kokotg Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I think I want to get one this winter. What do I need to know? What should I look for or watch out for? How much should I expect to spend? Should I look at used ones, or is that a bad idea for whatever reason? I really like the looks of this one: http://www.harmanstoves.com/features.asp?id=2 because, well, I just like the way it looks, but also because it has stuff like an optional grill and rotisserie, and I like the idea of being able to do some cooking on it (I will admit that paranoia about global economic collapse and all that is fueling (ha! get it--fueling?) part of my desire for a stove). Are there a lot of stoves that come with options like that, or is this one unique? Also, how does the whole thing work? If I'm using this as the main heat source for the house (which I'm thinking I'll be able to do on all except the coldest days, being in Georgia and all), do I put the fire out every time I leave the house? Or just not have one unless I'm going to be around all day? I'm kind of clueless. TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Wow! That's quite a stove, eh? We used to own a Wood-Burning Stove but when we moved we opted to go with a Pellet Stove. They both have their pros and cons. For what you are wanting it for, I would definitely go wood. Our Pellet Stove is a Harmon and we LOVE it. It works beautifully year after year and this says alot because pellet stoves have more to go wrong in them than wood. Go Harmon. This is a beautiful looking stove that's for sure...looks a lot like our Pellet Stove. Not only does it heat our 2400 sq ft. house, but looks lovely while doing so. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I think I want to get one this winter. What do I need to know? What should I look for or watch out for? How much should I expect to spend? Should I look at used ones, or is that a bad idea for whatever reason? I really like the looks of this one: http://www.harmanstoves.com/features.asp?id=2 because, well, I just like the way it looks, but also because it has stuff like an optional grill and rotisserie, and I like the idea of being able to do some cooking on it (I will admit that paranoia about global economic collapse and all that is fueling (ha! get it--fueling?) part of my desire for a stove). Are there a lot of stoves that come with options like that, or is this one unique? Also, how does the whole thing work? If I'm using this as the main heat source for the house (which I'm thinking I'll be able to do on all except the coldest days, being in Georgia and all), do I put the fire out every time I leave the house? Or just not have one unless I'm going to be around all day? I'm kind of clueless. TIA! We want to get something too but we can't decide . . . my folks have a pellet stove. I like it but if electricity goes off, it goes off. Wood stove - buying wood would be the main concern as we don't have a "back 45" to cut down trees. And how much wood would it take to heat our home?! We also talking about solar options. Cleaner. More efficient. One time cost rather than yearly. But it's not on the priority list--so it keeps getting pushed back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Hen Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 We had a wood stove to heat our home for most of the 16yrs we lived in New England. I would cook soups and baked potatoes on the top all the time. Last year we took out a non-working gas stove and went with a fireplace insert wood stove. It is by KozyHeat and we really enjoyed it last year. We are DIY'ers but this is one project DH wouldn't do. His reason was that he wanted the 'permit' and inspection so that if anything ever happened the insurance company wouldn't have an 'out'. We used it last year to heat our home (heated about 2800 of our 4100sq ft, we closed off the bedrooms) the entire heating season. Since in Delaware temps rarely are below freezing for very long we had it running only during the daytime hours. This meant that when we rose in the morning the fire was dead, the house chilly (about 48 - 50 degrees) and I had to start the fire. Typically, if we banked the fire the night before, there were still coals and all I had to do was lay on some kindling, a large log or two, come back in 30 minutes and the fire was rip-roaring strong. We would keep it going all morning, afternoon, and early part of the evening. The house would get up into the 70's and it was a warm-warmth. If I knew I was going someplace in the afternoon I just didn't put logs on the fire before I left and had it so it was rather shut-down. Ours has really great air controls so decreasing the air flow really shut the fire down. The fire wouldn't be out when I left but it was rip-roaring either. When we lived in New England we kept the fire going all night long cause it was really, really cold up there and we needed some heat during the night too. Here it isn't the critical so we save some fuel by not using it while we sleep. Besides, we love to be under a down blanket and if the bedrooms were heated we wouldn't have that need. Oh, DH has a wood stove in his wood-working shop and I use that one to cook potatoes. Nothing like a wood-stove baked potato! Ummm, the thought of it is making me hungry. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Hen Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Wood stove - buying wood would be the main concern as we don't have a "back 45" to cut down trees. And how much wood would it take to heat our home?! We purchase our wood, cut and delivered, $175/cord. Of course that was last year so it will be interesting to see what it is this year. How much you use will be dependent upon how many heating degree days you have, size of your home, insulation, and whether you use it for your main heat or to supplement. For us in DE, where the average winter temp is 45 degrees we went through 4 cords last year (less than one cord/month); heating 2800 sqft; daytime only. Prior to the stove our home was COLD since we kept the temperature setting at 64 during the daytime, and even that cost us over $450/month. So you can see we saved quite a bit of money and had a very comfortable warm home last year. Also our stove has a secondary combustion chamber; has an EPA Certification for its cleanliness to the environment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 We purchase our wood, cut and delivered, $175/cord. Of course that was last year so it will be interesting to see what it is this year. How much you use will be dependent upon how many heating degree days you have, size of your home, insulation, and whether you use it for your main heat or to supplement. For us in DE, where the average winter temp is 45 degrees we went through 4 cords last year (less than one cord/month); heating 2800 sqft; daytime only. Prior to the stove our home was COLD since we kept the temperature setting at 64 during the daytime, and even that cost us over $450/month. So you can see we saved quite a bit of money and had a very comfortable warm home last year. Also our stove has a secondary combustion chamber; has an EPA Certification for its cleanliness to the environment. 3000 sq. ft home -- and we're already used to keeping bedroom doors shut (to keep the littles out). