Seeking Advice -- Small-ish Stove for SoCal Use

[Stucky]

I've been reading the forums religiously for over a month now and I think I'm finally at a point where I'm ready to purchase my first wood burning stove. First, a brief introduction to my needs and wants. My wife and I recently moved to a 1956, 1100 square foot in San Diego. The home is not very tight, has a crawlspace, no wall insulation, but does have attic insulation. It already has a Class-A chimney installed so we figured what the hell, lets heat with wood! Right now we have two old gas wall heaters which I don't trust, and thus don't run. For the past month it has been in the low to mid 50's in the house when we wake up. Needless to say, the wife is demanding heat!

For a stove, my wife wants something contemporary. I've searched through the forum and it seems like our best option is the Englander 50-TVL17. We don't really need overnight burns or super efficiency, since the temperature is fairly moderate (40's night and upper 50's to 60's during the day) and we certainly won't be buring 24/7. I also don't think we need a super large firebox, but the Englander is larger than most of the other European models which is nice. Now, for the "BUT"... my wife isn't 100% sold on the styling. I'm sold on the price, but I have been unable to find any other modern style stoves for less than $1k. So, and I limited to the Englander for a sub $1k modern stove? Thanks for the help!

I put a paper template on the floor for the size of the Englander and the necessary hearth. Looks like a very small stove!

How do I attach double wall pipe to this ceiling support box? I am guessing I'll need an adapter.

 

[begreen]

Yep, in that price range the VL17 is the champ for contemporary design. How tall is the chimney? With mild temps a modern stove is going to want 15-16ft.

 

[raybonz]

The 17 would be a good stove for you and as BG pointed out your chimney looks too short especially for your moderate climate plus I would not want that fine mesh screen on the cap as it will clog very quickly and reduce your draft.. Looks like you could attach a pipe to the adapter and if the stove top vents use a slip pipe to connect to the stove..

Ray

 

[ArsenalDon]

Shocked they let you burn at all in So Cal. In Nor Cal Bay Area they shut down burning....glad I am out of there!!

 

[Stucky]

Thanks guys, this is just the type of advice I was looking for. I can't believe how expensive these tiny Euro stoves are! I could maybe spend up to 2k, but it is hard to justify when we will only be using it sporadically during a few months of the year.

The Englander manual calls for no shorter than a 15 ft. chimney and I'm fairly certain I am below that number. I think the stove pipe and chimney will only total around 11 or 12 ft. I'm not sure how the PO ran his stove with such a short chimney, but I guess I'm going to have to add roughly four feet on the roof and a brace. I'm not too excited about that.

 

[Stucky]

I also was worried about the legality of burning in SoCal, but I was please to find out the only requirement is that the stove must be EPA certified (for SD county anyway).

 

[Woody Stover]

What about the Morso stoves? They have a more rounded look, and the small ones appear to be around $1500 or less...about the price of two face cords in San Diego.

 

[begreen]

Thanks guys, this is just the type of advice I was looking for. I can't believe how expensive these tiny Euro stoves are! I could maybe spend up to 2k, but it is hard to justify when we will only be using it sporadically during a few months of the year.

The Englander manual calls for no shorter than a 15 ft. chimney and I'm fairly certain I am below that number. I think the stove pipe and chimney will only total around 11 or 12 ft. I'm not sure how the PO ran his stove with such a short chimney, but I guess I'm going to have to add roughly four feet on the roof and a brace. I'm not too excited about that.

I suspect it was hooked up to a pre-EPA stove. Or maybe it just burned poorly and they put up with it?

 

[begreen]

What about the Morso stoves? They have a more rounded look, and the small ones appear to be around $1500 or less...about the price of two face cords in San Diego.

Good suggestion Woody. My friend's 2110 drafts pretty well on a 12' stack in the yurt. Which model are you recommending, the 6140?

 

[Stucky]

My wife loves the curved look of the Morso stoves, but I assumed they were super expensive. To be honest, I'm finding it difficult to find prices on any of these stoves.

 

[Woody Stover]

I went to the Morso site, got some model numbers of small stoves and googled 'morso 3142 prices' e.g. Looks like they have SoCal dealers...

 

[Stucky]

Yes true, I have been to the one dealer in town, The Warm Hearth. I was hoping to find some online pricing, but I guess I'll give them a call and see what they can do. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[Stucky]

Well, cheapest I can get the Morso 6140 here in San Diego is around $2.3k! Makes sense though; shipping a 300 lb. stove across the Atlantic can't be cheap. I think the wife is going to have to start loving the Englander's looks.

 

[Woody Stover]

Thinking about it, I wonder if a cat stove with its ability to burn clean on a low fire would be better there?

 

[begreen]

I don't think they will be burning continuously on too many days in SanDiego or I might have suggested a Keystone.

The little Morso 3112 should also be checked out as a possible.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Do you have any wood set aside? Many burners are not happy with the moisture content of the wood the buy. Wood with high moisture doesn't burn as well and can frustrate the user. The easiest and least stressful way to get around this is to let wood sit for a year or two before using it. If you have to purchase wood, it can be sitting out back drying out while you decide on the stove and then put it in.

Matt

 

[rijim]

I would look at the BK Chinook 20 if your into that kind of money.

 

[MaintenanceMan]

I can't recommend the 17vl highly enough!

I am heating 1350 sq ft in Southern IN with one and am tickled to death.

Tell her to not just consider how the stove looks, but how the hearth AND stove will look. A tile or stone hearth can be very inexpensive and bring the stove and room "together". You have a lot of liberty in creating a hearth pad and/or surround that will compliment not just the stove but the room too.

 

[bluedogz]

Well, cheapest I can get the Morso 6140 here in San Diego is around $2.3k! Makes sense though; shipping a 300 lb. stove across the Atlantic can't be cheap. I think the wife is going to have to start loving the Englander's looks.

My Mrs. was not thrilled about our NC30, but she totally got over it.

 

[Woody Stover]

My friend's 2110 drafts pretty well on a 12' stack in the yurt. Which model are you recommending, the 6140?

Yeah, the classic line may be less expensive, and the rounded corners may appeal to her tastes more than the boxy plate steel stoves...

 

[tjnamtiw]

Does your wife love to cook? Kill two birds with one stone! www.sopkainc.com I have the little Royal 720. It takes very little wood and it's up to temp in about 15 minutes.

 

[Woody Stover]

And the missus will love the fact that the primitive woodburner is out of sight in the laundry room.

 

[tcassavaugh]

prices on line are hard to come by as many dealers set their own prices. it seems there is a "recommended" price range on many plus whatever the market will bear.

cass

 

[tjnamtiw]

And the missus will love the fact that the primitive woodburner is out of sight in the laundry room.

Actually, if you check a lot of new construction, you'll find that these 'nostalgic' stoves have become quite fashionable as well as useful. It brings back a sense of Americana which has been unfortunately lost on many of us in this screwed up society.