First time stove buyer. Advise please!

[Chris 3.0]

Never had a wood burning fireplace before and am looking at one at my local Tractor Supply. It's a US Stove Country Hearth 2000. Seems very well made and heavy duty for 499.00 I've researched dozens and dozens but this is the only one in my area I can physically examine so I might go with it.

My questions are:
1. How much wood do I put in for a nice long burn? (I know that's damper dependent and seasoning also)
2. How long will this stove burn for because there is no info out there on burn time?
3. I have to vent thru an outside wall and up instead of going thru 2 floors, attic and roof so will this affect the burn?
4. I am going to put the stove on the main floor and the bedrooms are on the 2nd floor, will this heat the upstairs? House was built in 1962 and its about 600 s.f. 23x23 and 20ft from stove to 2nd floor ceiling.
5. It says 11,817-31,713 btu/hr but the sticker says 42000-89000 btu's so what's the difference?

I know that's a lot to ask but this seems like the best site to spill it all on. Thanks in advance for those who take the time to read this.
Chris 3.0

 

[Murphy2000]

Most of the stoves I have seen from Tractor Supply are not very high quality.. I would stay away.
1. Fill it up, get it burning, close down air.
2. Highly dependent on air flow and type of wood. Sounds like maybe 5 to 7 hours if you pack it tight and and turn the air down.
3. Depends on how far up you're going. Generally, the taller your stack, the better.
4. Yes, heat rises. But house insulation is a big factor also.
5. No idea.

Low quality stoves usually burn more wood than high quality stoves to produce the same amount of heat.. If wood is free than this isnt an issue. However, if you're paying for the wood, you'd be better off with a higher quality unit.

Good luck,

 

[Woody Stover]

I saw the 2500 at the local Rural King. It was on sale for $444 and I almost recommended it as a budget stove to my BIL, but it may have been too big for his space. 3/16" steel on the sides, can't remember what the top was, so it's not a heavy-duty stove. But for $499... Was it on sale?

1. How much wood do I put in for a nice long burn? (I know that's damper dependent and seasoning also)
Not sure if you can get an overnight burn at high output with that stove, although I haven't seen the size of the firebox. If your place is well-insulated and not drafty, and the room temp will fall slowly when the fire goes out, building and starting a fire in the morning isn't that big a deal...you'll learn how to do it quick. Do you have a backup heat source? There might be some reviews on that stove in the review section of the site.
4. I am going to put the stove on the main floor and the bedrooms are on the 2nd floor, will this heat the upstairs? House was built in 1962 and its about 600 s.f. 23x23 and 20ft from stove to 2nd floor ceiling.
5. It says 11,817-31,713 btu/hr but the sticker says 42000-89000 btu's so what's the difference?
So it's 600 sq.ft downstairs and another 600 up? The first BTU numbers are the EPA numbers and the second are the manufacturer's ratings. If your place is tight, I'm guessing that stove might handle it but others are probably more qualified to accurately assess that stove for your application.

 

[Woody Stover]

Conventional wisdom here is that output is mainly contingent on firebox size, and to ignore the BTU numbers.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Never had a wood burning fireplace before and am looking at one at my local Tractor Supply. It's a US Stove Country Hearth 2000. Seems very well made and heavy duty for 499.00 I've researched dozens and dozens but this is the only one in my area I can physically examine so I might go with it.

My questions are:
1. How much wood do I put in for a nice long burn? (I know that's damper dependent and seasoning also)
2. How long will this stove burn for because there is no info out there on burn time?
3. I have to vent thru an outside wall and up instead of going thru 2 floors, attic and roof so will this affect the burn?
4. I am going to put the stove on the main floor and the bedrooms are on the 2nd floor, will this heat the upstairs? House was built in 1962 and its about 600 s.f. 23x23 and 20ft from stove to 2nd floor ceiling.
5. It says 11,817-31,713 btu/hr but the sticker says 42000-89000 btu's so what's the difference?

I know that's a lot to ask but this seems like the best site to spill it all on. Thanks in advance for those who take the time to read this.
Chris 3.0

Welcome to the forum Chris.


1. It all depends upon the wood.
2. You will not know until you actually burn it.
3. No. Just make certain that the horizontal section has some rise. Code says 1/4" rise per foot of horizontal. We go 1/2" or more.
4. Possibly. You may have to use a small desktop or box fan and blow some air down the stairway. This will force warm air up.
5. It is all marketing hype. How big is the firebox?

