# Anyone ever use a Fisher wood stove?



## KindredSpirit (Feb 16, 2006)

We have a contract on a house and it has a Fisher stove. Googling, it appears it has to be from the 1980's? Looks to be in good condition, but I am not familiar with this stove. Do they normally have brick? Has anyone used one and how much wood do they eat? I am not sure which model this is. I appreciate any info!!  Here is a pic:


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Here's a photo of my old Fisher Stove.









Mine was a freestanding airtight whereas yours is a fireplace insert.

Fisher Stoves were built like a tank. They were not as efficient as current stoves that have secondary combustion or a catalyst; consequently, they will provide less heat per unit of wood burned. They did have an internal baffle (a steel plate) which turned the volatile gases back into the fire before exiting up the chimney which helped a little.

Fisherstoves should have firebrick around the sides and on the bottom.

If you PM me your address, I will send you a copy of the owners manual for the freestanding Fisher stove models.


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

I have a fisher stove, love that thing, heats 2400 square feet of house on an open floor plan. I live in GA. though so you may use more wood than I do, I use about 2-3 cords per year and that includes what I use for my Sears Woodburning cookstove in the winter.

They may not be as air tight, but mine has lasted for six years and was purchased used and still looks great. Yes, they do have firebrick in them (at least mine does).


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## KindredSpirit (Feb 16, 2006)

Cabin Fever, I PM'd you, thank you for the offer!

sidepasser, is your's about the size of the one in my picture? The house we have the contract on is about 1200 sq ft.

Thanks for the responses!


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## ldc (Oct 11, 2006)

We had one in the '70's; it worked great for a large Victorian house, and yes, it had firebrick. ldc


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## LindyLu (Oct 17, 2005)

Hi, I had 2 free standing Fishers back in the 1970s plus one insert. I loved them. They came in 3 sizes, Papa Bear, Momma Bear and Baby Bear and the insert was just an insert (as far as I know). I had a 4 story early 1900s home and we heated the entire place with a Baby Bear and the insert. I had the Papa Bear out in my store which was 36X72 with 15' ceilings. This was during the blizzards of 1976-77 & 77-78 in Indiana. I loved those stoves. My son still has a Momma Bear. Yes, they need firebrick. Really great stoves. I now have a Buck which is nice too. Hope that helps a bit. I would think you could have the firebrick replaced. They are also great to cook on.
LindaLu NE TN


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## canfossi (Sep 18, 2005)

We had a Fisher at my old house, it has firebrick and could it ever heat. Is was airtight, but was from the early 1980's I think. Chris


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## KindredSpirit (Feb 16, 2006)

LindyLu said:


> Hi, I had 2 free standing Fishers back in the 1970s plus one insert. I loved them. They came in 3 sizes, Papa Bear, Momma Bear and Baby Bear and the insert was just an insert (as far as I know). I had a 4 story early 1900s home and we heated the entire place with a Baby Bear and the insert. I had the Papa Bear out in my store which was 36X72 with 15' ceilings. This was during the blizzards of 1976-77 & 77-78 in Indiana. I loved those stoves. My son still has a Momma Bear. Yes, they need firebrick. Really great stoves. I now have a Buck which is nice too. Hope that helps a bit. I would think you could have the firebrick replaced. They are also great to cook on.
> LindaLu NE TN


Thanks for the info! I saw the top and wondered if I could cook on it. I used to cook some on the Jotul we had.


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## Freeholder (Jun 19, 2004)

My grandparents had a Fisher (Mama Bear, I think) in their old house, and it was a really good stove. We left it in the old house when we moved over here only because Oregon law won't allow those old stoves to be installed in a new house -- it was grandfathered in in the old house. And yes, it was good to cook on. I didn't know they made an insert, too, had only seen the 'Bear' series.

Kathleen


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## de Molay (Sep 23, 2006)

I had one back in the 60's It was the cheap tin model, it was an airtight. And I sure did like that stove. Only the legs, door, were made of cast iron. I think they went out of business. That thing once you got it going would burn all night.


