Thanks for all the help! Maybe I don't need a new one, but now I have more questions..

[vizzle]

Ok, here we go.

My current woodstove, is about the same size as anyone that would fit in my area. I am not so sure it would be worth replacing! My fire box is 18x12.5x10.5. Is this considered very small? With no ash tray. I often have to empty it to clean it. I often have coals in the morning, and can get it to start, but my furnace kicks in and the oil starts being used. **DO you have any tips for better burns? Would a blower help keep the house warmer?
My insulating bricks are breaking. Can I replace them? Do I have to measure them and replace them one by one. If I knew the kind of wood stove, it would probably be easier. But it came with the house. I don't know.

**How often do you replace the black pipe that leads from the woodstove to the wall?**

How do you know when you need a new wood stove? Ok thats its for now....I am sure I will have more questions later.

Here is a picture of my set up.

 

[Corey]

Ok, here we go. [snip]My fire box is 18x12.5x10.5. Is this considered very small? With no ash tray. I often have to empty it to clean it. I often have coals in the morning, and can get it to start, but my furnace kicks in and the oil starts being used.

Well, that is a 1.3 cubic foot firebox, so I would say that is to the smaller side. Seems like 2-3 cu-ft is more 'middle of the road' with 4+ being a pretty large stove

**DO you have any tips for better burns? Would a blower help keep the house warmer?

Packing the firebox at night with relatively square splits of hardwood (or the most dense wood you have) is the way I maximize overnight burn time. Beyond that, you'd be looking at a mid night reloading. I don't know that a fan would necessarily keep the house 'warmer' though it would help spread the available heat around, making it more even.

My insulating bricks are breaking. Can I replace them? Do I have to measure them and replace them one by one. If I knew the kind of wood stove, it would probably be easier. But it came with the house. I don't know.

Yes you can usually make this a DIY project. Often local hardware stores or local brick/masonry supply yards will sell firebrick. You most likely have a 'split' or half thickness brick. You'd have to pull out the broken ones and cut the new brick to fit. A diamond saw blade would probably be best, but careful work with a chisel and hammer can be almost as good - search the forum, brick replacement has been discussed quite a bit.

**How often do you replace the black pipe that leads from the woodstove to the wall?**

I would think it should be good for life- or a very long time - barring a flue fire, or some sort of water leaking into the flue to corrode it.

How do you know when you need a new wood stove? Ok thats its for now....I am sure I will have more questions later.

I would think if some part becomes broken and a replacement cant be bought or made, or the stove is damaged beyond repair (ie warped due to overfiring, etc), or new circumstances arise where you need a different stove or simply want to upgrade - Otherwise, they pretty much keep chugging away.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

That's like 1.36 cu ft- pretty darned small. Does the heat circulate well from the stove room to the rest of the house?

Using the dryest, densest hardwood that you can find will maximize burn time. I'm no expert- I can't identify many stoves by sight. If it's non-EPA, then you could get more efficiency out of a newer stove.

 

[vizzle]

Ok, here we go. [snip]My fire box is 18x12.5x10.5. Is this considered very small? With no ash tray. I often have to empty it to clean it. I often have coals in the morning, and can get it to start, but my furnace kicks in and the oil starts being used.

Well, that is a 1.3 cubic foot firebox, so I would say that is to the smaller side. Seems like 2-3 cu-ft is more 'middle of the road' with 4+ being a pretty large stove

**DO you have any tips for better burns? Would a blower help keep the house warmer?

Packing the firebox at night with relatively square splits of hardwood (or the most dense wood you have) is the way I maximize overnight burn time. Beyond that, you'd be looking at a mid night reloading. I don't know that a fan would necessarily keep the house 'warmer' though it would help spread the available heat around, making it more even.

My insulating bricks are breaking. Can I replace them? Do I have to measure them and replace them one by one. If I knew the kind of wood stove, it would probably be easier. But it came with the house. I don't know.

Yes you can usually make this a DIY project. Often local hardware stores or local brick/masonry supply yards will sell firebrick. You most likely have a 'split' or half thickness brick. You'd have to pull out the broken ones and cut the new brick to fit. A diamond saw blade would probably be best, but careful work with a chisel and hammer can be almost as good - search the forum, brick replacement has been discussed quite a bit.