No, that is not a lot to ask and you should ask even more. Lots of good knowledge on this forum.


Perhaps the biggest question you did not list is, what are you going to do for fuel? Are you aware that most wood needs a year AFTER SPLITTING before it is ready to burn? Are you aware you can not buy wood like that even though a wood seller will tell you it is "seasoned" and ready to burn?

Are you ready for chimney cleaning? It is highly recommended that new wood burners check their chimney every month. That sounds like a lot and it is. However, wisdom tells us that new wood burners will battle creosote, usually because of poor fuel. You do not want chimney fires!

Good luck.

 

[tigeroak]

I have the stove you are looking at.
1-The book says NOT to go above the fire brick, I have a few times. This will depend on split size. If you put in 3 - 4x4- 16inch long and a couple small ones it will last about 4-6 hours then you rake coals to the front to get more heat from the coals and a longer burn time.
2- You will get 4-6 hours burn time, book that comes with your stove will tell you NOT to put in a damper in pipe.
3- Inside pipe will draw better than a outside pipe, so says the book. Mine is staight up from the stove.
4- We have a house that is cut up bad, rooms off to one side then a 28 inch door into the kitchen and the far room stays at around 72, kitchen 72, stove room 90+ front room 74, bathroom at around 70 and it is a dogleg off the bedroom. These temps are today and last night of 4 and 18 for highs today. So to say it will put out the heat.
5- Setting with draft closed to full open
If you want it for long burn times don't get it , but if you want a stove that will blow you out of a room this is it. Ceiling fans will move heat around ,use them or use a floor fan. We use a old time brass blade fan and it costs less to run it than the new ones you buy in the store today. The fan on the back of stove some say it is loud . We have had people here and they can not tell it is on and we have it on high all the time. Ash pan is large.
For the money it is a darn good stove in my opinion.

 

[DianeB]

(broken link removed)

the manual has the firebox as 1.86 for the 2000 model and slightly bigger for the 2500 model.

1.86 should work for 1,200 as may stove is smaller than 1.86 and I heat 1,200, but I am on one floor.

 

[Machria]

Conventional wisdom here is that output is mainly contingent on firebox size, and to ignore the BTU numbers.

That is bad "conventional wisdom", similar to the conventional wisdom on the streets saying "don't burn pine, it's no good....". Firebox size tells you how many BTU's you can put INTO a stove, not what it will output in heat. My old open fireplace had a 6 cf firebox, but my 2.8 woodstock firebox puts out 10 times or more heat! Just an example.

 

[Chris 3.0]

Most of the stoves I have seen from Tractor Supply are not very high quality.. I would stay away.
1. Fill it up, get it burning, close down air.
2. Highly dependent on air flow and type of wood. Sounds like maybe 5 to 7 hours if you pack it tight and and turn the air down.
3. Depends on how far up you're going. Generally, the taller your stack, the better.
4. Yes, heat rises. But house insulation is a big factor also.
5. No idea.

Low quality stoves usually burn more wood than high quality stoves to produce the same amount of heat.. If wood is free than this isnt an issue. However, if you're paying for the wood, you'd be better off with a higher quality unit.

Good luck,

Cool thanks for the help. So much to learn

 

[begreen]

That is bad "conventional wisdom", similar to the conventional wisdom on the streets saying "don't burn pine, it's no good....". Firebox size tells you how many BTU's you can put INTO a stove, not what it will output in heat. My old open fireplace had a 6 cf firebox, but my 2.8 woodstock firebox puts out 10 times or more heat! Just an example.

I think what woody is correctly pointing out is that with modern stoves the firebox capacity is a better guide than marketing literature.

 

[Chris 3.0]

I saw the 2500 at the local Rural King. It was on sale for $444 and I almost recommended it as a budget stove to my BIL, but it may have been too big for his space. 3/16" steel on the sides, can't remember what the top was, so it's not a heavy-duty stove. But for $499... Was it on sale?

1. How much wood do I put in for a nice long burn? (I know that's damper dependent and seasoning also)
Not sure if you can get an overnight burn at high output with that stove, although I haven't seen the size of the firebox. If your place is well-insulated and not drafty, and the room temp will fall slowly when the fire goes out, building and starting a fire in the morning isn't that big a deal...you'll learn how to do it quick. Do you have a backup heat source? There might be some reviews on that stove in the review section of the site.
4. I am going to put the stove on the main floor and the bedrooms are on the 2nd floor, will this heat the upstairs? House was built in 1962 and its about 600 s.f. 23x23 and 20ft from stove to 2nd floor ceiling.
5. It says 11,817-31,713 btu/hr but the sticker says 42000-89000 btu's so what's the difference?
So it's 600 sq.ft downstairs and another 600 up? The first BTU numbers are the EPA numbers and the second are the manufacturer's ratings. If your place is tight, I'm guessing that stove might handle it but others are probably more qualified to accurately assess that stove for your application.

