Advice on woods stoves please

[PeekyBooBoo]

We are concidering installing a wood burning stove for .. well.. come what may.

Today, we visited a showroom, and were shown various models.
Our stove will be placed in the living room of our 2 story house. The living room is on the first floor. The stove pipe, will need to exit the house through the living room wall.. and continue up the side of the exterior of the house past the peak. It is not possible to continue the stove pipe up through the second story and out the roof, as that would place it in the middle of a bedroom.

I would appreciate any advice on various models.. pros and cons .. past experiences.. etc etc.
We plan to cook on the stove top if need be..

Our choices are:

cast iron

steel

soapstone

We were told, because of the fact that we have to exit the house and pipe outside.. we will have cold air coming in.. rather than warm air escaping. So it was recommended to us that a steel stove would warm up the fastest, and provide us the longest burn time. There is also a way to direct most of the smoke directly out using this model.. (something built into it.. a lever thingy to open something)
The steel stove uses bricks as a lining.. that are cheap to replace if we needed to..
The surface doesnt have a specific ''cooking griddle'' but rather we could set the pan anywhere.

Thanks again for anyone with suggestions or comments..

The cost for stove, pipe and installation is about 4 grand.

 

[JHill]

I am in the same boat kinda. We have a fireplace and would like to install a wood burning stove insert to maximize efficiency.

I have a pre-fab chimney so that adds a curve ball to the situation.

One thougtht--you don't have to buy a brand new stand alone stove, you can look for a used one. Look in the local paper, or even ebay for pick up only...that may save you about a $1k.

 

[Marine]

Steel.

Make sure it is an air tight model. This is where the door has a positive seal and the air intake comes in from the top, not the bottom where it can fill with ash and other stuff...

The sales people should know if it airtight.

As for the wall penetration, BS. You will have to use double wall pipe, I recommend triple wall if you can find it. (This will prevent the pipe from potentially getting too hot against the house and starting a fire. You want the fire inside the stove, not outside..)

Seal it well with fireproof caulking. If you cut the hole properly, the gap should be tight anyway with not much to patch. If the cold really is a problem, you can build a chase on the outside around the pipe and insulate it. Make sure your pipe is triple wall if you do this and isn't directly in contact with anything flammable like framing or insulation...

Cast Iron might be okay. Don't know anything about them. CI has good heat properties and usually heats pretty evenly and retains heat for a while. It also tends to rust easier than steel.

I don't know about soapstone, never heard of it. If it truly is a stone, then once it gets hot, it should stay hot for a long time.

The damper should be adjustable so you can control the air intake, this will speed up or slow down the burn time. If you are burning a hardwood log, you want a little more air, but restricted enough to get max burn time from it so you aren't going through wood like it's free. Unless it is, in which case, knock yourself out...

For cooking, just choose the model that will serve your purpose. Some stoves have a large flat top, some are barely big enough for a tea pot. Whatever works..

hope that helped a little.

Google "wood burning stoves" and you'll get more info than you care about..

 

[Marine]

I am in the same boat kinda. We have a fireplace and would like to install a wood burning stove insert to maximize efficiency.

I have a pre-fab chimney so that adds a curve ball to the situation.

One thougtht--you don't have to buy a brand new stand alone stove, you can look for a used one. Look in the local paper, or even ebay for pick up only...that may save you about a $1k.

Not necessarily. A prefab chimney in a wood burning fireplace should be around 12 inches inside diameter. You should be able to drop in the 6" pipe from the top down and tie it into the insert. I just did one last year with the same situation on a clients house I was building. They also sell kits that simply tie the insert to the existing chimney without dropping in the new pipe. I don't recommend this as it is a nightmare for the chimney sweep to clean and it is a potential fire hazard as the soot builds up in there where it can't be reached.

If your current fireplace is gas only,you should be able to get an adapter that will tie the insert to your existing chimney. The dealer should sell kits for you to do this with. the pipe in a gas only fireplace is usually only 6 or 8 inches anyway, probably the same as the insert you will be putting in.

