I need help with everything.
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The insurance agent is clueless. The requirement is Class A insulated chimney pipe from where the pipe passes through the first ceiling above the stove and from there to the sky. In any code book in the country. Print the installation manual for any stove and toss it on their desk.
Hit "reply", then "upload a file" ( lower left next to" post reply"). You can up load quite a few pics.
The next step is to get another vendor out there to quote a stove you like, 2.5 cubic foot firebox or over. West By God Virginia has to have a lot of stove vendors around.
I looked at the England 30-nc and home Depot has a good price on it and it's like a 4.7 out of 5 stars with other 150 reviews, but again I want it to be very dependable. I'm going to Google catalyst vs non next.
I'm wanting to get it done by a contractor, I'm a crane operator, I can pull a lever but I'm not much on pulling a tape line. Lol. I'm worried I'd mess up and have a roof leak.
The Englander line, along with some other brands, are decent "value stoves." Regency and others makers offer higher quality, but their stoves will cost more up front. Since you don't have dry wood (unless the garage got really hot every day,) you could just wait until next year to start burning, and you'd have time to do a lot of stove research and get some quick-drying wood species stacked (Oak and other dense woods are the slowest.) If you don't have time to learn a lot about stoves so you can figure out what you really want for the long haul, or you just want to dive in and start this year, you'll need dry wood to avoid frustration, or a compressed wood product as was suggested. Truly dry wood is really hard to buy even though most sellers will claim their wood is "seasoned." If you can find small, dead standing trees with all the bark fallen off, that wood may be ready to burn now. To see about the Oak you already have, get a cheap moisture meter at Harbor Freight, split a piece again and test by jamming the pins deeply into the center of the freshly-exposed face.
Thanks. My main concern is the price to quality ratio. I don't mind spending more on a jotul or whichever is better but if the englander will do everything that is needed then that would be the route I will go. If the others are $1k better in terms of quality, durability, heat output etc. Then I will gladly spend the extra.
I would not too much credence into reviews of stoves. It's been proven on this forum time & again that people can have great stoves but have no idea how to operate them and then there is the problem that most people think the stove they own is the greatest one made. Unless someone has owned multiple stoves from different makes, it's a really tough job to know how it truly compares.
Now you are thinking!! Lots of discussion on this.
Reviews are really the only thing I have to go by at this point though. I've had a few people suggest the englander nc-30 and it seems like every site that I visit, there aren't a lot of people that dislike it.
The answer is to ask direct questions to the people selling the stoves. So, to the guy selling the Regency, 'I'm also looking at an Englander nc-30. What makes this Regency so much better? What are the weak points on the Englander? ' Do the same with the Englander guy.
Their job is to know their products and how they stack up against the competition. Take a really careful look at each stove and how the controls work, how the welds (if steel) look, take a flashlight and look inside. The more you search, the more you will learn.
BTW, I don't own any of the ones you are looking at and I would not suggest you buy what I have. What I did learn in one full year of shopping was that there are some stores that do not know their stoves very well. I guess many people buy the one that looks the best.
You'll also run into a LOT of people who think any stove that has a cat inside is junk. If you have someone say that, don't argue, just run ... fast. I don't own a cat stove but they are very good many installations.
Their job is to know their products and how they stack up against the competition. Take a really careful look at each stove and how the controls work, how the welds (if steel) look, take a flashlight and look inside. The more you search, the more you will learn.
BTW, I don't own any of the ones you are looking at and I would not suggest you buy what I have. What I did learn in one full year of shopping was that there are some stores that do not know their stoves very well. I guess many people buy the one that looks the best.
You'll also run into a LOT of people who think any stove that has a cat inside is junk. If you have someone say that, don't argue, just run ... fast. I don't own a cat stove but they are very good many installations.I'm calling and may possibly go look at a jotul tomorrow. There isn't a place withing 80 miles that sells Vermont castings. I'm beginning to think some of it is a Ford vs Chevy vs dodge thing (as in, they all have faults but each owner knows the faults and how to spot them early) I read a lot on the jotuls and it seemed like several people had trouble with small things on them also. The first company I called just said they sell regent because they are the best stoves made and are made in the USA. He didn't try to explain anything other than that. Just that was what I wanted.
I used to own a Vermont Castings. It was an awesome stove and one of the best in the early 1980's. They have gone through multiple ownerships and had some poor designs and faulty products since then. I think driving 80 miles is too far to have a dealer you may need to visit many times. Even the very best stoves have problems sometimes and you want someone more local if at all possible.
Yea, the only 100 percent thing that I believe everyone has agrees on is to make sure the company selling you the stoves have a good track record in case something comes up.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
Most stoves do not have comparable efficiencies. As of May 15, 2015, manufacturers may no longer use the lower heating value exclusively to address their efficiency.
