Surdiac Maintenance worked like a charm!!

[VCBurner]

I just cleaned out the Surdiac Gotha 513D. Disconnected the pipes leading to the chimney and cleaned them. Looked up the flue and it's as clean as a whistle. Opened the two heat exchanger clean outs and vac'd inside and out. There was a lot of ash build up inside near the air intake and heat exchanger. After replacing the cleanout gaskets ( 3ft at $.49 ea.) and front door gasket (5ft. at $.79 ft) it works like a champ. This little stove puts out 30- 44,000BTU's/hr and can heat up to 13,200 cu.ft. I found it on craigslist for $80 last year. The best $80 I've ever spent. It has heated my house all winter. Thanks to a lot of work and free wood. I heated the house (1760 sq. ft.) from 66f to 76f in a matter of two hours. It still needs glass for the fireview door and a new thermostat. I wish it was more designed for wood than coal. The longest I can go between re-loads is 4-5 hours. Top loading door and front loading door are really small. Has anyone tried to replace the little pieces of glass with one piece? I heard plate glass companies sometimes supply fireproof glass. Is this true? I need a piece 17 3/4" by 7 1/8". Any ideas?

At any rate, if more stoves were built with this kind of excellence in design and quality craftsmanship a lot of us would be happier. I was once told that Surdiacs were not very good stoves. This one was built December of 1980 in Belgium. I think a lot of stoves built long after that have failed to please their owners. So, in my eyes this one is a marvel of heating technology. Especially since I paid a measly $80 for it. Thank you Surdiac. Too bad your not in business anymore.

 

[dispatcher101]

That is areally cool looking stove What's the history of the thing?

 

[savageactor7]

Not in this home brother, too scary...looks like the work of the devil.

 

[blades]

That is a great looking stove, and a super find.

 

[VCBurner]

That is areally cool looking stove What's the history of the thing?

"Check out this link https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Surdiac_Stoves/
Look up the two files on the bottom of the page titled Surdiac Literature. I also like the look, my wife disagrees! I guess it's a matter of taste. But, you can't argue with it's performance. Thanks for the post. Burn on!"

 

[VCBurner]

Not in this home brother, too scary...looks like the work of the devil.

"LOL, my wife agrees with you. It cranks out the heat, though. It's 81 f in the hallway in front of the basement door (where it's installed.) This style is not for everyone. Although similar looks are still being made in Europe (not by Surdiac.) But for $80 you can't beat the heat. Take care savage, burn on!"

 

[VCBurner]

That is a great looking stove, and a super find.

" Thanks blades. I thought so too. Check this link and pages attached to it.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Surdiac_Stoves "

 

[karri0n]

For the life of me, I can't figure out why someone would not like the look of this stove. The fact that it's a good heater is like a bonus!

I would put that thing in my house even if I thought it was nothing more than a metal chest.


Edit:

I forgot I actually had something to contribute. What you're looking for as far as glass is called either neoceram or pyroceram. These are actually clear ceramics, and this is what is used in most modern wood stoves. It has nearly zero thermal expansion, meaning even at 800 degrees, you could spill a cold glass of water on it ant it wouldn't crack. The cast iron furnishing around it is a different story all together.

you can order the stuff here:

http://www.onedayglass.com/pyroceram.php


Edit2: very interesting, too, that the main importer of these was located in my home town of New Britain.

 

[VCBurner]

For the life of me, I can't figure out why someone would not like the look of this stove. The fact that it's a good heater is like a bonus!

I would put that thing in my house even if I thought it was nothing more than a metal chest.


Edit:

I forgot I actually had something to contribute. What you're looking for as far as glass is called either neoceram or pyroceram. These are actually clear ceramics, and this is what is used in most modern wood stoves. It has nearly zero thermal expansion, meaning even at 800 degrees, you could spill a cold glass of water on it ant it wouldn't crack. The cast iron furnishing around it is a different story all together.

you can order the stuff here:

http://www.onedayglass.com/pyroceram.php

" I'm glad to hear that other people like this style. I do too. It is not your conventional cast iron look or the boxy look of the EPA stoves. To me, this stove has character!! I think this model is not for everybody, though.

Thanks for the info on the glass. "


Edit2: very interesting, too, that the main importer of these was located in my home town of New Britain.

 

[VCBurner]

I just did the February maitenance cleaning on the Surdiac. Finished @ 1:30pm, cleaning all the connectors as well as a chimney check. I vac'd out the inside of the stove and the heat exchanger clean outs. The connectors above the newly added heat reclaimer were a bit more dirty than the others. I started a fire @ 1:45pm with some 2-3" pine rounds about 15-16 inches. There were about 7-8 of those. House was 63 °F when I started the fire @1:45pm, 68 °F @2:30pm when I added another load of small hardwood/pines and one 5" pine. Now it's 3:15pm and the temp is 70 °F . I added a 5" pine and three 1-2" hard wood rounds. Pretty good results from 63 to 70 in two hours not pushing flue temps above 400 °F, staying right around 375 flue temp the whole time. Not consuming a lot of wood either and it's 18 °F outside. If I was pushing the temps, it could go from 63 to 76 in here in one hour!

 

[precaud]

Wow, very nice, VC! This brings back some memories. I sold Surdiacs (which was distributed in the US by Jotul) back in the mid-80's and yes they are very well built units. Put some anthracite or lower-volatiles bituminous coal into that puppy and you will be completely hooked. I installed one into my then-wife's home (long story, don't ask...) and she absolutely loved it.

Surdiac were made by the Foundries du Lion, which is still in business and now makes Nestor Martin wood stoves and Efel wood and coal stoves. Both of them are imported into the US and are equally well built, but not selling well in the US. The economics of importing large, heavy, expensive items from Europe have not been favorable for some time, resulting in stoves that are extremely expensive compared to domestic products. It's a pity, though, because they really are superb designs.

 

[VCBurner]

Precaud, here's a pic!

 

[precaud]

Nice! Should it ever become uneconomical to repair, you have yourself a Gothic doghouse.

 

[VCBurner]

Nice! Should it ever become uneconomical to repair, you have yourself a Gothic doghouse.

LMAO :lol: