# looking for a good wood stove



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

So i am looking for recomendations on a good wood burning stove so far i have looked at a quadra fire by regency , a jotul f500 oslo , a vermont castings and another i can't recall the name of.

i grew up with a fisher both my parents and grandparents had fisher stoves but i can no longer find them i think they were about the lowest maintinace stove i ever used no glas, no seal , just a welded very large firebox with cast iron doors and cast iron screw down dampers to control the air in. but i understand that stoves have come a long way in efficency and burn time. 

so i am looking to heat a 2 story house about 30 by 30 the upstairs isn't as large as there is unused space in the corners of the house because of the roof total about 1500 sq feet

currently it costs me 600 to 800 gallons of #2 in my wisconsin burners 90% efficient furnace it's old but works well newer burn pot.

i live in southern wisconsin near monroe and plan to use a class A metal chimny strait up near the top of the gable.

what stoves to you like and why?

thanks for your recomendations. Pete


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

We are using a two-barrel wood stove right now. I lined the bottom barrel with fire clay, so it should last at least ten years. It's design is rated at around 200,000 btu, so it does does put out a lot of heat.

We have laid two very heavy grates in it, and are burning wood, coal and peat. Each fuel burns differently, but we used a lot of coal and peat when we lived in Scotland, so we are kind of used to it.

I get the barrels free from a local twinky factory, the kit to make it into a stove cost us about $50, and the fire clay cost another $40, and the grates were $18 a piece.

In fact it is going as I type this, and it is putting out a lot of heat.

We are in Maine, in a 2400 sq. ft. house, we have a big ceiling fan right above the stove, and it seems to really push out the heat to everything but the corners of the house.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

If you're looking to buy a new stove, you're first going to have to make two decisions:
1. Do you want a plate steel stove (like that old Fisher) or do you want cast iron.
2. All new stoves have to meet EPA pollution regs. Your choices are secondary combustion or catalyst.

IMHO, I'd choose plate steel and secondary combustion. We have a Lopi woodstove. I once had a Fisher Grandpa Bear, and this Lopi is very similar as far as construction: 1/4" and 5/16" plate steel...it's built like a tank (and weighs as much, too!) Cast iron can crack if you start with a cold stove and fire it up real hot too quickly. 

Besides plate steel, I'd recommend a stove with secondary combustion. There is very little that can go wrong with this type of air pollution device. The other option, a ceramic catalyst, can plug up and they can break. I understand they are expensive to replace.

My recommendation is a stove built by Lopi, here's a photo of ours:


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

Cabin Fever said:


> ... Besides plate steel, I'd recommend a stove with secondary combustion. There is very little that can go wrong with this type of air pollution device. The other option, a ceramic catalyst, can plug up and they can break. I understand they are expensive to replace.


I agree.

which is why we are using a stove with a secondary combustion chamber too.



Nice photo!


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

That stove is in our 16 x 24 foot guest cabin...it will cook you right out of there if you let it. We've had to open windows when it was -25ÂºF outside. It is suppose to be able to heat about 1800 to 2000 sf. Yes, you could put a casserole dish on top. We've cooked from 12" fry pans and large dutch ovens.


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## Helena (May 10, 2002)

The barrel stove in the basement of our old farmhouse is the "best-est" I have ever had. We also have a surburban and an old Kalamazoo (tall and big..1929 model) stove ..these last 2 will use coal also. If you aren't into looks..make your own barrel stove. You won't be disappointed. but if looking to buy..be sure you have an ash pan to pull out to empty the ashes. In our surburbia home before "we saw the light" of the homesteading life we had a Schrader stove which was something like the old fisher stovers. Work well but had to almost let the stove go out to clean out the ashes..That doesn't work well during the very cold northern winters. I remember we use to smoke out the neighborhood during those early years of "finding ourselves" Check your local newspapers. This time of year people are usually selling some used ones. Please be sure you install it correctly. Can't be too, too safe with that. Good Luck and Stay Warm !!


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## kitaye (Sep 19, 2005)

We have the Nepolean wood stove. EPA and CSA approved. It burns 14" lengths easily and uses a slide damper at the bottom to regulate heat. It does have glass in the door but there is a no glass model.

Our house is 2 story, 30 x 22, with the downstairs larger than upstairs due to roof angle. We can get the downstairs up to 25 C and the upstairs to 22C with just one load of wood. The room where the stove in installed does tend to get hotter than the rest of the house but fans and passive vents have helped alot with that.

I've cooked entire meals on the stove even though it has a smallish surface area. I can usually get 2 pots on at a time. The top and front get quite hot but the sides and back are cool enough I can hold my hand to them for a period of time.


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## jesset (Sep 6, 2006)

We have a soapstone stove, with the ceramic catalytic converter and, yes, it does clog up and break and is expensive to replace, but, the even heat that comes off of the stove is a welcome change from the rollercoaster highs and lows of our old cast iron stove. It does heat our 1400sq.ft. home comfortably with a little ceiling fan assist. We've cooked on the stove but it comes at a price, because soapstone is kinda soft, use #000 steelwool "gently" to get the nicks and scratches out of the soapstone, found that one out the hard way.