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 For safety issues, we were going to get a Tulikivi, more efficient and no carbon monoxide or creosote issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Every stove has an efficiency rating. The more efficient, the less wood you need to heat the same space. High efficiency stoves are more expensive, but are cheaper to run in the long term. Of course, that is if you are using it daily as your sole source of heat. The newer stoves put less particles into the air of your home; important for those with lung conditions or asthma. There are tons of forums about wood heat that I researched last year. I don't remember any of them off hand, but I found them through googling "wood stove review" or "wood stove comparison". We ended up with a Fire King, but that is a pretty pricey stove that can only be justified in certain situations. We LOVE it, but it is not for everyone! Our stove is so efficient that a burning log emits the same carbon as it would if it had fallen naturally to the forest floor and rotted there. Since we are in a valley, the outdoor air quality was important to us. We are also concerned about indoor air quality. Dh is interested in how much wood he has to split :). All in all, the Fire King was the best option for our needs. It will outlast me! (Important as we have been through 2 stoves in 10 years). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara R Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Last spring we got a wood burning fireplace insert with a cooktop. How do you bake potatoes? Can you just put it on the cooktop, or do you place the potatoes in the firebox? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in FL Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I would recommend calling around first to see how much wood is available. In my moms rural area in Central NY wood is getting hard to get, therefore expensive. My brother cuts and sells wood and he drys it for two years before selling it. He's out for this year and by the sounds of it so are the other people who sell it. Make sure you can still get good seasoned wood in your area before you invest in a wood stove. My mom only heats with her wood stove, but it's really old so I have no advice about new ones. I would just check the wood supplies and make sure you won't end up with fresh cut wood before you buy. HTH Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 Thanks for all the input, everyone! (and keep it coming, please!) I should mention that we live on a very heavily wooded acre, so I think we can harvest a lot of our own wood. There's a big tree down in my backyard right now that's just waiting for someone to get around to cutting it up (and a stove might be just the motivation we need). My perusal of Craigslist indicates that there's plenty of affordable wood to be had, too, if we need to buy it. And I see offers around all the time for free wood if you'll cut it up and haul it away. So I think woodburning is definitely the way to go in our area (and my heavily wooded acre is a reason why solar is probably NOT, for us, though I'd love that). Anyone want to give me a ballpark on cost (for the stove plus installation)? Our whole house is around 1900 square feet, and I'd probably be looking for something to heat just the downstairs, so maybe 1200 square feet? The upstairs (where the bedrooms are) has a separate furnace, can be closed off from the downstairs, and we keep the heat turned down pretty low at night anyway. Plus it's upstairs, so if the downstairs is warm, it's pretty warm, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted October 7, 2008 Author Share Posted October 7, 2008 Although the seasoned wood thing is a good point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happygrrl Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Thanks for all the input, everyone! (and keep it coming, please!) Anyone want to give me a ballpark on cost (for the stove plus installation)? Well, different stoves, different prices. It is sorta like asking someone for a price on a car... the next question has to be "what model?". A good first move is to go to your local wood stove store (they usually also sell spas). You will find better options and also be able to get a baseline price. They are usually pretty informed. Like car dealerships stores have certain models they stock, so going to several different stores to get second opinions is a good idea. Then you can check around on the internet, though shipping costs can make internet purchases expensive. Most home insurers require the stove is professionally inspected if not professionally installed; be sure to talk to your insurance agent to see what they require before you buy. That said, my neighbors got a stove for $900. Mine (top of the line model to heat 3000 sq ft.) was $3000....*without* the stove pipe (another $800). You just have to decide what you want. The salesman can usually give you info about your local temps as well as the BTUs needed to heat your space. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NY Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 I would recommend calling around first to see how much wood is available. In my moms rural area in Central NY wood is getting hard to get, therefore expensive. My brother cuts and sells wood and he drys it for two years before selling it. He's out for this year and by the sounds of it so are the other people who sell it. Make sure you can still get good seasoned wood in your area before you invest in a wood stove. My mom only heats with her wood stove, but it's really old so I have no advice about new ones. I would just check the wood supplies and make sure you won't end up with fresh cut wood before you buy.HTH Melissa I had typed up a pretty long post and thought it had posted. I think it is lost somewhere in cyberspace so I'll just comment on this. I live in Upstate NY and seasoned wood is very hard to find. It is going for $275 to $350/cord - if you can find it. Last year, it was $175/seasoned cord. Fortunately, we have been buying wood from the same guy for a few years now so he was able to get us wood. So, I purchased my seasoned wood for this year AND my unseasoned wood for the next two years (I placed the order in JULY.) It was a lot of money to pay at once but it was still cheaper than what I would have been paying for oil for this year alone. As more and more people switch to wood, I think you will have to buy your wood earlier and earlier in order to make sure that you have it for when you need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 We didn't like our wood stove (Vermont Castings). It was messy, I was forever having to put wood in it (a real danger with toddlers around), and the catalytic converter died after a few years. We pulled it out and got a self-stoking coal stove instead...much cleaner and more efficient. Here in PA coal is abundant, but I don't think that's the case in most of the country. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5knights3maidens Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 My dh just bought a coal stove. We are to get it in a few weeks/or less. He said if the kids touch it they will not get burned. I'm not sure what company he bought it from. He also said he wanted a pellet stove but the pellets are being sold out. We are in PA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 It's a Jotul fireplace cast iron insert. http://www.jotul.com/en-us/wwwjotulus/Tools/Wood-burning/ We have to wait for the town building inspector to approve it before we can start it up (permit required). Go to a stove store in your area to get the details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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