Wood stove is next on the list

[O.S.O.K.]

I just got back from walking over to the little local lumber store to show the wife a stove that they have on sale. I can get the same one on-line but the shipping makes it lower priced to buy locally - which I prefer anyway.

This is going to go into the garage as a back-up insurance plan for now - and to be put to use later if we can manage to move to some land...

After this, maybe the wind generator, batteries and electrical equipment/hook up for that...
to go with the generator.

[Mark Ducati]

I contacted the place where I got my fire place from when I built my house...

I'm looking for a wood stove that would sit in front of the fireplace... wood stove vents to the back instead of the top. Exhaust plumbing/conduit/flue whatever its called... vents from the back of the wood stove into the fireplace and then up through the flue.

I want one strictly for back up in case the power grid goes down... I'll keep my 600 gallons of propane reserve strictly for cooking in the kitchen... and use the wood stove for heat in the main family room, boiling water for drinking, additional cooking, etc...

It'd be unsightly having right in front of the fireplace, but I don't want to cut any holes in my walls/ceiling to make it permanent... but it would purely utilitarian/survival...

[O.S.O.K.]

Mark, why not just get one that fits into your fireplace? Keep it in the garage until needed... get one with blowers...

[ubersoldate]

I got hit with 3-4 foot of snow in the last 2 days, so power has been off, and Im running my Generator, but I do all my heat with wood stoves.
My advice is, dont skimp, get a nice and heavy duty one.
Ive got a good fireplace insert, and a good stove in the master, but I recently put in a Lopi in the other side of the house, and it was a lighter, cheaper stove.

It works if your sitting on it basically, feeding constantly, but I would for sure go with a nice heavier one if I had the choice of doing it again.
My other stove is three times the weight, and will keep coals for hours, and most important, keep the HEAT going long after rather than the thinner stove, which starts dropping room temp within minutes...

[O.S.O.K.]

Totally agree. But I'm in Texas. And the little stove that I'm getting is just a back-up thing. Not sealed and not efficient but will be a Godsend if things go south... to the point there's no gas service and no electricity.

[btcave]

This is the one I installed last September. I had no wood heat source in my house, only electric. Cut my winter electric bill in half from last year. It'll heat me out of the house if I'm not careful about how I feed it.

If your not going to do the permanent install, you should definitely look into an insert.

Quadra-fire 2100

http://www.darboystone.com/images/wood_stoves/STOVES-WOOD-QUAD-2100.jpg

[American Rage]

I think a wood burning stove is the 3rd most important thing to have.

Only land and water are more important in my mind.



Rage

[American Rage]

I contacted the place where I got my fire place from when I built my house...

I'm looking for a wood stove that would sit in front of the fireplace... wood stove vents to the back instead of the top. Exhaust plumbing/conduit/flue whatever its called... vents from the back of the wood stove into the fireplace and then up through the flue.

I want one strictly for back up in case the power grid goes down... I'll keep my 600 gallons of propane reserve strictly for cooking in the kitchen... and use the wood stove for heat in the main family room, boiling water for drinking, additional cooking, etc...

It'd be unsightly having right in front of the fireplace, but I don't want to cut any holes in my walls/ceiling to make it permanent... but it would purely utilitarian/survival...

Sounds like you want a wood burning insert. Many of them still need a little electricity for the blowers to work.


Rage

[O.S.O.K.]

When I get to the house in the woods, I'm going to have a unit like btcaves's for general heating and use the little backup model in the shop/barn. I will most likely get a cooking stove for the kitchen too - maybe like this:

http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/173609_lg.jpg

Takes small pieces of wood only and is for cooking and heating one room.

This is the little back up stove that we're getting - $220 from a local lumber store:

http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/172921_lg.jpg

[Flinter]

I'm not sure what the situation is in your part of the world, but I'd look at a wood and coal stove.

Coal is relatively cheap, and it if you build a small shed for it then it would be very easy to keep 4 or 5 tons on hand. It never goes bad and the heat can't be beat.

That would probably keep you going for 2 winters.

[O.S.O.K.]

Both of those pictured can utilize coal. I need to look into that... we would only need to use a heater for maybe 4 weeks out of the year... and as I think about it, I'd probably want an outdoor area - maybe like a covered porch for cooking - as it would be too damned hot in Texas most of the time to have a stove going in the house...

[El Laton Caliente]

This is the little back up stove that we're getting - $220 from a local lumber store:

http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/172921_lg.jpg

I grew up around a two burner version of that one. We boiled drinking water, made coffee, with a cast iron dutch oven you can make bread, corn bread, biskets, cobblers. I also remember beans and soups coming off it. One large green oak log before bedtime and it will keep coals until morning.

In dryer climits a large tea kettle ups mosture in the house and makes it feel warmer. A large pot of soup does the same thing and makes for a warm snack or meal.

