wood stove replacement and new stainless liner

[steviep]

this last week I had a chimney fire and it cracked the clay liner. I called the insurance company and they will pay to have a stainless liner installed. Here is where it gets a little compicated if I keep my old low technaligy stove with a 7" flue I have to use a 7 inch liner. If I get a new 6" stove then I can use a insulated 6" liner. My installer wants to use a 6" Olympia ridged Stainless liner, of witch from what I can tell is a good thing. He also wants to sell me a Archgard 1800 woodstove for about 2000 dollars, witch at this time I can't afford.
I would like some names of good new technoligy stoves so maybe I can find one on craigslist hopefully a lot cheaper in price. How good are the Home depots - Englsnder or the Lowes-Summers heat.

 

[tickbitty]

LOts of folks on here swear by the ENglander/summer's heat stoves and you can absolutely get them for way cheaper than $2000!
If you are getting the liner and everything taken care of this would be a great time to make the switch! This is apparently a good time of year to make deals on what the box stores have and folks have gotten some great deals.

 

[BrotherBart]

Been heating this joint for four years with a Englander stove and love it. I am sitting here watching it burn right now. Well, the wood is burning not the stove.

 

[steviep]

My installer told me that with a new stove if I am using about 5 cords of wood now then I properly will use about 3 cords and a lot less creosote, no more cleaning the chimney 2 to 3 times a year. Does all this seem right to you guys.

 

[BrotherBart]

I went from six cords of wood a year and monthly chimney cleanings (and chimney fires) to three cords a year and I clean twice a year but it really doesn't need but one. But I also quit burning wet wood and started burning wood that is well dried for two years. The most important changes were the lining of the chimney and the burning of dry wood.

Burn wet wood and any stove/chimney combination will continue to give you grief.

 

[firefighterjake]

My installer told me that with a new stove if I am using about 5 cords of wood now then I properly will use about 3 cords and a lot less creosote, no more cleaning the chimney 2 to 3 times a year. Does all this seem right to you guys.

Most folks report using less wood and cleaner chimneys . . . but this doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't inspect your chimney. I personally recommend checking the chimney monthly and cleaning it if there is a quarter inch or more of build up . . . then again . . . I don't particularly care to visit with my brother and sister firefighters at 2 in the morning . . . I would never hear the end of it if I had to call 911 for a chimney fire . . . and so I err on the side of caution and check/clean monthly . . . but as BB mentioned I could get away with just a single cleaning . . . but I always err on the side of caution.

And . . . as BB mentioned . . . the EPA stoves are great . . . but if you're not burning seasoned wood (i.e. cut, split and stacked for a year in most cases) and running your woodstove at hot enough temps . . . you will find that a) you will not get the heat output as expected, b) your stove glass will blacken up, c) the fire will never burn well and d) you will end up with creosote build up and be right back to Square One if you build up enough creosote.

As for the Englander/Summer Heat . . . many folks here have reported lots of wood burning bliss with these stoves . . . customer service has been reported as top notch . . . in fact the two stove manufacturers that seem to most often be mentioned as tops in customer service are Woodstock and Englander.

 

[cmonSTART]

Englander and Napoleon both produce good stoves at lower costs. We have an Englander 30 ourselves and it works great. If the more expensive stove is in your budget you will get a better end product, but if it's not you'll have no regrets with an Englander.

 

[steviep]

ok some new questions about the liners. I have noticed different variasion , can anyone explain what is better for a wood stove
304 or 316 stainless
.006 or 24 gauge
flexible or ridged pipe

 

[cmonSTART]

304 and 316 are both different grades of stainless steel, 316 being better. Honestly for wood both are fine, just pay attention to the warranty.

.006 refers to wall thickness measured in inches, .006 inches
24 gauge measures wall thickness in fractions of an inch, 1/24 of an inch. Flex liner is usually listed as .005 or .006 for light liners. Both are fine.

Rigid liner will flow better due to the smooth wall and will be more durable. If you have a straight shot down your chimney this might be for you. Personally I use flex liners and they work great, especially if you have any bends in the flue. You can also combine rigid and flex liners in the same flue if needed.

Make sure you insulate.

 

[steviep]

Ok first thing first I have to thank all of you for your great advice. Now for my next question when I was at Home depot today they had a Drolet Legend on display. How good is the drolet and are most new wood stoves set up the same way with a air control inlet on the rear bottom and a by pass damper . Just trying to make well educated desision befpre I buy.

 

[begreen]

Surprised to hear they had a Legend on the floor. The stove is EPA credit qualified and includes the blower. I haven't owned one, but it is a big honking steel stove made in Canada. It should work fine if sized correctly for the home.

 

[steviep]

they only have the display at the store, they actually have a deal with an outside contrator who delivers it to your house, they are selling it right now for around 850.

 

[cmonSTART]

I have no issues with Drolet and their family of stoves. Like BeGreen said, make sure it's sized for the house and it should do fine.