Bosca Spirit 550 wood burner

[zr2yz125]

Hello all, new member here!

I am building a 2100 sqft (total) log home in Knoxville TN. The home is currently under construction and will be "green certified" per county standards as energy efficient (windows - log sealing methods, etc). As some of you may know, the winters here are pretty mild (it hit 10° here ONE night last year and the stores sold out of bread and milk). I saw a Bosca Spirit 550 that caught my eye, but I cannot find a lot of info about it. I plan on doing most of my heating with hardwood (10+ ac of oak / hickory) and using the heatpump only as backup. I like the modern looking stoves, but I want one that is functional and can give me an overnite burn.

I am having the HVAC set up where the main return line will be directly above the wood stove on the lower level. This way I can turn on the house fan, suck the heat into the blower and distribute it thru the house. Forced hot air without the high energy bill....

Anyways, what I really want to know (and yes I've searched) does anybody have an impression of these units? I'm not going to ask burn time - I've read enough here to know better - but I would like to know the firebox size. This will help me determine if this stove will meet my needs.

Thanks in Advance Everybody!

 

[begreen]

I haven't heard much about them except that they are affordable. The Spirit looks a little like the PE Fusion which does have a good track record (and weighs about 50# more).

 

[catchlight]

hi
Did you get the Bosca Spirit wood stove? I too am looking at them and cannot find any real review of them. Please tell me what your experience has been so far.
Thanks

 

[zr2yz125]

I did get the Bosca and have burned with it for a few months last winter.

So far I like it very much. This is the first woodstove I have had, so I dont have much to compare it to - but I can tell you this much:

Pro's:
It seems easy enough to control, burns well, throws a good amt of heat and looks good. My wife burns it during the day without any issues. I get it good and hot when I get home, pack it full and turn it down before bed and have a lot of hot coals in the morning. My heat in the house doesn't run at all during the day, but will kick on overnite as the bosca burns down. I am burning primarily Hickory and Poplar - oak is still seasoning.
The firebox is about as deep as it is wide - so you can do NS or EW burns. firebox is also very tall, so you can get a good stack in there - which is necessary to get the secondaries to light off

Cons:
The ash pan is about worthless - the openings are very small for the ash to get thru. it takes a lot of stirring to get the ashes out.
Short Log Size - I have to cut everything between 12 and 14" to fit properly.
Needs a blower - I rigged one up using a dimmer from a halogen lamp, it makes a great speed control.

You really need a thermometer in the flue. I was not burning it hot enough, once I put the thermo in I was able to control the burns much better and the secondaries took off like crazy! this plus the blower = big heat in the living room, and we have 30' ceilings in that room (very different floor plan in this house).

I use a Flue Damper and OAK with this stove. Overall I really like it. If anything I would like a bigger firebox, but I would not trade the looks and good performance for an extra cubic foot.

 

[catchlight]

Dave,
Thank you so much for all the info...very helpful. This site and these exchanges are really wonderful!
We are new to this world of EPA approved stoves and naive about the fine points....a lot to learn. Are building a small house in a somewhat temperate climate (compared to most of you who post on this site). We will have a backup heating and cooling system. But we will be on acres of Oaks that need trimming, fall down, crash, etc and it seems a waste not to use the falling/fallen wood to save on energy costs. We do want a modern look, but can't spend the money on one of those fabulous Scandinavian stoves (still hunting for a used one). I did find Chinese knock offs of the Danish Rais, etc stoves,they are called Horse Flame, but one conversation with a salesman at the company that has them is enough to turn off even the hardiest of all of you! The consistent answer to all my questions was "I don't know".

I have a few questions about your post:
When you talk about the thermometer, you said you put it 'in' the flue. Did you mean 'on' the flue? Please clarify when you have time.
Where on the pipe did you install the flue damper?
What did you use as a blower and where is it installed?

The only other question that remains for us is how well these stoves hold up with time. I know that you have not had yours long enough to comment. Does anyone else have a knowledge about these Bosca wood stoves?

Thanks so much,
Abigail

 

[zr2yz125]

I will try to get some newer pics up for you here in a few days - when I can take some....

These stoves are made in Chile - with the tagline "We are the closest country to Antartica" - I figured they knew something about heating....

I use double wall connector pipe so I put the thermometer inside it, about 2" above the connection to the stove. I use a digital thermocouple - as that's what I had laying around. I put the damper about a foot above the connection to the stove. My chimney is about 30' long so when I start pulling draft - look out! The damper was key in slowing down the burn.

The stove seems well built with very nice welds. The secondary combustion chamber is replaceable, which I do like. I have read about people with other stoves having their secondary chamber crack and there is no good way to replace them. On these stoves you can unbolt it and replace it fairly easily.

I put the blower at the top - I may try moving it to the bottom if I get bored this winter.

The large window is great, and it is nice to be able to put a few pieces of wood under it - if the cat isnt laying down there!

 

[zr2yz125]

one other thing to remember too....

Oak takes a long time to dry - 2 years is the rule of thumb. These new EPA stoves do not like the wet wood!

 

[catchlight]

Dave,
Many thank yous again!
One detail, when you say you put the blower at the top....I assume this means outside the stove? It does not show in the picture...........sigh........so much to learn.
Abigail

 

[Nickolai]

It's been awhile since you guys last posted about this but I've found a Bosca Spirit on Kijiji for $500. The owner says its a year old and I can take it if I remove it from her house, I'm very tempted to buy it as they retail for about $2200 at Home Depot.
Any other thoughts on these wood stoves?