[HDR]

I grew up around a two burner version of that one. We boiled drinking water, made coffee, with a cast iron dutch oven you can make bread, corn bread, biskets, cobblers. I also remember beans and soups coming off it. One large green oak log before bedtime and it will keep coals until morning.

I remember wood stove soup; it makes the best soup except it fills the house with the smell which makes one drool. ;)

[El Laton Caliente]

We more often had blackeye peas or brown beans on it. A wire spacer under the pot keeps them from burning. Right after stoked, move the pot to the door end where the top is a little cooler as burned beans suck...

[btcave]

This is the little back up stove that we're getting - $220 from a local lumber store:

http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/172921_lg.jpg

A similar unit is used in the fire lookouts I tend to. It works well in near freezing nights for the 14'x14' type L4 lookout cabin. Not sure how much bigger of a space it will warm.

[Mark Ducati]

I'm not sure what the situation is in your part of the world, but I'd look at a wood and coal stove.

Coal is relatively cheap, and it if you build a small shed for it then it would be very easy to keep 4 or 5 tons on hand. It never goes bad and the heat can't be beat.

That would probably keep you going for 2 winters.

How expensive coal? What do yo do, find a supplier and just order it like purchasing so many cords of wood? 4-5 tons? How big a shed do you need for such? Could you simply throw a couple big tarps over it to keep it from the rain? How durable is coal? I don't know if its like rock/clay or if it'd rot like wood?

[Flinter]

How expensive coal? What do yo do, find a supplier and just order it like purchasing so many cords of wood? 4-5 tons? How big a shed do you need for such? Could you simply throw a couple big tarps over it to keep it from the rain? How durable is coal? I don't know if its like rock/clay or if it'd rot like wood?

When I was buying it, it was 55 dollars per ton. That was for good coal. Do not buy "run of the mine", it has too much dust in it.

Yes, most places will deliver. Remember though, it's coming in a dump truck. They are simply going to dump it where you tell them to.

No idea really. I used to keep a ton on my carport. I stored it in 5 or 6 of those big Rubbermaid trash cans.

Don't see why you couldn't....although rain won't hurt it.

Coal is similiar to gravel. It will last until you burn it.

The shed idea was simply to keep the coal unseen. If you take pride in your landscaping, you probably don't want a great big pile of coal being visable.

Hope that helps.

[O.S.O.K.]

I was thinking of getting some 3" hog wire (3" squares) and using the sections to make a "bin" over which, I would place some tin roofing material (came off our old bungalo before we remade the house).

This would be an ideal material to store for "if and when" - unlike wood which has a "shelf life" and attracts termites and insects and such.

[Mark Ducati]

Here's another dumb question... how do you light coal? Take a match to some kindling wood first? Newspaper first? Or can you take a match directly to a chunk of coal?

When this stuff burns, I don't think I ever recall as a kid my dad cleaning out the chimney as we always used wood... but with coal, does that create more soot and require occasional cleaning of your flue/vent more?

I'm thinking back to "Mary Poppins" and the Chimney-Sweeps... not sure if there was a need for such a profession because wood stoves were the primary source of heat, or because of the coal fuel they were burning.

[O.S.O.K.]

Mark, I'm no expert on this but I've been looking into it.

Coal is lit just like wood - I think it was HDR that posted the link ( a good read ) where the guy recommended using "match light" bbq charcoal briquets for lighting coal.

As to cleaning out the flue, I think you need to do this regardless. Coal would tend to have build up that could ignite if not removed - ditto for wood and especially pine - which deposits a lot of resin and needs frequent cleaning.

And then there's the dust - apparently, coal burns to a fine dust which tends to get airborn much easier than wood ash.

[Meat-Hook]

"No sales to California".

I guess were banned from wood stoves now.

I cannot wait to get out of this prison;
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202398322/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

[Partisan1983]

Kinda funny.....the house we bought came with an old US made wood stove (If I remember correctly the date stamp is 1974)....anyways I am giving it to a friend in exchange for help remolding shit around the house....and of course a solid 10 foot brass pole (giggity).....

[ubersoldate]

"No sales to California".

I guess were banned from wood stoves now.

I cannot wait to get out of this prison;
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202398322/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Thats weird, the stove shop in my little town sells these type of stoves all day. In fact, I guess that 90% of my town only uses wood heat.
Why no shipping to California?

[Goodman]

Must be one of those assault stoves....

[O.S.O.K.]

Probably an environmental thing - this is a simple non-airtight stove and therefore doesn't have a catalitic converter....

Only thing I can think of.

[ubersoldate]

Probably an environmental thing - this is a simple non-airtight stove and therefore doesn't have a catalitic converter....

Only thing I can think of.

None of the stoves up here have converters.
Hell, the wood stove market, and firewood make up for a HUGE part of our economy up here in the Sierra's...

[O.S.O.K.]

Then why? Has to be a reason or else they'd gladly take the revenue.....

On another note, I ordered my stove at the local lumber place today - will have it Friday.