buying a new wood stove

[Awesome Acres]

I am replacing a Franklin wood burning stove. It is old and served its time. Last week the 2nd glass panel on the doors broke. So , that being said, time for a new one. I am very uninformed on the new stoves available. I know we want a mid sized Cast or Steel wood stove. I have read conflicting reports for the cast iron. Do I have to worry about over firing a cast iron stove such as Vermont Casting, Jotul, Hearthstone, Waterford? I read these stoves have fragile seams and can fail during an over fire, decreasing the efficiently by 50%. We would like to run the stove for the majority of our heating. So, i know we will run this new stove for the majority of the winter. The chance of me over firing is probably a good one. Any in site on quality for the dollar?

 

[BurnIt13]

How many square feet is your living space? When was the house built? How good is the insulation/doors/windows? Two stories, one? Will the stove be in the basement or the 1st floor? How open is the floor plan?

Do you plan on burning 24/7 or as supplemental heat?

How tall is your chimney? Clay tile liner? Masonry? Do you have a stainless steel liner hooked up to your existing stove?

 

[logger]

I never really had to worry about overfiring our Jotul. Its a beast and I've hit the 800s by accident without any problems, although I def dont recommend doing that. I usually get her up to temp on the first fire and start to shut the air down between 500-550 degrees and never had a problem. Its our sole source of heat from Oct-April. Compared to a Franklin, you will be shell-shocked by the new EPA stoves. Be sure to have well seasoned wood for these stoves , as they are very finicky with wood supply. Overfiring can happen on any type of stove and I think you're making it sound more common than it actually is.

My stoves a lot like my woman... I kept a close eye on her in the beginning stages and while getting to know her, but now I can trust her home alone while Im off at work and she wont get too hot and bothered until I come home.

 

[firefighterjake]

I am replacing a Franklin wood burning stove. It is old and served its time. Last week the 2nd glass panel on the doors broke. So , that being said, time for a new one. I am very uninformed on the new stoves available. I know we want a mid sized Cast or Steel wood stove. I have read conflicting reports for the cast iron. Do I have to worry about over firing a cast iron stove such as Vermont Casting, Jotul, Hearthstone, Waterford? I read these stoves have fragile seams and can fail during an over fire, decreasing the efficiently by 50%. We would like to run the stove for the majority of our heating. So, i know we will run this new stove for the majority of the winter. The chance of me over firing is probably a good one. Any in site on quality for the dollar?

I would not worry too much about over-firing the stove . . . it can happen to any stove regardless of what it is made out of . . . most are built pretty rugged and can withstand the rare high temp event.

I wouldn't say that over-firing a stove is a common thing . . . at least it shouldn't be . . . as long as you learn how to run the stove correctly, develop good burning practices and habits and size the stove correctly to your individual home in terms of size, insulation, lay out, etc. In my honest opinion, most folks that damage their stoves by over-firing do so by bad practices (i.e. they don't know how to control the stove, using the ash pan door to get the fire going, leaving the stove air control open all the way and then forgetting about it when they get caught up doing something else, etc.) or they get a stove too small for their needs (because they liked the look of the stove, didn't think they needed a larger one, etc.) and as a result they run the ever loving crap out of it to get as much heat as they can.

There are many, many great steel and cast iron stoves that are rugged and should provide you with years of trouble free service. Giving us some ideas on budget, home size, insulation, etc. can help us help you narrow down the field.

 

[Sons924]

My stoves a lot like my woman... I kept a close eye on her in the beginning stages and while getting to know her, but now I can trust her home alone while Im off at work and she wont get too hot and bothered until I come home.[/quote]


thats funny!

 

[Warm_in_NH]

Love the "woman" comment.

I recently bought a new stove for my home. The literature provided by the manufacturers made it simple to compare stove specs and narrow down the options, also simplified the act of comparing one brand to another.

Once I narrowed it down to 4 or 5, I scoured the web for reviews (ultimately winding up here), considered my monetary situation, talked to everyone I know who burns, and finally pulled the trigger on a Hearthstone Shelburne.

All the research paid off, my new stove is a perfect fit, no regrets.

Good luck.

 

[Awesome Acres]

How many square feet is your living space? When was the house built? How good is the insulation/doors/windows? Two stories, one? Will the stove be in the basement or the 1st floor? How open is the floor plan?