**How often do you replace the black pipe that leads from the woodstove to the wall?**

I would think it should be good for life- or a very long time - barring a flue fire, or some sort of water leaking into the flue to corrode it.

How do you know when you need a new wood stove? Ok thats its for now....I am sure I will have more questions later.

I would think if some part becomes broken and a replacement cant be bought or made, or the stove is damaged beyond repair (ie warped due to overfiring, etc), or new circumstances arise where you need a different stove or simply want to upgrade - Otherwise, they pretty much keep chugging away.

question. See in the picture where the criosol is leaking through my black pipe? How do I avoid that?

Thank you so much for your advice!

 

[vizzle]

That's like 1.36 cu ft- pretty darned small. Does the heat circulate well from the stove room to the rest of the house?

Using the dryest, densest hardwood that you can find will maximize burn time. I'm no expert- I can't identify many stoves by sight. If it's non-EPA, then you could get more efficiency out of a newer stove.

What does non epa mean?

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Creosote- avoid it by:
Burning the dryest wood that you can.
Burn the stove hotter.
Start the stove with small pieces of kindling that will heat the pipe quickly.
Look at the stove efficiency rating- non-EPA stoves will give more.
Clean the pipe if it has not been done this year.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Corey gave some good answers. I surely agree that your firebox is a very small one indeed. Probably not possible to get an overnight burn.

The wood stove needs replacing when it can no longer meet your needs or becomes unsafe to use. Also, if you decide to replace that stove, I'd highly recommend looking at the Woodstock soapstone stoves. Yes, they are expensive as are most of the new stoves. but well worth the dollars. We looked at them for too long and finally got one last year. Our only regret is that we didn't buy it sooner! One thing worth noting is that we have been burning it regularly again this fall but the past couple of days has warmed during the daytime. We put wood in around 8:00 pm and then just let it go out unless it is really cold in the mornings. The other day we put wood in at 8:00 pm and no more. The next evening the stove was still at 150 degrees! That's keeping warm for a long time. Oh yes, we also cut our wood consumption from 5-6 cords to less than 3 for the whole winter and that is our only heat source.

Good luck.

 

[begreen]

I went to bed thinking about this stove and woke up with the same thoughts. Good that you are looking into alternatives viz. Would it be possible for you to post a shot of the interior of the stove with the door open? That shot would tell us a bit more about the stove.

Examining the wood to make sure that it's not making the problem worse is another good idea. Even the best 3 cu ft stove is going to perform poorly with unseasoned wood. Tell us what you are burning. If you split a piece of your firewood in half, then quickly put it up against your cheek, is it dry or damp? Does the wood sizzle on the ends at all as it starts burning?

To answer the other questions, the stove is on the small side. I would estimate you get about a 4-6hr burn time with it. Is that about right? For comparison, getting about 10 hrs with a 2 cu ft Pacific Energy Super 27 is not uncommon. The firebricks probably can be replaced. If they are standard sized, they may be available at a local lumber yard or Home Depot. The connector pipe may be ok as long as it is still in sound condition. Your sweep should be able to tell that when the flue is cleaned.

There are stoves out there that would be perfect, The Woodstock stove suggested is a very good one. It would give you nice long burns. However, they are in the over $2000 range. Can you afford that? If not, the Napoleon 1400 sells for around $1200. It has close clearances and will not require hearth modifications. The Pacific Energy Super 27 sells for about $1500. I haven't checked to see what Drolet's equivalent is, but will look if there is time this morning.

 

[begreen]

Anybody have a small Century stove out there? I'm wondering if this is an older model Century? The lines are similar, though the legs are simpler.

 

[Corey]

question. See in the picture where the criosol is leaking through my black pipe? How do I avoid that?

Thank you so much for your advice!

