Most cook stoves really arent good heaters though
switching to wood on a serious budget
- Thread starter WoodBoringBeetle
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
You can buy drolets directly online as wellDo you have a L&M Supply nearby? They carry Drolet wood stoves, probably the best bang for your buck. I believe they also have class A chimney but it’s expensive. I’ve seen class A pipe on marketplace around the Duluth area for cheap, keep an eye out.
If you’re close to Brainerd this popped up recently with a big price drop, maybe he’ll take even less?
www.facebook.com
Thanks for the ideas. Unfortunately neither of those is going to be affordable for me. I can see spending a few hundred for a decent used stove, up to about $500. I am not set on a specific dollar amount, it all depends on what I have on hand when the right stuff comes up for sale. But given that I am in northern MN and there is no shortage of wood stoves I think patience will provide me with something. I would probably buy that PE stove in the farcebook ad I linked if it was closer, and $250 instead of $500Do you have a L&M Supply nearby? They carry Drolet wood stoves, probably the best bang for your buck. I believe they also have class A chimney but it’s expensive. I’ve seen class A pipe on marketplace around the Duluth area for cheap, keep an eye out.
If you’re close to Brainerd this popped up recently with a big price drop, maybe he’ll take even less?
A couple of revisions. One, I don't where I got 21' for my home width. It is 26' from outside corner to outside corner, so a little over 25' inside. Second, the more I look at it the more I like the idea of going up through the knee wall space and keeping it a straight or almost straight run. It does pose its own problems but I'm keeping that option open.
what would be needed to create proper clearance if the pipe went behind my upstairs kneewall that has blown cellulose in it? Would it need to be completely enclosed?
Down load the manual for the stove your looking at. As well as the stovepipe your intended to purchase. It will give you the clearance to combustible
Behind the upstairs knee wall it needs to be class A, not stove pipe. Most (all?) of those need 1 to 2" of clearance to combustibles. So going with 2" would be safe.
You'd need a metal shield around the pipe to avoid cellulose (or other stuff) falling towards the pipe into the clearance zone.
The specs of the pipe will tell you how much clearance you'd need.
You'd need a metal shield around the pipe to avoid cellulose (or other stuff) falling towards the pipe into the clearance zone.
The specs of the pipe will tell you how much clearance you'd need.
Thanks thats what I thought. My current plan is to have the Class A installed professionally, if I can afford it and if someone will do just that, and do all of the inside work myself at a later date.
I don't know what stove I will get. Isn't there pretty decent compatibility between stoves and pipes/chimneys? I need to get a quote on the chimney before I decide what stove I will get.
Expect 2 to 3000 for the chimney minimum. And you need to know if you have a 6" or an 8" stove. Also helps if you know the stove so the chimney can be placed properly
Doing a little reading suggests that larger stoves and/or older non EPA certified stoves would be 8" pipe. I haven't found an exact year where most stoves switched to 6", but would late 80s or early 90s be a good estimate? And is there an approximate cutoff size for what would be considered "larger" EPA certified stoves likely to have 8"? I definitely don't want a 40 year old stove and it would be nice to stay with cheaper 6" pipe but a tiny stove aint gonna cut it.
It depends on the particular stove brand but the majority have been 6" for quite a while. There are many to choose from in the 3.0 cu ft range from most major manufacturers.
I think your spinning your wheels here .. or putting the cart before the horse..
Pick a stove.. read the manual for clearance and install.. go form there.. this is how it's done. Everything that your doing is all hypothetical to this point.
Pick a stove.. read the manual for clearance and install.. go form there.. this is how it's done. Everything that your doing is all hypothetical to this point.
- Feb 4, 2007
- 67
Being money is so tight, would you be buying your wood fuel?
Or cutting it yourself?
Money spent on a more efficient woodstove pays for itself faster if you are buying your wood fuel.
Or cutting it yourself?
Money spent on a more efficient woodstove pays for itself faster if you are buying your wood fuel.
I'm sure you're right, all things being equal and ideal. Especially money, which is in short supply.
But I don't have a specific woodstove in mind, it will be whatever suitable used stove I can find. I can estimate size and location and clearance etc to get the pipe positioned properly, but it could vary slightly in the end. Anyway I can discuss that sort of thing with the chimney contractor because he can probably tell me everything I need to know.
It would be predominantly bought wood. I occasionally cut some but not much volume. I expect to get a middlin used stove that is neither hopelessly inefficient nor top notch efficiency.
Wood takes a year to season at a minimum
So you should probably buy your wood now.. most likely 2 years in your area
Lots of people (not saying you) have been burning wood well over 30 years and still burn wet wood. Probably more people compared to those that burn dry wood. It's the #1 most common problem people have with wood stoves.
I seriously doubt that. From what I've read you don't have a modern stove, let alone how to actually use one.
The advice is solid, if your even considering purchasing an modern stove your probably should have bought your wood last year and have already have storage set up.
Actually wood was the first thing you should have done..
Then pick a stove.. then read the manual.. then do the installation of fire protection/clearance
Stove pipe and class A. But since your such a expert in wood heating you already know all of that.
