Re: What do you guys know about wood stoves?
[Re: Whopper Stopper]
#7181944
02/14/21 01:52 PM
02/14/21 01:52 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,251 Oregon
beaverpeeler
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,251
Oregon
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I have a Fisher wood stove. It has heated our entire house for 28 years. Today it's -20 outside and +78 inside. I get through most winters burning less than 6 cords for the season. WS Fisher wood stoves were made right here where I live. One of my brothers had a contract trucking Fisher stoves back east in the 70's early 80's. At one point he had 4 truckers working for him. When the new anti wood stove legislation came about and required certain levels of efficiency Fisher went bankrupt. My brother was still owed a lot of money for Trucking and ended up receiving many tons of Fisher stoves and stove parts from the owner. I personally love them. I know one family that cooked their whole thanksgiving dinner on one.
My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
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Re: What do you guys know about wood stoves?
[Re: Black dogs]
#7182028
02/14/21 02:48 PM
02/14/21 02:48 PM
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Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,974 Indiana
Providence Farm
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trapper
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,974
Indiana
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I had a wonder wood from rual king for my first wood stove 20 years ago. It heated that drafty house and my electric bill went from 350 to $65 a month. It was cheap but worked .
My 2nd is a Vermont castings duch west large. It worked great for years but has started going through to much wood now.
I have an outside wood boiler by heat master at my form for 3 years now. It heats my uninsulated drafty 5 bedroom farm with 26 old windows. I can hear another building if I want to with it. It also heats my domestic hot water ant its wonderful. You can be #5 in line for a shower and still have hot water.
2'×2' door 46"×36" fire box means you can cut it long and don't have to split very much. No fire hazard, smoke, or wood and sash mess in the house.
Can burn any crap wood and get rid of things like dead critters if you need to. Burning old dead Jack pine now just to get rid of one that fell in the field. Turning it into heat vs a bonfire later seemed like a better idea. 2nd one cleaned up this year like that.
Down side uses a lot of wood.
Last edited by Providence Farm; 02/14/21 02:50 PM.
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Re: What do you guys know about wood stoves?
[Re: Black dogs]
#7182063
02/14/21 03:15 PM
02/14/21 03:15 PM
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,113 Northern Michigan
J.Morse
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,113
Northern Michigan
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We have heated with wood for over 30 years. I have a cabinet type stove in the house, and another in my shop. They are like the old Ashley cabinet stoves. I believe TSC sells the same type....called a "Wonderwood". Mine are able to handle 24 inch length wood, and have no trouble holding a fire all night. I usually burn around 10-12 pick-up loads per year, but mostly because I live in an old, drafty, not well insulated farm house. It is also fairly large, or at least spread out. A guy with a smaller house that is insulated well would go through much less wood. I have never owned a new woodstove. I always have bought used, usually for a great price. I don't think I ever paid more than $200 for a stove. I paid $80 for one a couple years ago, but it is a bit smaller than the ones we currently have inside. It was in excellent condition and I couldn't resist buying it!
Last edited by J.Morse; 02/14/21 03:18 PM.
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Re: What do you guys know about wood stoves?
[Re: Black dogs]
#7182131
02/14/21 04:06 PM
02/14/21 04:06 PM
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,965 South metro, MN
Calvin
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trapper
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 5,965
South metro, MN
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I heat both my house and shop with wood stoves. One is a Drolett Aussie and one is a Quarda Fire 4300. Both are great but I'll add a couple things I've found that comes in handy when making a decision: 1). Don't even look at what they are rated for. RATHER get down and look at the fire box and get one that will accept logs you want to put in it. bigger is better. Don't have to fill it up but it's nice not to have to put 8" kindling logs in every half hour. Big logs last all night. Little stuff doesn't. 2) I have the under box ash tray on both units. They are a gimmick. I never used them....but paid plenty for them. Skip the ash tray...You'll just end up scooping the ashes out the front door anyhow as it's a lot easier. 3). Get the blower. This is the fastest way to gain and regulate heat into your space. They do make heat activated fans that sit on top of the stove, too, but it's nice to be able to control the fan speed. Fans/blowers are kind of like a thermostat once you learn how to use them and regulate the air flow for them. 4) you kind of get what you pay for and most anything now is EPA regulated anyhow. I did put one of the Vogalzangs belly stoves in a shed once to save a few bucks but it was far subpar to the ones I spent some money on. You're space is big enough you'll want a decent stove. You won't regret it. I'll never have a house without one in again. Wood heat is so much nicer than forced or water heat. Totally different feel. It's therapeutic
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Re: What do you guys know about wood stoves?
