thinking about wood

[duluecke]

This is kind of new to me. I am in southern Indiana and thinking about putting a wood burning stove in the finished basement of our home, 1280 sq. ft up and down, to hopefully drastically reduce our gas bill. Two local retailers offer Lopi and Vermont(Dutchwest) as it appears to be their leading lines. I would really like to find something used so I don't have such a large initial start up figure. Any suggestions on money savings ?

 

[cannonballcobb]

Plenty of stoves on craigslist. Finding an EPA rated stove can be a bit of a challenge though.

 

[Corey]

It might be a little late in the season to get anything going right now, but keep an eye out for prices on wood and stoves, they might drop a bit in the spring. Though if you know you're going to go with a wood burner next season, it's never too early to start getting wood - especially if you plan to scrounge or cut it!

 

[Pagey]

I'm a happy owner of a Lopi Endeavor, and I will say that it is a nice, quality stove. But what I didn't realize until later was that there are a ton of happy Englander owners on this forum. You can pick up their products at Lowe's or Home Depot.

http://www.englanderstoves.com/

They may not have the visual appeal of some other EPA certified stoves, but they are tanks, and they are made for heat! You can probably pick up a brand new one for about half the cost of a Lopi and have a comparable product, I believe.

 

[Brian VT]

if you know you're going to go with a wood burner next season, it's never too early to start getting wood - especially if you plan to scrounge or cut it!

That's the best advice you'll get. Often "seasoned" wood for sale is not ready to burn. Get it now and hopefully it will be dry for next winter.
No stove will function well if you're trying to burn moist wood.

 

[lexybird]

look at Englander stoves at lowes and home depot ,best bang for the buck

 

[ken999]

I'm going to toss in my $0.02 for a Pacific Energy stove.

http://www.pacificenergy.net/product_line.php

We have had our Summit insert for a year now and it has been a great burning stove. It has one air control, making it simple to operate. Burning dry wood has yet to foul the SS liner I have in the chimney.

It's a good stove that puts off a decent amount of heat and is clean burning while doing so.

 

[chuckiep]

Was just at lowes today and saw the englanders for about $800.00. As mentioned earlier. Lots of folks here own them and seem to be very happy. And like Corey said, never too early to start scrounging for next year...
happy stove hunting!!
chuck p

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Because fire is such a violent thing and you also hear of some very drastic and tragic things, I do not think a heater is something that you want to go cheap with. Better to get something that is build much better even if it costs more. In the long run it is a savings and you will be much happier. Sort of like needing a new pickup truck but settling on a used Ford to haul stuff in the trunk rather than getting what you really need and want.

 

[LLigetfa]

I think you might be putting the cart before the horse. Have you determined your wood supply? Gas is cheap so you need to find a wood supply that's cheaper still.

 

[jpl1nh]

Some other considerations: The basement may or may not be a good place for your stove. It would be essential that the walls of your basement are insulated for it to be really useful. Secondly, it can be surprisingly difficult to get the heat from your stove upstairs to the living area. Lastly, one of the most important items in your stove set up is a good chimney, an expense many don't consider when looking to purchase a wood stove to save $$$ . I think installing a stove is generally is a very green oriented item and a great payback over time, especially if you enjoy the excercise of cutting, splitting, and stacking wood. Doing it safely and with consideration for practical and aesthetic factors and a having longer term perspective will give you the most satisfaction for the money you spend.

 

[firefighterjake]

This is kind of new to me. I am in southern Indiana and thinking about putting a wood burning stove in the finished basement of our home, 1280 sq. ft up and down, to hopefully drastically reduce our gas bill. Two local retailers offer Lopi and Vermont(Dutchwest) as it appears to be their leading lines. I would really like to find something used so I don't have such a large initial start up figure. Any suggestions on money savings ?

The saying you sometimes get what you pay for may apply here. While buying a used stove is not necessarily a bad thing, if you're inexperienced and don't know what to look for you could end up with a stove that will at best not suit your needs (i.e. not sized correctly for your home) and at worse could be a safety risk.

That said there are stove makes/models that folks here are very happy with . . . stoves that may not be as cheap as buying used, but they are cheaper than some of the high end models and do what you need them to -- namely heating your home.

One thing I would do is to check in with several local dealers and see what they carry . . . and you may have to travel a bit further to see if other dealers carry other makes/models that might be worth considering. Ask questions and see if they ask you questions (i.e. size of your home, how you plan to heat -- 24/7 vs. evenings/weekends). I would also check out the stove review site listed here at hearth.com as some makes/models are rated higher than others.

Final thought . . . don't scrimp on safety. Buying a woodstove is a big expenditure . . . and hopefully it will be something that will be used for a long time. Getting dry wood and installing the stove properly is also important . . . and bear in mind that buying a woodstove is only part of the expense . . . if you need to buy or line a chimney that can be as much of a cost as the woodstove.

 

[drdoct]

For the price of the Lopi, you could get an Englander and a chimney and have enough money for a cord or 2 of wood. Before you buy be sure to post here to see what people think about it. You may end up saving some heartache by getting good advice against a stove. I have no problem with used stoves. I've never bought a new stove. But I'm a hands on guy who can fix it if it breaks. Also... I wouldn't buy a small stove. I'd much rather have to open a window than have to turn on the heaters.