Old TexMex
Member
All you rustic type cats give me your wisdom on a nice woodburning stove, like a potbelly or that sort of setup.
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Best woodburning stove
- Thread starter Old TexMex
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venomballistics
Member
Old cook stoves offer the best versatility and efficiency.
With the way they are vented, they tend to milk as much heat out of the fire as they can. The classic pot belly short routes to the chimney
With the way they are vented, they tend to milk as much heat out of the fire as they can. The classic pot belly short routes to the chimney
Been using woodstoves for a Looonnnngggg time. So called potbelly stoves are kinda useless but some are very pretty. Any airtight will out heat one....although they aren't usually pretty. I've used ol Fisher stoves for quite a while at least 40 yrs. . I found a NEW Grandpa Bear down in the lower part of Wyoming. Got it right as far as price. No fans or anything but they burn long and well on a load of wood. There are other airtights that are just as well made and efficient. Do a google and they will pop out at ya.
5Wire
Member
I haven't kept up with them but have had experience with Vermont Castings Resolute, Vigilant, and Defiant. Their line goes from 18,000 BTU per hour up to 75,000 BTU per hour. If your are considering heating primarily with wood, their stoves were all terrific. Several can be used as free-standing fireplaces,
Too much stove in a tight house can be a real problem. Air needs to circulate. Plan that first. Get advice from manufacturers representatives.
Too much stove in a tight house can be a real problem. Air needs to circulate. Plan that first. Get advice from manufacturers representatives.
REAL wisdom
MY first and only advice on any appliance that burns wood is get one that cuts, splits, stacks, and brings in it's OWN in. Used to have one during my time in Georgia, but now I have GAS logs in my fireplace. The price we pay to live civilized. Besides, I have learned to spit in a can. Have a good evening.
All you rustic type cats give me your wisdom on a nice woodburning stove, like a potbelly or that sort of setup.
MY first and only advice on any appliance that burns wood is get one that cuts, splits, stacks, and brings in it's OWN in. Used to have one during my time in Georgia, but now I have GAS logs in my fireplace. The price we pay to live civilized. Besides, I have learned to spit in a can. Have a good evening.
Last stove I had was a Buck and it worked well. If I were in the market today I'd look at another one but also check some pellet stoves.
The pellets require electricity and for max efficiency so does the buck or any other stove that uses a fan.
The pellets require electricity and for max efficiency so does the buck or any other stove that uses a fan.
I have the Harman TL200, precursor to the 300 shown here:
TL300 Wood Stove | Top-Loading Wood Stoves
I really like it, but don't be disappointed by actual burn times compared to advertised burn times as noted in my thread on wood burners. I have about a 1500 square foot house and it heats the whole thing easily.
To circulate heat better, I use magnetic covers for the cold air returns and I seal off the cold air returns in all rooms except the living room and dining room where the woodburner is and turn on the furnace fan (fan only) for about ten minutes after the fire is going strong and the whole house including the basement is warm. And that's with the wood burner on "low".
TL300 Wood Stove | Top-Loading Wood Stoves
I really like it, but don't be disappointed by actual burn times compared to advertised burn times as noted in my thread on wood burners. I have about a 1500 square foot house and it heats the whole thing easily.
To circulate heat better, I use magnetic covers for the cold air returns and I seal off the cold air returns in all rooms except the living room and dining room where the woodburner is and turn on the furnace fan (fan only) for about ten minutes after the fire is going strong and the whole house including the basement is warm. And that's with the wood burner on "low".
Stick with a Vermont Castings or JØTUL. Both have models of various shapes and sizes for the space you need to heat.
We had a Vermont Castings, too small for the length of chimney we have, bad sales advice. Bought a JØTUL off craigslist and are very happy. Gave the Vermont Castings smaller one to my in-laws and it is perfect for their space. For both we went rear vent set up so we could have the flat top for a kettle or use a dutch oven for all day supper cooking.