 

[Burt Gummer]

If you are asking for names of manufacturers, I have a "Lopi" woodburning insert in my fireplace. It keeps me toasty warm. It has a 10 inch surface on the front and top that I could cook on.

 

[fruit loop]

Try Lehman's

They used to have something on their website and in their catalog that asks you questions and then figures up the best model of stove for you

 

[PeekyBooBoo]

Thanks everyone.. so far, this is the model we are looking at the most seriously.

http://www.lopistoves.com/product.asp?dept_id=4&sku=33

The Endeavor is a beautiful workhorse that unites form and function into an unbeatable heat transfer system. Its classic step-top design features a radiant surface for cooking and convection surface for warming. It has the biggest and cleanest-burning firebox of any medium-size stove, yet offers the closest clearance of any wood stove in the industry---only 4½” to a combustible surface. The Endeavor also features a taller door opening than any other medium-size stove, allowing you to load bigger pieces of wood and produce longer burn times. In addition, a by-pass damper prevents smoke-backs while starting and reloading. The Endeavor is also approved by HUD for mobile home installation (ask your dealer for details).

Avaliable as a black, brass, or pewter door and legs option.


Thats what the thingy is called..

 

[sparkky]

check and see about an "ash pan". it's where the ashes go for easy removal while the stove is still in use.

 

[EdPPCLI]

Hi All
Couple of points to consider
-Now is the MOST expensive time to purchase a stove, if at all possible make do until spring when end of season and display models can save you big $$$
-Personal instal is cheapest and isn't rocket science, on the other hand liability, building code, insurance rebates and chiropractor bills have pushed me towards pro installs....check into all associated costs first.
-Not knocking the Lopi but all stove models have profesional ad execs writing their copy.
-Double insulated stove pipe and air tight stoves are the only way to go....hello it is 2006 not 1906
-Claims for minimal clearances sound great but you will still have to abide by your building code...if it quotes 18" you won't get away with less.
-Basement install is best for whole house heating, any stove big enough to heat the house wil be to hot for an individual room....size your stove for what you want to do and be aware of how convective air currents flow in your living spaces.
To illustrate the above point I had a Vermont Castings Aspen (great stove BTW) installed in my living room 20x25. It looked tiny but easily heated the room to tshirt temp within an hour this with the door to the rest of the house open. In order to enjoy an evening in front of the fire careful attention to damper (thingy ) was required to keep a low burn going. Meanwhile the rest of the house was coooold since the furnace control/sensor was located in the living room (in this case a manual overide for the furnace blower would have been a good investment...ie let the big furnace fan blow my woodstove heat throughout the house)
-Right now I have a Regency insert and it rocks. Basement install with chimney liner up existing masonry. I bought the optional blower which really helps circulate the heat for fast warmups. It is in an open concept 40x40 room, with a door to the unfinished side of the basement (another 40') and a staircase up to the rest of the house (I also have exposed HVAC pipes which conduct some of the heat directly upstairs)
Hope this helps
Cheers
Ed

 

[Ravekid]

We are concidering installing a wood burning stove for .. well.. come what may.

Today, we visited a showroom, and were shown various models.
Our stove will be placed in the living room of our 2 story house. The living room is on the first floor. The stove pipe, will need to exit the house through the living room wall.. and continue up the side of the exterior of the house past the peak. It is not possible to continue the stove pipe up through the second story and out the roof, as that would place it in the middle of a bedroom.

I would appreciate any advice on various models.. pros and cons .. past experiences.. etc etc.
We plan to cook on the stove top if need be..

Thanks again for anyone with suggestions or comments..

The cost for stove, pipe and installation is about 4 grand.

I have a wood stove insert, here is what I have learned:

#1: Wood stove is the way to go. Do not decide to get pellets or corn. Just my opinion.

#2: Free standing is the best. Make sure you have a blower as well. With free standing, you get more radiant. In a power outage, you could still heat the room. I would also suggest some sort of power back-up: Solar, generator, and/or deep discharge batteries. In addition to this, you can also cook on the top of it.

