Considering PE T6 in an OLD house in Ohio...

[Solaron]

Hi all!

Total newbie here. I've done what research I can, but I figured I'd come to the experts!

The wife and I are looking into putting a wood stove in; we spent about 1500 on heating this winter and that was more than enough to convince us. My father works for Davey Tree, so I get all the free wood I will ever need. We almost bought a Vogelzang before we actually did some research. Now, a few weeks later, wiser and happier and slightly confused, we're very interested in the T6.

Here's the situation:

My house was built in the 1850's. The chimney is ancient and the fireplace is tiny. We're having the fireplace bricked up and will be running the stovepipe up and into the chimney. We had a chimney sweep come out and estimate 3,000 to reline our chimney - is that a normal price?

My wife and I want to make sure we can cook on it reliably in the case of emergencies/power outages. The last 2 winters have both left us without power for 2-4 days at a time (we live in a very rural area) and I hate having to head to my parents for a place to stay.

There's an Amish store that sells/services/installs PE stoves about 10 minutes from my house, and I've heard great things about them, so I -think- I'm set on that part. I'll be pricing them Monday.

Any input anyone has on anything is great! I've been reading the forums for a few hours now and you guys really do know your stuff.

Thanks!
Scott

 

[Hogwildz]

Hi all!

Total newbie here. I've done what research I can, but I figured I'd come to the experts!

The wife and I are looking into putting a wood stove in; we spent about 1500 on heating this winter and that was more than enough to convince us. My father works for Davey Tree, so I get all the free wood I will ever need. We almost bought a Vogelzang before we actually did some research. Now, a few weeks later, wiser and happier and slightly confused, we're very interested in the T6.

Here's the situation:

My house was built in the 1850's. The chimney is ancient and the fireplace is tiny. We're having the fireplace bricked up and will be running the stovepipe up and into the chimney. We had a chimney sweep come out and estimate 3,000 to reline our chimney - is that a normal price?

My wife and I want to make sure we can cook on it reliably in the case of emergencies/power outages. The last 2 winters have both left us without power for 2-4 days at a time (we live in a very rural area) and I hate having to head to my parents for a place to stay.

There's an Amish store that sells/services/installs PE stoves about 10 minutes from my house, and I've heard great things about them, so I -think- I'm set on that part. I'll be pricing them Monday.

Any input anyone has on anything is great! I've been reading the forums for a few hours now and you guys really do know your stuff.

Thanks!
Scott

I assume you are talking about relining with a s.s. liner? How tall is the chimney?
$3,000.00 is awfully steep. I purchased my 22' of pre insulated s.s. double wall rigid with an additional 5' of s.s. flex, the accesories & my Summit insert for around $3,100.00, but installed myself.
The liner and accessories was about $1,080.00 delivered. I think yer being had.
There is a good chance the Amish fellows can install your liner when they install the stove, ask then for a liner install price along with the stove cost & installation costs.

 

[mikeathens]

Hi all!

Total newbie here. I've done what research I can, but I figured I'd come to the experts!

The wife and I are looking into putting a wood stove in; we spent about 1500 on heating this winter and that was more than enough to convince us. My father works for Davey Tree, so I get all the free wood I will ever need. We almost bought a Vogelzang before we actually did some research. Now, a few weeks later, wiser and happier and slightly confused, we're very interested in the T6.

Here's the situation:

My house was built in the 1850's. The chimney is ancient and the fireplace is tiny. We're having the fireplace bricked up and will be running the stovepipe up and into the chimney. We had a chimney sweep come out and estimate 3,000 to reline our chimney - is that a normal price?

My wife and I want to make sure we can cook on it reliably in the case of emergencies/power outages. The last 2 winters have both left us without power for 2-4 days at a time (we live in a very rural area) and I hate having to head to my parents for a place to stay.

There's an Amish store that sells/services/installs PE stoves about 10 minutes from my house, and I've heard great things about them, so I -think- I'm set on that part. I'll be pricing them Monday.

Any input anyone has on anything is great! I've been reading the forums for a few hours now and you guys really do know your stuff.

Thanks!
Scott

Hello, neighbor! The size and type of insulation of your house matters a lot. Here's the good news: as far as free standing wood stove, as far as I know, the only one bigger is the Hearthstone Equinox (4.0 CF) and the Blaze King. The T6 might not be big enough, but I don't know,because we don't have enough info.

