Please help with identification of my stove!!

[littlemissstang]

Thank you so much for allowing me to join your forum! We have recently purchased a new to us house and would love to know what kind of fireplace insert we have so we can repair it and use it! Any help would be greatly appreciated! Here is a picture of it......thank you in advance!

 

[littlemissstang]

Some other helpful info would be that this is in a brick house that was built in 1951. The inside of the chimney is lined with terra cotta. We are not sure when the chimney was added, but do know that it is located in what was a carport at one time and they turned it into a living room. There are no signs of any name plates or id plates anywhere that we can find. It has a blower located behind the plates on each side of the unit. The one on the right side seems to have been added at a later date because it is not connected to the left side where the thermostat is located. It has a plug on it. The left side, as, I said has a thermostat control and a switch that has three settings. This one does not work at this time. The right side works when you plug it in, but is very slow. The unit is made of heavy cast iron similar to my Wagner Wear skillets, but a lot thicker!

 

[bholler]

It looks like a buck stove copy to me. Are there grates in it? I dont see any air intake other than the one on the ash pan are there any others? Also you really need a liner hooked to it and going out the top of the chimney to make it safe to use.

 

[coaly]

Looks like steel plate Insert with cast iron doors? If so, that design and material became common around 1980 and would have been halted 1988 for smoke particulate laws going into effect.
Have you fired it yet to see if the left side blower comes on when hot? Many have a fan switch that only allows fan operation when hot enough to turn it on.

 

[Old School]

I grew up in a home heated with that exact stove which my parents still use. I liked it so well last year I bought one off of Craigslist and put it back in service. I redid the electrical and added a round adapter on top so that I could hook to a liner.

Those are the only two I had ever seen until you posted yours. Evidently they were made local to Ga or at least the southeast Neither of the ones we have are marked with anything indicating who made them.

Both blowers came with the stove and are operated off of one switch. Wires run in a channel around the back at the bottom to connect them. They kick on and off automatically with the thermostat. The air does come up from the bottom via the brass adjustment on the ash drawer. You will likely find that once the fire is established you can close the adjustment all the way and it gets plenty of air through the gap btw the doors via a gap at the top to burn. On a load of hardwood you can easily get 8-10 hour burns without bad creosote.

The doors are heavy cast iron. Dads has glass and mine has steel burn plates in the doors.

The rod at the top opens a bypass damper that once closed forces the smoke to route through an opening at the front top of the firebox through a chase then exits the stove through a.6x6 square. To connect a liner you will have to weld a piece of steel to the stove then put a round 7" connector.

Dad uses his as a slammer (no matter how much I tell him to change over 30 years of use is prevailing) but mine puts out more heat and chimney is much cleaner using the liner.

These stoves are very good in my opinion and you will be very pleased with the ease of use and heat output.
I will post a link that shows pics of the stove before refurb.

We currently heat 1800 sq ft with timber frame cathedral ceilings 100% with this unit and keep the house above 70 most days. During the shoulder seasons and when it is below 20 we do have another stove in the basement we fire up to help with the load. In the shoulder seasons this insert will run you out of the house.



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[Old School]

Can Anyone Identify?

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_tid=144811&share_fid=53165&share_type=t


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[Old School]

This thread shows stove after refurb.

New life for old stove

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_tid=146613&share_fid=53165&share_type=t


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[littlemissstang]

It looks like a buck stove copy to me. Are there grates in it? I dont see any air intake other than the one on the ash pan are there any others? Also you really need a liner hooked to it and going out the top of the chimney to make it safe to use.

There are no grates in it. And I have a chimney sweep coming to inspect it. Is there someone else I should have inspect it to make sure it is safe? The people who owned the house used it up till Christmas of 2014. Not sure if it has been used since we bought it in Dec of 2015. We haven't used it yet.

 

[littlemissstang]

Looks like steel plate Insert with cast iron doors? If so, that design and material became common around 1980 and would have been halted 1988 for smoke particulate laws going into effect.
Have you fired it yet to see if the left side blower comes on when hot? Many have a fan switch that only allows fan operation when hot enough to turn it on.

No, we haven't used it yet....we were afraid to without knowing if it was safe or not. The previous owner said that the fan did not operate and that it would need replacing. They weren't very informative...

 

[littlemissstang]

I grew up in a home heated with that exact stove which my parents still use. I liked it so well last year I bought one off of Craigslist and put it back in service. I redid the electrical and added a round adapter on top so that I could hook to a liner.

Those are the only two I had ever seen until you posted yours. Evidently they were made local to Ga or at least the southeast Neither of the ones we have are marked with anything indicating who made them.

Both blowers came with the stove and are operated off of one switch. Wires run in a channel around the back at the bottom to connect them. They kick on and off automatically with the thermostat. The air does come up from the bottom via the brass adjustment on the ash drawer. You will likely find that once the fire is established you can close the adjustment all the way and it gets plenty of air through the gap btw the doors via a gap at the top to burn. On a load of hardwood you can easily get 8-10 hour burns without bad creosote.

