Just bought a Wood Stove

clemsonfor · Feb 3, 2011

Marveltone said:
Enjoy your new wood stove. Nothing else can match them for deep, penetrating heat. Lots of work to keep enough firewood on hand but well worth it. We love our wood stove, and we live in the frozen tundra, where it can reach -40!

Now, all you need to do is check on replacement catalysts and keep one on hand. I chose a non-catalyst model for that reason, but it's not really that big of a deal.

Joe

This was a used model, so i asked the price of them, there about $200. I got it from the stove store here in town, the put new ones in befor i got it for me as part of the deal. I think they should be around $200 for a new set. If they go out its not a big deal, it will still operate like a normal stove even if there plugged solid, you will just have to open the bypass a little.

clemsonfor · Feb 3, 2011

MossRoad said:
There's a catalyst in the stove that the exhaust gases go through. When it gets hot enough, it burns up most of the cantaminants in the exhaust. Pretty similar in function to a catalytic converter on a car. You have to replace them on the stoves every so often. (don't know how often).

The net says they will need replacement every 6 years or so, but can last 10 years with care.

DennisArrow said:
Fantastic that you finally get to use the fuel that God gives freely. We have been using wood heat for maybe 12 years now and have not turned on either of the 2 heat pumps for like 4 years other than to just exercise them a couple of times each winter. In fact I have the air intakes and vents blocked off........lololol........yes, LOTS of work involved but well worth it........a couple of thoughts.....

Where are you getting your wood? Hope it is at least a few months dry. Maybe cut at the worst last June or July........

Is this home the one that is in the city?......

Someone asked if the stove has a fan. If so DO USE IT......If not try to figure out a way to rig something up as it really does help distribute heat throughout the rest of the home.....Our stove, Harmon TLC 300, has a fan built in but we use a Vornado small fan in a hallway to distribute heat to the back of the house and into a sun room.......WORKS

Depending upon the type of wood you burn watch the creosote build up.......Some folks, myself included, run one really hot fire every day. It helps blast it out of the pipe. In additionm, I use once a week some stuff put out by Rutland that is called "Creosote Remover"......It works quite well.........My old stove, Waterford Ashling, was an air tight and the creosote never did build up in the pipe; but quite a bit of soot up in the last 3 feet or so of the pipe..........This new stove, first year with it, burns differently and a lot hotter and we shall have to see what it does; but on observation it doesnt have the soot build up on the chimney cap that the old stove caused.........

More thoughts later; but WELCOME ABOARD into the great world of wood burning stoves...........God bless.....Dennis

My house is in town, granted a town of like 50 in the city limits but still a town, i live on 3/4 of an acre. I have burned wood in an open fire place before this so i had about 4-5 truckloads stacked in my wood shed that i cut last winter and split late spring and then stacked under the shed, its never been directly in the rain. Also i am cutting this winter for next and currently have stacked as much up as i have burned so far this winter.

As for as the creosote, i burn it hot to get the cats hot for an hour each say or so, once damped down, there is no smoke, the cataylst will reduce creosote and particles and smoke by 90%, per the catylist manufacture of the cats site. I live near a bunch of public land and i buy firewood permits for each winter for $10/piece. I also am a forester so i can get jump buts and tops off of old docks pretty easy, i am in no shortage of wood even though my house has none on it. I also have 130 acres 3 hours from here but that is a super super last resort. I dont want to haul wood that far. I drive 30 mins to the woods with a guy from work cut a truckload and go to his house and split on his hydro splitter.

Marveltone · Feb 3, 2011

As far as replacing the catalyst goes, a good rule of thumb is to replace it if your burning performance gets sluggish. (2-10 years, depending on species, quality and moisture content of your wood) You'll know what I mean when it happens. My non-cat stove needs the "afterburner" cleaned out when that happens. They all need a little maintenance, but nothing outrageous. Empty the ashes and keep 'em clean.

Joe

Car Doc · Feb 3, 2011

Great decision clemson you wont ever be sorry you bought it the cost is nothing compared to what it will add to your life! :thumbsup:

I have used wood for years and it is a different type of heat most folks say it is therapeutic I know we like it.

955er · Feb 3, 2011

Welcome to the club! There is something very primal about heating with wood. Kind of like having your own strawberry and asparagus beds!!

dmccarty · Feb 3, 2011

You will REALLY love your stove when the power goes out in the winter.

It is kinda strange to have the power out but the house warm. We lost power twice this winter but each outage only lasted 3 hours or so. Not bad. But bad enough that I put a couple of beers on snow for later consumption. :laughing:

Later,
Dan

clemsonfor · Feb 3, 2011

dmccarty said:
You will REALLY love your stove when the power goes out in the winter.

It is kinda strange to have the power out but the house warm. We lost power twice this winter but each outage only lasted 3 hours or so. Not bad. But bad enough that I put a couple of beers on snow for later consumption. :laughing:

Later,
Dan

I will fire the generator up and then plug the blower and tv in and sit there and watch the tv and satellite till the power comes back on.

troutsqueezer · Feb 3, 2011

We all need exercise. What's better, an indoor treadmill or being outdoors, felling trees, driving the tractor, lifting, splitting and stacking wood? At least you get something in return for your exercising by using a wood stove besides improved health.

You might consider putting a cast iron tea kettle on the stove with water in it to keep some moisture in the air. Sometimes your eyes get itchy from the dry heat the stove puts out.

clemsonfor · Feb 3, 2011

troutsqueezer said:
We all need exercise. What's better, an indoor treadmill or being outdoors, felling trees, driving the tractor, lifting, splitting and stacking wood? At least you get something in return for your exercising by using a wood stove besides improved health.

You might consider putting a cast iron tea kettle on the stove with water in it to keep some moisture in the air. Sometimes your eyes get itchy from the dry heat the stove puts out.

Gonna get one of those log cabin steamer. Its a logcabin on top of a cast lower portion, when hot the steam comes out of the chimney like smoke. It was part of the deal if we got one, she said i had to get her one of those log cabin steamers like our frind has on hers.