Who to get to install?

[AntRhonda/CA]

This may be the dumb beginner question of all time -- beginner at buying a woodstove online, that is. We've had wood heat for 50-some years, and nothing but for probably 50 -- eventually this no-name stove -- probably 10 years old in the 2008 photos below. It warmed the main room of our 120 year old concrete block house --10' ceilings, pretty drafty --stayed coolish on the outside, and I think I used about 1 match a month. Now, alas, the baffles are burnt out and the plate that redirects the air is cracked and sagging -- and except for the back spacer plate it's all welded together.

19" wide, 22" deep (excluding back heat shield), about 25" and 29" high. Lined with firebricks in frames, firebox must be about 19" deep. We burn almond wood from our orchard, well or not well enough cured depending on how many trees blow over... but will probably buy a cord of oak or almond to finish this heating year (mid-April usually). I think a bigger stove would be better as long as it could be damped down or hold a small fire through the night or with only one nice big log thrown in in the wee hours.

One stove I found that seems like it might work about the same is the Drolet Escape 1800, which has pretty uniformly good reviews and comments here. But the nearest dealer is 100 miles away so having one shipped is the only choice. So, if I resort to something that has to be shipped, who do we call to get the old stove out of the house and the new one in? The new Drolet weighs 365 lb, the old probably something near that.

Others I looked at were Grandview 230 and a couple of Kumas. Those are theoretically available from local dealers who will do the heavy lifting. Any and all suggestions for non-catalytic systems welcome!

TIA

 

[begreen]

That no-name stove looks familiar, like a 30NC, but the door is wrong. Is there a UL label on the rear? Have you looked at the Englander 32-NC?

 

[AntRhonda/CA]

That no-name stove looks familiar, like a 30NC, but the door is wrong. Is there a UL label on the rear?

No label anywhere! (Or burned off long ago if there ever was.) No stamped name. No nuttin'. It was by far the best made in the store -- lots of wood stoves here in orchard country when we got it-- and no trouble ever with door gaskets or anything else people complain about. Coiled handles never get too hot to grasp.

But hey! the Englander 30 NC looks just about exactly like it except for the ash tray and I can get it delivered to my house in a couple weeks. The site is kind of cagey about where the stoves are made but at this point I'm not sure how much I care! Says "supplies" and kind of slides around 'made' in new expanded etc. VA plant.

Thank you so much.