How many older wood stoves out there?

[Michael6268]

A friend of mine had a discussion about wood stoves today and had two different opinions on what type of wood stoves are mostly being used today. I tend to think that there are still many more older "airtight" wood stoves still around and are the majority of what is in use at this time, and he thinks there are practically non left and everyone has invested in newer EPA stoves. I am not questioning that the newer stoves are better for the environment etc. I am just wonder what the ratio might be for older vs newer stoves at this time?? I tend to think 70% older with 30% newer.... PS. I dont have either, I pollute the environment with coal.....(but to a lesser extent)

 

[Corie]

I think the ratio was probably closer to 50 - 50 until this year and the catastrophic oil price increases, which lead me believe that the ratio NOW is probably closer to 70 - 30 like you said.

 

[fbelec]

hi michael

i don't know how to do it but you should put up a poll. maybe craig or mo can help with that.
there was a earlier post on how much electricity poeple were using. if you can setup that type of poll that should be interesting. maybe something like brand and how old.

27 year old vermont castings defiant

 

[hardwood715]

1980 gold marc fireplace insert -gold marc industries monticello ny, ul listed 1482 stamped on back plate, still in great shape !

 

[BrotherBart]

-1985 Sierra T-4600 heating the house just like it always has since the house was built.

-2005 Jotul F3 CB sitting in the basement cold as a stone because it didn't bring anything to the dance when I burned it for a week.

-2005 Jotul F100 heating my shop, kind of.

Secondary burn ain't nothing new. The Sierra currently has a nice rolling blue/yellow burn going up top keeping the nasties out of the chimney and the Jotul downstairs from freezing to death in its sleep.

 

[DavidV]

approx 89 Appalachian cat stove. Still going strong. Have a friend who burns an old airtight. His dad does also. I've talked till I'm blue in the face. Can't wait till this current wood burning craze blows over so I can scoop up a used non cat stove.

 

[quads]

1970-ish Klondike, big steel box lined with firebrick and has thick cast iron doors. I wouldn't exactly call it "airtight", but it does ok. Partially controlled by the amount of wood put in it!

Not used anymore: A couple old Round Oaks, a couple old box stoves, some strange thin steel stove with a spring loaded draft, and an old Franklin which is totally worthless (really thin cast with thumb nuts to hold the doors closed).

 

[Roospike]

Michael,

Thanx for starting this thread. BUT, I think the implicit question is:

How many (What ratio of) users feel that current stoves designs are actually more efficient?? More heat on less fuel.

Tho I run a early eighties Vigilant, I'd be inclined to think the newer stoves are better....BUT I just haven't seen many weigh-in here to that effect.

Dylan

I have owned 4 stoves ( 1 being the Pacific Energy now ) and 1 wood furnace that was in a "farm house" i rented when i moved to this state looking for a house to buy. 13 truck loads a year in that 1920's beast . Anyway i get less "now" heat with the newer stove , yes i said that correct even tho own a 97k btu P.E. stove. But we all know how the old pot belly stove goes. Hot for 1 hour or so and then nothing. The older stoves are good heaters if you have the time to baby them and have a lot of free wood . The newer stover are a lot longer burners and do work better in a house then the old smokers. Times have changed and it was time to step up to the newer stove. I guess wood stoves are like cars , some buy the newer and some dont have a problem with the older. "ME"? I drive the older cars and trucks , get free wood by cutting it myself , i bought the newer stove. The old cars are fine .......... the old stoves for me were not.

 

[Rhone]

The houses in my area were built in the early 60's and went through the oil crisis of the 70's. Many houses in my area back then went into wood heating. When the oil crisis passed people phased back to oil.

