Well I finally got my Roby installed and it has two cooking plates and a top plate made of cast iron that is very heavy but makes the top of the stove shiny and has room for bacon and hotcakes I think I could use it for that...not sure yet..It also has some kind of brick inside that moves around and I do not know what that is and if they are good or not for heating...Need to check further on this...The stack I had him put as a straight pipe because it would be easier to clean and the air flow I think would be better. The stove door is hard to open but the installer showed me how and said it was because of new gaskets and the first burning when I do it ---the stove will smell--I think burning off stuff so that it is "seasoned"--my words here ---I think this would be "why" the smell to it--I will open up the windows if it gets too bad...Its just sitting there right now brand new and shiny in a brand new built room that I enclosed from a open porch...The stove is sitting on a cement floor and that has insulation under it that was recommended from a poster on this forum...Pictures pretty soon when I get time...clancey
My Very First Wood Stove J.A. Roby (Sirius).
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That's what the installer said but I didn't know exactly where it came from...thanks...Those stove pipes are larger than I thought they would be picture here and I wonder how large those baby bear stove pipes would be and I hope that old bholler answers this question because he seems not to like the bear family of stoves...lol...How large are those pipes? Another picture coming of my beautiful new stove just sitting there looking pretty but it gives me a real peace of mind knowing that I have it if I need it...There is a metal silver movable piece that slides back and forth and what might this be forgot to ask the stove man..? clancey
![[Hearth.com] My Very First Wood Stove J.A. Roby (Sirius).](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/278/278601-8852ea3dca782f6854ea1c16a7957fa3.jpg?hash=PHNIiP2ND5 "[Hearth.com] My Very First Wood Stove J.A. Roby (Sirius).")
![[Hearth.com] My Very First Wood Stove J.A. Roby (Sirius).](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/278/278602-3e130fa2b37be67d58599a39c106520b.jpg?hash=_rDIZN92oJ "[Hearth.com] My Very First Wood Stove J.A. Roby (Sirius).")
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Baby bears use 6" pipe. It isn't that I don't like fishers they are perfectly good stoves for their day. It is just that their day was a long time ago.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
All stoves come with firebrick now...it helps protect the metal stove floor/walls from the fire (lasts longer) and can help make the fire burn hotter (cleaner) too...
Ha Ha Ha ---Just like me for my days were a long time ago...enjoyed--thanks---But I still love that Bear Family of Stoves and their advertisement was just excellent--in their day....You are telling me that my piping I think is 8 inch is larger than those large stoves? ,,or is mine 6 inches too.? Is that firebrick expensive to buy and does it ever go bad brenndatomu or crack maybe Thanks everyone clancey..
Yours should be 6" as well. And the baby bear was a tiny stove not large at all. I am sure it would have worked on a 5"
Yes brick are wear items which will periodically need replacement.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
I'm sure your pipe is 6"...it goes by the inside diameter, not the outside...if you have doublewall pipe it will certainly be bigger than 6" outside.
The bricks can crack if you load wood harshly (throw it in) but the bricks are not generally expensive to replace.
Most all. Some use cast-iron liners.
Our firebricks are now going on 12 yrs old and still serving. There are a couple of cracks due to me putting wood in too assertively, but they are holding in place still. I may swap them for floor bricks this summer.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
Oh, and even if the bricks do crack, that does not necessarily warrant replacement, unless the pieces will not stay put...and even then, the firebrick(s) can be repaired by "gluing" it back together using furnace cement...that works well!
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
I don't think these stove are much good for cooking on. Possible but...... use the stove in the kitchen.
Yea your right and just for cooking it is best to use the kitchen stove and I only got this particular stove for an emergency in the wintertime if all the power goes off I wanted something to keep me warm as well as being able to heat soup and coffee and it should be able to do that..-lol..The plate on top just covers the burners and makes it look "pretty".. But for long running fires I believe that I could put a few hotcakes or bacon on it just in a emergency "if had to".. I am not a wood burner but love to hear about it and the people are so interesting with their different ideas and know how as well as their way of looking at things---working persons forum..Most people have families to depend on for help but I just have myself and wanted that extra security of mind "just in case"---"Texas" - something happens like when they did not have heat or electric as well..for days and days in severe weather..Just wanting a peace of mind and a escape route if power should go off in the cold of winter. Now i need to learn to light the thing---lol and I am afraid of fire---lol..But my dealer said that he would show me how to build a fire and we laughed--for it might be a "long long time"....Next month I am going to buy some kiln dried oak wood just to have around and maybe have a small wood shed in my yard. Then fix the path and mow the grass--lots of work for this old lady. Now I have a new hobby of learning as well with enjoyable people that I can praise or tell to be good and stay safe....Thanks everyone for your replies..clancey
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
You'll get the hang of it...just takes a little practice...and we've all been there, there is always a learning curve, even if its just a new stove model for an experienced burner. Keep in mind that this is wood, not gas, there won't be a big WOOF explosion when you light it...its more like lighting a birthday candle, starts small and builds (if you are doing it right it will build anyways
)You might consider getting a few Supercedars to assist you with fire starting too...they make it really easy, I think a whole Supercedar could light up a soggy sponge! Most people cut or break them into quarters and find that is plenty to do the job...makes it really cheap.
