Should I Replace My Old Stove?

[feverdog71]

I have an old Solar Key. I'm not sure how old it is, but I try to heat the whole house with it and can keep the furnace from kicking on most days. I usually go thru about 5-6 cord per season. I'm in the middle of a basement remodel and was wondering if it would be worth it to replace that with a newer, more efficient stove.

Can anyone give me an idea of some pro's/con's and how much would I might save?

Thanks

 

[smokedragon]

I am in the middle of exactly what you describe, and have decided to replace my old stove. After this winter I will share my experience, but many on here shared theirs with me and I just don't think you would find many who switched who want their old stove back. The only folks I have ever heard switch and regret it were those who were not burning dry wood.

Many find their homes as warm or warmer, and also a decrease in their wood use.

 

[Grisu]

An older pre-EPA stove like the Solar Key is about 30% efficient while a modern EPA-approved stove is at least 60 % to 70 % efficient. Thus, you will need to burn only half the amount of wood to get the same amount of heat. You could potentially also burn more when you get a large enough stove and thereby keep the furnace from turning on. You may also benefit from longer burn times in a newer stove.

How large a newer stove needs to be depends on the area you want to heat, insulation of your home, and how well you can get the heat distributed. To size a newer stove correctly it would be helpful to know how much gas/oil you used last winter. There are "budget" stoves available that cost about $1000 or less like Englander NC30, Pacific Energy True North, some Drolets, Timberwolf 2200 etc. If you don't need to change the flue it will be a small investment with a huge payback in added comfort and convenience.

The only drawback of a newer stove I can think off is its need for dry, seasoned wood. Most people here split and stack their wood in a sunny and windy location for at least 2 years before burning it.

 

[Owen1508]

Does IL have a stove changeout program?

 

[Grisu]

Does IL have a stove changeout program?

Great point. It seems at least some counties are eligible: (broken link removed to http://www.lung.org/associations/states/indiana/indoor--outdoor-air/wood-stove-changeout-/fact-sheet.pdf)

 

[Owen1508]

Metamora is in Woodford county Not on the list. Darn

 

[feverdog71]

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated. Yeah, I've called and asked about a changeout program.
How much do you think I could get for an old Solar Key on Craigslist?
I do have an 8in flue so would I have to change that out to a 6 or could I use a reducer? How much would changing it out cost?
I'm usually splitting wood at the last minute so I tend to burn wetter wood. How much would that impair the use of a new stove?

 

[begreen]

Wet wood is not going to fly in a modern stove. Actually you are not realizing the potential of the Solar Key either with this practice. Dry wood provides a hotter cleaner burn.

What shape is the catalyst in this stove?

 

[mellow]

Did the Fire Opal have a cat in it? Thought those were built before cats came out.

 

[SteveKG]

I have been heating exclusively with wood since 1974. I don't plan to stop. However, cutting, hauling, splitting so much wood is not something I can count on being able to do forever. So I have just replaced my 1975-purchased stove with a Woodstock model. The main reason is for efficiency and less wood use. I have only had a few small fires in this new stove, as it's summer, to test it all out. Including about five hours ago. My experience is extremely limited. However, just from my few first burns, much less wood will be required, and that matches what I've read here on the forum about a thousand times. My very, very small fire five hours ago still has the stove surface too hot to touch. The IR thermometer reads 260 degrees F. and I burned a few smallish splits. My old stove would've burned the splits just fine, but it would have been cooled down about twenty minutes after the fire was burned out. Therefore: early results are quite promising and I am quite happy I changed stoves.

 

[feverdog71]

If I did upgrade to a new stove what modifications would I need to make, if any? The outlet pipe on my old stove/chimney is an 8in. Would I need to make modifications to my flue to accommodate for a 6 in. outlet? Could I use a reducer?

 

[begreen]

That depends on what the stove pipe is connecting into. Is the chimney tile lined? What is the ID measurement and how tall is it?

 

[feverdog71]

Here's what I can see of how it goes into the chimney. The chimney is about 16 ft. There's a clay liner in there, but it's raining so I can't get on my roof to give you the ID.

 

[begreen]

The chimney ID is going to be important. 16 ft is usually around the minimum chimney height. You will need an easy breathing stove. Be sure to clean the thimble.

