Hi everyone,
I'm looking to use a wood cook stove for heating and cooling in the winter and am heating about 1500 sq ft.
I've inherited an old cast iron Findlay Vega, the company has long since stopped production of stoves, and I was just wondering about efficiency for these old beasts. I know that cook stoves typically aren't as efficient in the first place and that older models don't typically work with secondary burn but what would the difference be between getting this up and running (which might be a pain anyways due to the ~7 inch oval exhaust vent) and something like a 2001 Margin Gem (marginstove.com/products/margin-cookstoveEN.pdf) that I might be able to get second hand. Hoping not to break the bank but ultimately if it will be that much of a difference in wood burning and emissions then I would consider.
The pictures are of the Findlay vega
Cheers
![[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/298/298054-ab43d262177fe35103c5bedc7e5672a2.jpg?hash=1aQAfp5DKB "[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove")
![[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/298/298055-6eba3fb3efba8bb34bc8eb8ada5c3158.jpg?hash=jA7Fe7kZdz "[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove")
![[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/298/298056-405a3678b96834a9f937b6aa86618b19.jpg?hash=q-d9hFZnG- "[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove")
![[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/298/298057-b24839b9dfec690451a2f538e824f85d.jpg?hash=04SpX8BIV0 "[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove")
![[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/298/298058-905fe45390cb740b1168de627ebc1035.jpg?hash=HjodCYrQNo "[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove")
![[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/298/298059-87b58a91d96c630c9feb8d6158e14ee8.jpg?hash=0LUFsp7YTq "[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove")
![[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/298/298060-347965ac9928b1cbd0dfa8da098ea800.jpg?hash=DqFWg4Eshc "[Hearth.com] Efficiency of old wood cook stove vs slightly newer wood cook stove")
I'm looking to use a wood cook stove for heating and cooling in the winter and am heating about 1500 sq ft.
I've inherited an old cast iron Findlay Vega, the company has long since stopped production of stoves, and I was just wondering about efficiency for these old beasts. I know that cook stoves typically aren't as efficient in the first place and that older models don't typically work with secondary burn but what would the difference be between getting this up and running (which might be a pain anyways due to the ~7 inch oval exhaust vent) and something like a 2001 Margin Gem (marginstove.com/products/margin-cookstoveEN.pdf) that I might be able to get second hand. Hoping not to break the bank but ultimately if it will be that much of a difference in wood burning and emissions then I would consider.
The pictures are of the Findlay vega
Cheers