Here is a link...and they usually run a promotional price for Hearth members in the fall too. I know our local ACE hardware has the same product under a different name...they get about $1 each for them, but it makes it nice you can just get 1 or 2 as needed also.
Super Cedar Firestarter Products
View the entire line of Super Cedar Firestarters products. We ship to the continental US, Alaska, and Hawaii.
The connector on the stove determines the pipe and chimney size. Normally they should be the same. Baby, Mama, and Papa used 6 inch. They were the single door stoves from the Bear Series. The Fireplace series with double doors used larger 8 inch. The more efficient models with 2 doors also used 6 inch, but there were special requirements such as double wall pipe inside to keep them efficient.
Start it the first time with a small fire and open doors and windows. The pipe will smoke off as well as the stove. High temperature paints are soft until they are cured with heat and do give off some obnoxious fumes
The bricks inside reflect heat back into the firebox to raise the fire temperature, since the hotter it burns, the cleaner. They are made with water like cement, so new brick is high in moisture content. It will take a few hours to dry them out with your first fire. The steam rises out the chimney taking a lot of heat along with it. So expect the next fire to feel much more heat from the stove. The same over the summer when brick absorbs moisture from the humid summer air. The first fire may seem like the stove isn’t getting very hot.
You will find where it gets hotter on the top for cooking. The difference cooking on a wood stove is you simply move the pans around to the desired heat instead of regulating the burner temperature. To simmer, raise the pots, pans or kettle with a trivet to prevent direct contact with stove top. Practice with a tea kettle, then soups or stews. They are best for simmering a slow cooked meal all day like you would use a crock pot. Open pan cooking such as bacon tends to spatter grease everywhere making a mess, so keep anything like that covered.
Unfortunately griddles are no longer made totally flat on the bottom for good contact. They all have a lip or are made to go over stove top burners. You’ll find pots with copper bottom or aluminum heat much faster than a stainless steel pot or pan. It’s amazing how many things normally cooked in an oven can be cooked on a stove top in an emergency.
Start it the first time with a small fire and open doors and windows. The pipe will smoke off as well as the stove. High temperature paints are soft until they are cured with heat and do give off some obnoxious fumes
The bricks inside reflect heat back into the firebox to raise the fire temperature, since the hotter it burns, the cleaner. They are made with water like cement, so new brick is high in moisture content. It will take a few hours to dry them out with your first fire. The steam rises out the chimney taking a lot of heat along with it. So expect the next fire to feel much more heat from the stove. The same over the summer when brick absorbs moisture from the humid summer air. The first fire may seem like the stove isn’t getting very hot.
You will find where it gets hotter on the top for cooking. The difference cooking on a wood stove is you simply move the pans around to the desired heat instead of regulating the burner temperature. To simmer, raise the pots, pans or kettle with a trivet to prevent direct contact with stove top. Practice with a tea kettle, then soups or stews. They are best for simmering a slow cooked meal all day like you would use a crock pot. Open pan cooking such as bacon tends to spatter grease everywhere making a mess, so keep anything like that covered.
Unfortunately griddles are no longer made totally flat on the bottom for good contact. They all have a lip or are made to go over stove top burners. You’ll find pots with copper bottom or aluminum heat much faster than a stainless steel pot or pan. It’s amazing how many things normally cooked in an oven can be cooked on a stove top in an emergency.
BCC_Burner
Feeling the Heat
Congrats on the install. It looks like that stove qualifies for the 26% rebate as well, so keep that in mind.
What a treasure cove of information--wonderful--and I have two trivets to where I can change their size and they fit wonderful ..That starter stuff is amazing and I will get a very small amount of that as well.. Tax deduction wow need all the help that I can get--Yes,,,although for old people in my state they take off some of the total amount--I think half...my tax person does all of that for I am not very good at math, but very good at spending money and 26% is 26% and I will declare it--yes...thanks...clancey
BCC_Burner
Feeling the Heat
Read through the "New Tax Credits for 2021" thread that is a sticky at the top of this forum. It's 26% back on the cost of the stove, the flue piping and the installation, so it should take some of the sting out of the cost of your project if it isn't something you factored in beforehand.
I just realized the Sirius is among the few non-catalytic stoves to make the >75% efficient list.
I just realized the Sirius is among the few non-catalytic stoves to make the >75% efficient list.
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
That's 26% of the whole install...so the chimney, stove pipe, any hearth or special wall/heat shielding treatment you did...etc
brenndatomu
Minister of Fire
And I think its just a tax "credit", so it would be "up to" 26%, so if 26% exceeds what you would owe in taxes, at that point you would just pay 0$ tax...would not get refund of the "excess" stove/install costs. Still the best incentive I've seen yet!
not yet and need to do a few things first like getting some dry wood and some assorted stuff--mauls and saws and temperature gauges and oodles of things--need to feel prepared here--getting my nerve up and might be awhile wanting to build a small wood shed in the second week of June so lots to do and here is a pretty doggy card for everyone
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