Judy and Jesse
www.homesteadarticles.com


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Thanks for the input i have looked at a quadrafire before and i went back to look at them today they are up to 78% efficency with a 4x reburn system but i am going to look at each of the models and brands you have sugested. one thing a stove installer told me was that in 1986 there was somthing like 78 manufacturers of wood stoves in the us but by the 90's there were 12 and that it had a lot to do with the epa regulations comming into effect that may of the companies that made good stoves either couldn't get there stoves to perform to regs or they couldn't aford to prove it 

definitly will have a ash pan on wichever stove i choose 
soap stone and enamel are a definite no i have 3 children and they take their toll on everything
and i don't have the room for a barrel stove 

but the platform in your picture gave me a good idea i was wondering what i would do to meet the floor covering requirments.

thanks , Pete


thnaks


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

The nice thing about the Lopi model I have is that the required clearance to combustibles from the rear of the stove is only 4.5 inches when you use double-wall stovepipe.


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## danb98577 (Dec 16, 2005)

Just last week I installed a Quadrafire stove in the cabin. Traded a smallish deck build for it. This thing is wonderful, and VERY thrifty on wood. Cabin is small. approx. 1,000 sq. feet, so it does not take much of a fire!! Certainly plenty of room to cook on, if need be. Glass door, but I can live with that-sure beats the constant fiddling the pellet stove of last year required! I used a floor jack and a hunk of 1' plywood to move it in-I seem to remember it weighs about 360+ pounds. Very satisfied. Good luck!!


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I have been looking more and i realy like the desing of the nepolean 1150p wood gourmet cook stove standing 36 inches tall with a welded desing but a cast iron cook top it doesn't do quit as well for eficency compared to some of the others but i may live with that for it's desing, 

Thanks every one for your imput. Pete


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

Specifications Model 1150P 
Width x Height x Depth 29 3/8" x 36 1/2" x 23 3/16" 
(inches not including pot fenders) 
Firebox Chamber (W.H.D.) (inches) 18" x 12"x 13 1/2" 
Firebox Capacity 1.7 cu. ft. 
Weight with out bricks 280 lb. 
Weight of bricks 110 lb. 
Approximate Area Heated* sq. ft. 600 - 1,500 
Heat Output BTU/h (high burn)*** 55,000 BTU 
Burn Time (low fire)* 7 hours 
Catalytic combustor no 
Mobile home approved no 
R-2000 approved (Canada) yes 
Max. log size 18" 
Outside combustion air yes 
Flue center line to rear 6 3/4" 
Flue center line to side 14 11/16" 










That is a nice looking stove.


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## Terrco (Oct 17, 2006)

US Stove has been around for a bazillion years (right after I was born).
They have a huge selection, and made right here in Chattanooga, TN.
Web Address
http://www.usstove.com/


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## Auric (Jul 18, 2005)

rose2005 said:


> Pete...when are you thinking on buying one?
> Rose


And would you buy one for me too? I'll buy you lunch!


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Due to recent buget issues mainly the need to completely replumb the entire house
to go along with the bathroom remodle and the need for new heads when we droped the 6th valve guide on the dodge van
it will have to find it's way to next years buget.
and by the way thank's for lunch but if you recall i was so broke you had to buy.
and that was 5.25 not 1499.00 Auric. 
but if i win the power ball no problem. 
guess it wold help if i bought a ticket A


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## dennisjp (Mar 3, 2006)

I guy at a garage I used to go to built a two barrel stove but he cut about 25 or 30 holes about 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" in both ends of the top barrel and welded pipes running from front to back into it. 
He then closed the back of it in with sheet metal and put a squirrel cage blower in the back and that think would keep his 5 bay shop toasty.
Even opening and closeing the garage doors ever now and then it didn't take long to heat back up.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

there is a smaller version of that calls a magic heater it goes in the stove pipe about 24 inches above the stove and reclaimes a lot of heat, a few of the guys at work have them.
one guy has his stove in the basment and made an adapter to 6 or 8 inch round ducting and has it run over the the cold air return on his furnace he just put a thermostat on the fan control wires for the furnace.

another has his in the workshop said it doubled the heat he was getting from his stove


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## Ed_Stanton (Dec 28, 2004)

Just lost a long reply, but also check out the Blaze King www.blazeking.com . I've just been using one for 2 weeks, the King model, and have been very happy with it. I've been buring beetle killed (dry) pine & hemlock. I got the King model for the larger surface for cooking and thus far I've cooked from scratch, long grain brown rice (40 mins), chickpeas without pre-soaking (1.5 hrs or so), my slow cook oatmeal every morning, and if I want I can adjust the thermostat to easily boil water, but a kettle for hot water is always sitting on it. I may also try to build an enclosure / box on it for baking.

