Hello all! Some quick background info. Purchased a home that has a Regular Buck (26000?) as an insert. This is our first full winter in the home and the old Buck has been used almost daily. BEFORE USE the blower motor was replaced and the unit was cleaned thoroughly. The chimney and the inside of the fire place cleaned as well. Everything had been well maintained by the previous owner so this was all just regular maintenance. From poking around here I now know that I have a "slammer" install which is far from ideal. A new stove is on the list of things to do along with many other projects. In the meantime I am trying to get the best I can out of what I've got. My burn times have gotten better but still seem short to me as I need to keep feeding it around every 3 hours at most. I'm still trying to learn the damper and vents to keep it burning without just watching the wood disappear. Sometimes I get it pretty good others it a struggle to keep it going. I have been told by some that I shouldn't have a chimney cap and by others that i have to haveone(I currently have one). If any of this has been addressed in the forum before could someone point me to it? I've searched for info but I guess I'm not asking the right question.
Looking for "How to " advice for a old Regular Buck stove.
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You have a big old smoke dragon running through an oversized chimney it is going to eat massive amounts of wood
Not just "not ideal" it's unsafe. I'm sure some experts have seen far worse things than I but if you ever explore the back side of a smoke shelf from an open fireplace or slammer you'll see what I mean. If that ever gets started it will be like some Willy Peter, it ain't going out. Get a liner.
Thank you bholler and rwhite for replying. There is a overwhelming amount of information here for the newbie like myself and many of the discussions are between experienced people so they know what each other is talking about. Bholler am I correct in thinking that an over size chimney causes to much draft and that results in high wood usage? Rwhite, after reading your reply I looked up some diagrams of typical fireplace construction and I understand why you said get a liner. While cleaning everything I did reach up through the damper opening and remove anything I could. As i recall there was not much up in there but then again it was all by feel. At the end of the season I will make sure I examine it well. Would I be wrong in thinking that as long as everything is well cleaned and buildup is kept to a minimum the risk of fire would be reduced? I'm not trying to put anyone on the spot I'm trying to increase my understanding. As I said before this is new for me and there is a very steep learning curve going on.
No the oversized chimney takes much more volume to create the needed draft meaning the stove wastes much more heat up the chimney but actually has wesker draft.
The risk of fire would be less but in a setup like that creosote can build up quickly and if you have a fire it is an intense one because of the air leaking around the stove. Your risk of CO leakage is also much higher. Did you have the chimney fully inspected for condition and required clearances?
AH! Ok that makes perfect sense I just didn't look at it that way. I was thinking in terms of restriction of the air flow not in the velocity of the air moving up the chimney. That explains why when I look at the smoke exiting the chimney it doesn't seem to be "pushed" out quickly. Thank you
The seller had it cleaned and inspected before we bought the house and no issues were reported to us. Having said that I have heard of the many inspections that come back good but are anything but. While doing my own cleaning I was able to check from top down and bottom up for a broken or misaligned liner as even I knew that makes it unusable. I understand your point about air leakage and CO leakage. We do have a CO monitor in the room and check it regularly as well as fire extinguishers on hand. We only burn good hardwood ( cherry, red oak, ash, locust, and some maple) which if I'm understanding correctly is key in keeping creosote buildup down.
The fact that they inspected a fireplace with a slammer in it and said it was fine tells me they don't know or care to do their job correctly. We won't even clean them anymore unless it is in preparation for a liner.
And wood species has absolutely nothing to do with creosote accumulation. That comes down to fuel moisture content and exhaust gas temps. You need to keep the smoke above 220 until it leaves the chimney that is extremely difficult to do with a slammer install.
Again thank you for taking the time to reply to a newbie. The new insert is making its way to farther up the priority list thanks to your input. We have oil heat and I would much rather pay for a new insert than oil since we have access to wood for free.
My reference to wood species was only meant to say that I know better than to burn something like pine.
My reference to wood species was only meant to say that I know better than to burn something like pine.
Just checking to see if you got your stainless steel liner installed on your old buck stove. I am
Looking to make our older buck stove more efficient this year.
My wife and I bought an old farmhouse out in the country and it came with a buck stove 28000. This will make our 3rd winter in the house and I am currently in the process of replacing the blower motor. I went to check fire it up and it wouldnt turn on.
I have what I think you called a “slammer” install where I have no liner. My biggest complaint about this stove is that I would get a max usage of 2.5-3 hours of burn so I am up all through the night loading wood and not to mention going through a lot of wood. I honestly didn’t even use it last winter because I got tired of constantly loading wood. Lastly as I can tell I do not have a catalytic converter either.
We have a propane boiler system in the house but our budget year one our monthly budget was $250. Now we are paying $425 a month just for propane which we only use 3-4 months out of the year which is ridiculous. I was hoping to burn wood more wood this winter to help supplement our propane cost.
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated
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Looking to make our older buck stove more efficient this year.
My wife and I bought an old farmhouse out in the country and it came with a buck stove 28000. This will make our 3rd winter in the house and I am currently in the process of replacing the blower motor. I went to check fire it up and it wouldnt turn on.
I have what I think you called a “slammer” install where I have no liner. My biggest complaint about this stove is that I would get a max usage of 2.5-3 hours of burn so I am up all through the night loading wood and not to mention going through a lot of wood. I honestly didn’t even use it last winter because I got tired of constantly loading wood. Lastly as I can tell I do not have a catalytic converter either.
We have a propane boiler system in the house but our budget year one our monthly budget was $250. Now we are paying $425 a month just for propane which we only use 3-4 months out of the year which is ridiculous. I was hoping to burn wood more wood this winter to help supplement our propane cost.
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated
Ok thank you . We thought about purchasing a new stove. I was just hopeful I could get more efficiency out of this one.
Begreen - is there one you recommend as a modern day replacement?
Opening for stove 30 inches tall by 41 1/2 wide
Our house is 3800 sq ft with the downstairs approximately 2000 sq ft.
In my previous research I have this stove bookmarked - https://myfireplaceproducts.com/us_en/drolet-escape-1800-wood-insert-db03125
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EbS-P
Minister of Fire
I just had my 1800i delivered last week. It is the cheapest insert I felt comfortable purchasing. It is a value/budget brand from SBI that is well respected for its quality and customer service. I think there are better looking inserts, and more efficient inserts that qualify for the 26% tax credit. I did the math and the 1800i was the cheapest option even though it doesn’t qualify for the tax credit. Seeing
The 1800i in person it’s built well but it’s a no frills model. Parts like burn tubes baffle and fire brick are consumable items bits should last quite some time.
Just go ahead and get an insulated liner. I ordered the insert/liner kit from Costco. 1600$ to my door plus another 350 for insulation wrap and rockwool. Still need sheet metal for blockoff plate. I’m calling it 2000$.
Other inserts I looked at. Pacific energy. I like the T5 never saw a price, Super LE would have been closer to my budget, Blaze king Siracco and Princess (tax credit eligible) has thermostat and a catalytic converter so you can control heat output.
If you are wanting/needing for this winter supply is tight. Pick something and order it ASAP.
Just some thoughts
Evan
The 1800i in person it’s built well but it’s a no frills model. Parts like burn tubes baffle and fire brick are consumable items bits should last quite some time.
Just go ahead and get an insulated liner. I ordered the insert/liner kit from Costco. 1600$ to my door plus another 350 for insulation wrap and rockwool. Still need sheet metal for blockoff plate. I’m calling it 2000$.
Other inserts I looked at. Pacific energy. I like the T5 never saw a price, Super LE would have been closer to my budget, Blaze king Siracco and Princess (tax credit eligible) has thermostat and a catalytic converter so you can control heat output.
If you are wanting/needing for this winter supply is tight. Pick something and order it ASAP.
DRY wood is must for new stoves. If you don’t have a dry wood supply now add in a pallet of bio bricks to the cost of the new insert and start getting ahead your wood supply for the following years.
Just some thoughts
Evan
In this case I would go for a 3 cu ft insert like the Pacific Energy Summit, Regency i2700, or the big Buck 91.
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