I would look at Regency. I have one and I now love it. Last year, I was really scared of getting it too hot. (Another downside to an insert is that there is no temp reader that will help to see if it is too hot. Since the chimney goes through the existing fireplace, you cannot use a temp reader) After speaking with numerous people and the guys who put it in, they calmed my fears. They said there was nothing wrong with a lot of flames, which gets the stove really hot. This was different than the info I got from some folks here on Timebomb. Not only that, Regency stoves are cast steel as well. The model I have, the F1100, actually has a gap under the stove, around the stove back, and then on the top. The gap is because the blower pulls air from the bottom of the stove and around back blowing it out the top.

http://www.regency-fire.com/Wood/Stoves/F1100/

When the guys came to look at it, they pretty much said I was not getting it hot enough. Of course, the one guy said when they put it in, that I should be able to just have air flow control open a little bit. This was not correct. I need to keep my air flow open at least 3/4ths. The instruction book says at least 1/2 with the blower going. Needless to say, I finally had my first fire. A bunch of black stuff burned off the fire stone on the top, which I think is a good sign. I plan on making another fire when I get home tonight. I did not even get it that hot and it keep the house at 71 degrees. The only thing is that the stove made a lot of noise and clicks, which I think is the metal getting used to the high heat. The fireplace cover even had the copper color trip pop off. It is on their croocked anyway because my fireplace front is not even because it is limestone, not brick. I figure it is not big deal.

Good luck.

 

[Ravekid]

I am in the same boat kinda. We have a fireplace and would like to install a wood burning stove insert to maximize efficiency.

I have a pre-fab chimney so that adds a curve ball to the situation.

One thougtht--you don't have to buy a brand new stand alone stove, you can look for a used one. Look in the local paper, or even ebay for pick up only...that may save you about a $1k.

I would look at a Hearth Heater type stove It is an insert that sits out on the ledge. You have to install fireproof tile in front of the stove. This will allow for cooking and give you radiant heat as well.

 

[hummer]

LOPI LIBERTY

Thanks everyone.. so far, this is the model we are looking at the most seriously.

http://www.lopistoves.com/product.asp?dept_id=4&sku=33

The Endeavor is a beautiful workhorse that unites form and function into an unbeatable heat transfer system. Its classic step-top design features a radiant surface for cooking and convection surface for warming. It has the biggest and cleanest-burning firebox of any medium-size stove, yet offers the closest clearance of any wood stove in the industry---only 4½” to a combustible surface. The Endeavor also features a taller door opening than any other medium-size stove, allowing you to load bigger pieces of wood and produce longer burn times. In addition, a by-pass damper prevents smoke-backs while starting and reloading. The Endeavor is also approved by HUD for mobile home installation (ask your dealer for details).

Avaliable as a black, brass, or pewter door and legs option.


Thats what the thingy is called..

I have the Lopi Liberty......largest freestanding of the Lopi's. It is great......has saved my butt and pipes from freezing on several occasions up here in No. MN. I have also cooked numerous meals on it.....lots of cooking space. Good stove....expensive....but well worth it for me. hummer

 

[max_914]

I went with a quadrafire stove. It extracts every bit of heat possible from the wood. I bought it about 10 years ago to replace an older stove. It uses less than 1/2 the wood and puts out more heat than the old stove....

http://www.quadrafire.com/products/stoves/woodStoves.asp

 

[idelphic]

I haven't done reading or researchon these stoves,.. but i don't like glass doors. pretty,.. but if broken,.. what are you left with?

 

[max_914]

The glass(clear ceramic) is very tough. I can burn with the wood touching without any problems and I have had my stove for many years. My stove works with the door open but it's not as efficient. I think if things were really bad and the ceramic was broken I would cut some layers of sheet metal and sandwich in some fiberglass insulation a replacement. On the plus side with the clear front you can see exactly what the fire is doing which saves a lot of wood and gives more heat. The clear front also puts out a great deal of radiant heat. My old stove had solid front doors and it was always guess work and tinkering to get the fire just right and I always ended up adding more wood than nessarary.

 

[The Freeholder]

While we're on the subject...

Who makes wood stoves (as opposed to a wood furnace) that can be "plumbed" into an existing HVAC system? Englander has one; are there any others anyone knows of?