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## almostthere (Nov 9, 2003)

We have a Grandmother Bear. We removed it but when we used it, it would heat us out of the house. We only had to load it a couple times a day but we don't get bitter cold here.


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## neolady (Dec 30, 2005)

Had a Grandpa Bear years ago - 1970s and they were a great woodstove - would burn overnight, and heat you right out of the house. However I don't know of a single insurance company that will cover you if you have one as they were usually uncertified. I believe Fisher went out of business in the late 1980s, early 1990s - I think they had certified units the last couple of years they were in business, but most stoves were never certified.


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## fellini123 (Feb 2, 2003)

Actually we have had two, one at our current house in Virginia, we replaced it with a pellet stove and then with an actual fireplace, and one jsut like that one in our house in northern CA. Both worked like champs, heavy through if you want to move it!!!!!

Alice


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

Mine is the larger stove, once I get it cooking, it heats all night with only one "stoking" in the early am. I can cook on the top of mine as well. Speaking of that, I need to clean my pipes and make sure everything is ready for winter!

If you REALLY want a heavy stove, get one of those soapstone stoves - lol..my mom had one and it weighed about 800 lbs. Took four strong men to move it out of the house when she sold it. Talk about regrets, she told me the other day she wished she had never sold that stove as it would run you out of the house with just a little fire.

That will be my next type of woodstove when the Fisher goes..too bad Fisher is out of business, it is really a well made stove.


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## OzarkHmsteaders (Jul 9, 2006)

I don't know about the other stoves but,
I know I wouldn't trade my soapstone woodstove for no amount of money.
good luck with your stove and your contract on a new home.


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## KindredSpirit (Feb 16, 2006)

Thanks everyone! I feel much better about that old stove now!


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## beowoulf90 (Jan 13, 2004)

Mine also is a free-standing stove and yes they have fire brick in them... It worked great till I no longer could cut wood.. I switched to a coal stove, but still have my Fisher to use at a later time..


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## whistler (Apr 20, 2005)

I have that exact insert in my downstairs fireplace. It does crank out the heat but uses a lot of wood due to the lack of modern efficiency features. For that reason it is not in the fireplace upstairs, our primary living area. We only use the downstairs area occaisionally and for that it works very well. 

I think you could drop it from the back of a truck and the road would come out on the short end of the stick. It is very heavy and constructed well. 

Whistler


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## WindowOrMirror (Jan 10, 2005)

many people that I know wish they could find another one.


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## KindredSpirit (Feb 16, 2006)

Cabin Fever, I tried to PM you but your box was full! We received the manual. I noticed it also has how to line the bricks. It will come in very handy! Thank you!!


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

We have a Fisher in our basement and after we get it warmed up, it can heat the whole house but for one room way off in a corner. Do get the manual, CabinFever mailed us one too (thank you again) and it was helpful.


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## littlebritches (Sep 17, 2008)

:help:Hi I am new to this forum. We bought a Fisher wood stove and we are trying to find out the combustion clearances on this stove. I have read every thing here and I saw your offer of ...If you PM me your address, I will send you a copy of the owners manual for the freestanding Fisher stove models.I was wondering if you would be willing to send me a copy as well, I would sure appreciate it. I do not know what PM me your address means though.


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

one thing you should check with an insert, or a freestanding unit i suppose, is the baffle plate CF mentioned. for some odd reason i cannot understand, these plates were most often welded to the sides of the stove. when the baffle plate warps, and most do eventually, they can actually tear a hole in the steel plate of the sides of the stove due to the weld. that can allow sparks and exhaust fumes to enter the home via the air circulation chamber. i feel a better design would have been to place a cast iron plate on tabs that were welded to the sides as opposed to actually welding a steel plate to the sides. doing so would have allowed the plate to expand and contract without bowing and tearing the plate steel sides of the stove.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

littlebritches said:


> :help:Hi I am new to this forum. We bought a Fisher wood stove and we are trying to find out the combustion clearances on this stove. I have read every thing here and I saw your offer of ...If you PM me your address, I will send you a copy of the owners manual for the freestanding Fisher stove models.I was wondering if you would be willing to send me a copy as well, I would sure appreciate it. I do not know what PM me your address means though.


littlebritches, I will send you a PM and you can reply by sending me your address. I will gladly send you a copy of the manual. So, look at the top of this page near the upper right corner and you'll see the words "Private Messages." Click on that link to read and send private messages (PMs).

