Look what showed up in my driveway yesterday!

[tjnamtiw]

Well, to supplement my heat in the basement when I have the pellet stoves going, I just couldn't help myself! I have been looking at wood fired cook stoves for some time and was really impressed with the stoves on the www.sopkainc.com site. I needed a small one and this one, the Royal 720 fills the bill. The owner of the store is about the friendliest, most informed guy I could imagine. He kept me up to date on the shipment and made sure everything was OK.

The stoves offered are from several different manufacturers in Serbia, where they are still the accepted method of cooking and heating. Now that I have it and have begun to explore it, I can see that a lot of thought went into its design. The firebox is cast refractory cement, it appears, although they call it brick. (it could be) They have placed additional insulation in several strategic places to even the heat out in the oven, which is usually one problem with them.

As I get it installed, I'll update this with more pictures and impressions for those that are interested. I know the name Sopka has come up here before. I got the stove delivered with lift gate service for $1050. The stove was packaged very well with additional protection added over that which was supplied by the Serbian manufacturer. The crazy part was that R&L Trucking delivered it to my house in this little village with 1 1/2 lane streets with an 18 wheeler with a 48 foot trailer! That's the first time I saw one on this street in over 20 years..

More pictures to come.

Tom

 

[Pallet Pete]

Man that is sexy ! Your neighbors will love you when the power goes out

Congratulations
Pete

 

[tjnamtiw]

Man that is sexy ! Your neighbors will love you when the power goes out

Congratulations
Pete

Yea, somehow I think I'll have more friends than I ever knew I had! If the lights STAY out, then I'll have to get selective! I'm a beginning survivalist with long term food storage, acres of oaks, 25,000 gallons of water in the swimming pool, and plenty of ammo!

 

[Pallet Pete]

Man that is sexy ! Your neighbors will love you when the power goes out

Congratulations
Pete

Yea, somehow I think I'll have more friends than I ever knew I had! If the lights STAY out, then I'll have to get selective! I'm a beginning survivalist with long term food storage, acres of oaks, 25,000 gallons of water in the swimming pool, and plenty of ammo!

Thats just money in the bank more than anything! It always pays even if the power stays on and you lose a job or hit troubles your prepared.


Pete

 

[tjnamtiw]

Yep, thanks Pete. I'll be posting pictures once I have it in place and 'cooking'.

 

[Pallet Pete]

Yep, thanks Pete. I'll be posting pictures once I have it in place and 'cooking'.

O heck ya can't wait to see it in action !

Pete

 

[ScotO]

Beautiful stove, and I must say I am JEALOUS....keep us posted on the install, I wanna see more pics. Also pics of the first loaf of wood-fired bread, and pizza...dammit I'm getting hungry!!

 

[begreen]

That's an awesome price for a cookstove. I've been hoping someone would show up with a Sopka. Glad you jumped on it. I like its clean lines. Keep us posted on the install and cooking on/in it.

 

[tjnamtiw]

That's an awesome price for a cookstove. I've been hoping someone would show up with a Sopka. Glad you jumped on it. I like its clean lines. Keep us posted on the install and cooking on/in it.

Yea, I've read only good things about the company and the owner, Geno. And he was excellent to deal with and knows his stuff. I decided to vent out the side and today he immediately sent me a cast iron adapter at no charge. He regularly goes to Serbia to visit the manufacturers too and stay up to date. Yea, the price can't be beat, that's for sure. It is small but certainly usable. I DO bake bread so you know a loaf will go in there!

Can't wait for others to chime in with their experiences once they bite the bullet. Heck, it makes sense to cook plus heat your room too. He has a floor model Magnum for $2000 including shipping. It's a big, beautiful stove. Much more than I needed but still really pretty.

 

[Fsappo]

I'll also be waiting for cooking photos.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Well, I got the little beast down into the basement room and positioned it so I could measure and order how much pipe I need. Now, while I wait for that to arrive, got to cut the linoleum and lay tile on the cement floor underneath. 20" clearance on the back and nothing else is close. I thought about a heat shield to move it all closer to the thimble and wall but decided to go with this for now. We shall see.

Obviously, I have some rearranging to do. Anyone need a pen plotter?

 

[Defiant]

Schweet, what will be the first meal?

