FARM Wood Burning Stove Recommendations

[Warthog]

My wood burning stove has two fans, but honestly it really saves you the money on electric or gas when the temperatures are in the 40s and 50s outside. My air handler and heatpump hardly ever kick on when that stove is blowing at that temp range!

 

[marsofold]

We have an Ideal Steel Hybrid Wood stove. I like the fact that it is a hybrid in case the catalytic convertor wears out. We bought a spare ($180) just in case. Best stove site for reviews and advice: Hearth.com Forums Home

 

[lostinaz]

Get the biggest stove you can buy.
We bought a medium Vermont Castings Woodstove and wish we bought the XL!
Too small! Not enough capacity to last through the night.

 

[Old Reliable]

We have been heating our 2500 SQ home in a city for over 25 years with this wood heater insert Regency i2400 Review (Regency i2400 Review - YouTube).

The trick is to have place to cut the firewood.

 

[Farmgal]

I really like the soapstone wood burners too. I love wood heat. About 15+ years ago, I bought Hearthstone Soapstone wood burner. I even bought the matching enameled pipe as well. It's beautiful and it was expensive. It heats well and I love it. I do have a natural gas forced air furnace in the basement as my main heat source. But the wood stove really keeps the main part of the house really warm. Very large house and the highest gas bill in winter has been 75 bucks. Plus, if the electric goes out-the furnace doesn't work. So over the years, that wood stove has really paid for itself plus I don't freeze when electric goes out for extended time.

 

[ready2go]

My favorite was a blaze king that was about 40 years old. Made before the epa stuff. I currently have a 2008 Jotul Oslo 500. I live @ 6000' in Idaho. Works great.

 

[Marie]

We had a earthstove in for years. Dh decided last year he wanted one that went through less wood.
Some menards stove. It's a POS purely designed to be a pain in my a$$.It doesn't burn any less wood. And Dh isn't allowed to touch the woodstove due to his sundowners. We are moving the old earthstove back in as soon as both boys are here. Never had a lick of trouble with it and we can load it and forget it.

 

[CaryC]

I will caution you about one thing.

There is a direct correlation between heaters with a viewable fire box, and being a sorry no count individual.

It's kind of like heroin. You sit there and look at the fire, and 4 hours go by, get up and get some coffee, and go back to looking at the fire, then its dark.

Didn't get anything done, and didn't care.

And the only reason you moved at all was to put more wood on the fire.

AXE me how I know.

 

[Freeholder]

After looking at that Fisher stove website, it appears that the stove my grandparents had was a Grandmama Bear, not a Mama Bear. Anyway, they are great stoves.

Kathleen

 

[Calhounshd]

I don't know if the Fisher company is still making wood stoves, but I sure wish I had the Mama Bear that my grandparents had in their old house. Those were good stoves, and if you can find one used, grab it.

As far as cook stoves, modern cook stoves often do have large fireboxes (one or two have two fireboxes -- a small one for summer use, and a large one for winter when you want the heat), and most of them are airtight. If you can afford one -- they are EXPENSIVE -- and have the space, that's what I'd get. Some of them will heat a big house like yours. Antique wood cookstoves with a tiny firebox *can* heat a cabin or one room, but the fire needs constant tending, and they usually are not airtight. Often you can find a used antique that is still in good condition for not too much money -- generally, it's the white enameled ones built in the 1930's-1950's, because they aren't as 'pretty' as some of the fancy older ones with a lot of chrome on them. They fit well in a retro-style kitchen, though, and work great. A good set-up is to have an old cookstove with the small firebox in the kitchen and on the wall behind it, in the living room, and using the same chimney (but with separate flues), have a heating stove.

Ideally, if you can manage it, get a stove that has either a water jacket or coils for heating water, or a cook stove with a water reservoir (my preference would be for a reservoir AND coils to a free-standing tank next to the stove).

Kathleen

Here is a link for nearly all the info (including Fisher stove forum) on old and new stoves and the Bob Fisher story.

 

[Pancakes45]

I have a Vermont Castings also. I’ve had it for 20 years but I only run it a few times each winter. It’s more for ambiance.
but we have used it during a power outage for three or four days to heat the house and cook on.

 

[cnote]

Best stove top cookware cast iron? Recommended sizes?

Boil water on stove top for humidity? Recommendations?

Teapot?

