Wood stoves (warm, upstairs, replace, ducts)

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

Quadrafire are quite good.

I would suggest you get a good non-catalytic (you have to hunt for the catalyst-equipped ones any more) with an ash dump pan.

We have an old Waterford Erin, wonderful stove but they are not made in Ireland anymore and not imported to the US anyway.

Probably you can find a good dealer with models on display, see what is going to work for you.

The smallest stove that will make the heat you want will be the most efficient.

If you like burning wood, you will probably make it your primary heat source like we did.

Good luck.

Thanks Mitch We've been to look at a few places - it's discouraging how expensive all the ones I like seem to be! ($2500???? )

We definitely want one with the ash dump pan too!

[M3 Mitch]

If you shop around you may find a good used stove. $2500 sounds sort of high to me, but last time I went woodstove shopping in earnest was 1992.

FWIW, a good stove is a lifetime investment. The high-efficiency stoves will save you a lot of wood over the next 20 or 30 years.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

If you shop around you may find a good used stove. $2500 sounds sort of high to me, but last time I went woodstove shopping in earnest was 1992.

FWIW, a good stove is a lifetime investment. The high-efficiency stoves will save you a lot of wood over the next 20 or 30 years.

I'm also thinking if we order directly from a company, rather than going to a dealer, that we'll get a better price

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

I'm also thinking if we order directly from a company, rather than going to a dealer, that we'll get a better price

Unlikely from the larger manufacturers unless you live somewhere they don't have a dealer. Harman for example doesn't even give a phone number.

FYI there's a $1500 tax credit on some stoves, look for it. Think that expires in last day of 2010.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

Unlikely from the larger manufacturers unless you live somewhere they don't have a dealer. Harman for example doesn't even give a phone number.

FYI there's a $1500 tax credit on some stoves, look for it. Think that expires in last day of 2010.

Thanks - I thought the tax credit was only $600?

[campmom123]

Stoves def. can be expensive, although $2500 does seem a little high (gas stoves are close to that, but I don't know about wood). The pipe and installation is pretty pricey too, don't forget about those! But Im sure if you shop around you can find something that meets all your needs for a good price. good luck!

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by lovesMountains

Thanks - I thought the tax credit was only $600?

Haven't really looked into, might be based on the stoves cost. I know there is one coal boiler that qualifies for it since it can burn pellets and corn. That unit cost $9K and the credit is the max of $1500.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by campmom123

Stoves def. can be expensive, although $2500 does seem a little high

Prices are going to be all over the place, that's proabaly about average. BTU's, quality and many other things are all going to factor into the cost. You can go buy some cheap crap but ten years down the road you'll be tossing it. If you buy a good product like a Harman it's a lifetime purchase with some minor replacements along the way.

You get what you pay for, for example there is company in the coal stove market that makes a sub $1K product. Comparable (in BTU's) high quality stove is probably $2500. The people that own the sub $1K have to modify them and those would be the lucky one that come across that information on my site. They simply don't perform very well out of the box. They also have poor construction in many aspects and lots of broken parts along the way.

Pay a lot now or pay more later.

If you're looking for information on wood go here: http://hearth.com/

[campmom123]

Yeah, I guess I haven't stove-shopped real recently. It is true you get what you pay for. A cheaper one will heat, but you'll probably be frustrated with lack of features, poor ease of use, etc. I know that's how we felt about our cheapie one. It worked well, but only after we sometimes had to fight with it and swear a bit

[harry chickpea]

Check with your insurance company before spending a dime. They may have requirements, possibly not even allow wood burning stoves, or want to increase your premiums.

I second the idea of looking around at second hand. I just picked up a 1980s Federal Airtight that can burn wood or coal, has a catalyst, and can do either open fire or stove, for $200. A new owner had found that this stove was in the way in a shop and wanted it gone. That puppy is cast iron and took two strong men to get it on a hand truck and into my cargo trailer. AFAICT, it is in perfect condition.

If you buy new, I have heard nothing but good reports about the quadrafire. If I had the spare change, I'd be looking at one of those.