We had a Vermont Castings, too small for the length of chimney we have, bad sales advice. Bought a JØTUL off craigslist and are very happy. Gave the Vermont Castings smaller one to my in-laws and it is perfect for their space. For both we went rear vent set up so we could have the flat top for a kettle or use a dutch oven for all day supper cooking.
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Brian41
Member
I'd also look at Vermont Castings although not cheap. I'm very happy with one of their fireplace inserts and the free standing ones I've seen at my dealers are impressive too. Their new ones are highly efficient as well.
hangnoose
Member
OLD NEWS
Going back to 1975-80 N.H. a good, efficient, long burning airtight stove made a tremendous difference in your quality of life. If using it for heat only the JOTL'S were very good. Not sure if you have the same needs or would it be worth big bucks in S. Texas. +1 on NOT sucking all the O2 out of your house with the stove.
Going back to 1975-80 N.H. a good, efficient, long burning airtight stove made a tremendous difference in your quality of life. If using it for heat only the JOTL'S were very good. Not sure if you have the same needs or would it be worth big bucks in S. Texas. +1 on NOT sucking all the O2 out of your house with the stove.
kraynky
Member
I haven't kept up with them but have had experience with Vermont Castings Resolute, Vigilant, and Defiant. Their line goes from 18,000 BTU per hour up to 75,000 BTU per hour. If your are considering heating primarily with wood, their stoves were all terrific. Several can be used as free-standing fireplaces,
Too much stove in a tight house can be a real problem. Air needs to circulate. Plan that first. Get advice from manufacturers representatives.
I too have a Vermont Castings (Resolute Acclaim) that I bought new about 1995. It's been a great stove for my needs. A few times during winters it not only kept us warm, it heated up water for bathing and served as a cook-top stove for warm meals during extended power outages.
Cutting and stacking wood used to be enjoyable for me, not so much anymore. A day or two of that kind of work will make me pay in pain for several days. But I'm going to keep at it as long as the Good lord will allow.
I have a neighbor that bought a much cheaper stove at Tractor Supply I think. It keeps his house warm too, just doesn't seem to hold a fire as well.
My one tidbit of advice; Be sure to get one that will allow you to empty the ashes without having to let the fire go out to do so.
A funny story.We had a very well built small house and had built a chimney and installed a Fisher Baby Bear.. I had been out guiding goose hunters all day. Got home and momma had built a fire in the stove to warm the house. Wind was blowing 30-40 and cold as a witches wazoo. Walked in the door and almost got knocked down by the heat . First fire for the stove. She hadn't shut the damper down correctly and had to open a window to get the stove to burn. That stove was almost whistling cause it sounded like a train....just chugging along...fast. We got the stove all settled down in short order..but oh my...it was well over a hundred degrees in that house.. We always keep a kettle on the stove to keep moisture in the air and cook soups stews etc on top. We also heat leftovers too. Better'n a microwave IMO. Oh and if you need a chimney..metal is ok. But a masonry chimney is better. And keep it clean.
I've been using wood-burning stoves for close to forty years now, and in my opinion, there's nothing like wood heat. With forced air heating or even gas logs, there are cold spots in the house. Not so with a wood-burning stove. Wood heat envelops you. Just a great feeling.
That being said, there are pros and cons to wood heat, one being the chopping, splitting, stacking, etc. Like I was always told, "Good wood warms three times: when you cut it, when you stack it, and when you burn it."
There are many, many good quality brands of wood-burning stoves. As was previously mentioned, Vermont Castings and Jotul are two of the finest. They are made of cast iron. They are also expensive.
Pot-bellied stoves and Franklin stoves, while aesthetically attractive, are fairly inefficient.
You can purchase a good, airtight stove made out of steel that will warm your home, cook your food in an emergency, and won't break your budget.
Currently, we're heating with a Lopi stove. I had a Lopi before in our old home and it was tops. I'm still learning the personality of this one, but it seems to be doing the job pretty well.
Of course, like I mentioned previously, there are a lot of great wood-burning stoves out there. You might want to check Consumer Reports. I did and settled on a Lopi, but other folks have other criteria. It's strictly up to you. Have fun in your search.
