Nervous!

[Sandycane]

Hello Everyone,

I bought a Longwood Ranch stove today...been thinking about it for several months, did quite a bit of research and thought I was ready to convert, but I'm scared!

My house is 100 years old, solid tongue and groove wood throughout (walls ceilings and floors). I have been using natural gas heaters vented through the old chimney/flue for the 15 years I've lived here (it's my grandparents old house).
I don't want to be dependent on the gas company and their outrageous prices to keep warm and I figure, in a pinch, I can also use this stove to cook on.

I hired a 'professional' to check the chimneys last week and while the flue in the kitchen is blocked (I'm still trying to break it up) the one between the bedroom and living room looks brand new (see pictures). This is where I'm going to put the wood stove.

I had the stove and pipe delivered then I went to town and bought a stove mat, bucket, poker and shovel. I was VERY excited until I got home and considered the seriousness of disconnecting the gas heaters and installing the wood stove.
I don't want to burn my house down to save a few bucks on my heating bill

This is my first experience with using a wood stove. I live alone (with cats...pity the first one to jump on the stove!) and I need some reassurance and expert advice to be sure I have all the bases covered before I make this leap.
I can't believe how nervous I am about this now that it has come down to actually bringing it into the house and lighting the first fire! I just have this 'unnatural' feeling about setting a fire inside my house. lol

Help!

 

[Sandycane]

One picture per post?

Here is the picture of the kitchen chimney, looking up. I took it with a digital camera with flash. Any suggestions on how to dislodge this mess? I think some of the loose bricks at the top of the chimney have fallen in, above the nesting material.

 

[Vermontster]

it gets cold in Tennessee?

 

[fossil]

Sandy, you need the services of a chimney professional. Rick

 

[InTheRockies]

I think you'll enjoy your new wood stove. Have you considered keeping your natural gas heaters and having them vented through a wall(s)? Having multiple sources of heat will only help increase your home's resale value. Not to mention giving you the peace of mind that you have a backup system you can have running if you're not feeling well and up to maintaining a wood fire or need to be gone for a few days and don't want to winterize the house completely.

 

[RI Jim]

Sandy, don't worry about heating with wood. A little fear is good, it will keep you from doing something foolish or dangerous . You seem to be taking a very responsible approach to the whole thing, once you have been burning for a couple of days you will be fine. I remember the first night a let my stove burn overnight and how nervous I was, well now it's 15 years later and I've never had any major problem. Just educate yourself on how to run you new stove and enjoy it.

 

[Sandycane]

lol
Yes, it gets cold here...real cold the end of Jan and the first of Feb., in the teens and below sometimes. The dampness is what really makes this old house feel chilled.
Not near as cold as VT!

 

[Sandycane]

Sandy, you need the services of a chimney professional. Rick

I live in real rural town and the guy I paid $125 to was, supposedly, a 'professional'.
First, on the form, he wrote 'not okay to use until blockage is cleared'. That's when I snatched the check away from him and said I didn't want him to leave until it was fixed because I would be firing up the gas heaters in about a month. After about another hour, he said it would be 'okay for gas but not wood'. After seeing the pictures I took last night, I realized that the kitchen flue is NOT okay for gas either. If this house were air tight, I'd suffocate from the Co2 being blocked from getting up the chimney - not to mention the damage to the interrior brick from condensation.

Rather than pay him another cent, I'll just keep poking away at the mess untill it either breaks loose or I can see more of what's above it...then I'll call a professional chimney mason to do repairs.

 

[Sandycane]

I think you'll enjoy your new wood stove. Have you considered keeping your natural gas heaters and having them vented through a wall(s)? Having multiple sources of heat will only help increase your home's resale value. Not to mention giving you the peace of mind that you have a backup system you can have running if you're not feeling well and up to maintaining a wood fire or need to be gone for a few days and don't want to winterize the house completely.

Yes, I have considered this. I have a gas stove in the kitchen that I will keep active (hopefully I can get it unclogged before I need to fire it up).
I also have another gas stove in the bedroom that shares the same flue as the living room, where I'm putting the wood stove. I have read that it is not advisable to use the same flue for two different appliances so, while I will leave the gas heater connected, Iwoun't be using it at the same time I use the wood stove. I think the wood stove will be enough to heat the living/dining area and also this bedroom (office), if need be.
Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Sandycane]

Sandy, don't worry about heating with wood. A little fear is good, it will keep you from doing something foolish or dangerous . You seem to be taking a very responsible approach to the whole thing, once you have been burning for a couple of days you will be fine. I remember the first night a let my stove burn overnight and how nervous I was, well now it's 15 years later and I've never had any major problem. Just educate yourself on how to run you new stove and enjoy it.