The doors are heavy cast iron. Dads has glass and mine has steel burn plates in the doors.

The rod at the top opens a bypass damper that once closed forces the smoke to route through an opening at the front top of the firebox through a chase then exits the stove through a.6x6 square. To connect a liner you will have to weld a piece of steel to the stove then put a round 7" connector.

Dad uses his as a slammer (no matter how much I tell him to change over 30 years of use is prevailing) but mine puts out more heat and chimney is much cleaner using the liner.

These stoves are very good in my opinion and you will be very pleased with the ease of use and heat output.
I will post a link that shows pics of the stove before refurb.

We currently heat 1800 sq ft with timber frame cathedral ceilings 100% with this unit and keep the house above 70 most days. During the shoulder seasons and when it is below 20 we do have another stove in the basement we fire up to help with the load. In the shoulder seasons this insert will run you out of the house.



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Thank you so much And you are correct! We haven't seen any more of these around here like that! I am surprised that someone else even has one! There is a shop on the property also, so with reading other posts, we were thinking it might have been home made! This puts my mind at ease a lot! I would love to see pictures of yours and your Dad's! And thank you so much for all the info! This will help greatly! I grew up with wood heat also, but not a fireplace. Ours was always a tractor supply stove that was in the dining room or living room. The previous owner said that this unit would "peel the paint off of the walls" and run you out of the house! Lol!

 

[littlemissstang]

Can Anyone Identify?

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url=https://www.hearth.com/talk/index.php?threads/Can-Anyone-Identify?.144811/&share_tid=144811&share_fid=53165&share_type=t


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It is EXACTLY like ours!! I am so glad to see someone else with one of these! And to know that it can be refurbished!! Thank you so much! I just took some more pictures of ours and will post them below!

 

[littlemissstang]

Here are some more pictures of ours! I have been trying to get it all cleaned up and my Husband has put in the new door seals. I have used the "stove black" on it and didn't know that it was painted black until I read your post. lol! So now I will have to sand the metal parts and redo them. I wasn't sure if the whole stove on the inside was cast iron or just steel. And as you can see, I still have a lot of cleaning to do! My Husband is also going to rewire this so that it is new and not so tattered looking. Old School, if you don't mind me asking who did you get to redo yours or did you do it all yourself? And did you install it yourself? Also, where did you get the replacement parts? Sorry so many questions, but we are going to need this real soon with winter coming on! We are wondering who we could get to check ours out that wouldn't rip us off or take advantage of us, since we don't know much about chimney's. Thank you so much and everyone else who replied!!

 

[bholler]

Here are some more pictures of ours! I

It does gave a grate what you have is a coal stove not a wood stove. It will burn wood but not as well as a wood stove. Wood burns to fast and hot when the air is supplied from underneath

 

[littlemissstang]

It does gave a grate what you have is a coal stove not a wood stove. It will burn wood but not as well as a wood stove. Wood burns to fast and hot when the air is supplied from underneath

Oh, wow!! Never would have thought it to be a coal stove! No wonder we can not find any information on this stove! Do you happen to know what the brand is?

 

[Old School]

Littlemissstang, I did all of the work and install myself except for the welding. My FIL welded a piece of 1/4 angle steel on the back to close up the opening to allow for the round adapter. I ordered the new switches and snap disk thermostat from Amazon. I used a 130 on 110 off thermostat and it works well. I ordered the liner and adapter from north line express.

https://www.northlineexpress.com/7-superpro-adapter-plate-jsc7ap-5457.html

I have no reason to believe it was not made to be a coal stove. Of the 3 I have now seen yours has a grate like mine with smaller round holes. Dads has the same thickness grate but it has 4" horizontal slits front to back and is attached to a brass knob between the doors and ash tray that allows the grate to shake. I am sure that is for coal. I don't know if the difference in ours was a wood design or just made different years.

That being said I have been around these stoves my entire life and have only used wood in them and they work perfectly. We have always left the ash tray full of ash only taking out a scoop from the very front every few days so that the air is limited coming up through the wood. You could also lay firebrick over part of the grate and get the same results I would imagine.

I found that Ga has little to no regulations regarding wood stoves. That being said I do believe they are safer and run better when hooked to a proper sized liner top to bottom. I am 99% sure that yours is not at this time based on local practices. If your clay liner is in good shape upon inspection you could get by with it this way until funds allow a re-line. You will be pleased with a re-line if for no other reason the ease of cleaning. I can clean both my chimneys in 30 mins top. It took me about 4 hours to clean dads slammer a few weeks back.

The chimney company will likely try to talk you into a new stove and that is a choice you will have to consider. My personal choice would most certainly to get this one refurbished and happily use it. I have tried the new stoves and I personally like this unit much better.

Thanks for posting this I'm glad to see others in use.


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[begreen]

There are no grates in it. And I have a chimney sweep coming to inspect it. Is there someone else I should have inspect it to make sure it is safe? The people who owned the house used it up till Christmas of 2014. Not sure if it has been used since we bought it in Dec of 2015. We haven't used it yet.