 

[begreen]

That's an interesting flue outlet arrangement. Is it only side exit or do you have a choice for top or rear also? I'm a little concerned about draft there. With 2, 90's in the connector in a basement install this is going to be interesting. How tall is the chimney here?

 

[tjnamtiw]

Defiant, first think will be bacon and eggs for sure! Then some bread.

BeGreen, it has top exit also and, believe me, I thought about it and still am because of the 90's. If I can get a decent draw with the side, it will make me happy. The top exit would need a 45 to get by the flip-back top and would also render the top permanently back. The chimney is about 30 foot long and 6" square. I have the reducers for both the top and the side so I would only need a 45. We'll see how it draws.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Back from the dead! Flu AND a kidney stone at the same time OMG!! Thank heaven for percocet.

I was off on my chimney length. It's more like 25 feet but that really doesn't impact EVL that much. Also I should have mentioned that the stove's outlet is 120mm or just shy of 5" diameter. The adapter jumps it to standard 6" pipe and then the chimney increases the area again.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Got the Simpson DuraVent Stovepipe in so fitted it up to the adapter and barometric damper. That way I could get clearances right and lay out my 'hearth pad'. Turned out to be a simple 5 foot square giving myself a few extra inches everywhere including under the stove pipe ( a must).
Of course, then I just HAD to see how the chimney would draw! Built a really small fire just to see. I have the baro damper there but it's set really high until I get a manometer to see what the draw really is. Had plenty of draw with no smoke back at all even when I went to the 'oven' position which routes the heat around the oven before it exits the stove. That makes me feel good.

 

[ScotO]

I really really really REALLY love that stove! I can't wait to see pics of the first pizza you cook in there, and the first turkey, and the......sorry I'm ramblin...Keep the pics coming, nice to see your draft is up to par. What are the clearances on that stove? Are you going to keep that paneling behind it?

 

[tjnamtiw]

I really really really REALLY love that stove! I can't wait to see pics of the first pizza you cook in there, and the first turkey, and the......sorry I'm ramblin...Keep the pics coming, nice to see your draft is up to par. What are the clearances on that stove? Are you going to keep that paneling behind it?

Thanks Scotty! Of course, it's 85 here today! Crazy.
Anyway, clearances on stove are 8" on sides, 18" front and back and of course, 18" from stovepipe (on the side). I had read elsewhere and confirmed that the back stays cool. Not sure why it has 18" back clearance spec. I gave it 20" to paneling. If I do feel any warmth on the paneling when really firing it, I'll put up the 32 gauge steel sheet spaced 1" up and 1" off of the wall that is an option with any stove. Then if I wanted, I could move the stove a foot closer but I don't really see a need for it. Oh, behind the paneling is cement block, so if I took it off, I guess I would 'face' brick the whole wall. hmmmmmm.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Schweet, what will be the first meal?

You guys are a hungry bunch! Actually the wife came down to see what I was doing and said it would be a perfect place to cook during the summer since it stays cool down there all the time (1/2 underground and North facing). Never thought I would see such cooperation. Should I push my luck? Is today THE DAY?

 

[Dune]

TJ, tried to send a PM, but couldn't figure out how. I would like some info on the pen plotter.
Nice cook stove. How big is the firebox?

 

[tjnamtiw]

Yea, I can't figure out how to PM with this setup either! Anyway, firebox is 7H x 8W x 15 D. It's lined with heavy layer of bricks. The grate is cast iron and 'shakeable' but not a true 2 piece shaker grate.

The plotter is a HP 7570A DraftPro Plotter that was replaced at work by an ink jet one prior to my retirement. The worst news is that is needs an RS232 serial port. I have a cable for it, plus a new roll of 24" wide paper that you can cut sheets off of. It takes up to a 24x36 sheet. Still have a few sheets left. I haven't used it for a couple of years since I drew out drawings for a large RC plane. I used it with AutoCad but it would work with any of the programs. It has two 8 color carousels for either felt tip pens or drafting pens. The sucker with the stand weighs a little over 100#. I also have the shop manual for it. It's one of those 'clickity clack', run all day machines. Never had any problems.

 

[tjnamtiw]

ah, evidently after I get into your profile, I can 'Start a Conversation', which I'm assuming is the same as a PM; however, it appears that you can actually have a 3,4,etc way conversation going on the side if you know everyone's screen name. Gotta try it!

