My friend has heated his house exclusively with wood for over 25 years in southern Maine and for the last 15 or so its been with a Fisher Momma Bear. He used to go through 6 to 8 cords until he installed a heat exchanger to circulate hot water around the house instead of just overheating the basement. I expect he is using 4 to 6 cords now. He has finally come to the conclusion that instead of cutting and splitting all this wood, he can move out of the stone age and get a more efficient stove. I am trying to come up with suggestions for a new stove but what is holding me up is what would a reasonable btu rating for his current Momma Bear that I could use to compare to current EPA stoves? Heck I expect just moving up to a rebuillt VC defiant would be a plus but he is really interested in buying a new stove.
He is aware that its going to be a learning curve to switch from his current stove to a new one and will have to change his seasoning habits.
He is aware that its going to be a learning curve to switch from his current stove to a new one and will have to change his seasoning habits.