Need advice

[joshukov]

Looking to add a wood stove, currently have oil furnace and gas fireplace. House is ~1500 sq ft ranch. I want to put stove in the dining room which would be center of house. I was looking at the hearthstone castleton at a local shop, the reason was supposedly the type of heat, not melt your face off as the house isnt big and the stove is central to everything and it also supposedly uses less wood...less fill ups without relighting it. Im not set on the soap stone, it just seemed to fit the bill. I have all the wood i need, Im looking to just get as much free heat as i can and with the mess this world is really dont want to rely on oil if things go south. The price for total install would $9200, which i thought was ridiculous, the stove is $3500, $1200 for install so the rest is pipe and tax. My question is really, whats the difference between a $3500 and a $700 stove and Is the pipe really that expensive? i attached the quote. I know "you get what you pay for", but what exactly are you getting in a stove for that money compared to a cheaper one? Can anyone recommend anything else? Im in southern NJ. Thanks for any replies.

 

[Todd]

Yeah prices are crazy high right now. Seems they jacked up the prices once the 30% Fed tax credit came about. So if you qualify for the credit you get some of that back.

Soapstone stoves are great looking and do even out the heat somewhat. It won’t save you wood over any other high efficiency stove. Maybe look around to other dealers and see what’s available or look at a cheaper stove like Drolet and maybe a local sweep could install?

 

[Jotul_Bird]

Looking to add a wood stove, currently have oil furnace and gas fireplace. House is ~1500 sq ft ranch. I want to put stove in the dining room which would be center of house. I was looking at the hearthstone castleton at a local shop, the reason was supposedly the type of heat, not melt your face off as the house isnt big and the stove is central to everything and it also supposedly uses less wood...less fill ups without relighting it. Im not set on the soap stone, it just seemed to fit the bill. I have all the wood i need, Im looking to just get as much free heat as i can and with the mess this world is really dont want to rely on oil if things go south. The price for total install would $9200, which i thought was ridiculous, the stove is $3500, $1200 for install so the rest is pipe and tax. My question is really, whats the difference between a $3500 and a $700 stove and Is the pipe really that expensive? i attached the quote. I know "you get what you pay for", but what exactly are you getting in a stove for that money compared to a cheaper one? Can anyone recommend anything else? Im in southern NJ. Thanks for any replies.

View attachment 317079

From looking at their quote, it seems they are overcharging you just a bit on the vent pipe. DuraVent (DuraTech) is the best pipe you can buy. You could also check local classifieds and see if you could find a cheaper used stove, though you wouldn't get any tax credit. As for the piping installation, you could do it on your own. It's really not as hard as it was portrayed to be, though you will want to be careful and make sure you take your time so it's done correctly. Most everything you would need is listed in the link below, but if you're putting the stove in the middle of the house, you may need a cathedral ceiling support box, depending on what kind of ceiling you have. Please reach out if you have any more questions. I'd be happy to help.

 

[electrathon]

Soapstone is very pretty, it is also an insulator, not a conductor, the reason they make "soft heat" is because the rest of the heat from the burning wood is going up the chimney. If you are wanting the stove for ambiance, not heat, it should be on the top of your list. If you are planning on heating, do more looking. If you want a long burning stove, that uses less wood, look at a Blaze King. The biggest woodstove mistake I ever made was buying a Hearthstone.

 

[Jotul_Bird]

👍👍check out Jotul Stove's too the F602 would be nice.

Jøtul F 602 V2 Wood Stove | EPA Certified Wood Stoves

Our oldest and best selling wood stove, the Jøtul F 602 V2 is now EPA 2020 certified. Utilizing Jøtul Turbulator™ non-catalytic technology.

www.jotul.com

 

[begreen]

From looking at their quote, it seems they are overcharging you just a bit on the vent pipe. Please see the link below. DuraVent (DuraTech) is the best pipe you can buy. You could also check local classifieds and see if you could find a cheaper used stove, though you wouldn't get any tax credit. As for the piping installation, you could do it on your own. It's really not as hard as it was portrayed to be, though you will want to be careful and make sure you take your time so it's done correctly. Most everything you would need is listed in the link below, but if you're putting the stove in the middle of the house, you may need a cathedral ceiling support box, depending on what kind of ceiling you have. Please reach out if you have any more questions. I'd be happy to help.

(broken link removed)

That is an incorrect statement. DuraVent's DuraTech is a good chimney pipe, we have it on our house. However, there are other brands with better quality stainless. DuraTech is more like a middle line between value chimney and premium chimney. I like it, but it is not the best one can buy if that is the goal. This site will provide some comparison pricing. You'll see that the dealer's Security Chimney pipe is about $100 more than a 48" length of DuraTech.

Chimney Pipe / Venting Pipe :: Wood/All-Fuel Piping :: 6 inch

woodstovepro.com

Unfortunately, everything is likely to be quoted at list price during peak season. At this time of the year most stove sellers and installers have all the work they can handle for months.

For a gentler heat stove also look at cast iron jacketed stoves. They have a similar effect as soapstone, but with less issue. They are a steel stove at heart with a castiron outer jacket that greatly softens the radiant heat. Jotul F35 or Pacific Energy Alderlea T5 are examples in non-catalytic. The Blaze King Ashford is an example of this style in a pure catalytic stove.

 

[KDubU]

Soapstone is very pretty, it is also an insulator, not a conductor, the reason they make "soft heat" is because the rest of the heat from the burning wood is going up the chimney. If you are wanting the stove for ambiance, not heat, it should be on the top of your list. If you are planning on heating, do more looking. If you want a long burning stove, that uses less wood, look at a Blaze King. The biggest woodstove mistake I ever made was buying a Hearthstone.

Not very accurate but okay.

 

[bholler]

From looking at their quote, it seems they are overcharging you just a bit on the vent pipe. DuraVent (DuraTech) is the best pipe you can buy. You could also check local classifieds and see if you could find a cheaper used stove, though you wouldn't get any tax credit. As for the piping installation, you could do it on your own. It's really not as hard as it was portrayed to be, though you will want to be careful and make sure you take your time so it's done correctly. Most everything you would need is listed in the link below, but if you're putting the stove in the middle of the house, you may need a cathedral ceiling support box, depending on what kind of ceiling you have. Please reach out if you have any more questions. I'd be happy to help.

What makes you say duratech is the best pipe you can buy??

 

[EbS-P]

Have you priced pellets and pellet stoves? 9k -2k. Say 7k still buys a lot of oil. Where will you get your wood?