The stove joints look to be installed backwards. Each section of pipe has a crimped end which slides into the open end of the next pipe. Your pipes seem to be arranged like:

 . |c          |
  |c          |  <-pipe
  c
 c/            <-crimp
cc|           | 
  |           |

When the creosote (c) runs down the pipe, it hits the crimp and can leak out. If you change the arrangement to;

.  |c          |
   |c          |
    c        / <-crimp
      c
   |   c      |
   |   c      | <- pipe

Then the creosote running down from the top gets 'funneled' back into the pipe and can't leak out.

 

[vizzle]

Just got back from Lowes and looked at this stove.
Summers Heat $699
1,000 Sq. Ft. Wood Stove http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=135215-76845-50-SFP12LC&lpage=none

It has close clearances! Only requires 6inches on one side, and 6.5 on another side!~Isn't that close? I Like it. It has a 1.9 firebox too. What is the longest fire this one could get?

With the Broken bricks in mine, and the small fire box, I am thinking about getting this one! The only big problem, is that the clearance in front. Actually not. 8 + 14 is 22. I still have 18 in front of it! Wahoo!

Also thinking about the magic heat reclaimer, it has gotten great reviews!

 

[vizzle]

Fire Box pictures. I am not sure what I wrote before but I remeasured. 18x10.5x10.5 (height is on angle slanting down to 8.5 inches.)

 

[begreen]

I wouldn't get this unit, there is a better model Englander available at Lowes. This model is not an EPA approved stove.

You'll want to look at the model 13NC which is a better heater and EPA approved. Note, it may need a bit of hearth reworking to accommodate it's R value requirements, but you'll find several happy owners of the 13NC with reviews here.

 

[vizzle]

I wouldn't get this unit, there is a better model Englander available at Lowes. This model is not an EPA approved stove.

You'll want to look at the model 13NC which is a better heater and EPA approved. Note, it may need a bit of hearth reworking to accommodate it's R value requirements, but you'll find several happy owners of the 13NC with reviews here.

Man!! I can't win! I find something that works, an then wam!
What is EPA approved mean?

 

[begreen]

Well, the good news is that this appears to be a modern stove. Have you looked on the back of the stove to see what make and model it is. There should be a UL plate back there listing clearances and testing information. The other good news is that the firebricks appear to be standard 4"x9" firebrick. If so, replacements are easy to find.

There does appear to be some creosote build up. I am suspecting damp wood may be compounding your problems. When was the flue last cleaned?

 

[hilly]

I wouldn't get this unit, there is a better model Englander available at Lowes. This model is not an EPA approved stove.

You'll want to look at the model 13NC which is a better heater and EPA approved. Note, it may need a bit of hearth reworking to accommodate it's R value requirements, but you'll find several happy owners of the 13NC with reviews here.

Man!! I can't win! I find something that works, an then wam!
What is EPA approved mean?

I disagree. I think you did win, you found out, before purchase, what would work.

 

[vizzle]

Well, the good news is that this appears to be a modern stove. Have you looked on the back of the stove to see what make and model it is. There should be a UL plate back there listing clearances and testing information. The other good news is that the firebricks appear to be standard 4"x9" firebrick. If so, replacements are easy to find.

There does appear to be some creosote build up. I am suspecting damp wood may be compounding your problems. When was the flue last cleaned?

I haven't used it this season, but I clean it every season. I have yet to do that.

 

[vizzle]

This is the other Lowes one. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=8492-76845-50-SNC13LC&lpage=none

Its only 100 more.

As for the Hearth reworking, i am not sure what I could do to get that distance. Its only a few inches. And there doesn't seem to be a simple fix.

 

[begreen]

I wouldn't get this unit, there is a better model Englander available at Lowes. This model is not an EPA approved stove.

You'll want to look at the model 13NC which is a better heater and EPA approved. Note, it may need a bit of hearth reworking to accommodate it's R value requirements, but you'll find several happy owners of the 13NC with reviews here.

Man!! I can't win! I find something that works, an then wam!
What is EPA approved mean?

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/choosing_and_using_wstove

 

[Adios Pantalones]

EPA approved units are burners that meet a standard to emit less particles. That means they burn cleaner, and because they burn more of the fuel that you put in and turn less into useless smoke- they use less wood and produce less creosote. They normally do this by one of 2 simple methods- introducing a little air to reburn smoke, or through the use of a catalyst.

