[hoplite59]

All, starting this thread in order to draw on prodigious Community knowledge we have access to. We are looking to purchase and install a wood burner in our home to have a secondary heat source. In the Generac thread I posted the backlog/shortage of product that manufacture is experiencing so plan B (which was going to be tertiary option) of a wood burner jumped to th front of the line.

In researching wood burners I came across the info of a 26% Tax Credit for the unit (from an approved EPA list) and install. If your unit meets efficiency guidelines you can reduce your outlay by a chunk.

We are leaning towards the US Stove brand . My concern is that we may not be able to cook on the unit. Also assuming electricity goes down, how do I keep the blower going without a generator ?

Woodstove Database | Burnwise | US EPA

 

[Alaskajohn]

None of my wood stoves have a blower, so I can’t comment on that. I would not consider a wood stove that you could not cook on. The wood stove is our primary means of cooking during our long winter months. If cooking is an important consideration for you, I would look for one that has a cooking surface.

Looking at the US3200E from your list, that one certainly has ample cooking space.

Edit: call your insurance company and let them know you are considering adding a wood stove. When I added a wood stove on a previous home, they said they would only insure with proof that it was professionally installed. I am sure there is variation between insurance companies on how they manage wood stoves as they do increase their insurance risk.

 

[hoplite59]

Thanks AJ. Cooking isn't the primary concern but by nature I like to extract every ounce of utility from any purchase, especially something that costs as much as one of these units. As for the blowers, I have a bigger 2 story home to heat and need a bit larger unit and thinking the blower(s) will make it more efficient.

 

[Alaskajohn]

Thanks AJ. Cooking isn't the primary concern but by nature I like to extract every ounce of utility from any purchase, especially something that costs as much as one of these units. As for the blowers, I have a bigger 2 story home to heat and need a bit larger unit and thinking the blower(s) will make it more efficient.

The blowers might help distribute heat, but I don’t have any personal experience. I had a three story home with the wood stove on the bottom floor. We were able to keep the top floors from freezing by keeping the doors open. Heat rises, so if your house is efficient with insulation, and depending on home design, this might be the case for you. If you loose electricity, then you would not have the blower, but with radiant heat and with heat rising, you will still be better off.

Which model were you considering? The 3200 certainly has adequate space for cooking. Some of the smaller ones had some. Having space to put a pot of water on to boil would be the minimum space I would consider. We have gotten pretty good at cooking food inside the wood stove as well as on the surface.

 

[Hick Industries]

We put a Great wood stove in our new house. The stove is a heritage model built by Hearthstone. What I like best is the stove body is built from soap stone which absorbes heat and remains hot to the touch 6-8 hours after the fire burns out. We also purchased an insulated floor plate, the heat shield and blower on the back, and we paid the stove dealer to install the stove and pipe.

Three days ago we had record low temps here in Oklahoma. My heat pump stops working at about 20F, and we saw a low temp of -9F. I kept the stove burning all day, and loaded a big oak log when I went to bed at midnight. When I got up at 7am, that oak log was still burning, and the house was 73F.

If you prefer cheap, I will be selling our old wood stove (Pleasant Hearth sold by Home Depot). Asking $500, and I will help load it in your truck.

 

[hoplite59]

Yes Sir, the 3200.

 

[JDH]

Check with your homeowner's insurance before you install it. They have a tendency to jack your rates way up if you report it and deny your claim if you don't.

 

[hoplite59]

Thanks Guys. Hick appreciate the offer but I checked out the home depot brand but its not EPA certified for the 26% tax credit. Plus, I'm a bit to far away to do that. I believe they carry the Ashley Hearth line, not covered for the tax break.

 

[wellbuilt]

I just put this one in in the fall from home depto ,
it burns real good and has a tall fire box .
It’s better then the stove from tractor supply magnolia model I heat a 3000sf house with a hearth stone equinox .
you don’t need a plowed they are junk any way .
Just use a ceiling fan in reverse to push the air.
ive never lived in a house with heat 👍

 

[DKR]

If the power is out, use a Sterling engine powered fan

these have been on the market - forever....

 

[hoplite59]

I just put this one in in the fall from home depto ,
it burns real good and has a tall fire box .
It’s better then the stove from tractor supply magnolia model I heat a 3000sf house with a hearth stone equinox .
you don’t need a plowed they are junk any way .
Just use a ceiling fan in reverse to push the air.
ive never lived in a house with heat 👍
View attachment 355095

WB

Did you have to build a chimney for it ? I have a fireplace on the first floor but want to install the wood burner in the basement. Building a chimney is a pain in the back side because of regs and such.

 

[Offrink]

My in laws had, what they called, octopus heating ducts. They had the standard propane heating and ductwork and they had an oversized jacket that went around the wood stove that was in the same room. The jacket was piped into the other heating ducts and the heat was distributed by just the hot air rising. No electricity needed and was in their basement so heated the basement too. My last place had a wood stove and it was in the center of the main floor and piped through the floor/ceiling and out the house via the roof. We put a box fan behind it when it was cranking out the heat to easier distribute the heat. Horse hair and plaster walls (1886 built house) and it held the heat great. My parents installed a Vermont castings encore with integrated thermostat controlled blower. Their geothermal has gone out (yes currently out and the live in Michigan) and the stove alone heats their house (helped bring wood in from the wood pile and it is currently 79* inside. They are in their late 79’s so they love the heat). We get a lot of free logs from sawmill work and the cut off sections get stacked and dried as well as logs that are bent to much or to small. I cut lots of wood and love every minute of it.

 

[roseman]

I mentioned our Defiant on the other thread and I see it is on the list you attached. Ours is over 40 yrs old. It is set up in the basement near the stairway. It has kept the house over 60 deg when out of power during severe winter weather.
Very pricey but all on that list probably are. You probably can't make a mistake on any of them. It will probably come down to what looks the part for you.

 

[wellbuilt]

Here is the outside chimney my daughter it running the pipe up , it’s stainless steel pipe from Lowe’s.
The stuff is The most reasonably priced flu out there , you have to make sure you are getting SS pipe they sell cheep galvanized pipe but I would not put that in
Meatelspestos sells better pipe for double the money , I have that at home and it’s been burning 30 years 24/7
One thing it’s much better to run the pipe up in the center of the house so your flue stays hot .

 

[wellbuilt]

 

[wellbuilt]

I’m making some dinner on my magnolia wood stove , my cabin is 2800 sf and this heats it when it’s below 0 I have no kitchen yet and I’m still building it .
The place is off grid .

 

[wellbuilt]

harth stone equinox heats over3000 sf if you could swing a better $$$ stove I would buy a soap stone or a cast iron Jotel the one problem with these newer stoves is the wood needs to be bone dry Or they don’t make good heat .
This stove has a 8” flue pipe and it’s expensive to buy compared to the 6” the stove is 13 years old and the chimney was put in in 1995 when I built the place .

 

[arleigh]

IMO,
If you want to get the most out of your wood stove configure the stovepipe in a dog-leg so there is some horizontal in the path. more of the heat will be dissipated in the lower portion of the pipe rather than all going up the pipe as with strait pipe configuration. I secure my stove pipe using sheet metal screws, and since I don't change the configuration it is easy to dismntle and reassemble for cleaning.
Hardwoods do not usually require the pipe to be cleaned as much as softer woods because they burn hotter and more thoroughly.
Though the stove may have a damper, I put one about 18" -24" in the stovepipe just above the stove, It gives me more control.
I take my little cookstove everywhere I"ve moved to, and even in this 3 bedroom house it maintains 60 or better in freezing temperatures outside. The firebox in it is 7"X7"X16". I cut 20" biscuits to roughly 12" long and maybe burn equivalent to 2 biscuits from 6; PM till 12; PM or when I go to bed, sometimes more sometimes less depending on the wood.

 

[Flinter]

I don't have a blower built into the woodstove. I do have a 10 dollar box fan that I use from time to time.

 

[Copymutt]

Two homes, two Hearthstones. Newer models suffer from Obama administration of efficiency. Not only do they need to have super dry wood, it may take an exchange of stoves till you get one that can sustain a burn. Be sure that is understood in your purchase contract. That said, they will carry overnight. The model posted above has the advantage of self cleaning glass. Still using one we purchased in 1980.