Looking for a budget stove NOT made in China

[guy48065]

Recently I bought a cabin in Michigan and would like to install a woodstove in it. I want it more for the ambience than for heat. My living room is narrow and in the middle of the long wall is a brick surround that appears to be prepped for a woodstove.

As you can see I don’t have a lot of hearth depth (or room) to work with but I think a small-ish stove will fit. Behind the plywood panel at the top of the opening is an angle-iron box with the terracotta flue sitting on top of it and a 8-6” reducing collar in the front. I bought a 6” elbow so I can get some accurate measurements. It looks like I can fit a stove that will accommodate 18” logs as long as I don’t go much over 20” in depth in order to keep the legs on the brick.

My cabin & my budget aren’t worthy of an expensive soapstone stove so I’m looking for a basic black plate steel unit. Models I like by Vogelzang (Defender) and Dutchwest were shot down by my wife because they’re made in China. Now I need to search again and stretch my budget to buy one made in US or Canada. A local dealer has a Lopi 1250 that fits the bill but it seems pricey ($1100) for such a simple & plain-looking stove.

Am I asking for too much in trying to find a well-built North American-made stove for about $1000 (just the stove)—one that doesn’t look like a plain black cube with a window in it? The search is frustrating. The boutique stores are real expensive and the big-box stores don’t have stoves on display yet (at least not here…)

 

[smokinj]

Us stove is made in tenn. and they are in your price range!
(broken link removed to http://www.usstove.com/products.php?id=1)

 

[cmonSTART]

Boy, an Englander 12FP is probably what you're looking for. They're made in VA I think.

http://www.englandsstoveworks.com/12-fp.html

 

[webbie]

US Stove
SBI (many brands - including Osburn)
Osburn
Englander
Napoleon
and others.....lots of selection.

Do some searching with google....on those brands

 

[EddyKilowatt]

Shop used! Craigslist is your friend. Lots of nice stoves with a few years' use in the $500-1000 range. You'll have to look at a few frogs in the process, but it should only take a few months to find a prince(ss).

Eddy

 

[guy48065]

US Stove - Only one that fits is the "King" and I looked at that one at Tractor Supply. Great price at $600 including blower but I still couldn't get excited over it. Looks cheap but if it's a great performer & does what more expensive stoves do I'd seriously consider it. Does it?

Drolet - no dealers.
Osburn "1500" - Couple dealers I didn't know about near me. I'll have a look.
Flame - no dealers.
Napoleon - too expensive & too big.

And what about the Lopi Republic 1250 I mentioned? Is that a good stove for the money? Pretty much all the stoves listed had plain cast doors and simple looks. The Vogel-Chang ;-P models SWMBO won't consider had good looks, specs and features. I was hoping to do as well in a US-made unit without busting the bank.

Here's a shot of the flue connector. This looks weird to me--anyone ever seen one like it? How do you clean this out?

 

[elmoleaf]

Getting a bit ahead, but check out the hearth and make sure it's not just bricks mortared to a wood subfloor or something equally stupid.
Try craigslist or other classifieds for a used model.

 

[fossil]

Start by pulling out all the duct tape & whatever's fallen down on top of it and see what you've really got there in terms of a flue. Rick

 

[kalevi]

If you are going to put in a wood stove, get a high efficiency one and use it for the heat. If you are doing the install, you might as well go for quality. Energy prices will keep going up, you never know when the power will fail, so why not have a reasonably priced back up heating system. Now you also have to get some dry wood.

 

[Hanko]

If you dont want something made in China Dont buy the Voltzer douchebag or what ever you call it, cause they are made there

 

[Hogwildz]

Go to Home Depot or Lowes and git yourself an Englander 13 or Summers Heat equivalent (both same stove, same manufacturer).
Have a couple folks from there on this forum is worth it in itself.

 

[SlyFerret]

The Englander 13 would be a great stove for you. It's an EPA stove, so it'll put out some heat, and the secondary burn will give you a great light show as it burns.

I put in an Englander 30 last winter (the 13's big brother). It's a great stove, and pretty easy to operate.

-SF

 

[guy48065]

I'll call around for the Englander. I've never seen a woodstove at HD or Lowes around here (metro Detroit). A fireplace shop I stopped at today told me he doesn't carry wood stoves, only gas--"no demand, people are too lazy". I may end up looking up north by the cabin. I'm sure they aren't hard to find up there.

 

[guy48065]

Start by pulling out all the duct tape & whatever's fallen down on top of it and see what you've really got there in terms of a flue. Rick

I believe what you think is duct tape is actually the cinderblocks surrounding the clay flue. The only tape is sealing the collar.

 

[T Osborn]

My US Stove Magnolia clearly states on the manual that it was made in China.( the stove, not the manual!) Should be illegal to be called"US" anything and import your product. I'm not saying all of US Stove products are foreign-made. On the other hand, this stove performed well last winter. Biggest issue is that all internal parts are welded, so when they go, so does the stove. Paid less than $600 for this 3.1 cu ft firebox stove last November at TSC.

 

[Jags]

The 13NC is gonna get you into your skivvies in pretty short order. Neat little stove. I think what Rick was suggesting, was to make sure you have a class A chimney setup in there. It is also hard to tell, but it appears that you have 8" stuff. Most stoves that will fit are gonna need a 6" stack (just say'in).

Also, it was stated above, look into your hearth setup, and then double check the manual for the stoves that your are considering. The R value of the hearth changes from stove to stove. Make sure you are in the safe zone with that.

Neat cabin, when are we all invited for the fishing derby and cook out????

 

[mainemxz]

Nice Cabin, love the 2x4 security system too.

 

[guy48065]

I learned that both US Stove models at TSC are China made. My low-price choices are disappearing fast. I still have the Lopi 1250 local for 1100 if I throw in the towel
Most of the dealers I rounded up to call are gone or not handling wood stoves anymore. One (and only one) told me the insurance companies nearly killed the industry. I guess I need to find out if mine will jack up my premiums if I go ahead with this install. My surround is old and certainly not built to todays code. It appears to be well made and safe but if I have to bring it up to code to satisfy the insurance man then that will be the end of it.

I like the looks of the Englander 13 and I found one up near the cabin. Last year's stock/on sale. If I get the GO from insurance man I'll go have a close look at it.
Another I can get fairly close to home is the Drolet Celtic. A real sweetheart-looking stove. It's up at about $1000 but looks much nicer than the Lopi at the same price.

I hope I can find a practical solution to the insurance hurdle. I really don't want to use the surround to store the vacuum :roll:

 

[cmonSTART]

the 13 is a good stove.

 

[coreystaf]

I know that the 1250 is a good stove, worth every penny. Be careful when you install any stove though, I see some wood and panelling in the area, and as mentioned before, be sure you know whats behind the brick. If you set a stove far enough back that the front has proper hearth clearance (16"on most), you may be back under the panelling, then you're into alcove clearances, and they are pretty restrictive (somewhere around 7' head clearance from the floor). Is there a certified installer near that can come check everything out for you?

 

[guy48065]

Back to square one. I've learned the cabin is set p for a gas insert and to convert the surround to wood would cost way more than it's worth to me.

So over to the "It's a Gas" forum I go...

Thanks to all for trying to help this clueless newb