On the other hand, David White Services in Athens said they'd sell me a T6 for 2100...if your Amish friends are much higher, tell them this or make a short trip to Athens.

As far as your chimney - that's a crap-load of $$. You could possibly do it yourself for much less, but, again, the size matters. If it's 20' tall and a simple matter of relining, you're getting ripped off.

 

[Solaron]

I'll be honest, I hadn't even thought of asking the Amish to look at my chimney. Ugh! I'll do that ASAP. Anything specific I should mention or ask for?

We have a pretty tall chimney; it's a 2 story house with an attic. It's brick and in good condition as far as I can see; it's not external, so all I can really see is what's on the first floor and what's in the attic/roof. The fireplace opening is tiny, but the chimney appeared fine. There was a fireplace here that was working when we moved in, but since it was so old we were afraid to use it, heh. Also, I have no idea what s.s. lining is; if you could point me somewhere to learn about it, I'd appreciate it. I'm really a total newbie here; I work in IT as my day job and used to just play World of Warcraft at nights. I've only recently begun actually working heavily on my home and being cost/energy efficient, etc. I'll take any help you guys can give.

 

[mikeathens]

Just keep up the research and don't rush things. If you're truly interested in improving you're home and have the time, you will quickly find that you can do about anyhting necessary. (ss= stainless steel).

 

[Solaron]

Hello, neighbor! The size and type of insulation of your house matters a lot. Here's the good news: as far as free standing wood stove, as far as I know, the only one bigger is the Hearthstone Equinox (4.0 CF) and the Blaze King. The T6 might not be big enough, but I don't know,because we don't have enough info.

On the other hand, David White Services in Athens said they'd sell me a T6 for 2100...if your Amish friends are much higher, tell them this or make a short trip to Athens.

As far as your chimney - that's a crap-load of $$. You could possibly do it yourself for much less, but, again, the size matters. If it's 20' tall and a simple matter of relining, you're getting ripped off.

My bad! Here's the information on my home from the auditor's site (check out the date built. We're only able to guesstimate from the dates on the hardware and some newspapers we found in the attic!)
No. of Stories: 2.00
Finished Square Footage: 2474
Year Built: Old

Here's a basic image of the house from their site as well.

 

[Hogwildz]

I'll be honest, I hadn't even thought of asking the Amish to look at my chimney. Ugh! I'll do that ASAP. Anything specific I should mention or ask for?

We have a pretty tall chimney; it's a 2 story house with an attic. It's brick and in good condition as far as I can see; it's not external, so all I can really see is what's on the first floor and what's in the attic/roof. The fireplace opening is tiny, but the chimney appeared fine. There was a fireplace here that was working when we moved in, but since it was so old we were afraid to use it, heh. Also, I have no idea what s.s. lining is; if you could point me somewhere to learn about it, I'd appreciate it. I'm really a total newbie here; I work in IT as my day job and used to just play World of Warcraft at nights. I've only recently begun actually working heavily on my home and being cost/energy efficient, etc. I'll take any help you guys can give.

Do a search here on hearth for liner installation etc.

Also here is a site that has both rigid & flex, and installation instructions etc. Good reading to get an idea of what your going to be purchasing and what it is for. http://www.chimneylinerdepot.com/
You want to reline with s.s. flex or rigid liner. Most the rigid is 304 s.s., the flex is either 304 or 316ti stainless steel. If you have an interior chimney, you may not need insulation. YOu def want some sort of block off plate installed at the area the liner passes through the damper area, along with a top plate at top of the chimney. Do some research before committing to something you have yet to get the basics first, then make an informed decision. That way you can feel confy you didn't get bent over, and you have a safe install.

 

[Solaron]

Do a search here on hearth for liner installation etc.

Also here is a site that has both rigid & flex, and installation instructions etc. Good reading to get an idea of what your going to be purchasing and what it is for. http://www.chimneylinerdepot.com/
You want to reline with s.s. flex or rigid liner. Most the rigid is 304 s.s., the flex is either 304 or 316ti stainless steel. If you have an interior chimney, you may not need insulation. YOu def want some sort of block off plate installed at the area the liner passes through the damper area, along with a top plate at top of the chimney. Do some research before committing to something you have yet to get the basics first, then make an informed decision. That way you can feel confy you didn't get bent over, and you have a safe install.