 

[Jerhurt]

I hate the jump his thread but I'm looking at the same problem my chimney length is 24 foot should I be okay

 

[Woody Stover]

You mentioned a basement remodel, but I have to believe with only 16' of stack, the stove must be going upstairs. If you can swing it now, installing a liner all the way up would be preferable; Easy to clean, safer, and 16' with liner should be plenty of stack for most stoves.

How large a newer stove needs to be depends on the area you want to heat, insulation of your home, and how well you can get the heat distributed.

Yeah, let's see if we can heat the entire house with wood!

I have just replaced my 1975-purchased stove with a Woodstock model. The main reason is for efficiency and less wood use. I have only had a few small fires in this new stove

The fun has just begun; You're gonna love that Keystone.

 

[begreen]

I hate the jump his thread but I'm looking at the same problem my chimney length is 24 foot should I be okay

Start a new thread with the pertinent info so that we can target answers more specifically to your install. 24' is a good start. In the new thread tell us more about it including - clay lined? ID of the chimney, interior or exterior? And also include the stove you are thinking of connecting if you have one picked out.

 

[begreen]

Easy to clean, safer, and 16' with liner should be plenty of stack for most stoves.
.

Remember there may be a couple 90 degree turns in the smoke path effectively reducing the chimney height by about 6ft. A cold exterior chimney that is too large could end up being quite balky. An insulated liner would definitely help, but he may still need an easy breather. Using a pair of 45's with a diagonal connector instead of the 90s would also help.

 

[feverdog71]

I'm in a quad level house. The stove is in the higer level basement room which is partially above grade/partially below. The chimney is on the exterior of the house and goes thru the roof. From the point where the pipe goes into the chimney to the top of the flue is approx 16ft. The dimensions of the flue liner are 6 7/8 x 6 7/8.

 

[Oregon aloha]

How much do you like spliting wood. I changed out my pre-EPA stove last year and went from using 5-6 cord to less then 3 cord this year with a colder winter. You do need to have the wood dry and well seasoned for the new stoves to work well. I only have a 14 foot chimney ( from floor of stove to top of flue) and thought I may need to have an extension, but the stove works fine. You may be able to slip a 6" liner thru your 8" flue to your new stove or there are some EPA stoves out there that use an 8" flue.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

I'm usually splitting wood at the last minute so I tend to burn wetter wood. How much would that impair the use of a new stove?

you should have been stocking wood for this winter before this thread started, get a nice shiny moisture meter with your new stove , if it aint 20% or lower a modern appliance simply is not going to perform.
get below that 20% mark and you will be astounded by the difference

good seasoned wood is the key, upgrading the stove will be a waste of time unless you upgrade your wood stocks as well

 

[mellow]

Ouch that is a small flue, short of a 5.5" inch liner you won't fit much more in it. With these newer epa stoves they like to have a good draft, they are not as easy breathing as the older units due to the secondary reburn.

Now that we know the flue size, how many sq feet are you looking to heat with this stove?

 

[feverdog71]

1650 sq ft I've got a two cutout vents in the room to circulate air to the two upper levels Someone mentioned some new stoves come with a 8 in exhaust. Does anyone know of a good 8 in. stove so I wouldn't have to make any modifications to the flue?

 

[Grisu]

1650 sq ft I've got a two cutout vents in the room to circulate air to the two upper levels Someone mentioned some new stoves come with a 8 in exhaust. Does anyone know of a good 8 in. stove so I wouldn't have to make any modifications to the flue?

Can you please clarify if you have an 8" flue or a 6 7/8 x 6 7/8 like you stated it another post? How come you post the dimensions of a square liner when it looks perfectly round in your picture?

I would suggest getting a sweep to clean the flue (looks like it is desperately needed) and to inspect it. Once you know the exact dimensions and the condition it is in, you can make a much more informed decision what liner to install which will have an impact on the stoves that are suitable.

 

[feverdog71]

The pipe coming from the stove is 8 in. The flue liner is a rectangular 6 7/8 x 6 7/8. I don't know what happens inside the chimney to go from the round pipe to the rectangular liner. I call the sweep every fall before I start burning. He assures me each fall it is in good shape.