Meloc, the baffle in my old Fisher warped (eg, stretched and drooped) put did not have any effect on the exterior walls. The stove has burned many dozens or firewood cords over the years and is still in use 28 years later.


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## Gailann Schrader (May 10, 2002)

Yep, mine is almost identical.  I put it in my house 14+ years ago and haven't used the furnace since (well, the furnace quit anyway).

Only had two chimney fires (because I was stupid and didn't clean the chimney properly and was burning green wood)... But even with that intense fire? Never have had a problem with warpage. My stove doesn't have the internal baffle either. It DOES have firebrick and I would recommend it. It will extend the life of your stove... 

I've had my Fisher glowing several times (more [email protected]$$ attacks) but it never warped.

Cooked lots and lots of stews, soups, bacon&eggs, burgers, steaks, etc. on that stove. My son looks forward to cold weather and those meals. MUCH better than any other way to cook.

If you use the front vents & the chimney vent too (hooked to a chain on my stove's right side)? You can really dial up or down the heat... I heat ~1400 sq ft of concrete block slab house very nicely. Concrete block gets cold and STAYS cold... especially here in unpredictable Indiana weather...

Congrats on your stove score!


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## Gailann Schrader (May 10, 2002)

additionally, the stove will heat all those rocks and you will get that nifty "wall of warm" ambient heat flow that the Swedes and Norwegians are famous for using...


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## Sharon (May 11, 2002)

We have a free-standing Fisher wood stove in our Living Room. It is lined with firebrick. It holds a fire pretty well overnight too. We use it to heat the front part of our house & one upstairs room on really cold days/nights. We've had it for over 20 years with no problems. We have a Pioneer Maid wood cook stove in our kitchen that we use for our main heating requirements. Our house is two separate log cabins that have been joined together and added on, so it sprawls about and the log walls in between some rooms make it necessary for the additional wood stove on really windy cold days/nights.


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## neolady (Dec 30, 2005)

MELOC said:


> one thing you should check with an insert, or a freestanding unit i suppose, is the baffle plate CF mentioned. for some odd reason i cannot understand, these plates were most often welded to the sides of the stove. when the baffle plate warps, and most do eventually, they can actually tear a hole in the steel plate of the sides of the stove due to the weld. that can allow sparks and exhaust fumes to enter the home via the air circulation chamber. i feel a better design would have been to place a cast iron plate on tabs that were welded to the sides as opposed to actually welding a steel plate to the sides. doing so would have allowed the plate to expand and contract without bowing and tearing the plate steel sides of the stove.


Drolet actually markets a stove today that is very similar to the Fisher - several models in fact - and they use baffling system designs similar to what you describe (one unit actually has a replaceable, large flat "firebrick slab" that slides into the tabs, others are different). They are not EPA rated, but they ARE WH certified and operate as well as the Fisher stoves did. They are a good stove for the money - one of the more reasonable units on the market today. 

In fact in Canada, Sears still handle them, as do Home Hardware and a load of other hardware stores. Prices vary up to 40% between retailers on the same model.


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

We just had a Chimney expert out here to help fix one chimney flue problem and he found cracked fire bricks in our old Mamma Bear Fisher but he said Fishers are great stoves and ours is in good shape even after over 22 years of use. He is going to help us replace the fire brick in the sides and we will be back to using it again.


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## mldrenen (Nov 29, 2007)

i've never used that particular stove, but the split-door design will mean air leaks and decreased efficiency. after replacing any cracked/crumbled firebricks, i would recommend replacing the entire length of door gasket. those two steps should increase your stove's ability to hold heat and burn properly.


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## RonM (Jan 6, 2008)

I never had a Fisher, but I had an OLD MILL which had the same features as Fisher, sold it a few years back wish I still had it. Would like to buy a used Fisher or Old Mill for my shop....


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## KindredSpirit (Feb 16, 2006)

Thanks everyone for all of the great responses. Thanks especially to Cabin Fever for the manual!!


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## littlebritches (Sep 17, 2008)

Well I had my daughter take a few before pictures of our stove. It was quite rusty so I slathered it in naval jelly several times, we decided to move it out of the shop so we could rinse the naval jelly off easier. Then we moved it back into the shop and I used stove paint on it. Does any one know the difference between stove paint and stove black? I was just finishing up when my husband drove in so we surprised him. It does not even look like the same stove.

I remember my Mom bringing home an old Monarch wood cook stove she got for $25 dollars at an auction. It was all in pieces and she put naval jelly all over it and cleaned it all up and some of my best memories were around that stove. 

Now we are trying to figure out the safest and best place to put the stove and if it will pass inspection so our house will still be insured. Any one else have any experience with this. I understand if they are "Grandfathered in" they have been there forever it is no problem, but what about cleaning it up and putting it in. We are going to replace the cracked and missing bricks and the gasket around the door as some of you mentioned. We have an old Sears kit house with a front porch. We may enclose the porch and put it out there. There is a main door in the middle and two windows on either side that we could open up to let the heat in. Any experience with this?


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## juniorace2002 (Nov 26, 2008)

Cabin Fever said:


> Here's a photo of my old Fisher Stove.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I could use a Fisher manual if you could be so kind as to send one.

Thanks,

Jerry


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## Jerry in MN (Dec 2, 2007)

Nope, but I do have a freestanding Fisher wood stove that I bought used but have never used myself. It's spoken for, to be traded for ~$160 worth of firewood.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

juniorace2002 said:


> I could use a Fisher manual if you could be so kind as to send one.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Jerry


PM me your address


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## paty (Jan 14, 2009)

Is there anyone out there that would be able to send me a user's manual of the Fisher Wood Stoves,please. I just purchased a used Fisher wood stove and it has no manual with it. 
Also, would I be able to use this a a chimney, I wonder? My husband wanted to build a fireplace at home and now we have this fisher wood stove we'd like to see if we can build a chimney around it. It looks exactly like KindredSpirits. This thing is huge.

thank you!


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## simplefarmgirl (Mar 31, 2006)

we heat our whole house with a Fisher. ours only has one door and takes a 30 inch piece of wood easily. we do most of our cooking also right on top and ours has fire bricks also. Love it wouldnt change it for anything.. Little stove paint and new gasket around the door and we're good to go


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## hobbyfarmer (Oct 10, 2007)

We have the same insert. We were told it was a Papa Bear or Mama Bear but when we got the manual from CF, we were sure we had a different critter. 

We're heating a solid block (seriously un-insulated) 1600 sq ft house and I don't know how we would have made it this far into winter without our Fisher. We've got an electric central H/A unit and we're currently operating it on "fan" only to help circulate the heat but our set-up is a little different than most. We have what used to be the garage or carport converted to a room just for the woodstove. There is a wall between the stove and the rest of the house with the heat being forced through a small fan sized window in the wall. So, we're basically heating that huge block room first and then forcing the warm air down the hall in the middle of the house. I don't think we would have been happy with a newer, smaller stove for our purposes. We use our insert as a free-standing stove. 

With no insulation and ancient windows, we would have frozen by now relying on electric heat. The Fisher is a hungry thing and we burn a LOT of wood compared to neighbors with the outdoor wood burner, but we're warm and toasty and the electric bill is about 1/3 of last year's at this time.