I'm checking those sites out now - thanks much for the resources!

So, I can just bring the stove pipe into the chimney above the firebox and take the liner from that point up, correct? I'll take some pictures tomorrow so you can see the exact setup (or how it would be, at least!). I still have an entire mantel/fireplace of Rookwood and AE Tiles to take up and possibly sell or something too. Whew.

 

[mikeathens]

Rookwood pottery...wow...To think I've eaten in a restaurant built inside their old kilns. Those must be ancient.

 

[Solaron]

Yeah, both companies (Rookwood and AE Tile Co) went out of business in the early 1900s. I've been trying to find some information on the house, but all I know is it was originally a doctor's home.

Also, looking at that site... I'm not the handiest man around (yet?) but my dad definitely is, heh. I can call on him to help with the chimney liner, and probably save a heft chunk of change. I'll have to use 6" flex ss liner it appears, etc. I'll also see what the Amish say; they may be a lot cheaper than the one guy that priced the lining for me.

Heading to bed, but thanks tons for all of your help so far. This site is great.

 

[begreen]

From the diagram it looks like the core of the house is about 1100 sq ft per floor. Is that correct? Are the other areas, porch, mudrooms and the like? From the looks of things, I think the T6 would work fine for you. If you have a great local dealer that is even better. Sounds like you'll need to extend the hearth to accommodate the stove. Can you post a picture of the current fireplace?

Is this an interior or exterior chimney? There are several folks that have put in their own liner here, you'll get good guidance from them. Be sure to have the chimney swept clean first and get a report from the sweep on the specifics for the chimney. You'll need to know it's interior dimensions at the top, whether it is lined or not, and it's general condition.

 

[Solaron]

Here's a picture of the mantle/hearth/etc. Ignore the blanket, it's blocking the opening. We have a hell of a draft from there!

The plan is to pull up all of the tile, pull the mantle out and see how much room we can really get in there to put the stove in and make it fit. We're not going to be able to have tons of space for clearance, but we'll do whatever we need to.

I'll call a sweep next week to come out and take a look at the chimney and we'll see what he says!

NINJA EDIT: About a foot and a half to the right of that picture is my back door, and a foot and a half to the left is a window, just an FYI.

 

[begreen]

The PE Alderleas have close clearances. I think without the mantle you'll be fine. You will need to build a proper hearth, but that is not a big deal. Where on the diagram is the current fireplace? Interior or exterior chimney?

 

[Solaron]

Top left corner of section A. The chimney is an interior chimney.

 

[Solaron]

Just wanted to let you all know; I priced the PE T6 at the Wheat Ridge Stove shop in West Union, Ohio. He priced me the stove at 2295.00.

Does that sound close to what it should be?

 

[begreen]

Location looks good. Great to hear that it's an interior stack. Any options on the stove or is this the base price?

 

[Solaron]

That's the base price to get the stove in. He claims it's under MSRP and lower than most places, but MikefromAthens found a deal a bit cheaper; it's farther from my house, so I don't know which to go with, or if it's worth arguing over 100 bucks or so.

What options are out there that are worth it? Blower, etc?

 

[begreen]

Yes, the blower is an option. Maybe you can persuade them to give you a healthy break on the blower. Have you gotten another quote from the Amish shop?

 

[Solaron]

That IS the Amish shop, just called them today. The stores all have phones on their front porches, heheh. They're the only store I can find in my area that sells Pacific Energy.

I can see about getting a good discount on the blower! Thanks for your help.

 

[FatttFire]

Hello there neighbor!

Up in Geauga county there is a P.E. dealer I got a price for a T6 at $2100 just like Adam from Athens! Just to let you know!

J

 

[swestall]

Not worth discussing 100 for stove, really worth finding someone to do the liner for about 1500.

 

[Solaron]

Just got hold of the Amish man about 3 hours ago, actually, and he agreed to drop the price to 2100.

I'm calling a chimney sweep in as soon as I can find one in the area! Thanks!

 

[Hogwildz]

Did the Amish dood give ya a price to install the liner while hes installing the stove?

 

[Solaron]

He didn't. He said he has a guy that will install it, but I'd need to give him a call separately, but that that guy won't clean/sweep chimneys. So I figure I should get it swept and find out the dimensions, etc before I really do anything else.