New stove?

[Bikerdave]

I currently have an old Squire 50500 freestanding, I have been trying to find info on it cant find much, I know it loves wood, I burned 20 Rick last winter and that's just crazy, it needs to be reloaded every 4 or 5 hours when running on high, and I almost have to run on high to keep my drafty house warm, I am thinking about going with a Ponderosa stove they claim 3000sqft, what's the consensus

 

[begreen]

It's a decent Chinese stove from the reports I've read. Not sure about how well it will work in the long term. Take a look at the Englander 30-NC and the Drolet HT2000 or Baltic II while looking.

The new stove is going to insist on having fully seasoned wood and a proper height chimney to perform well. With good wood and draft you will see a nice reduction in wood consumption and there will be a great fire view too.

 

[Bikerdave]

I have dbl wall 6" pipe going thru an brick chimney with no liner, it is at the 2' higher than the highest roof point, and drafts very very well, I burn 18 month seasoned hardwoods, walnut and ash till it gets cold, then black locust and osage orange when cold

 

[SpaceBus]

Like Begreen says you will want a good chimney. Along those lines I would talk to a chimney sweep about the integrity of your chimney and also consider a liner. Perhaps yours has a ceramic clay liner, but usually they don't hold up well. Your configuration currently would be described as unsafe by most, if not all, professionals.

 

[SpaceBus]

Wow, I looked up your stove, what a beast! A modern EPA stove of that size should have no problem burning for 8 hours or more and make more heat. You may find more free time to start improving your insulation and reducing drafts. Then you will use even less wood and stay more comfortable.

 

[begreen]

I have dbl wall 6" pipe going thru an brick chimney with no liner, it is at the 2' higher than the highest roof point, and drafts very very well, I burn 18 month seasoned hardwoods, walnut and ash till it gets cold, then black locust and osage orange when cold

Old stoves required less draft than most modern stoves. This is because the flame and smoke path is longer around the baffle and because the draft has to pull air through the secondary air ducting when the primary air is closed down.

Tell us more about the chimney. Maybe post a picture of two of the current setup with the Squire. About how tall is it from the thimble to the top of the chimney? Does the chimney have a clay liner? Is it an interior or exterior chimney?

 

[Bikerdave]

The chimney has no clay liner I dropped an insulated stainless double wall pipe down the center and it's still in great shape with no leaks, the draft is excellent, even with the damper closed if I crack a door open it sounds like a blast furnace, the current stove will keep the house warm but uses an ungodly amount of wood.

 

[begreen]

With fully seasoned firewood you'll be very happy with the reduction in wood consumption in one of those stoves. And there will be a nice fire view.

 

[Woody Stover]

Even though you should get plenty of draft, I'd try to get the stove closer to the wall, to shorten that horizontal section. As you probably know, you can get the clearance and floor protection requirements from the manuals for any stoves you are considering.
I bet that with a modern stove you can cut your wood use by at least a third, maybe as much as half. Depending on the current insulation and air-sealing level of the house, improvements there can pay big dividends, both summer and winter, for the amount spent.