newbie hi..

[frodo]

hello.. i am a newbie, a green horn...floursant greeen...
grew up around fireplaces,had a gas fireplace , but due to the cost of propane last year
i am thinking, about installing a wood stove to help out on the cost of the fuel
i live in the country, built this house. i am thinking a pellet would be the best for thee enviroment
but, i live in the woods, why buy a ton of something when all i gotta do is go get it
so wood it is. now...what brand..this is what leads me here. i am not a money pit, or i wouldn't be looking into a wood stove, the cheapest i could find on line was a volgelzang durango model#
tr008 with blower, says it can heat 1800 sq ft, my place is 1500 sq ft
i figure to put this in the living room, and use the propane wall heaters in the other end of the house
maybe we will meet somewhere in the middle
the store that carries this heater is northern tool an equipment
does any body have any advice on the type i have chosen? is it worth a damn?
know of a cheaper and better?

 

[mobetter]

I'm new here too, but you need to ask yourself  this:  Do you really want to have more in your chimney than your stove.  Get a better stove and let it pay for itself over time.  Check into getting an end of season deal.  This is a great site, use the search feature and have fun learning, if you can't find the answer there are many on here to help you.

 

[wolfkiller]

I just read up on that stove a little. It kind of seems like a piece of crap. I would look at a Englander if you are on a tight budget (about 1000 at home depo).

 

[jadm]

Read, read,read...

You are lucky that you found this site prior to a purchase. If you do your research well, chances are you will only have to buy one stove. Many learn from their mistakes and end up spending a lot more money.

Look at the customer reviews here on stove types to see how burners like their stoves.

Go to stores and look at the stoves. Check out construction etc. Maintenance requirements etc...

After you have read here and looked you will have a better idea of what you want to do.

Many local dealers are good sources for help. You will soon learn who is knowledgeable and who is not.

You have time. While researching it wouldn't hurt to start building up your wood supply for next year. The 'suggested' seasoning time for wood is a least a year. These new EPA stoves need dry wood to burn efficiently.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting


;-)

 

[Pagey]

If you are going to heat up to 1,500 sq. ft., I would look for stoves rated from 1,800 to 2,000 sq. ft. You'll find it common that most people end up feeling that their stoves are undersized (I'd get at least a 2.2 cubic foot firebox). Then, ask yourself if you want to go with a catalytic or a noncataytic stove. This article (broken link removed to http://www.woodheat.org/technology/woodstoves.htm) will explain the different combustion designs in the event that you are unfamiliar with them.

Then consider if you want a soapstone stove, a cast iron stove, or a plate steel stove. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Reputable manufacturers include:
http://www.lopistoves.com/ (Travis Industries)
(broken link removed) (Travis Industries)
http://www.woodstove.com/ (Woodstock Soapstone)
http://www.pacificenergy.net/ (Pacific Energy)
http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/ (Hearthstone soapstone)
http://www.quadrafire.com/ (Quadrafire)
http://www.englandsstoveworks.com/ (Englander)

And those are just a few! Take your time and get the right stove for you.

Next, make sure you have good, dry, seasoned firewood! It does no good to get a brand new EPA certified stove only to find you have green, wet wood! Read up here (broken link removed to http://www.woodheat.org/firewood/buyingfirewod.htm) to see how to go about buying, storing, stacking, etc., your firewood. It's best to get a year ahead on wood, especially if you are burning hardwoods.

I hope this will help you.

 

[SlyFerret]

I've got an Englander 30-NC. I absolutely love it. It heats my entire house (1600 sqft). If I let it, it'll overheat the entire house. Great stove, great value.

Englander isn't the only manufacturer to look at though. The links in the previous post are a great place to start. Originally I planned to install a Quadrafire 3100, but it ended up simply not being in my budget. Knowing what I know now, If I had to do it over again, I'd still put in the 30, even if money wasn't the issue. Not that the Quad isn't a fantastic stove, I'm just really happy with the one I have.

The vogelzang stove might be affordable, but in the long run, you probably won't be as happy with it as you would be with an EPA stove. You'll get more heat with less fuel with the EPA stoves.

There's so much good info on this site. Keep reading, and don't hesitate to ask questions!

-SF

 

[North of 60]

frodo, I think all of the above is the best advice you can get. This forum should give you the best chance of escaping the school of hard knocks. Welcome aboard the wood burning train.
N of 60

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum frodo.

It seems to me that you want to do something very major (heating a home) with something cheap. Is that best? Do you buy everything the cheapest you can get? What about your car? Is it the cheapest amongst all the cars made? What about your clothing? Do you buy it a the local bargain store?

To me, heating a home is very major. It is also something that is potentially dangerous because it is fire. You depend upon your stove and chimney along with your own skills on containing that fire and making it work for you and not against you. Personally, I am not willing to just get something cheap to do this job. I want something I can depend upon.

