New to Wood Stove Question

[JohnChi]

Hi guys,
Just bought a new home that has a Vermont Casting Resolute III in it. Previous owners used it regularly so it appears to be in good working condition. Here's my question, Massachusetts has a wood stove upgrade/trade in program where they will give you $1000.00 to buy a new high-efficieny wood stove. Does this sound worth it? Would $1000.00 buy a decent stove? Or am I better off keeping what I have?
I don't want to spend much more than the rebate money, so I'm not sure if this is a good idea. The program starts Jan. 17, so any help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, all!

 

[begreen]

That's a good question. The answer is unfortunately not cut and dried simple. Questions come up like: was the Resolute properly sized for the area? Is the stove installed safely? Would you be happy with a less pretty stove, aka a black steel box, in the same location? We would need more info to help answer these questions. Still, if you look at the $1000 as a down payment to set things right for long haul for heating with wood, then the upgrade is definitely worth it. The old Resolute was a good stove in its day. But modern stoves are cleaner and more efficient.

 

[curber]

I love my drolet ht2000! it was about 1100 out the door from lowes. Big stove tho. Pat

 

[soupy1957]

BeGreen is right on! First off, if I had limited or no experience with a wood stove, I'd find someone local to me (even a Town Inspector if necessary), to come take a look at my current setup (everything about it; attic and all) to give me a baseline. If the current setup still has integrity, why spend more money than necessary?!

As part of checking the system, you'd consider additional things, like whether or not the stove in place can really give you what you need for adequate heating potential. Then, based on your "baseline," when you put all of your newly acquired input, you can make an educated decision about what to do next.

The best advice I ever got, concerning buying a new house, was: "Just LIVE in it! Don't make any drastic changes until you've had a chance to see how she sails in a storm!!"

-soupy1957

 

[firefighterjake]

That's a good question. The answer is unfortunately not cut and dried simple. Questions come up like: was the Resolute properly sized for the area? Is the stove installed safely? Would you be happy with a less pretty stove, aka a black steel box, in the same location? We would need more info to help answer these questions. Still, if you look at the $1000 as a down payment to set things right for long haul for heating with wood, then the upgrade is definitely worth it. The old Resolute was a good stove in its day. But modern stoves are cleaner and more efficient.

What he said . . .