Here's a picture of the Lopi stove we had at our old place. As you can see, it's a real beast. It heated a 2,600-square foot home with no problem.
Here's a picture of the Lopi stove we currently have. It doesn't need to handle the workload the other one did, but still does a good job.
That being said, there are pros and cons to wood heat, one being the chopping, splitting, stacking, etc. Like I was always told, "Good wood warms three times: when you cut it, when you stack it, and when you burn it."
There are many, many good quality brands of wood-burning stoves. As was previously mentioned, Vermont Castings and Jotul are two of the finest. They are made of cast iron. They are also expensive.
Pot-bellied stoves and Franklin stoves, while aesthetically attractive, are fairly inefficient.
You can purchase a good, airtight stove made out of steel that will warm your home, cook your food in an emergency, and won't break your budget.
Currently, we're heating with a Lopi stove. I had a Lopi before in our old home and it was tops. I'm still learning the personality of this one, but it seems to be doing the job pretty well.
Of course, like I mentioned previously, there are a lot of great wood-burning stoves out there. You might want to check Consumer Reports. I did and settled on a Lopi, but other folks have other criteria. It's strictly up to you. Have fun in your search.
Here's a picture of the Lopi stove we had at our old place. As you can see, it's a real beast. It heated a 2,600-square foot home with no problem.
Here's a picture of the Lopi stove we currently have. It doesn't need to handle the workload the other one did, but still does a good job.
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Freischütz
Member
Hearth.com has a lot of information about wood burning stoves.
reddogge
Member
I've been running a Vermont Castings Defiant Encore for 25 years and it's been a real good stove. Still have the original catalyst. Make sure you have a swing out ash pan to empty it.
OP
Old TexMex
Member
Gentlemen, i thank you for your insight. Although winter is rumored to be coming here, I've seen no sign of it. South Texas' short winters allow for a measly cord of mesquite/oak to last through the season, and natural gas is cheap. I lived with an old franklin stove here and used one while in New South Wales mountains (Dorrigo), and I miss having the smell. Plus, there's nothing like tossing in a chunk of driftwood now and then to if you're raised on the coast. Those campfires on the beach generate their own aroma. Far as using up all the Oxygen, this old masion was built before WWII, so she leaks a bit 
.
Thanks again,
Jim
.Thanks again,
Jim
Coldshooter
Member
We have this Hearth Stone cast iron and soapstone stove. The soapstone holds heat looks good and moderates the heat well. It is not good for a quick warm up as you can crack the stone. They are very easy to blend in in a rustic décor. Second unit is the RSF fireplace insert which is a wonderful stove especially when starting.
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MasterTech1960
Member
Old TexMex, Living in South Texas , you should be able to heat the house with a hair dyer. 
I have a Englander wood burning stove insert. She will keep the house warm and down right hot if I stoke her up and let her roll. 
I have forgotten to cut her back on the draft and had to open the windows to let the heat out. The first time the neighbor called to tell me the kids had opened the windows. Little did he know it was the big dummy that did it. 
I have a Englander wood burning stove insert. She will keep the house warm and down right hot if I stoke her up and let her roll. I have forgotten to cut her back on the draft and had to open the windows to let the heat out. The first time the neighbor called to tell me the kids had opened the windows. Little did he know it was the big dummy that did it. Attachments
venomballistics
Member
if my brain failure progresses to the extent that I become sentimental about wood heat, this is where experience would guide me.
We used to cook on a wood stove something like the above. We only cooked with it in the winter...well mostly. Heats the house up too much in the summer...less'n you had a summer kitchen. I remember many summer kitchens when I was a kid. The cook stove was in the entry of our old 1777 built farm house in Md. The sill plates in that house were Black Walnut. Some of the hand made shiplap floor boards were almost 3 ft wide...we still heated with wood though. And I'm here to tell ya..you could never suck all the oxygen out of that house. We had some (old)leaded glass windows that rattled in the wind. LOL!