In addition to warming your home, most people do not want their heating unit to make their home look something like an outdoor shop, so why not get a stove that is more like a beautiful piece of furniture? Also, get something that will last and not something you will have to replace in just a few years.

In addition to the cost of the stove and chimney, a real major cost, as you already know, is the fuel that you will burn. Now here is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle which very few take into consideration!

First, you have your own fuel on your own place. Have you cut, split and stacked any of it yet? If not, why not? If you intend to have this wood heat for next winter, you should be getting your wood cut and split NOW, and not after you install the stove. Otherwise you will be like most new burners and find that your stove doesn't work right and your chimney clogs or you can't even get the fuel to burn. The stovetop temperature gets only to 300-400 degrees and you are freezing in your home.

Putting up your own wood is hard work. Are you ready for that? But here is another thing to consider. How much wood will you need to heat your home? Once you think you have that figured, now think about how much wood different stoves will require! Yes! There is a huge difference. For example, we cut our fuel needs from 5-6 cords (not face cords) or more per season down to less than 3 just by getting a good stove. Big savings in dollars and/or work.

These are just some things to consider and we wish you well in your pursuit.

 

[frodo]

thank you all for your thoughtful ,insitefull and informative commeents
the vogelzang stove , i submitted for your review. is notan idea that is etched in stone. it is the start in a quest of a goodquality, affordable wood stove..i expect I will be learning ..WHY
its a "peice of crap"..at this moment I do not know the difference between a good stove and a bad stove..so..I recken I have some reading to do..
uh..do i have wood cut and split? cut..yes and laying in the woods ready to be drug
up here and sliced an diced..[its drying]

 

[Pagey]

If you are looking for a quality stove with value at the top of the list, then from what I've read here you can't go wrong with something from England's Stove Works. http://www.englandsstoveworks.com/ Our local Lowe's offers the NC13 and NC 30 for $799 and $1,099, respectively. Those are good prices, I feel, for the quality you'll get with that product.

I purchased a Lopi Endeavor based on Travis Industries' reputation for making a quality product. My stove alone was approximately $2,000, but I expect this investment to last many, many years and provide safe, reliable heat and performance. Though it was a significant investment, it's nice to be warm in my own home for the first time in 5 years. Spending time getting wood ready for the next season takes up enough time and worry, so I didn't want additional time and worry invested in a stove that was not up to par.

I can't speak for the quality of the Durango, but it does appear to be an EPA certified 3/16" plate steel stove with a 2.2 cubic foot fire box. You'll find that some other plate steel stoves are 5/16", but I cannot comment on the quality/durability of 3/16" vs. 5/16". It would be nice if someone here with the proper technical background could elaborate. Based on the information offered on their site, I would have to say this stove appears to be a better quality stove than something in their cast iron/box wood selection, for example.

http://www.vogelzang.com/tr008.htm for those curious.

Again, if you're not in a true rush, take your time to read up and shop around. Visit some forums frequented by users of the Durango (if you can find such a forum) and get their first hand experience with the stove.

 

[frodo]

WOLFKILLER... can i inconvience you into, explaining to me why the durango is a p.o.s
then i can use that info to stay away from other's that are the same
thanks in advance for the "schoolen"

 

[eba1225]

Frodo,

Welcome,

Your best plan is to read all you can on what is available. Go to local stores and talk to sales men (understand that they are trying to sell their product) to understand their products and the benefits of what they have to sell. Understand the products and what is needed for thier installation.

This site is a wealth of information and all are more than happy to stear you in the proper direction.

Erik

 

[firefighterjake]

Frodo . . . Some advice from me. Take some time to check out the local stores (both the Big Box Stores -- Tractor Supply, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) -- and the local places that specifically sell stoves and ask folks there and let them know that you're looking for a good stove at a good price and take notes as to the make/model/price.

In the stove shops a good dealer should take the time to ask you some basic information (size of the house, what features are important to you in a stove, etc.) . . . if a place doesn't ask these basic questions I would move on and check out another place. Some questions you might have for the dealer is 1) How long have they been in business (i.e. did they just open up their shop last year or this year in response to the high heating oil/propane prices?) and 2) Ask what woodstove they use and why.

It sounds like you're looking for a good stove at a good price . . . while stove shops may be a bit more expensive the one thing they can offer above and beyond the big box store is customer service (i.e. having parts in stock, being able to install the stove, etc.) I found that these shops tended to have more expensive stoves (not necessarily better -- just fancier in many cases) they also carry a brand or two that is middle of the road in terms of price and features (i.e. just a dite more expensive than the big box stores, but less expensive than some of the high end makes/models.)

If money is more of an issue and you're a competent DIYer you might look at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. as they have some makes/models that folks here are pretty fond of -- it seems that these makes/models (Englanders are frequently mentioned) are not very fancy, but they do the job and do it well.

Regardless of what you find I would highly advise you to check out the stove reviews listed here at hearth.com -- if you do so you may soon discover some makes/models are not well liked while others are universally loved.