Kristen


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## ibcnya (Feb 16, 2004)

paty said:


> Is there anyone out there that would be able to send me a user's manual of the Fisher Wood Stoves,please. I just purchased a used Fisher wood stove and it has no manual with it.
> Also, would I be able to use this a a chimney, I wonder? My husband wanted to build a fireplace at home and now we have this fisher wood stove we'd like to see if we can build a chimney around it. It looks exactly like KindredSpirits. This thing is huge.
> 
> thank you!


http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/File:fischermanual.pdf/


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

ibcnya said:


> http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/File:fischermanual.pdf/


Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

Way back during the Lucenet days I wrote a post saying that I would send another forum a copy of a Fisher Manual. Since then I've received dozens of requests for the manual and have faithfully sent them out for free. With this website address I'll NEVER have to mail another paper copy of the manual!

Thanks again!


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## ibcnya (Feb 16, 2004)

Cabin Fever said:


> Thank you, thank you, thank you!
> 
> Way back during the Lucenet days I wrote a post saying that I would send another forum a copy of a Fisher Manual. Since then I've received dozens of requests for the manual and have faithfully sent them out for free. With this website address I'll NEVER have to mail another paper copy of the manual!
> 
> Thanks again!


Haha! I own a Fisher woodstove but it's sitting in the barn. (my backup) Tookme days to find that link. I even copied it but can't find it in my computer. So had to go back to the original site. Compliments to www.hearth.com


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## Gailann Schrader (May 10, 2002)

What a GREAT site! (Hearth.com) 

My son and I started building holzhauzens after I read about it through another site and insisted I wanted to try it. I love them. MUCH better for me than a row. AND it looks cool too. We build small ones since I'm smaller and we don't have much wood put by... So far, there isn't anything I DON'T like about holzhauzens... I suppose the mice will like them better than a traditional row rick/cord, but *shrug* it gives the dogs something to do...

I've bookmarked the site AND printed off the Fisher manual. Thanks!


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## slolopr35 (Jan 15, 2009)

Hey Cabin Fever! I just installed that very Fischer stove you have a picture of. I don't have any info on it though and there is no underwriting laboratory sticker on it. Do you still have your manual on it? Thanks


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## beowoulf90 (Jan 13, 2004)

ibcnya said:


> http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/File:fischermanual.pdf/


Great link, Thank you..

Although I don't need the manual for our Fisher stove, we used it and maintained it for years before switching to a coal stove. Now it sits in storage till we need it again, which may be sooner then we think or hope..
But as times get rough, it's always nice knowing you can still heat the home without a lot of costs..


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## Captdrydock (Jun 1, 2009)

Still heating with my Grandma Bear Fisher stove.. 1976 model,before baffle and gasket around door...Cast iron door has pine trees and a star with 76 in it...
Still using the same fire brick that first came with the stove... Works great..
Haven't had to do a thing to it in 32 years,just clean half the ashes out in the morning...
I was looking at new stoves this spring.. Then I started reading about removing baffles,gaskets around the baffles falling out, and secondary gas tubes warping.. Think I'm just going to stick with the Fisher after all.. 

Up State NY, Honeoye Falls..

Welcome any suggestions on new stoves that may be as reliable as my old Fisher is,but friendlier on wood consumption.. Thanks, Capt..


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Captdrydock said:


> ....Welcome any suggestions on new stoves that may be as reliable as my old Fisher is,but friendlier on wood consumption.. Thanks, Capt..


As you can see from my post up above, I was a proud owner of a Fisher stove in another place where I once lived. The closest stove that I found that is American-made and built as well as the old Fishers is the Lopi Stove brand. I know have the Lopi Endeavor.


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## davida5624 (Dec 5, 2011)

Thanks

We are renting a big house and there is a small Fisher Stove in the den that has 3 pine trees on the door. It is about 14" wide and 22" long so when you look inside it looks like it would not burn enough wood to heat anything, but I may be wrong :grin:

Does anyone use starter logs in their stove? The instructions on the started logs say not to use them in a stove :yuck:

thanks again

david a


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## pheasantplucker (Feb 20, 2007)

Had one years ago, and sold it to a friend who really liked it. I still kick myself for not keeping it. Good stoves.