Do you plan on burning 24/7 or as supplemental heat?

How tall is your chimney? Clay tile liner? Masonry? Do you have a stainless steel liner hooked up to your existing stove?

I have a 1900 farm house. There have been decent updates with windows and insulation, not a worry. This is supplement heat to the LP gas forced air. Trying to cut that cost. We run the Franklin every night. stove is in the living room. We have a very open concept. Horse shoe floor plan around the stairs. all open. Stove sits in the corner in the largest room (12x30)next to the ktichen and in the living room. Stanless steel pipe going up through the ceiling, 2nd floor and up through the attic and out. Walk up attic. Hip roof. I believe it is a triple lined stack, but not sure. checking tonight.

 

[adrpga498]

With the size of your house and the open floor plan I say...... Get lots of dry wood. Get the color Oslo you like . Let her rip then kiss the gas company good bye.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I am replacing a Franklin wood burning stove. It is old and served its time. Last week the 2nd glass panel on the doors broke. So , that being said, time for a new one. I am very uninformed on the new stoves available. I know we want a mid sized Cast or Steel wood stove. I have read conflicting reports for the cast iron. Do I have to worry about over firing a cast iron stove such as Vermont Casting, Jotul, Hearthstone, Waterford? I read these stoves have fragile seams and can fail during an over fire, decreasing the efficiently by 50%. We would like to run the stove for the majority of our heating. So, i know we will run this new stove for the majority of the winter. The chance of me over firing is probably a good one. Any in site on quality for the dollar?

Welcome to the forum Awesome Acres.

We wish you well but that sentence highlighted in red scares the whatnot out of me. I may be frowned on by making this statement but anyone who came to me making that statement, I would do everything possible to discourage him from heating with wood no matter the stove. That statement slams with a not caring attitude or thinking it is normal. It is far from normal and if I were your insurance agent, I'd cancel your policy immediately. But hopefully you can change (we all can) and we wish you well.

 

[Swedishchef]

From my understanding, cast iron can't support as much heat without some sort of failure like a steel stove can. That being said, cast iron stoves are much more of a decorative piece and have nicer designs (matter of taste).

I agree with Backwoods Savage. DON'T OVERFIRE YOUR STOVE. that's like someone saying they are going to purchase a car and blow past the redline regularly. You would be bound for a catastrophic failure.

That being said, you can get a very nice large stove that can heat quite a large surface area without being overfired. What are the specs of your house? Ever consider a furnace? Cat or non cat?

Andrew

 

[Charles1981]

By over fire do you mean just running it daily non-stop? Over fire would assume your stove top is going over 800 degrees or so because a door was left open, or a seam was leaking, ect.

You can run any stove daily non-stop without a big concern (although at some point gaskets will need to be replaced).

If you over fire ANY stove you are at risk of ruining it. I know some people will over fire their stove to compensate for too small a stove that doesn't appropriately heat the house, but you don't want to find yourself in that situation. Just make sure you get an appropriately sized stove for your house.

 

[logger]

Over fire would assume your stove top is going over 800 degrees or so because a door was left open, or a seam was leaking, ect.

I hit 800 once or twice by simply leaving the air wide open and not shutting it down in time. Doesnt necessarily have to be a leak or open door.

 

[Awesome Acres]

Welcome to the forum Awesome Acres.

We wish you well but that sentence highlighted in red scares the whatnot out of me. I may be frowned on by making this statement but anyone who came to me making that statement, I would do everything possible to discourage him from heating with wood no matter the stove. That statement slams with a not caring attitude or thinking it is normal. It is far from normal and if I were your insurance agent, I'd cancel your policy immediately. But hopefully you can change (we all can) and we wish you well.

ok, ok, ok no need to worry. My comment was intented that, when I become a new owner, I may over fire the stove. Getting to know how to control it. More tounge in cheek, than lack of caring. I read an artical on Stoveguide and it states the following