Yes it's basically a straight up and down rectangle built in the 60's. I finished the basement myself and the insulation in those walls I found was the standard roll out fiberglass mix stuff. Like the pink panther stuff only yellow. So I'm hoping its all throughout the house. So it would be 600 per floor. Basement, main floor, 2nd floor.
Thanks for all your info! I'm on a "greenhorn" or in this case "greenwood" learning curve. Lol

 

[Chris 3.0]

Conventional wisdom here is that output is mainly contingent on firebox size, and to ignore the BTU numbers.

Yea I guess I'll just start with a low number of logs and then see what comes of it each burn.

 

[Chris 3.0]

Welcome to the forum Chris.


1. It all depends upon the wood.
2. You will not know until you actually burn it.
3. No. Just make certain that the horizontal section has some rise. Code says 1/4" rise per foot of horizontal. We go 1/2" or more.
4. Possibly. You may have to use a small desktop or box fan and blow some air down the stairway. This will force warm air up.
5. It is all marketing hype. How big is the firebox?

No, that is not a lot to ask and you should ask even more. Lots of good knowledge on this forum.


Perhaps the biggest question you did not list is, what are you going to do for fuel? Are you aware that most wood needs a year AFTER SPLITTING before it is ready to burn? Are you aware you can not buy wood like that even though a wood seller will tell you it is "seasoned" and ready to burn?

Are you ready for chimney cleaning? It is highly recommended that new wood burners check their chimney every month. That sounds like a lot and it is. However, wisdom tells us that new wood burners will battle creosote, usually because of poor fuel. You do not want chimney fires!

Good luck.

That's for all that input. Yes I plan on cutting and splitting my own wood for next year. I know for now my parents have plenty of seasoned wood stockpiled in case of the whole 2012 calamity. Lol. Dad has always been a prepared SOB. I'll buy it if I have too but for now I should be ok.
As for the rise I had already planned on angling it as much as I could from the stove to the wall. Just seems like good physics to me. And being a F.F. I've seen a lot of fires from the 90 deg. angles building up creosote and not being cleaned regularly.
I also plan on purchasing a self powered heating fan for the top of the stove and a magnetic thermostat.
Thanks for all the good info !

 

[Chris 3.0]

I have the stove you are looking at.
1-The book says NOT to go above the fire brick, I have a few times. This will depend on split size. If you put in 3 - 4x4- 16inch long and a couple small ones it will last about 4-6 hours then you rake coals to the front to get more heat from the coals and a longer burn time.
2- You will get 4-6 hours burn time, book that comes with your stove will tell you NOT to put in a damper in pipe.
3- Inside pipe will draw better than a outside pipe, so says the book. Mine is staight up from the stove.
4- We have a house that is cut up bad, rooms off to one side then a 28 inch door into the kitchen and the far room stays at around 72, kitchen 72, stove room 90+ front room 74, bathroom at around 70 and it is a dogleg off the bedroom. These temps are today and last night of 4 and 18 for highs today. So to say it will put out the heat.
5- Setting with draft closed to full open
If you want it for long burn times don't get it , but if you want a stove that will blow you out of a room this is it. Ceiling fans will move heat around ,use them or use a floor fan. We use a old time brass blade fan and it costs less to run it than the new ones you buy in the store today. The fan on the back of stove some say it is loud . We have had people here and they can not tell it is on and we have it on high all the time. Ash pan is large.
For the money it is a darn good stove in my opinion.

Awesome thanks for the great info. Nice to here from someone who has this stove! I was wondering about the damper in the pipe thing also. I've seen a lot of them in you tube videos and I wasn't sure if that was extra draft or a more secure shut off having 2 or what the significance of having 2 was for. So you thinks its a good stove to start out with?

 

[Chris 3.0]

(broken link removed)

the manual has the firebox as 1.86 for the 2000 model and slightly bigger for the 2500 model.

1.86 should work for 1,200 as may stove is smaller than 1.86 and I heat 1,200, but I am on one floor.