If you go to EPA's web site, they have done away with the default value efficiency. Manufacturers must now report their Higher Heating Value (HHV) efficiencies. You will find ranges of mid 60's to low 80's.
Pay particular note to the type of stove combustion design also posted on the site. This will provide actual, real world efficiencies (keep in mind all stoves to date are tested with crib fuel) and offer you an unbiased, no marketing, efficiency number by model.
If you go to EPA's web site, they have done away with the default value efficiency. Manufacturers must now report their Higher Heating Value (HHV) efficiencies. You will find ranges of mid 60's to low 80's.
Pay particular note to the type of stove combustion design also posted on the site. This will provide actual, real world efficiencies (keep in mind all stoves to date are tested with crib fuel) and offer you an unbiased, no marketing, efficiency number by model.
Their are 5 different places that I've found. 2 jotuls dealers, one regency, one napoleon and HD for the Englander
Jazzberry
Minister of Fire
The answer is to ask direct questions to the people selling the stoves. So, to the guy selling the Regency, 'I'm also looking at an Englander nc-30. What makes this Regency so much better? What are the weak points on the Englander? ' Do the same with the Englander guy.
Their job is to know their products and how they stack up against the competition. Take a really careful look at each stove and how the controls work, how the welds (if steel) look, take a flashlight and look inside. The more you search, the more you will learn.
BTW, I don't own any of the ones you are looking at and I would not suggest you buy what I have. What I did learn in one full year of shopping was that there are some stores that do not know their stoves very well. I guess many people buy the one that looks the best.
LOL Ask a salesman classic!
Well he is wrong on both counts they are Canadian made and they are not the best stove made. I think they are very good stoves but i am sure there are others that are better.
Ask a woodstove owner what the best woodstove is . . . and typically they'll name the brand currently heating their home. 
I suspect if you ask a woodstove salesman what the best woodstove is they'll name the brand they're selling . . . and not a competitor.
Truth be told . . . I personally don't think there is one clear winner when it comes to woodstoves . . . like cars there is a woodstove made for every person.
Love the idea of long, low burns . . . BlazeKing.
Love soapstone and hand-crafted workmanship . . . Woodstock.
Love cast iron . . . Jotul.
Love the idea of steel, but want the look of cast iron . . . Pacific Energy.
Love inexpensive . . . Englander.
Of course, these are but a few examples since there are many other great looking cast iron stoves, inexpensive stoves, steel/cast stoves, etc. The point I am making is that there is no "One Stove to Rule Them All."
Look around, see what you like, ask questions, get prices . . . and once you get one . . . post a picture . . . we are very visually oriented here at hearth.com and love pictures.
I suspect if you ask a woodstove salesman what the best woodstove is they'll name the brand they're selling . . . and not a competitor.
Truth be told . . . I personally don't think there is one clear winner when it comes to woodstoves . . . like cars there is a woodstove made for every person.
Love the idea of long, low burns . . . BlazeKing.
Love soapstone and hand-crafted workmanship . . . Woodstock.
Love cast iron . . . Jotul.
Love the idea of steel, but want the look of cast iron . . . Pacific Energy.
Love inexpensive . . . Englander.
Of course, these are but a few examples since there are many other great looking cast iron stoves, inexpensive stoves, steel/cast stoves, etc. The point I am making is that there is no "One Stove to Rule Them All."
Look around, see what you like, ask questions, get prices . . . and once you get one . . . post a picture . . . we are very visually oriented here at hearth.com and love pictures.
ADK_XJ
Feeling the Heat
If your primary goal is to provide back-up / emergency heat for your home in the case of power loss, I think the Englander would be a very good choice. It has basically a cult following on this forum and this is one of the few collections of people I've interacted with about wood-heat that REALLY knew what they were talking about. Sure, people also like their fancier or more feature-packed other models but those are also certainly more expensive than a NC-30.
Not trying to sway you personally because, as stated before, I do have a Regency but I sort of wish I had taken the time to look at the signatures of some of the most prolific posters to the forum (that Minister of Fire badge) and notice just how many include an Englander in them.
If Home Depot is also your closest option for purchase, you are winning in multiple ways when it comes to servicing the unit if something goes wrong or you need replacement parts. I know the big box stores get bad raps (sometimes for good reason) but they also have some of the most wide-open return and replacement policies and there is that convenience factor.
Just some food for thought, you're asking great questions and getting good, honest answers here!
Not trying to sway you personally because, as stated before, I do have a Regency but I sort of wish I had taken the time to look at the signatures of some of the most prolific posters to the forum (that Minister of Fire badge) and notice just how many include an Englander in them.
If Home Depot is also your closest option for purchase, you are winning in multiple ways when it comes to servicing the unit if something goes wrong or you need replacement parts. I know the big box stores get bad raps (sometimes for good reason) but they also have some of the most wide-open return and replacement policies and there is that convenience factor.
Just some food for thought, you're asking great questions and getting good, honest answers here!
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