3.
How easily the above benefits are often permanently lost when you choose certain popular brands...

• Cast Iron stoves are extremely leak prone. Therefore, what is promised in the sales literature is valid only until the stove is over-fired. Here's why. When the required dry, seasoned wood is used, and the air intake is great, red hot temperatures reduce these fragile and expensive stoves to past generation performance. Often un-repairable, they permanently lose temperature control, overnight burns, and the ability to burn smoke fuel. The reason this happens is simple.
• Cast iron stoves have 12 furnace cement seams that crumble with over-firing. They also have poor quality glass retainers, fragile door hinge pins, and small door gaskets. Excess air leaks in, causing excessive heat and reduced burn time. Secondly, air intake leaks cause the loss of firebox vacuum. This stops the flow of secondary combustion air. Potent smoke fuel now goes unburned. Efficiency and burn times can be cut in half. Repairing fragile seams today cost more than the stove is worth You're then stuck with a permanent reduction to half performance, and your warrantee is worthless. Once popular brands to avoid are Vermont Castings, Jotul, Hearthstone/Soapstone, Waterford, etc. The stove seams, up to 25 linear feet of them, are not metal. They are furnace cement or fiberglass.

This is my concern. If while learning to control my stove, and I over fire it, will it render my stove a inefficent fireplace. Sorry if my lack of knowlege slams you. Lighten up Savage. If I need an insurance quote, I will not be calling you.

 

[Awesome Acres]

From my understanding, cast iron can't support as much heat without some sort of failure like a steel stove can. That being said, cast iron stoves are much more of a decorative piece and have nicer designs (matter of taste).

I agree with Backwoods Savage. DON'T OVERFIRE YOUR STOVE. that's like someone saying they are going to purchase a car and blow past the redline regularly. You would be bound for a catastrophic failure.

That being said, you can get a very nice large stove that can heat quite a large surface area without being overfired. What are the specs of your house? Ever consider a furnace? Cat or non cat?

Andrew

Thanks for the advise, I agree, I am not going to over fire the stove any more than running the red line on my car. But that being said your foot can slip off the clutch and over rev the engine. Just as adjusting to a new stove, it may get hot. My plan is not to see how much it takes before failure. By the way, there is alot of people mentioning overfiring their stoves, up to 800 -900 degrees. This does not seem like a stupid qustion. As many people stating they have done this, it sounds more normal than not. It appears everyone has done it once. (except Savage, he is the Minister if Fire).

 

[begreen]

Cast iron stoves are not very leak prone, nor do they have the mentioned defects. If that was the case they would have stopped selling them years ago. As far as overfiring, that's hard on any stove, but if you have seen red-hot headers on a car then you have an idea of the strength of cast iron. If you want to get a cast iron stove yu would do best to stick with a major brand that still has good service and parts like Jotul, Morso or Hearthstone. If you are mostly interested in the look of cast iron but what a steel stove, consider a cast iron jacketed steel stove like those from Napoleon, Pacific Energy, Enviro, Quadrafire, Jotul, etc..

Here are some introductory articles on stove buying that should be helpful:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/wood_stove_intro
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/read-before-posting-or-answering-which-new-stove-to-buy.115094/

 

[logger]

I read an artical on Stoveguide and it states the following

3.
How easily the above benefits are often permanently lost when you choose certain popular brands...

• Cast Iron stoves are extremely leak prone. Therefore, what is promised in the sales literature is valid only until the stove is over-fired. Here's why. When the required dry, seasoned wood is used, and the air intake is great, red hot temperatures reduce these fragile and expensive stoves to past generation performance. Often un-repairable, they permanently lose temperature control, overnight burns, and the ability to burn smoke fuel. The reason this happens is simple.
• Cast iron stoves have 12 furnace cement seams that crumble with over-firing. They also have poor quality glass retainers, fragile door hinge pins, and small door gaskets. Excess air leaks in, causing excessive heat and reduced burn time. Secondly, air intake leaks cause the loss of firebox vacuum. This stops the flow of secondary combustion air. Potent smoke fuel now goes unburned. Efficiency and burn times can be cut in half. Repairing fragile seams today cost more than the stove is worth You're then stuck with a permanent reduction to half performance, and your warrantee is worthless. Once popular brands to avoid are Vermont Castings, Jotul, Hearthstone/Soapstone, Waterford, etc. The stove seams, up to 25 linear feet of them, are not metal. They are furnace cement or fiberglass.

Haha, thats hilarious. Nothing against you whatsoever, but that might be the dumbest piece of stove literature I've ever seen. What company gets the credit for publishing that biased poo of a report? I didint see one fact in there, except maybe reports of VC going downhill. Definately dont go by that manual.