 

[begreen]

This is the other Lowes one. http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=8492-76845-50-SNC13LC&lpage=none

Its only 100 more.

As for the Hearth reworking, i am not sure what I could do to get that distance. Its only a few inches. And there doesn't seem to be a simple fix.

That's the stove. It's also sold under the Summer's Heat brand. Here is a link for more information on this stove:
http://www.englanderstove.com/50-snc13.html. You can download the manual here to read up on it's requirements:
http://www.englanderstove.com/manuals/13-NC.html


One can order side heatshields to reduce clearances, but the hearth will need some build up to meet the R requirements and front of door specs.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

New dimensions- 10.5"x9.5"(average)x18" = 1 cu ft firebox.

 

[begreen]

Gotta go. One final note. Getting a new stove is not going to fix the heating issue if the wood is not fully seasoned. There are indications that it isn't. Damp wood puts out a lot less heat. Your current stove is not that bad a unit from the looks of it. But if the wood is damp, it could be working at 50% of capacity. Dry wood won't get you longer burn times necessarily, but it will mean a lot more heat coming from the stove.

Regardless of what you do, get a woodstove thermometer and put it on the stove top. That will tell you how hot the stove is getting. If the wood is good, it could just be that you are running the stove too cool, but without some data, like stove temps and current burning procedures, I'd just be guessing.

 

[vizzle]

New dimensions- 10.5"x9.5"(average)x18" = 1 cu ft firebox.

Isn't that tiny??
Half as big as the possible replacement.

Gotta go. One final note. Getting a new stove is not going to fix the heating issue if the wood is not fully seasoned. There are indications that it isn't. Damp wood puts out a lot less heat. Your current stove is not that bad a unit from the looks of it. But if the wood is damp, it could be working at 50% of capacity. Dry wood won't get you longer burn times necessarily, but it will mean a lot more heat coming from the stove.

Regardless of what you do, get a woodstove thermometer and put it on the stove top. That will tell you how hot the stove is getting. If the wood is good, it could just be that you are running the stove too cool, but without some data, like stove temps and current burning procedures, I'd just be guessing.

Ok I am being a freak here! I just layed it out on paper! And the one recommended fits( http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=8492-76845-50-SNC13LC&lpage=none )! I really appreciate your help! With the tiny fire box it looks like this will be the one to get! Now its gotta be in stock.

 

[firefighterjake]

Foreword: I'm not an expert, but I believe I've been around here long enough now and seen/read quite a bit that I can make some reasonable guestimates.

First off, from what I can see in the pics the stove doesn't look as though it's been abused and seems to be in fair condition. The bricks are cracked and probably should be replaced, but I don't see any warped metal or odd discolorations.

The stove is small . . . but is it too small for your own heating needs. Well, that depends largely on the size of the space you're heating. You also say there isn't an ash tray. Every woodstove I've ever had (all two of them) have always had ash trays which I like . . . other folks here however can take or leave the ash tray as an option.

Better and longer burns . . . ah the $64,000 question . . . the good news is that you can use the search feature at the top of the page and find several threads related to how to get some longer burn times. The short answer . . . how you place the wood in the stove (orientation east/west vs. north/south, packed vs. loose, etc.), what type of wood you place in the stove (species -- oak vs. cedar and dryness (well seasoned wood vs. less seasoned wood) and size/shape of the wood (rounds vs. splits and small splits vs. large splits or rounds) can all impact the length of burns.

Creosote . . . When I first saw your pics I thought the stove pipe was upside down and this has since been mentioned by another poster. I am wondering if someone inadvertently put the stovepipe above the stove in backwards . . . I could be wrong and not looking correctly at the pic.

As mentioned by another poster one of the first things I would do before purchasing any stove is to look at the back of your existing stove . . . there should be a metal plate listing the stove manufacturer, year built, model, etc. You may be surprised at how new (or maybe shocked) at how old your stove is . . . although I would suspect that the stove is perhaps not as old as you might think.