87..did a good job. Has air space between it and the wall and spaces between the bricks in a few rows near the top and bottom. Cheers!

I don't know if you can tell from my avatar or not but the brick curves behind the stove instead of two "walls" just meeting each other.

 

[Mt Bob]

I have no idea what an austroflamm is. I got lucky with the Cozeburn performance but I'm ready to move on, especially as the Cozeburn adds a nice bump to my home sale value. Also, as a brick layer I am dying for an excuse to build a hearth for myself!

Don't forget we like pictures!

 

[Grisu]

Old farmhouse, 1700 sqft? I would go big = F55 or F600. Nothing wrong with either of them or Jotul in general.
F600: Proven stove, several finishes available, better as sideloader than from the front.
F55: Relative recent model but first reviews/impressions very positive. Dedicated frontloader, only available in black. I've heard price is a bit better than the F600.

Check your clearances; otherwise the choice is yours. Just make sure to feed either of them dry, seasoned wood.

 

[webby3650]

You can't go wrong with a Jotul. But coming from an owner of both, I'd seriously look into a Blaze King. Unless someone is home to feed it during the day, the BK is the only stove out there that will still have a lot of life left in it after a long day. Not to mention cleaner and easier to operate.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I've been heating with a cozeburn 250 wood/coal boiler for the last 7 years and have been very happy with it. 8 tons of house coal and 2-3 cords of wood per winter for 72 degrees no matter the outside temp. However, we are moving to my wife's family farm house that is 100`ish yrs old with oil fired hot water baseboard. I don't have the means to install another outdoor boiler at this time,and being honestly sick and tired of coal smoke, I am going to build a hearth and install a wood stove to at least supplement the oil. I am stuck on Jotul as I love Norwegian things for some reason, and I have 1700 square feet in western Pennsylvania to to keep warm. I will be able to centrally locate the stove in this two story (with central staircase) farm house and I am thinking Oslo, Rangeley, Carrabasset, or Firelight cb. I personally really like the Black Bear, but I don't think I'll be able to coax the burn times out of it that I'm looking for. So gentlemen, do your worst, let me have it, and hopefully I can not screw this up too bad.

Go with the biggest cast iron clad - whichever stove that is. The Oslo is regular old cast iron so scratch that one.

 

[jotul?]

This may be a dumb question but I already have an old Earth Stove in my basement. It was my parents and I moved it in here when we bought the place but never used it because I ended up installing the outdoor boiler the very next winter. Any value there for my farmhouse project? I vaguely remember my dad burning that thing a couple times when I was little but it sat in his garage for probably 10 years and its been in my basement for 10 years. No idea if its a quality stove or not.

 

[Grisu]

The Earth Stove may heat your new house but it will also eat about twice as much wood as a modern EPA-stove. I doubt you will also get the long burn times out of it than you can get with a more modern stove. If budget is tight take a look at the Englander NC-30 or the Drolet Myriad. Both are large EPA stoves that should easily heat your new home. If you would be interested in a catalytic stove, the Woodstock Ideal Steel has some good introductory pricing right now.

 

[webby3650]

Go with the biggest cast iron clad - whichever stove that is. The Oslo is regular old cast iron so scratch that one.

Huh?
There is nothing wrong with an iron stove.
I have one of each style, I honestly prefer either an all cast stove or just steel.
The iron hanging over the steel does nothing beneficial except make it look more appealing to the masses. Of course this is personal preference, but it is based on my hands in experience. I feel that the iron softens the heat, almost too much most of the time.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Huh?
There is nothing wrong with an iron stove.
I have one of each style, I honestly prefer either an all cast stove or just steel.
The iron hanging over the steel does nothing beneficial except make it look more appealing to the masses. Of course this is personal preference, but it is based on my hands in experience. I feel that the iron softens the heat, almost too much most of the time.

Fact: Cast iron stoves need periodic maintenance

Fact: People buy cast iron stoves for the way they look, not the way they perform

Fact: Iron clad stoves give the aesthetics of cast iron without the need to be re-caulked

 

[webby3650]

Fact: Cast iron stoves need periodic maintenance

Fact: People buy cast iron stoves for the way they look, not the way they perform

Fact: Iron clad stoves give the aesthetics of cast iron without the need to be re-caulked

Cast iron stoves perform very well! And they have for decades. If operated correctly, there is no more maintenance with a cast stove over a steel stove. They will go for a couple of decades without any rebuilding.
And people don't only buy them only for looks, cast has a lot of desirable qualities!