 

[CaryC]

Best stove top cookware cast iron? Recommended sizes?

Boil water on stove top for humidity? Recommendations?

Teapot?

Yes cast iron. The sizes for the cookware depends on how many you are cooking for. They all generally cook the same just amount of food they hold to heat/cook. We (me and SB) generally use a size 5 (5 inches) for our pone of cornbread, and eggs/omelets. If 4 people maybe a size 10. Stews/biscuits and the like, we use a No. 10 in a Dutch oven.

Wood heat is a dry heat, so not a bad idea for a pot on top. We have a cast iron tea kettle. Don't recommend one with a whistle. I would also make sure that any pot, or kettle you set on top the handle can take the heat.

If you're going to cook on a heater/stove there are a couple of things you will need. Insulated welder gloves to be able to handle the pots/pans. A lid lifter for the dutch oven. and several drivets. And if your cook stove has "eyes" you may have to lift one out and place the skillet down in the open, over the fire. Trial and error. Trial and error.

If you're eating white biscuits one day and black the next, that's progress. LOL

 

[Marseydoats]

I will caution you about one thing.

There is a direct correlation between heaters with a viewable fire box, and being a sorry no count individual.

It's kind of like heroin. You sit there and look at the fire, and 4 hours go by, get up and get some coffee, and go back to looking at the fire, then its dark.

Didn't get anything done, and didn't care.

And the only reason you moved at all was to put more wood on the fire.

AXE me how I know.

We call that "woodstove televison" Nothing like coming in when it's snowing and parking in front of the stove with a good book and a cup of tea.

 

[Chicken Mama]

I got rid of my cast iron because it's too heavy due to nerve damage in the hands/wrists. A regular 'ol cooking pan with water works fine to put on the woodstove top. Water causes the cast iron to rust so it winds up ruining the pan eventually.

 

[cnote]

Yes cast iron. The sizes for the cookware depends on how many you are cooking for. They all generally cook the same just amount of food they hold to heat/cook. We (me and SB) generally use a size 5 (5 inches) for our pone of cornbread, and eggs/omelets. If 4 people maybe a size 10. Stews/biscuits and the like, we use a No. 10 in a Dutch oven.

Wood heat is a dry heat, so not a bad idea for a pot on top. We have a cast iron tea kettle. Don't recommend one with a whistle. I would also make sure that any pot, or kettle you set on top the handle can take the heat.

If you're going to cook on a heater/stove there are a couple of things you will need. Insulated welder gloves to be able to handle the pots/pans. A lid lifter for the dutch oven. and several drivets. And if your cook stove has "eyes" you may have to lift one out and place the skillet down in the open, over the fire. Trial and error. Trial and error.

If you're eating white biscuits one day and black the next, that's progress. LOL

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[KMR58]

Owner has had varying experience with "catalytic converter."

He bought the SOTZ version for his drum stove - used it for a couple of years.

It DID reduce the creosote. It did increase the heat - in his case going up the pipe which is not necessarily a bad thing. It was "one more thing to do" to operate - you had to have the stove "up to temperature" to engage the catalytic element which you did by pushing a lever and "sliding" the element into the gas stream. And then sliding out as the stove dies out. (Catalytic converter HAVE to have temperature of the stack gasses above 400F - at least for Owner back in the 1980s.)

Owner says after about three years the catalytic converter grew "less effective" - and it was still trouble to use. So he took it out. New elements WERE available but they start at $100 then. Perhaps the Cat verters are longer lived and cheaper now?

Of course if you buy a high end new stove you're pretty much stuck with a Cat Verter. Actually I've seen some "Vogelzang" box stoves don't have a Cat Verter - but they're advertised as "heat for a shed or unoccupied structure." And they're made in China. China ALWAYS gets a break - of course. Deep $tate EPA.

Dobbin

We have had one of these for almost 10 years. It heated our 2800 square foot house nicely. We used a box fan behind it to push the heat. We just downsized into 1100 square feet and this winter will be toasty warm.

 

[cnote]

I got rid of my cast iron because it's too heavy due to nerve damage in the hands/wrists. A regular 'ol cooking pan with water works fine to put on the woodstove top. Water causes the cast iron to rust so it winds up ruining the pan eventually.

Does enamel coated cast iron solve the rust problem and work well on wood stoves?

 

[Chicken Mama]

In my experience, yes and it's very durable.