First post and stove ID

[check212]

Hi everyone, been lurking for a while and thought I'd say hello. The forums are great and have inspired me to create a block off plate and get a flu liner. I recently bought a stove off of Craigs list for $75. I'm going to put a boot on it to hook up the liner.

Anyone know what kind it is? Trying to find optimal flue size. Thinking its going to be 8 or 9 inch. Hoping for 8 can't find 9 inch boots. I measured the inside and the cubic ft came out at 8.6 cubic feet. Then I realized the sides were at an angle, so the cubic feet is probably less. Gotta brush up on my geometry to find volume of trapezoid or find the model of stove to look up

Thanks in advance.

 

[webby3650]

Its hard to tell because of the vulcano behind the glass!
It's often very hard to ID these old stoves. Many were made in a small shop and distributed to a very limited market. Often specific to a small region.

 

[begreen]

Does the air control work at all on the stove? Looks like it is being run wide open.

 

[check212]

Does the air control work at all on the stove? Looks like it is being run wide open.

Yes. It was the day it was 8 degrees Farenheit in SC. Only way I could stay warm.

I'm putting in a blockoff plate and insulted flue liner soon. So, hopefully that will heat my entire house thouroughly. I remeasured the firebox and it is 6 cubic feet.

Really, what I'm hoping to accomplish is figuring out what size pipe I should use. I've been comparing firebox sizes and flue pipes. Some of the stoves with 4-5 cubic feet boxes use 8 inch pipe, so I know that will be the minimum I should go.

The rectangular exhaust is 18x4 or 72 sq inches and an 8 inch pipe would be 50.24 sq inches. If I found a pipe as large as current exhaust it would have to be 10 in for 78.5 sq in. I'm hoping 8 will work, because that's the largest round boot I can find. I know my clay flue liner will fit 8 inch because it's 13x13.

What do you guys think? Similiar stoves use 8 inch and I've found 6+ cubic ft wood furnaces with 8 inch pipe. And the stove is so old, I doubt the exhaust opening was arrived at in a scientific way like new EPA stoves, probably.

 

[begreen]

I think you are on the right path, but possibly with the wrong stove if you use it a lot. The unit is inefficient and sending a whole lot of heat up through the chimney instead of into the room. If it were my house I would be replacing it with an EPA stove that puts a lot more heat into the room and eats a lot less wood.

How much house are you trying to heat or are you just trying to heat the room that the stove is in?

 

[check212]

I think you are on the right path, but possibly with the wrong stove if you use it a lot. The unit is inefficient and sending a whole lot of heat up through the chimney instead of into the room. If it were my house I would be replacing it with an EPA stove that puts a lot more heat into the room and eats a lot less wood.

How much house are you trying to heat or are you just trying to heat the room that the stove is in?

Yes, that's why I'm going to install an insulated blockoff plate to stop the heat from going up the chimney. Don't have the money for a new EPA stove at the moment. I have a 1800 sq feet single level ranch with an interior chimney.

 

[begreen]

That will help, but a lot will still be heading right up the flue liner. In your area a $1000 ~2 cu ft Englander, Century or Drolet would do a much better job.

Ranch houses are often hard to evenly heat with the fireplace at one end and the bedrooms at the other. For more even heat in the house put a table or box fan at the far end of the hallway, placed on the floor, pointing toward the woodstove room. Run it on low speed. It will blow the cooler air down low, toward the woodstove. The denser cool air will be replaced with lighter warm air from the stove room. Running this way you should notice at least a 5F increase in the hallway temp after about 30 minutes running.

 

[check212]

That will help, but a lot will still be heading right up the flue liner. In your area a $1000 ~2 cu ft Englander, Century or Drolet would do a much better job.

Ranch houses are often hard to evenly heat with the fireplace at one end and the bedrooms at the other. For more even heat in the house put a table or box fan at the far end of the hallway, placed on the floor, pointing toward the woodstove room. Run it on low speed. It will blow the cooler air down low, toward the woodstove. The denser cool air will be replaced with lighter warm air from the stove room. Running this way you should notice at least a 5F increase in the hallway temp after about 30 minutes running.

That's what I've read about Ranch houses. I'm pretty lucky in that my fireplace is almost in the middle point of the house, and it's not exterior facing. I've installed one through the wall fan blowing hot air out into the hall way. I'm thinking about having the three bedrooms that connect in the back having through the wall fans down low on the wall blowing from one room to the next then coming out in the hallway next to another through the wall fan that goes into the living room (with the stove) to create a convection loop. Even without the blockoff plate my back bedroom can get to 55 when it's around 30 outside with around 6 hour burn times. I still have hotcoals around 6AM after filling it up around midnight. Hoping to extend that with flue liner and block off plate.

 

[valley ranch]

Hi, Block off plate is important, you're right. Six hour burn time isn't bad. You can pull a lot of heat of that stove with fans that it came with or that you arrange. If you can shut the flue and/or primary air when the fire has burned down that's good too.

There are a many stoves much like this one that were installed in the 80s, in the mountains around Lake Tahoe area, that are still in use and still working well. Once in a while someone upgrades and sells one like this and it's snapped up by someone, a young fellow, who is building his own house.
This is a good stove type and the metal it's made with, is heavy, permits easy repair and upgrade. Have fun, stay warm.

Richard

 

[begreen]

6 hr burntime in a 6 cu ft stove is kind of pathetic. Does it have a baffle or anything to stop flames (and heat) from heading right up the chimney?

 

[check212]

6 hr burntime in a 6 cu ft stove is kind of pathetic. Does it have a baffle or anything to stop flames (and heat) from heading right up the chimney?

No baffle. hard to tell if burn times could be higher. Wasn't using cord wood at the end of the winter when I got it. I was burning pallets and lumber scraps cut up into small blocks.

 

[begreen]

It is probably putting more heat outdoors than in.

 

[check212]

It is probably putting more heat outdoors than in.

Nah, it will run me out of the living room. 80's. I'm hoping an insulated block off plate and flue liner helps. I've decided to go with the 8 inch liner, and if I'm not happy with the stove after this winter, I'll get a buck 94nc, it has a 8 inch flue too.

 

[begreen]

And I'll bet with the fire shown, the chimney flue at that time was over 1000F. Hope there is a good 1"+ spacing around that chimney all the way up. Getting a liner on that stove is a good idea.

 

[check212]

That will help, but a lot will still be heading right up the flue liner. In your area a $1000 ~2 cu ft Englander, Century or Drolet would do a much better job.

I decided to go with a Drolet Escape 1800i. Last winter was cold, and I don't want to risk it with the old stove. Will post results when winter gets here. Thanks for everyone's replies and suggestions.

 

[begreen]

Good deal. Take some pictures of the installation. We love to see a good FIRE!