It's very frugal on wood, long burn times, high heat output but the flue exhaust is only warm (normal to low burn). I can normally put my hand on the non-insulated 1st stage flue, while the stove deck is really hot. The flue is heating up from radiant heat, rather than heat being exhausted and lost up the pipe. Yet, even with a 28 foot, insulated steel chimney, the draw on even warm days has been excellent. It also has a deep wood box, and can easily hold 18" long pieces. 3, 6"x18" rounds or 1/2 splits are lasting 10-14 hrs.. I've tried loading the stove to the max, but it gets too hot for the room that it's in, so I've got to work at moving the air out of that room with more venting, so right now I've been putting in 1/3 or so loads.

But it was expensive for me, at $2950 Canadian plus taxes (legs & ash pan model).


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## swampgirl (Aug 29, 2006)

Sheepherder Stoves used to advertise in CS. Does any body have one of these & how are they?


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

swampgirl said:


> Sheepherder Stoves used to advertise in CS. Does any body have one of these & how are they?


A 'Sheepherder stove' do you mean a two-barrel stove?

I have one.

They are roughly rated at about 200,000 btu.


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## fernando (Jan 11, 2005)

There seems to be a great deal of knowledge on this thread based on personal experience. I would appreciate a little advice.

I need to heat a small cabin. I need a SMALL wood-burner. It will be mounted against one interior wall.

I prefer a model designed to use external combustion air. Second choice is a model that could be easily modified to use external air.

Any ideas? Thanks !


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

First of all, you cannot put any woodburning stove against the wall. There is always a clearance distance or setback. The setback for our Lopi Endeavor is 4.5 inches to the backwall. I believe that you buy zero-clearance pellet stoves and corn stoves....but I've never heard of zero-clearance woodstove. My recommendation for a small woodstove is a Lopi Patriot. Find info on this stove at: http://lopistoves.com/product.asp?dept_id=4&sku=30 Just remember that it's the size of the fire that heats the cabin, the size of the woodstove has little to do with it.


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## fernando (Jan 11, 2005)

Thanks, cabin. When I said "against the wall", what I really meant is that the unit would NOT be installed in the center of a room. Clearance issues in this installation have already been considered and handled.

What I NEED is to identify a unit designed to accept a duct providing combustion air from outside the cabin.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Fernando, the Lopi Patriot can be plumbed to use outside air, see below:


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## fernando (Jan 11, 2005)

Thanks, cabin


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## Judith (Jan 10, 2003)

If you can find a good used Fischer stove there really is nothing better! We had a grandpa bear in our 3000 foot two story home. Lived in the Kootneys so you bet it got cold. We were snuggly and warm all winter long. The only problem we had with it was that the cat jumped on it ....twice!


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## Ed_Stanton (Dec 28, 2004)

I'd also encourage us all to keep in mind the highly polluting aspects of older and inferior burning woodstoves. While it's nice to save money by using wood if readily availible as a fuel source, this valley where I live also can have extremely dirty air quality as most people use woodstoves for heating and most people use very dirty and old woodstoves. Unfortunately, clean burning stoves are not always inexpensive initially, but we also can't just keep burning and creating smoke and carbon and polluting our own air and that of our neighbours without consequences. Pay now (clean burning stove) or pay later (health consequences and global warming). We all should have clean air to breath.


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

Ed_Stanton said:


> I'd also encourage us all to keep in mind the highly polluting aspects of older and inferior burning woodstoves. While it's nice to save money by using wood if readily availible as a fuel source, this valley where I live also can have extremely dirty air quality as most people use woodstoves for heating and most people use very dirty and old woodstoves. Unfortunately, clean burning stoves are not always inexpensive initially, but we also can't just keep burning and creating smoke and carbon and polluting our own air and that of our neighbours without consequences. Pay now (clean burning stove) or pay later (health consequences and global warming). We all should have clean air to breath.


Which seems to be a huge problem with many outdoor wood furnaces.


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## blue gecko (Jun 14, 2006)

We have a Lopi Liberty and have no problem heating about 2300 square feet. It has the cook plates on top and quite often there is a pot-o-something simmering away in the winter. The only thing I would change is that I often wish it had an eye for quick cooking. Though once its up and going the hotplates are quite satisfactory.


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## Alex (Mar 20, 2003)

We got the highest efficiency wood stove we could. You will burn less wood and it will last longer.

We have 1060 ft2 total. Our outdoor temperatures can be forty-below for two or three weeks, and winter is 7 months. 

Our Blaze King is an 82.5% catalytic wood stove, with dual air distribution fans (which we rarely use â mainly for start up.) Our room temperature is thermostatically controlled [a bimetallic adjustable knob controls the inlet air for up to 47 hours (on warmer days/nights) of continuous burn time using one wood load.]

I like the big diameter wood it can take -- less splitting -- it burns great (of course splitting helps drying and will burn even hotter.)

Speaking of start up, literally start up is once a year. Depending on wood quality, clean the ash into the ash drawer only every two or three months.









We protected our floor from sparks with 16 x 16 cermanic tile. We have clearance reduction panels sides and back, only 6" to corner.

We bought it three years ago -- well worth the cost.

Enjoy your wood stove,

Alex


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