Need help deciding on a Fisher

[Thewildbee]

Hi all! I am new here. I have never heated with wood before. Well, we had a wood stove when I was a child but I was too little to have much to do with it.

I've been reading some threads here about old Fishers and how much people seem to like them. I am getting ready to install a wood stove ( hopefully by January) in a farm we are currently renovating.

I am wondering if anyone might have some advice. I have been looking at the papa bear and grampa bear stoves. Are there benefits to one over the other? Has anyone had both and prefers one better? Is one easier to use than the other? I have well over 2500 square ft to heat but it doesn't have to be the only heat source or the only wood stove.

 

[bholler]

Hi all! I am new here. I have never heated with wood before. Well, we had a wood stove when I was a child but I was too little to have much to do with it.

I've been reading some threads here about old Fishers and how much people seem to like them. I am getting ready to install a wood stove ( hopefully by January) in a farm we are currently renovating.

I am wondering if anyone might have some advice. I have been looking at the papa bear and grampa bear stoves. Are there benefits to one over the other? Has anyone had both and prefers one better? Is one easier to use than the other? I have well over 2500 square ft to heat but it doesn't have to be the only heat source or the only wood stove.

Why do you want a fisher? Why not go with a modern stove that will givecyou much more heat per peice of wood a nice veiw of the fire cleaner burning and a nice veiw of the fire?

 

[BIGChrisNH]

Fisher's are nostalgic and it's cool to have one, but you would certainly get more heat from your wood with a newer stove as bholler says.

 

[Thewildbee]

Is there something you recommend?

 

[begreen]

Tell us more about the area you want to heat and where the stove is going. Will it be used for 24/7 heating or nights and weekends mostly?

A modern stove will heat better using less wood, but it needs dry wood to do this. Do you have a good supply of fully seasoned wood?

 

[Thewildbee]

The stove is going in almost the center of the house with a fairly open floor plan. I need to have a second hearing source per my insurance company's instructions. My hope is to use the propane to keep the house at a minimum temp then warm it up with the wood heat. We keep the temp lower where we are living currently. Not over 65°. We are in and out th throughout the day with no real schedule. It is rare there is no one home at all. My husband does tree work so we have a good access to a variety of wood. We have a large wood splitter and pole barn to store and season it in.

 

[bholler]

The stove is going in almost the center of the house with a fairly open floor plan. I need to have a second hearing source per my insurance company's instructions. My hope is to use the propane to keep the house at a minimum temp then warm it up with the wood heat. We keep the temp lower where we are living currently. Not over 65°. We are in and out th throughout the day with no real schedule. It is rare there is no one home at all. My husband does tree work so we have a good access to a variety of wood. We have a large wood splitter and pole barn to store and season it in.

Thats good how much do you have cut and split now? And again why a fisher?

 

[Thewildbee]

Fisher because it seems sturdy and easy to use. People seem to love them. I dont much care for a lot of bells and whistles in anything I have.

We have a several cord set by in the barn and more going in all the time. We dont live there currently and likely won't for another year. So more time available to get more put by.

 

[bholler]

Fisher because it seems sturdy and easy to use. People seem to love them. I dont much care for a lot of bells and whistles in anything I have.

We have a several cord set by in the barn and more going in all the time. We dont live there currently and likely won't for another year. So more time available to get more put by.

They are sturd yes. But no easier to use than most modern stoves. The only thing fishers beat some modern stoves on is peak output simply because of the size of the firebox. But that peak will be very short lived. They do work and many people do love them. But most of the time that is only because they have never used a modern stove.

 

[Thewildbee]

I have never used any stove. Something that be forgiving of a first timer would be nice.

 

[begreen]

For a simple value stove Englander and Drolet are hard to beat, but there are several brands that will do the job for many years to come. Some names are Regency, Lopi, Quadrafire, Pacific Energy, Osburn, etc.. The added advantage over an old stove is that you will get a nice fire view.

Dry wood and a proper chimney setup will go a long way towards making the stove easy to run. My wife runs our stove and she is not an outdoor gal.

 

[Thewildbee]

Thank you for your suggestions. I'll do some research.

 

[bholler]

I have never used any stove. Something that be forgiving of a first timer would be nice.

I understand that and i am sure a fisher would work. But there is nothing complicated at all about running most modern stoves.

 

[Steve burns wood]

Is price going to be a factor? New stoves can be pricey. If you do decide to go with with a new style you will need to see about cat stoves versus non cat. The catalytic converters have to be changed out on occasion and can add to your maintenance which is a lot with wood burning. They do burn more efficiently but you have to make sure you adjust it on when your stove gets to the proper temperature.

If cost is not a factor I like the Blaze King because I think they have a ten year guarantee on their cat converters. They are very efficient and their owners seem to be pretty content.
I hope this helps you! This is just some food for thought. Welcome to the wood burning family!