[Re: Black dogs]
#7182176
02/14/21 04:53 PM
02/14/21 04:53 PM
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,505 Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
Sharon
"American Honey"
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"American Honey"
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 11,505
Montana ,Rocky Mtns.
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The largest style Blaze King has an ash tray. Years ago, I bought the next size down , still a big one with plenty of heating power. I wish I would have just paid a bit more to get the largest with the tray.
Particular about ash dust , I run my vacuum to catch any floating fine particles in the air as I scoop out. I'm even careful in the timing of loading wood vs. smoke factor. Load fast with no or little smoke before the new wood catches .
Ash or soot on my art projects , or furniture isn't acceptable for me.
Sometime, the next stove I get, looking for a Jotul, will have a tray . I am tired of the shovel .
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Re: What do you guys know about wood stoves?
[Re: Black dogs]
#7182291
02/14/21 06:54 PM
02/14/21 06:54 PM
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,113 Northern Michigan
J.Morse
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trapper
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,113
Northern Michigan
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I always liked the ash try, but you gotta keep on it, or else you have to do the scoop out through the firebox door thing....smoke city. As for the front loading stoves......a lot of folks love them, especially the ones with glass so you can watch the fire when you have your Hot Toddy in the P.M. I never liked them for the reason 30/06 states. Also, the ones without a ash pan seem to take more fussing around....it was a pain de-ashing without letting the fire go out. I ain't about letting the fire go out til spring. I do love the feel of wood heat. There isn't much to be said for coming in after wallering out on Beaver flowages and spudding out the traps, then getting home and backing up the the baseboards or floor registers to warm your hiney!
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Re: What do you guys know about wood stoves?
[Re: Black dogs]
#7182502
02/14/21 09:18 PM
02/14/21 09:18 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,086 SEPA
Lugnut
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,086
SEPA
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I never had a stove with an ash pan. I guess I don't know what I'm missing. We light a fire in October and it doesn't go out until late March/early April. I've gotten really good at doing hot clean outs. I let it burn down to coals after the ash bed gets to be about five inches deep. The ashes always settle to the bottom after a couple of stirs with the poker. I slide the ash shovel along the bottom firebrick and get a heap on it. A gentle back and forth rock loses and coals on top of the heap and I put the ashes in the ash bucket. Repeat as needed until there's about an inch of ash under the bed of coals. Easy peasy. The only real drawback is you have to lower the shovel and dump it into the ash bucket slowly or fine ash can float and settle everywhere. My wife hates that...so I've learned to do it slowly. Clean out about once a week depending on how hot she keeps it in there and wood species.
Eh...wot?
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Re: What do you guys know about wood stoves?
[Re: Whopper Stopper]
#7182668
02/14/21 10:41 PM
02/14/21 10:41 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,086 SEPA
Lugnut
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 20,086
SEPA
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Burning oak around the clock I can get by cleaning out 1x every 2 weeks.
If I burn junk wood like soft maple, boxelder, poplar I need to shovel ash out every morning. I quit burning that years ago and save it for the outdoor fire pit.
WS Same here WS. I was gonna mention it but didn't think folks would believe me. I don't know where all the ash goes when burning good seasoned oak but I can go at least two weeks, sometimes three or longer without cleaning ashes. Any other species it's about once a week. And that's burning 24/7.
Eh...wot?
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Re: What do you guys know about wood stoves?
[Re: Black dogs]
#7182760
02/14/21 11:45 PM
02/14/21 11:45 PM
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 18,624 Green County Wisconsin
GREENCOUNTYPETE
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 18,624
Green County Wisconsin
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for efficient , I like my quadrafire it does not have the biggest fire box ,16 wide 18 deep about 10 inches high but it burns very clean , have gone 2 years without cleaning the chimny and probably could have gone 10 , burn dry wood and it makes a very clean chimney. I don't go more than 2 without cleaning more as a matter of inspecting.
mail man said about a year after I got my stove in 2007, how come you never have a fire going I see all the wood and I see the chimney we have snow on the ground, but never any smoke , had to tell him there is a good fire going right now , and had been every day for over a month look closer you can see the heat bending the light but , it burns that clean you don't see smoke.
America only has one issue, we have a Responsibility crisis and everything else stems from it.
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