Thank you!

I've been sitting in the living room looking at the spot where it's going and I've decided, to be on the safe side, to invest another $100 on two more of the stove mats to mount on both corner walls behind the stove. This decision, and these helpful replies, have made me feel more comfortable with setting a fire in my house. Yikes, I still don't like the sound of that!

Thanks Everyone.

 

[Elfin]

I guess I've been heating with fire (wood or pellets) for so long now, it's hard to imagine how fearful it must be to start a fire in your home for the first time! But you are doing your homework, making sure you have a safe install and are burning properly. It will be fine. Gas and electric appliances can burn your house down too... you're just not seeing the actual flames until it's too late.

Regarding your cats... mine have always seemed to just "get it" that the thing is hot... and they gather around to bask in the heat in front of it. 6 different cats in 15 years, and all of them seem to know that this is not something to jump on when hot.

 

[kenny chaos]

Be scared. That'll keep you safe. Good help IS hard to find. Ask friends for recommendations or ask and check many references. I've been a Marine, commercial diver, construction worker, draft horse farmer, and I think I still got enough left to be an ocean going tugboat captain. I just replaced my old wood stove and it was quite a battle, physically and mentally.
Good luck and keep quizing these guys, they are the best in the business.

 

[Sandycane]

Lol! Come to think of it, the cats are already familiar with the gas stoves (flat top box-type) and they do love to huddle around them when the flames are going. I just hope they figure out the new stove without getting burned too badly!

Very true about the dangers of gas and electric.

I have a question:
I bought my stove $50 off because it had been in storage at the Co-op since last year and the mice had eaten the manual and pee-peed in the stove. I can't seem to find a copy online.
I have read, here and there, that you are supposed to burn several small fires before filling it up. Is this true? How small is 'small'?

 

[Sandycane]

Be scared. That'll keep you safe. Good help IS hard to find. Ask friends for recommendations or ask and check many references. I've been a Marine, commercial diver, construction worker, draft horse farmer, and I think I still got enough left to be an ocean going tugboat captain. I just replaced my old wood stove and it was quite a battle, physically and mentally.
Good luck and keep quizing these guys, they are the best in the business.

Thanks, Kenny C.
Your list reads about like my resume'. lol I prefer to figure out how to do something myself rather that hire someone else to do it. Plumbing and electrical are exceptions to the rule.

After I realized that this chimney inspector didn't know as much as I wanted him to, I called my insurance agent and asked for a referal...he named this guy. 'sigh'
Then I called the fire chief...no help there, either.
Then I called an expert area mason (retired). I would trust him to get in the chimney to inspect it but he said his knees are bad. lol

So, google to the rescue. Last night I typed in 'chimney thimble' because the kit. flue doesn't have one and I wanted to know if I could install one and, low and behold, I found this fantastic web site:
(broken link removed to http://www.inspect-ny.com/chimneys/aschim01.htm)
...that's where I got the idea to take the picture with the flash. (the 'expert' didn't think of that!)

 

[fossil]

Sandy, I'm not familiar with that stove you said you bought, "Longwood Ranch". Can you tell us more about it, maybe post a pic? Where'd you get it? Is it new or used? What markings/labels are on it? Do you have an owner's manual for it? Who made it, and where? Do you know all the required clearances to combustibles for safe installation in all dimensions from the stove? Rick

 

[InTheRockies]

Is this one of US Stoves's "Longwood" cast iron models (1261 or 2421)?

If so here are links to those manuals.
(broken link removed to http://www.usstove.com/Downloads/Owners/20Manuals/1261/20Manual.pdf)
(broken link removed to http://www.usstove.com/Downloads/Owners/20Manuals/2421/20Manual.pdf)

There had been a company that made wood furnaces called Longwood of Ohio, Inc. However, they went out of business; probably about 8 years ago.

 

[fossil]

Is it to be found on this page?

(broken link removed to http://www.usstove.com/products.php?cat=6)

Yikes, looks just like the cheapo cast imports sold under the Vogelzang name. Not highly respected stoves, perhaps even dangerous for regular use in a home. Rick

 

[North of 60]

You beat me to it Fossil. Is it actually called a Logwood by US stoves. This would actually cause me to be nervouse unless it was set up to burn in a concrete bunker.