 

[bholler]

Is price going to be a factor? New stoves can be pricey. If you do decide to go with with a new style you will need to see about cat stoves versus non cat. The catalytic converters have to be changed out on occasion and can add to your maintenance which is a lot with wood burning. They do burn more efficiently but you have to make sure you adjust it on when your stove gets to the proper temperature.

If cost is not a factor I like the Blaze King because I think they have a ten year guarantee on their cat converters. They are very efficient and their owners seem to be pretty content.
I hope this helps you! This is just some food for thought. Welcome to the wood burning family!

You need to adjust the air on a fisher just as you do on a modern stove. The op wantz simple no frills so i would recomend a simple tube stove. They are run pretty much the same as you would run an old stove like a fisher. Load it open up the air till its up to temp then shut it back.

And yes it is a ten year prorated warranty on their cat as it is with most others. But cat life for full time burners is 2 to 3 years

 

[bholler]

Another factor is what chimney do you have? Or will you be adding one?

 

[Thewildbee]

Price is certainly a factor. We will most likely end up with a used stove regardless of brand. I've had stove salesmen try to push the cat stoves. Honestly, it seems like one more little thing that can break, go wrong, needs my attention. I have kids and pets and livestock. I dont need something else to take care of I could be way off on that. Like I said I have zero experience with wood heat. I just want a work horse that I dont have to babysit. Whatever that ends up being.

 

[Thewildbee]

Another factor is what chimney do you have? Or will you be adding one?

We will be adding one so its flexible.

 

[bholler]

We will be adding one so its flexible.

Ok in that case the grandma runs on an 8" chimney this will add cost and limit your options allot when you decide to upgrade. The papa has a 6" outlet but i find in most cases they run better on 7". This would add cost as well but you could go with 6" it will work ok but may need more often cleaning. A modern stove with good fuel and good burning practices will easily go a year between cleanings. 2 years is not uncommon.

 

[Thewildbee]

Ok in that case the grandma runs on an 8" chimney this will add cost and limit your options allot when you decide to upgrade. The papa has a 6" outlet but i find in most cases they run better on 7". This would add cost as well but you could go with 6" it will work ok but may need more often cleaning. A modern stove with good fuel and good burning practices will easily go a year between cleanings. 2 years is not uncommon.

That's good information to know. thank you!

 

[bholler]

That's good information to know. thank you!

You are welcome. I am not telling you not to get a fisher if that is really what you want. I just want you to have the proper info to base your decision on.

 

[Thewildbee]

You are welcome. I am not telling you not to get a fisher if that is really what you want. I just want you to have the proper info to base your decision on.

I'm not committed to getting a Fisher. I like the look of them and I like that people speak very well of them. It's good to know more info. It never hurt anyone to be better informed.

 

[BIGChrisNH]

The Fishers are the original, with Nashua, All Nighter and Warner all being similar copies of that original design. They are all very heavy duty plate steel stoves that will last a lifetime if properly cared for and can probably be found for reasonable prices used in the off-season.

For modern stoves, I've told several people on this forum how happy I am with my Englander 30. It's huge, 3.5 cf firebox, and only has 1 primary air control, so it's dead simple to use. I use it to heat my house which is about 2200 square feet. It does the job unless temps are 0 degrees for an extended period. They can be had for around $900 from Home Depot.

There are many many similar choices in the non-Cat stove category however, but the most important thing that others have stated above is that you have a good supply of wood that has been cut, spit and stacked for at least a year to burn with, otherwise you will likely be frustrated/disappointed with the performance of any stove you get.

 

[Sully1515]

My wife and I own a Fisher Grandma Bear stove here in SW NH, it's a great stove, but, I'm thinking of removing it and using it in my barn.

As a suggestion, you may want to consider a Jotul wood stove? Jotul is cast iron, and, in my opinion, a beautiful stove. I have an older Jotul 8 up at my camp in northern NH, and I love that old stove. The old Jotul 8 is similar to today's version of the Jotul F 3 CB.

If you get a chance, feel free to check out the Jotul designs. https://jotul.com/us/products/wood-stoves

Again, just an idea to consider.

 

[bholler]

The Fishers are the original, with Nashua, All Nighter and Warner all being similar copies of that original design. They are all very heavy duty plate steel stoves that will last a lifetime if properly cared for and can probably be found for reasonable prices used in the off-season.

For modern stoves, I've told several people on this forum how happy I am with my Englander 30. It's huge, 3.5 cf firebox, and only has 1 primary air control, so it's dead simple to use. I use it to heat my house which is about 2200 square feet. It does the job unless temps are 0 degrees for an extended period. They can be had for around $900 from Home Depot.

There are many many similar choices in the non-Cat stove category however, but the most important thing that others have stated above is that you have a good supply of wood that has been cut, spit and stacked for at least a year to burn with, otherwise you will likely be frustrated/disappointed with the performance of any stove you get.

Very good post. But there were many woodstoves around before fishers. There were even some plate steel stoves. But they were the first to make a production plate steel stove. And for their day they were very good.