The 30,years of experience is probably more with fire pits then heating, just saying
Yep, I understand. I can't even burn wet wood in my wood boiler like some people do so I'm very familiar with the problem.
Whatever. You can go preach at someone else now.
ctreitzell
Minister of Fire
I’m no expert; just to say there is great advice here on this forum. I would strongly urge looking at “modern” wood burners and consider the entire system as one rather than try to piece things together.
You have to know your chimney rise height to install the correct diameter for draft. Otherwise poor draw or too strong a draw, needs to be planned out absolutely correctly.
Take it from someone who is still using a sub-standard install: chimney straight out the top of the wood burner is what you want, otherwise deal with draw/ draft issues and you might have to pre-heat the chimney; one day I’ll get my chimney properly installed!
You have to know your chimney rise height to install the correct diameter for draft. Otherwise poor draw or too strong a draw, needs to be planned out absolutely correctly.
Take it from someone who is still using a sub-standard install: chimney straight out the top of the wood burner is what you want, otherwise deal with draw/ draft issues and you might have to pre-heat the chimney; one day I’ll get my chimney properly installed!
Last edited:
Just to repeat this in case it wasn't heard. Nitpicking a couple hundred bucks on a stove, the same amount of money it takes to put fuel in a pickup these days, tells us that your project will stop when you see the price of a chimney system.
Just use the boiler while you save up the several thousand dollars it is going to take to move to a stove system.
It seems this thread is starting to outlive its usefulness, or perhaps certain people are bored and have just decided to stop being useful by making unfounded critiques and assumptions about whether I have wood or have ever burned wood or know anything about wood or whether I know anything about the cost of a chimney, etc, or whether I don't know anything about how my financial limitations also limit how I am able to proceed (or even whether (gasp!) this will come to a screeching halt because I'm so dumb.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong, so why not just give us all a break and stop with the assumptions? I appreciate the help from people who have kept their insecure need to assert how smart they think they are out of their many helpful comments.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong, so why not just give us all a break and stop with the assumptions? I appreciate the help from people who have kept their insecure need to assert how smart they think they are out of their many helpful comments.
Based on all of the above, I'd plan for a 6" chimney. More stoves work well with that than with 8", and the cost is lower.
Clearances will determine where the stove can be put, and thus where the pipe would (ideally, I.e. without much bends) run. That should allow you to guesstimate stove pipe length you need,.and class A length you need (with the 3-2-10 rule above the roof).
Clearances are not available now, because you're waiting for a stove to become available. On the other hand, the max clearance is for unlisted stoves: 3 ft in all directions. (Unless vented shielding is used, for unlisted stoves that's allowed,.for listed ones the manual has to explicitly allow it iirc).
Ask AI for the average stove dimensions and add 3 ft and you have something that most likely works for placement and pipe needs. A (big...) cardboard template allow to see what space that'll take in the room.
Then there is floor R value (between stove and first combustible below the stove) that varies from zero (only non-combustible layer, e.g. even a metal plate) to R6.6 or so.
I don't know at this time of any other useful suggestion. But I don't know everything (says my wife...)
I'd say, keep an eye out and ask immediately when you see a candidate stove. They go fast this time of the year.
And if you see pipe,.you have a rough estimate with the above approach.
Used Stove and pipe can be in poor (or dangerous) quality situation. But that should be clear I guess.
Clearances will determine where the stove can be put, and thus where the pipe would (ideally, I.e. without much bends) run. That should allow you to guesstimate stove pipe length you need,.and class A length you need (with the 3-2-10 rule above the roof).
Clearances are not available now, because you're waiting for a stove to become available. On the other hand, the max clearance is for unlisted stoves: 3 ft in all directions. (Unless vented shielding is used, for unlisted stoves that's allowed,.for listed ones the manual has to explicitly allow it iirc).
Ask AI for the average stove dimensions and add 3 ft and you have something that most likely works for placement and pipe needs. A (big...) cardboard template allow to see what space that'll take in the room.
Then there is floor R value (between stove and first combustible below the stove) that varies from zero (only non-combustible layer, e.g. even a metal plate) to R6.6 or so.
I don't know at this time of any other useful suggestion. But I don't know everything (says my wife...)
I'd say, keep an eye out and ask immediately when you see a candidate stove. They go fast this time of the year.
And if you see pipe,.you have a rough estimate with the above approach.
Used Stove and pipe can be in poor (or dangerous) quality situation. But that should be clear I guess.
You came here seeking advice because your not sure of what your doing.
We all have take the time to give you some solid advice. It really doesn't seem like you want to take it. Itreally seems like you just want to chase your tail and run it circles and come up with as may hypotheticals in this situation as possible.
The steps I described above is exactly how I did it and had great success with my stove from day 1.
Do it your way. I personally don't care. My house is toasty warm, no heating bill and I'm not on a budget. Iv literally have saved myself over 30k in heating cost since my stove was installed.
Your next thread will be .. why doesn't my stove run right.. need help or another creosote chimney fire.
Similar threads