Determine whether the insert is a slammer install. That is without any liner or physical connection to the chimney. If it is, discuss installing a liner with the sweep.

 

[littlemissstang]

Determine whether the insert is a slammer install. That is without any liner or physical connection to the chimney. If it is, discuss installing a liner with the sweep.

Thank you, begreen! I sure will! The chimney sweep we have coming out is Chimney Pro out of Resaca. They will charge $350 to pull the insert out and clean behind and around it, as well as the chimney. From what I have heard from others and checked out online, that is a fair price. Thank you all so much for all the info and helpful information!

 

[littlemissstang]

Littlemissstang, I did all of the work and install myself except for the welding. My FIL welded a piece of 1/4 angle steel on the back to close up the opening to allow for the round adapter. I ordered the new switches and snap disk thermostat from Amazon. I used a 130 on 110 off thermostat and it works well. I ordered the liner and adapter from north line express.

https://www.northlineexpress.com/7-superpro-adapter-plate-jsc7ap-5457.html

I have no reason to believe it was not made to be a coal stove. Of the 3 I have now seen yours has a grate like mine with smaller round holes. Dads has the same thickness grate but it has 4" horizontal slits front to back and is attached to a brass knob between the doors and ash tray that allows the grate to shake. I am sure that is for coal. I don't know if the difference in ours was a wood design or just made different years.

That being said I have been around these stoves my entire life and have only used wood in them and they work perfectly. We have always left the ash tray full of ash only taking out a scoop from the very front every few days so that the air is limited coming up through the wood. You could also lay firebrick over part of the grate and get the same results I would imagine.

I found that Ga has little to no regulations regarding wood stoves. That being said I do believe they are safer and run better when hooked to a proper sized liner top to bottom. I am 99% sure that yours is not at this time based on local practices. If your clay liner is in good shape upon inspection you could get by with it this way until funds allow a re-line. You will be pleased with a re-line if for no other reason the ease of cleaning. I can clean both my chimneys in 30 mins top. It took me about 4 hours to clean dads slammer a few weeks back.

The chimney company will likely try to talk you into a new stove and that is a choice you will have to consider. My personal choice would most certainly to get this one refurbished and happily use it. I have tried the new stoves and I personally like this unit much better.

Thanks for posting this I'm glad to see others in use.


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Thank you so much, Old School! I really appreciate everything you have told us! We are ready to get to work! lol!

 

[bholler]

I have no reason to believe it was not made to be a coal stove. Of the 3 I have now seen yours has a grate like mine with smaller round holes. Dads has the same thickness grate but it has 4" horizontal slits front to back and is attached to a brass knob between the doors and ash tray that allows the grate to shake. I am sure that is for coal. I don't know if the difference in ours was a wood design or just made different years.

The grate and bottom air inlet is what tells me it is a coal stove or it was designed by someone who did not understand the difference. I work on allot of stoves both wood and coal and I can tell you that wood stoves do not supply air from underneath the fire.

I found that Ga has little to no regulations regarding wood stoves.

Ga does follow irc and nfpa 211 so they do require at minimum a direct connect but a full liner would be preferable.

 

[littlemissstang]

Old School.....do you have any wiring diagrams or can you post pics of your wiring? My Husband seems to think they might have ours wired backwards and that is the reason the blowers are not working......thank you!

 

[bholler]

Old School.....do you have any wiring diagrams or can you post pics of your wiring? My Husband seems to think they might have ours wired backwards and that is the reason the blowers are not working......thank you!

He said before the blowers are on a thermostatic switch so they wont turn on till the stove heats up. So until you get it hooked up properly and get it up to temp you will not know if they work unless you eliminate that switch.

 

[littlemissstang]

He said before the blowers are on a thermostatic switch so they wont turn on till the stove heats up. So until you get it hooked up properly and get it up to temp you will not know if they work unless you eliminate that switch.

We just had the heat up on the thermostat with a hair dryer to trip it. The right blower works just fine. And ours has a "manual" setting on the thermostat. But, the left one is not coming on. That's why he is thinking it might be wired wrong.

 

[bholler]

We just had the heat up on the thermostat with a hair dryer to trip it. The right blower works just fine. And ours has a "manual" setting on the thermostat. But, the left one is not coming on. That's why he is thinking it might be wired wrong.

I would disconnect that blower and wire it direct to see if the blower works before messing with the wiring.

 

[coaly]

And give it a push to start if it has sat a long time.
Oil them both if you can.

 

[Old School]

I would disconnect that blower and wire it direct to see if the blower works before messing with the wiring.

Yes do this. Dad only had one working blower for about 10 years so it is not absolutely critical. Last year we pulled it and direct wired it to ensure it worked. It did and we had to run new wires from the switch side around to it. The original wires had gotten brittle and broken. It was not too difficult. Just have to pay attention to make sure everything ties in from the switch through the speed control correctly.

Sorry I don't have a diagram.


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