Inexpensive Stove Info

[potter]

A friend told me today he's been using a barrel stove to heat his 24x24 studio/workshop, and is going through a huge amount of wood. Also said some scary things about creosote build up. I told him that I thought there were affordable EPA stoves available at the big boxes that were well spoken of here, could someone post models and size appropriate and price (roughly) that I can pass on?

 

[InTheRockies]

Well, it will depend on the size of the area he's trying to heat. Clearly, there are decent, inexpensive EPA stove. I should know, I installed one (with optional blower kit) for right under $900--DIY'ing saved me money on the install. Your friend should look at Drolets and Englanders. Members on the forum have also been happy with US Stove models, too. If he can install the stove himself (and if he's got good double-walled pipe installed already) he should be able to get a good EPA stove for under $1000.

 

[firefighterjake]

A friend told me today he's been using a barrel stove to heat his 24x24 studio/workshop, and is going through a huge amount of wood. Also said some scary things about creosote build up. I told him that I thought there were affordable EPA stoves available at the big boxes that were well spoken of here, could someone post models and size appropriate and price (roughly) that I can pass on?

If the 24 x 24 space is well insulated your friend will not need a very large stove to adequately heat the place. If my Mt. Moo High School math is correct his heating needs work out to 576 square feet . . . and in fact many manufacturers have stoves that would heat well beyond his needs.

I don't have the prices and makes/manufacturer suggestions . . . but in general Drolet, US Stove and Englander Stove Works seem to get high marks for being reliable and built for "Joe the Wood Burner" sort of guy and sold at many of the Big Box Stores. In a quick glance at the respective companies' websites it seemed as though many of their woodstoves (EPA ones at least) were sized prety large as they are built to heat up to 1,500-1,800 square feet of space. Of course one could always build smaller fires in a woodstove so that one would not be driven out of the space by the excessive heat . . . and I'm a believer in going a bit larger than one thinks they need for heating.

Other options for a middle of the road approach might be Regency, Napoleons, Quadra-Fires and Harmons . . . well built stoves without the mystique of having a Scandinavian stove. Not sure about prices, makes and models for this line up though.

Morso and Jotul may be a bit on the higher end with several stoves that may work especially well for a small area as the F602CB is rated to heat 800 square feet . . . . ditto for Morso's 1410 and 1440. I'm not sure about the cost however . . . but on the flipside your friend would end up with a very cool-looking stove that may not drive them out of their shop from the heat . . . I mean how cool would it be to have a stove with a squirrel on the side?