Best place to buy a wood stove in Maine/type question about a crack in old stove

[efoyt]

Sooo...I need a new wood stove. Ive been using a Russa for the last few years. It was already in a house that we purchased a few years ago. The stove is about 20 years old. The stove has a crack around the flue in the back of the stove. The crack isn't on the outside see pic. Sorry it's upside down. Still steel behind it but I'm thinking not safe enough for another year? Opinions.

Soo what's the best place to buy a wood stove in Maine and what are the good deals out there right now.
I bought a Dutch West for my last house and loved it. It was right around the time vermont casting was going out of business/being sold so I got a good deal on it. I love cast iron but having steel isin't the end of the world. Thoughts?

Thanks, Ethan

 

[Chimney Smoke]

Where are you located and what are you looking for?

 

[Grisu]

How many sqft do you want to heat? What is your budget? What kind of flue do you have right now?

 

[efoyt]

How many sqft do you want to heat? What is your budget? What kind of flue do you have right now?

I'm between aguasta and lewiston. My house is around 2000 sq ft. It's very well insulated and haspassive solar heat...I believe the wood stove that I have now is a bit undersized for a normal 2000 sq ft house but it seams to do ok in ours. But I'd rather have larger then smaller. Wood is our primary heat source. I use around 2 cord a winter...the passive soler does a great job heating during the day. I have a brick chimney. As far as budget...I'm not going to buy a hearthstone...I'd like to keep it around 2000 or less. I might go more for the right stove. I want this stove to last for a long time, I do want quality but I'm not overly atached to any one brand.

Thanks

 

[firefighterjake]

Hehheh . . . you really don't want to tell us exactly where in Maine . . . don't worry . . . none of us will come by trying to sell you on a woodstove pyramid scheme or trying to convince you to join the Newly Reformed Church of the Flame.

There are a lot of choices for you in terms of stoves.

I'm guessing the price is mostly for the stove since it sounds like your chimney/stove pipe is OK.

Only 2 cords a year with a 2,000 square foot home . . . impressive.

If you're looking for a quality stove with excellent customer service plus it being easy to find and relatively inexpensive, it's hard to beat the steel stoves from Englander/Summer's Heat. I've seen these sold at Lowes, Home Depot and at True Value hardware stores in the past.

As for dealers . . . and other stoves . . . most likely you'll get a lot of folks suggesting the stove they went with . . . or a model in the same manufacturer's line up. I'm guilty of this myself . . . I mean we obviously bought what we thought was the best stove, right? And since just about all stoves are pretty simple -- usually a big metal or stone box that has a fire in it and a few controls -- it's pretty hard to find a make/model that is no good . . . unless you under- or over-size . . . or have one that has a known history of problems over the long term.

Personally, I would take some time and look on line at the various manufacturers, check out the reviews page here at hearth.com . . . and make sure you size the stove to your home . . . or go one size larger.

Honestly, with a super insulated home I really would consider going with a cat stove . . . and if I had to pick one today it probably would be from Woodstock. While I am not a big fan of the look (I like the Progress Hybrid better personally), the Fireview may work for you with a super insulated home. There are a few on clearance for $2,400 . . .

 

[Grisu]

Just 2 cords during the winter for primary heat? Must be an awesome house. I guess any mid-size stove will be sufficient then. Look for a firebox size of 2 to 2.5 cu ft. Englander just came out with the Madison stove; firebox of 2.4 cu ft and less than $1K. No firsthand experiences yet but they make usually quality stoves. http://www.englanderstoves.com/manuals/Wood_SSW01.pdf
The Pacific Energy Super/Spectrum/T5 (same firebox, different looks) would also be good options. Some of the longest burn times for a mid-size non-cat stove and many happy owners here, myself included. They offer also the more budget oriented True North but burn times won't be as good as with the others. Some other options: Osburn 2000, Regency F2400, Quadrafire 4300, Lopi Endeavor, Napoleon 1400, Enviro 1700 series

If you like the look of cast-iron the obvious candidates are: Jotul F500 or F45, Quadrafire Explorer 2 (or Cumberland Gap if you can still get one), Hearthstone Shelburne. They will all be at the upper range of your budget or beyond. It's your decision what you rather want to look at in the coming years.

Do you have a 6" liner in your masonry chimney? The stoves I mentioned will work much better with a properly sized flue.

 

[efoyt]

Yes...I have a 6 inch liner. Also a brick hearth with a double brick wall filled with stone that is made to hold heat. As good a deal as the englander sounds and no offense to anyone that has one I just can't bring my self to shop at a box store for this type of investment. I've looked on craigslist thinking about a second hand Dutch West or Vermont Casting but people in this area are asking in my opinion way way to much for 10-15 year old stoves. So this is more of a question of what is the best bang for the buck right now in wood stoves? My first time around Vermont castings ownership upheaval drove down the price of a Dutch West at a local stove shop. So as much as I like Vermont Castings their price point seams higher then other wood stoves in the same class. So I was wondering since I have not researched this in about 6 years where will my money go the furthest ( englander not included ). Lopi and Pacific energy? Also was wondering if anyone new of a great deal in Central Maine...say Portland to Bangor.

Thanks, Ethan

 

[Simonkenton]

I had a 1988 Vermont Castings stove, a Resolute, burned it for 6 years and then sold it, along with the house it was in. Great stove. My mom still has that exact same stove and burns it all winter and she loves it. Those were great stoves.
Guys on this forum are saying "Those were the days" for Vermont Castings, and their quality is sketchy these days. Wie schade.

 

[firefighterjake]

I'm not sure you'll get any great deal on woodstoves right now . . . actually at any time . . . I mean to say in the summer some might be a little more ready to deal, but when I figured out what stove I wanted and called around the state I pretty much found that most were within $100-$200 of each other's prices . . . of course this may differ on a different brand.