 

[nate379]

I have never seen an auto damper used on a wood stove before.... aren't those noramlly for oil fired boilers/furnaces?

 

[tjnamtiw]

Yes, they are used on boilers and furnaces for sure to give an even draft to the burner; however, the use of them on wood stoves can be the root of some real arguments, most of which can't be proven one way or the other. I HAVE seen a lot of posts over the years from people complaining that their load of wood didn't last the night and couldn't figure out why. Well, if they had one of these jewels installed to adjust the draft automatically, it might be a solution. If you think about it, when you first load up for the night, you get a good hot fire going and you develop plenty of draft and airflow through the fire. Then you cut back on the airflow and go to bed. The flue cools down, the draft goes down and you suck even less air through the fire than when you went to bed. You're down to a smoldering fire, poor combustion, and loss of even more heat. You get up to take a leak, check your fire and see it's going out so you jack up the air intake and throw more wood on and go back to bed. Now just the opposite happens.
With the barometric damper, it keeps a constant draft on the fire no matter what the chimney is doing. You set your air intake to what you want for a fire and you stand a BETTER chance of maintaining a constant, efficient fire with more complete combustion. Another factor is what is happening outside. Did it get windy during the night and the draft increased as the wind blew over the roof? That would burn your wood up more quickly. The baro damper compensates for the increased draft from the wind so you maintain a constant fire.
Now the nay-sayers will say that the introduction of cooler air to the flue will promote faster creosote formation but I haven't seen any proof of that pointed to in any publication. In fact, if you have a more complete burn, those creosote formers will never make it to the flue. In any event, it sure wouldn't hurt for ANY wood burner to clean his flue a couple of times a year.
In my case on my cookstove, I have a very small, well insulated burn box that I would like to get as many hours of burn out of before I have to get up to restoke it. Giving it a consistent draft and consistently dry wood will make that time much more consistent as well. Also, when cooking, I should be able to more consistently estimate temps and cook times. We shall see how it works out. I recommend searching for barometric dampers. You'll get an education for sure.

 

[nate379]

My brother had a chimney fire this winter as a result of one of those allowing cold air into the chimney....

Usually to damper down the flue or the air intake on a stove... either of which aren't introducing cold air into the chimney. I say cold... room temp, 70* vs 500-600*? in the flue.

I am interested to see what the more experienced guys on here say about it though. It's just not giving me warm, fuzzy feelings anyhow.

Yes, they are used on boilers and furnaces for sure to give an even draft to the burner; however, the use of them on wood stoves can be the root of some real arguments, most of which can't be proven one way or the other. I HAVE seen a lot of posts over the years from people complaining that their load of wood didn't last the night and couldn't figure out why. Well, if they had one of these jewels installed to adjust the draft automatically, it might be a solution. If you think about it, when you first load up for the night, you get a good hot fire going and you develop plenty of draft and airflow through the fire. Then you cut back on the airflow and go to bed. The flue cools down, the draft goes down and you suck even less air through the fire than when you went to bed. You're down to a smoldering fire, poor combustion, and loss of even more heat. You get up to take a leak, check your fire and see it's going out so you jack up the air intake and throw more wood on and go back to bed. Now just the opposite happens.
With the barometric damper, it keeps a constant draft on the fire no matter what the chimney is doing. You set your air intake to what you want for a fire and you stand a BETTER chance of maintaining a constant, efficient fire with more complete combustion. Another factor is what is happening outside. Did it get windy during the night and the draft increased as the wind blew over the roof? That would burn your wood up more quickly. The baro damper compensates for the increased draft from the wind so you maintain a constant fire.
Now the nay-sayers will say that the introduction of cooler air to the flue will promote faster creosote formation but I haven't seen any proof of that pointed to in any publication. In fact, if you have a more complete burn, those creosote formers will never make it to the flue. In any event, it sure wouldn't hurt for ANY wood burner to clean his flue a couple of times a year.
In my case on my cookstove, I have a very small, well insulated burn box that I would like to get as many hours of burn out of before I have to get up to restoke it. Giving it a consistent draft and consistently dry wood will make that time much more consistent as well. Also, when cooking, I should be able to more consistently estimate temps and cook times. We shall see how it works out. I recommend searching for barometric dampers. You'll get an education for sure.