1.86? Is that feet inside the box your referring to?

 

[Chris 3.0]

That is bad "conventional wisdom", similar to the conventional wisdom on the streets saying "don't burn pine, it's no good....". Firebox size tells you how many BTU's you can put INTO a stove, not what it will output in heat. My old open fireplace had a 6 cf firebox, but my 2.8 woodstock firebox puts out 10 times or more heat! Just an example.

Oh ok. Thanks for setting me straight on that

 

[begreen]

Chris, tell us what you are trying to heat, how large a space and where the stove will be located.

 

[Machria]

I think what woody is correctly pointing out is that with modern stoves the firebox capacity is a better guide than marketing literature.

Understood, but I disagree with that premise somewhat. I think if you look at the marketing lit closely and understand what it is really saying, they are more accurate than you would think. Perfect example, my wife and I just saw a tv commercial for an LED battery operated lantern for $12.99. The boasting claim was that it "lasted 100,000 hours!". My wife said we should order that, it will last forever, that's amazing. I immediately knew she thought the batteries lasted 100k hours. When I explained that was a marketing trick, and they were referring to the LED lamp lasting 100k, not the batteries, she was of course disappointed and claimed that it was false advertising. I said no, you just have to listen closely and not be "fooled" by the marketing. (True story, just happened 1/2 hour ago!)

Same goes for stoves. I think folks here read a stoves peak output is 100k and has a 12 hour burn time, then make the bad assumption that you load 3 splits and it heats 100k for 12 hours. Like the flashlight ad, they never said the stove would output 100k for 12 hours.

You just need to read the specs closely. I attribute this to many here not liking the EPA results, they really don't understand them, or have really analyzed them properly. I would like to add, during my shopping around, I called many of the manufacturers directly, I found them very straight forward (honest) about real life heat outputs and burn times, even when it was not to there benefit.

 

[Chris 3.0]

Understood, but I disagree with that premise somewhat. I think if you look at the marketing lit closely and understand what it is really saying, they are more accurate than you would think. Perfect example, my wife and I just saw a tv commercial for an LED battery operated lantern for $12.99. The boasting claim was that it "lasted 100,000 hours!". My wife said we should order that, it will last forever, that's amazing. I immediately knew she thought the batteries lasted 100k hours. When I explained that was a marketing trick, and they were referring to the LED lamp lasting 100k, not the batteries, she was of course disappointed and claimed that it was false advertising. I said no, you just have to listen closely and not be "fooled" by the marketing. (True story, just happened 1/2 hour ago!)

Same goes for stoves. I think folks here read a stoves peak output is 100k and has a 12 hour burn time, then make the bad assumption that you load 3 splits and it heats 100k for 12 hours. Like the flashlight ad, they never said the stove would output 100k for 12 hours.

You just need to read the specs closely. I attribute this to many here not liking the EPA results, they really don't understand them, or have really analyzed them properly. I would like to add, during my shopping around, I called many of the manufacturers directly, I found them very straight forward (honest) about real life heat outputs and burn times, even when it was not to there benefit.

Great info thanks. And to add to your wife's disappointment, the 100,000hr bulb claim has stipulations also. Like that time frame is for a 3-4 hr use time frame per day! Did my own research on that when doing the lighting in my basement. Pissed the guy at Home Depot off when I showed him the fine print and math too! Lol.
But that's a good point I should just call and ask some open ended questions without giving away too much info to see what they say.

 

[Chris 3.0]

Chris, tell us what you are trying to heat, how large a space and where the stove will be located.

It's 600s/f on the main floor and 600 on the second floor as well. Stove will be on the main floor furtherest wall to the stairway (unfortunately the only place it can go)

 

[Machria]

Yep. And to be clear, I don't mean to totally discount the importance of firebox size, it surely is important. But it's just not the only thing to study.

 

[Chris 3.0]

And just an FYI, we do have a gas furnace that does a good job but I'd rather get off the grid and do the work myself. So we do have a backup. If I run out of one we can use the other.

 

[Chris 3.0]

Big thanks to everyone who replied to my plea for assistance. I appreciate all your knowledge and info.

 

[firecracker_77]

Before you buy this...take a look at other stoves too. Sometimes a more expensive stove can be had 2nd hand for a big discount and give you more options in your budget. Just a thought. It's a big purchase you will live with day in and day out.

 

[firecracker_77]

And make sure you price out the pipe. Probably way more than $499