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## meanwhile (Dec 13, 2007)

We do not use starter logs or the small pieces in either of our wood stoves. We just use sticks or "fat lighter" for starters. All summer we just pick up sticks and break them and stuff 'em in bundles. The bundles are stored in a wood shed next to the regular wood sheds. Then we just bring in a few bundles and use them as starters.

We still use our Fisher and still like it. We have a Mamma Bear and it is harder to get it hot than our smaller Vermont Castings Stove but once we get the Fisher fired up and hot, then it lasts a long time.


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

KindredSpirit said:


> Thanks everyone! I feel much better about that old stove now!



Not to make you uncomfortable, but replace it as soon as possible with a new, high efficiency with the re-burn tube system ( NOT the catalytic converter type).

Two reasons: You'll burn a LOT less wood for the same amount of heat. Those stoves were about 40-50% efficient, and the new ones are in the mid 80% range.

And more important, you won't produce NEAR the amount of creosote the old stoves did.....they were creosote making machines, because often they were oversized for the room/house, and folks kept the air intake cranked way low, and that is the primary cause of creosote ( along with the moisture content of the wood).

I put in a new, high efficiency stove couple years back, and over the course of the entire winter, the amount of creosote won't fill 1/2 a #10 can.....whereas the old stove would fill a 5 gallon bucket.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

davida5624 said:


> Thanks
> 
> We are renting a big house and there is a small Fisher Stove in the den that has 3 pine trees on the door. It is about 14" wide and 22" long so when you look inside it looks like it would not burn enough wood to heat anything, but I may be wrong :grin:
> 
> ...


We use the commerical starter pucks made of wax and sawdust in our wood stove. Also used them to start fires in our old Fisher stove. There are no such warnings on this type of starter. Many here make there own starters out of the exact same or very similar ingredients.

I believe you have a Fisher "Baby Bear" stove as shown below


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## snake35 (Jan 24, 2011)

I love mine!


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## Guest (Dec 6, 2011)

Littlebritches,
You can greatly reduce the clearance to flamable walls if you hang a piece of cement board an inch and a half off the wall. I used 2x2s on the outside edges and the old fence post ceramic insulators where it gets hot to space the cement board off the wood wall. I also propped up a couple of scraps against the wall right behind the firebox. The cement board behind the scraps is warm to the touch even though the stove is cooking pretty good. It is -12 as I take these pictures. 




















Cabin Fever,
Who is the chick in the picture?


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Nimrod said:


> ...Cabin Fever,
> Who is the chick in the picture?


That "chick" happens to be my daughter at age 14 (circa ~1993).

She could strangle me because whenever someone reviews the images when they google "Fisher stoves," her photos pop up!

Here she is at age 2 (1981)..


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## davida5624 (Dec 5, 2011)

Cabin Fever said:


> We use the commerical starter pucks made of wax and sawdust in our wood stove. Also used them to start fires in our old Fisher stove. There are no such warnings on this type of starter. Many here make there own starters out of the exact same or very similar ingredients.
> 
> I believe you have a Fisher "Baby Bear" stove as shown below


YES, we have a Baby Bear - Thank you

It seems so small whan you open the door and look inside. Our den is about 18'x20'.
We will be using wood - will this little stove heat a room this big? I have a feeling yall are going to tell me it will get so hot it will run me out of the room
:hysterical:

thanks again

david a


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## Qhorseman (Jul 9, 2010)

A friend has the exact same Fisher insert you have in his cabin, great stove! They bring premium prices on the second hand market. His heats a 28X40 cathedral cieling cabin with no effort. Has a good sized firebox and holds a fire all night long.


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## davida5624 (Dec 5, 2011)

Thanks

Sounds like a Baby Bear will do fine

david a


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## Gunga (Dec 17, 2005)

I have a Fisher PaPa Bear free standing wood stove and really like it. I enjoy sitting by a fire in the winter and the Fisher stove throws plenty of heat to warm a north Georgia evening. I like to look at the fire while I read or relax so I keep the doors open when I am right nearby.


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