 

[firefighterjake]

As for a dealer . . . I've always liked the folks at Evergreen Home and Hearth in Brewer. Didn't buy my stove from them (went to Rocky's Stove Shoppe in Augusta), but these guys have always been wicked friendly and helpful . . . plus they often volunteer to set up a pellet stove demonstration trailer at our fire prevention week open house.

 

[firefighterjake]

If you like the Vermont Casting/Dutchwest line . . . take a look at Jotuls . . . I think they're similar in design. Very traditional.

 

[Grisu]

Yes...I have a 6 inch liner. Also a brick hearth with a double brick wall filled with stone that is made to hold heat. As good a deal as the englander sounds and no offense to anyone that has one I just can't bring my self to shop at a box store for this type of investment. I've looked on craigslist thinking about a second hand Dutch West or Vermont Casting but people in this area are asking in my opinion way way to much for 10-15 year old stoves. So this is more of a question of what is the best bang for the buck right now in wood stoves? My first time around Vermont castings ownership upheaval drove down the price of a Dutch West at a local stove shop. So as much as I like Vermont Castings their price point seams higher then other wood stoves in the same class. So I was wondering since I have not researched this in about 6 years where will my money go the furthest ( englander not included ). Lopi and Pacific energy? Also was wondering if anyone new of a great deal in Central Maine...say Portland to Bangor.

Thanks, Ethan

You are a bit late looking for special deals or floor model sales. Those usually happen in the summer not really less than two month before heating season. Some manufacturers may still offer some incentives like Enviro: http://enviro.com/ (Check the lower left corner of their website)
Quadrafire is updating their lineup right now; maybe you can find a dealer that still has an older model for sale at a reduced price (e. g. the Cumberland Gap). For a budget stove sold by a dealer take a look at the Pacific Energy True North.
Btw. How high is your wall thimble? Do you need a stove that can be rear-vented?

 

[efoyt]

firefighterjake why did you drive all the way to Aguasta to buy a stove? I was on the phone with Rocky's today I'm going to try and make it in this weekend. grisu I was looking at the PE super is the true north cheeper? Better? I also love the look of the jotul casting but it is 550 dollars more then the super. Is the jotul a better stove or does it just look better. Any other stoves I should be looking at in this class for the price? Here is a pic of my hearth...sorry it's upside down

 

[brenndatomu]

Gotcha one of them down draft models I see!

 

[efoyt]

Thank you

 

[Simonkenton]

Here efoyt I turned your hearth rightside up


(broken image removed)

 

[firefighterjake]

firefighterjake why did you drive all the way to Aguasta to buy a stove? I was on the phone with Rocky's today I'm going to try and make it in this weekend. grisu I was looking at the PE super is the true north cheeper? Better? I also love the look of the jotul casting but it is 550 dollars more then the super. Is the jotul a better stove or does it just look better. Any other stoves I should be looking at in this class for the price? Here is a pic of my hearth...sorry it's upside down

I live in Unity . . . so it was actually as close to Bangor as it was Augusta for me to get the stove . . . and as mentioned the prices were all around the same. I think Rockys might have been a bit cheaper.

Not sure if it helps or not . . . but my second choice was to go with a PE . . . in the end I went with the Jotul since the reviews were almost overwhelmingly positive . . . and honestly . . . it has been a bullet proof stove for me.

 

[kukuna]

I second Jake's Jotul endorsement. Embers (stove store) in SoPo are down-to-earth, straight shooters and they are recommended by the folks at the Jotul factory here in Maine.

 

[Grisu]

grisu I was looking at the PE super is the true north cheeper? Better?

Cheaper: ~$1000 versus ~$1700. The Super is the better stove: better baffle system, longer burn times, better warranty etc. Here is a comparison: http://pacificenergy.net/index.php?cID=304

I also love the look of the jotul casting but it is 550 dollars more then the super. Is the jotul a better stove or does it just look better.

Both will heat for years to come.

Any other stoves I should be looking at in this class for the price? Here is a pic of my hearth...sorry it's upside down

For other options see my post further up.

 

[efoyt]

Would a Jotul F 400 heat my house or would I need the next step up?

 

[cuttingedge]

As for a dealer . . . I've always liked the folks at Evergreen Home and Hearth in Brewer.

That's where I just bought my Jotul F55

 

[efoyt]

I bought a jotul Oslo today Also got mine at Rockys. They talked me up one size. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[RSNovi]

Oslo's are a very nice quality stove.

 

[firefighterjake]

I bought a jotul Oslo today Also got mine at Rockys. They talked me up one size. Thanks for the help everyone.

I think you will be happy . . . have only seen a few folks here over the years that have bought one and not been happy . . . and usually it was due to the size. Honestly the only drawback that I see is the front loading door doesn't work so great due to ash spilling out, but it has that great side loading door (I usually only use the front door for cleaning purposes). I do wish I had splurged for the blue black finish though instead of cheapening out and going with the plain jane black matte paint . . . but that said . . . the painted black has heated the home just as well as any other colors.

One helpful tip . . . before firing it up you may want to take apart the dog house using a 10 mm wrench or socket and apply some powdered graphite to the sliding mechanism as this tends to fetch up a bit on occasion. I have discovered that regular vacuuming (I use my ash vac) of the lever from the front of the stove (without disassembling the dog house) tends to help the air control from sticking as well.

One question: what color? OK, two questions: Where's the picture of the install? We like pictures you know.

 

[efoyt]

I got the flat black...they didn't have any colors set up to temp us. I love the black cast iron look. I'll send picks when it's installed. I brought it in the house yesterday. My wife wants to call rockys and see how much they will charge to set it up...I'm of the opinion that I can do it and that had been the plan. But we will see.