 

[Sandycane]

Sandy, I'm not familiar with that stove you said you bought, "Longwood Ranch". Can you tell us more about it, maybe post a pic? Where'd you get it? Is it new or used? What markings/labels are on it? Do you have an owner's manual for it? Who made it, and where? Do you know all the required clearances to combustibles for safe installation in all dimensions from the stove? Rick

Sorry...it is a 'Logwood' by US Stove...model #2421 (posted picture)
Bought new at the Farmer's Co-op. Didn't come with the manual - I'll get one from the posted link.
The metal tag is on it, and I read it thoroughly regarding clearances.

 

[Sandycane]

Is it to be found on this page?

(broken link removed to http://www.usstove.com/products.php?cat=6)

Yikes, looks just like the cheapo cast imports sold under the Vogelzang name. Not highly respected stoves, perhaps even dangerous for regular use in a home. Rick

Oh no. I'm getting that nervous feeling back again. Wish I'd found this forum before I made the purchase.
I'm familiar with the Vogelzang. My original plan was to buy a wood cook stove for the kitchen but after seeing the problem with the chimney, I decided to forget that for the time being and focus on getting a smaller wood stove for the other room. I looked at Many different stlyes of cook stoves, old and new, and the local hardware store had one in stock - Voglezang HH005. I found it on the internet before I went to the store and from the picture I thought it was perfect. Then I went to the store. What a hunk of crap. Looks like something made in Taiwan. It was rickety and none of the doors or hinges were tight. I didn't like the fact that in the manual it said 'this does NOT have welded seams and will need to be refitted occasionally with stove cement'.

Lowes had the Vogelzang stove, like the Logwood, and I'm sure it was junk, too.
This Logwood stove 'appears' to be heavier and well made.

As I said before, I live in a 100 year old wood house and not a concrete bunker.
What am I to do now???

 

[North of 60]

Not wanting to scare ya. Your KEEN on being safe. If you havent used it you probablt can return it. At least an EPA rated stove will help you with less creosote and burn less wood. It will give you better control over your burn. Clerances are much more reasonable. These are just opinions. N of 60

 

[fossil]

Breathe in, breathe out. Travel back in time and join the forum before you bought a stove (just kidding...unless you could actually do that?). It's an EPA-exempt stove, which means it's not an efficient wood burning appliance. I might use one like that in a hunting camp, but not in my home...either for heat or for cooking. All is not lost. First, find out whether or not you can return this stove to where you purchased it (under whatever imaginative pretext you can come up with). Second, get some attention paid to that chimney (both flues)...get it cleaned out, inspected, repaired, and whatever else it needs to safely accept whatever appliance(s) you intend to vent up through it. Third, take a look at the EPA-approved, economical woodstoves available from folks like Englander. Fourth, stay close here and keep us along for the journey. Those are my thoughts. Rick

 

[Sandycane]

I can't thank you folks enough for all your (quick) help with this!

I just finished reading the online manual for this stove and the instructions for connecting through a combustable wall did me in...
It's going back Monday.

I noticed in my reading 'EPA exempt' but had no idea what that meant.

The chimney I want to connect this to is on an inside wall, between two rooms. One room has the brick chimney (dead end chimney) in it with the opening into the thimble. The flue opening in the other room (where I want to put it) has a hole cut out in sheetrock (covered with wallpaper) over the brick. I think the wood wall framing is on either side of the brick.

I don't know. Maybe I should just leave well enough alone and bite the bullet when my gas bill comes?

I'll look at the product you suggested. Any other brands you recommend? (reasonably priced)

edit:
Good grief. Lowes carries the stove you mentioned... $700 Of course, my gas bill last winter was around $600.
I don't know...I'm so confused. lol

 

[fossil]

Bite the bullet for now, but send us some pics of what you're talking about...pics really help us understand your particular situation. It's crystal clear in your mind because you've been staring at it for some time, but when you say something like, "The flue opening in the other room (where I want to put it) has a hole cut out in sheetrock (covered with wallpaper) with the wall framing between this and the brick.", well, that's a little tough for me to picture. Heating your home with a woodstove isn't something you want to implement in a hurry if you've not done it before. It's simple in principle, but can be a bit complicated in execution. And even very dangerous if not done correctly. Welcome to the Forums! Rick

 

[Sandycane]

Good point. Here is what I have to work with:

This is where I want the stove to go.
(living room coverted to main bedroom, dining room converted to living room to the left, between kit. and bedroom. Other bedroom/office/sewing room behind this room)