Old vs. Older Showdown

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Scoutin Wyo

Member
Jun 3, 2014
63
WY
I have 2 "old" stoves that I'm trying to decide between for my work shop.

First is my old trusty pre-EPA, non-cat, Blaze King King that I used in my old (and much bigger) shop. It has a blower. Needs nothing.

Second is a Quadrafire 3100 step top, built in 2000 stove that I just picked up for cheap. This stove will need 4 new bricks, new door gasket, new ash pan gasket, and a new koa wool blanket. So roughly $100 to get her up to snuff. It also has a blower.

Either one of these stoves will be fed into a 15' tall chimney system consisting of 9' of Metalbestos class A and 6' of single wall, both of which are 8". Obviously the Quadrafire will need an adapter to connect the 6" stove outlet to the 8" flue.

The shop is 900sf with 8' tall ceilings and zero insulation. I'm at the base of the Wind River Mountains and it averages around 30*F daytime during the winter months. I use my shop on weekends and evenings to work on my hobby of repairing International Harvester trucks and Scouts. I plan on adding insulation to the walls this spring and hopefully the ceiling will get some next winter.

Should I go with the newer old Quad 3100 or the older tried and true BK King? If it was going in my house where I burn 24/7 during winter I would go with the EPA model so I could save the planet, but my BK Princess Parlor already has that job.

Thanks for any input!
 
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I would go with the king since it's designed for the 8" flue. I think the performance of the other stove might not be optimal without the proper size flue and you won't get all the benefits of the secondary burn with weak draft.
 
I think the key is the blower. In a large space a blower moves the air around. I have an ancient wood furnace in my garage that is basically a firebox surrounded by a sheet metal box with a blower. I don't have any ductwork on it but when the blower kicks on it really moves the air around.
 
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