Now that it's expensive for oil again, judging by the looks of things I think more people are dusting off those 70's stoves in my area. The amount of smoke tells me they're not EPA stoves. I'm thinking of my neighborhood and when I go for walks I always look at people's chimneys now to see if I see smoke, or those heat waves. Last year, there was 1 person heating with wood using a 70's stove (my father). This year in my neighborhood there's 14 houses I know are burning wood and out of that 9 houses I suspect are 70's stoves that were dusted off, and 5 new EPA stoves. However, more EPA stoves are coming in each year. One particular house has my curiosity peaked, brand new install, full liner from the basement to the roof on the exterior, always has a little smoke coming out, and an unfamiliar smoke smell and no wood or fuel in site. I have to think it's coal! Coal hasn't been in our neighborhood for over 20 years, even 20 years ago there was probably only a couple people heating with it in our city and rare we had a coal burner living in our neighborhood. I found it exciting that our neighborhood may once again have a coal burner. Wish I could see it.

 

[wg_bent]

The houses in my area were built in the early 60's and went through the oil crisis of the 70's. Many houses in my area back then went into wood heating. When the oil crisis passed people phased back to oil.

Now that it's expensive for oil again, judging by the looks of things I think more people are dusting off those 70's stoves in my area. The amount of smoke tells me they're not EPA stoves. I'm thinking of my neighborhood and when I go for walks I always look at people's chimneys now to see if I see smoke, or those heat waves. Last year, there was 1 person heating with wood using a 70's stove (my father). This year in my neighborhood there's 14 houses I know are burning wood and out of that 9 houses I suspect are 70's stoves that were dusted off, and 5 new EPA stoves. However, more EPA stoves are coming in each year. One particular house has my curiosity peaked, brand new install, full liner from the basement to the roof on the exterior, always has a little smoke coming out, and an unfamiliar smoke smell and no wood or fuel in site. I have to think it's coal! Coal hasn't been in our neighborhood for over 20 years, even 20 years ago there was probably only a couple people heating with it in our city and rare we had a coal burner living in our neighborhood. I found it exciting that our neighborhood may once again have a coal burner. Wish I could see it.

Odd, I'm not sure It's coal then. Coal never smokes. I guess possible that it might have a little water vapor if the coal is wet, but not continuously. Hmmm...Not sure on this one.

The smell from coal would be somewhat sulphury especially when a new load is put on. (do stokers exhibit this continuously?) Once the coal is lit, the smell is almost undetectable. (but that's anthricite...not sure of bitumonous)

Is he perhaps burning the prefab logs that are made out of compressed cardboard? I think they're called Enviro-logs.

(broken link removed to http://www.enviro-log.net/index.htm)

 

[quads]

BUT, I think the implicit question is:

How many (What ratio of) users feel that current stoves designs are actually more efficient?? More heat on less fuel.

I can honestly say that I have never seen, nor do I know anyone that has a new/newer stove. I would like to see one in action someday. Even just being able to view the fire while it burns would be fascinating I think! I know a couple people that have outdoor boilers (or is it correctly called an outside hot water heating system?). So, an outside boiler is really all I can compare my stove to. I know that my stove uses less wood per year than one of those, but then my house is smaller too. Also, there's nothing like coming in the house from the barn on a cold snowy night and putting my feet up by Old Smokey. Can't get that kind of personal touch from a boiler outside, I don't suppose.

 

[Rhone]

Thanks Warren that's good info. Last coal burner I saw was about 25 years ago. So coal doesn't smoke then it must be a wood stove and they're burning something other than wood. I don't think it's pellet, I don't think they smoke and wouldn't guess they'd have gone with double-insulated stainless chimney starting in the basement underground and go all the way some feet above their roof.

They must be burning enviro-logs or pressure treated wood, painted wood, they're burning something for sure to have it smell like that. Maybe someday I'll have an opportunity to see a coal burner again.

 

[Rick]

When I was growing up I had one friend whose dad had a coal stove. I didn't know anyone else who had a stove. When the pellet craze hit back in the 90's a bunch of my friends and family got those. Now I know a lot of people who have stoves, both pellet and wood. I would guess that the ratio is 8 to 3, new to old.