 

[begreen]

Have to agree. The author of that article has no idea what he is talking about.

 

[dmarr]

Have to agree. The author of that article has no idea what he is talking about.

View attachment 121016

When my wife and I were shopping for our new stove I visited that site and couldn't believe anyone could write that crap. Awesome Acres, heed the other members advice from this site. Cast iron stoves make for wonderful heaters. We just had to get rid of our beloved Morso after 30 plus years of being the only heat source in our home. We decided on a Hearthstone Equinox to take it's place and are loving it. Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[weatherguy]

AA, read the reviews and threads here for real life facts of burning a stove. I see why you would be leery of cast iron after reading that article but I don't think the person that wrote that is all that knowledgeable.

 

[begreen]

Found the source. He's a Country stove dealer that thinks selling other stoves is "unethical". Sounds like he is an ex-VC dealer that got burned.
(broken link removed to http://firesideonline.com/index.asp)

 

[Warm_in_NH]

Same guy says with new smoke burning stoves chimney fires will not occur. Kind of a bold statement! I'm near his location often, I should swing in and start asking lots if questions, seems like a scammer to me Probably has a used car lot next door to the stove shop.

 

[BrotherBart]

I had forgotten about that guy. My favorite:

"Certain stoves, such as the 'Country' stove line, by Lennox, are designed to hold up for life with repeated over firing. In other words, for the same or less money as a fragile cast iron stove, you'll have a lifetime investment no matter how frequently over fired."

Tell that to Lennox when they turn down the warranty claim.

 

[Paulywalnut]

AA that article you read has a certain agenda for their steel stoves. Read up on some other articles
that will give you unbiased info. Welcome to the forum though. Most of us are just trying to help each other
Burn safely and efficiently.

 

[aansorge]

From my understanding, cast iron can't support as much heat without some sort of failure like a steel stove can. That being said, cast iron stoves are much more of a decorative piece and have nicer designs (matter of taste).

I agree with Backwoods Savage. DON'T OVERFIRE YOUR STOVE. that's like someone saying they are going to purchase a car and blow past the redline regularly. You would be bound for a catastrophic failure.

That being said, you can get a very nice large stove that can heat quite a large surface area without being overfired. What are the specs of your house? Ever consider a furnace? Cat or non cat?

Andrew

I bounce my car off the rev limiter at virtually every autocross. I've been autocrossing for 15 years and never had an issue. Cars don't over rev and blow their engines anymore unless there is some other problem as all cars have rpm limiters. So in other words, over-firing a wood stove is way worse!

 

[firefighterjake]

ok, ok, ok no need to worry. My comment was intented that, when I become a new owner, I may over fire the stove. Getting to know how to control it. More tounge in cheek, than lack of caring. I read an artical on Stoveguide and it states the following

3.
How easily the above benefits are often permanently lost when you choose certain popular brands...

• Cast Iron stoves are extremely leak prone. Therefore, what is promised in the sales literature is valid only until the stove is over-fired. Here's why. When the required dry, seasoned wood is used, and the air intake is great, red hot temperatures reduce these fragile and expensive stoves to past generation performance. Often un-repairable, they permanently lose temperature control, overnight burns, and the ability to burn smoke fuel. The reason this happens is simple.
• Cast iron stoves have 12 furnace cement seams that crumble with over-firing. They also have poor quality glass retainers, fragile door hinge pins, and small door gaskets. Excess air leaks in, causing excessive heat and reduced burn time. Secondly, air intake leaks cause the loss of firebox vacuum. This stops the flow of secondary combustion air. Potent smoke fuel now goes unburned. Efficiency and burn times can be cut in half. Repairing fragile seams today cost more than the stove is worth You're then stuck with a permanent reduction to half performance, and your warrantee is worthless. Once popular brands to avoid are Vermont Castings, Jotul, Hearthstone/Soapstone, Waterford, etc. The stove seams, up to 25 linear feet of them, are not metal. They are furnace cement or fiberglass.

This is my concern. If while learning to control my stove, and I over fire it, will it render my stove a inefficent fireplace. Sorry if my lack of knowlege slams you. Lighten up Savage. If I need an insurance quote, I will not be calling you.

I'm sure you figured it out by now . . . but the advice above is a bunch of biased bunk from someone who has an obvious agenda.