# Country Flame Model CMD, new owner, new burner...just plain new



## jamendjr (Oct 28, 2013)

So........this will be my first post here at hearth.com.

For the last few years I have stopped in here as I dreamt of burning wood for heat. Unfortunately I lived in the big city and burning wood was not an option in our old brick row home. However, I recently moved to the ex-urbs, just past the suburbs, and have the chance to burn some wood!

The house we purchased came with a Country Flame model CMD, freestanding wood stove. We had the chimney cleaned during the house inspection.  At which time I believe the sweep told me that a fire brick was cracked. Many months later, and a few months post inspection, including months where the stove was in use, I get around to cleaning the flue. I just finished building the wood shed so I was pretty excited to move on to phase two...getting the flue and wood stove ready to burn.


On the roof, do the chimney sweep thing, all looks good. I come down, get ready to clean out the stove itself and the flue inside the house, and I see that there are no fire bricks, and there is a grate...in the stove.

My neighbor was puzzled, I am puzzled.

My questions are:

1) Does anyone know anything about this model of stove?

2) Could it be that no fire brick was ever in this stove, and I could be imagining what the sweep told me?

3) Can I use this stove with the grate, and no fire bricks?

4) Can I add a layer of fire bricks to the floor of the stove only? There are no metal clips of any kind to hold bricks vertically on the side walls.

Any help would be appreciated. I have attached pics, thanks!


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## 930dreamer (Oct 28, 2013)

I have a Country Flame 02, the manual states not to elevate the wood on a grate. Here's a list of CF manuals but I don't see the CDM model.
http://www.americanenergysystems.com/owners-manuals.cfm

That looks like the CAT holder in pic #4 without the CAT? Welcome to the Hearth.


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## jamendjr (Oct 28, 2013)

930dreamer said:


> I have a Country Flame 02, the manual states not to elevate the wood on a grate. Here's a list of CF manuals but I don't see the CDM model.
> http://www.americanenergysystems.com/owners-manuals.cfm
> 
> That looks like the CAT holder in pic #4 without the CAT? Welcome to the Hearth.




Thanks for the quick reply!

I thought that could be a cat holder as well. I guess burning without one would be fine though...thoughts?

There is no "bypass" mechanism anywhere on the unit. Everything I have been reading in regards to cat stoves is that they have a bypass mechanism. Also, there is no air intake in the rear as in the BBF model, only in the lower front as shown in the photo. The grate above the doors is a chamber that the blower comes through.

The previous owners were definitely burning with the grate in there, and judging by the build up on the walls I am guessing there were no fire bricks in place either. Would there normally be some sort of clip or shelf to hold the fire bricks on the side walls if bricks were recommended/required?


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## 930dreamer (Oct 28, 2013)

I would think the sides would have a metal bracket for holding the brick.


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## jamendjr (Oct 28, 2013)

930dreamer said:


> I would think the sides would have a metal bracket for holding the brick.



Yeah, nadda...nothing. No clips, or brackets on the sides.

I am stumped, but as a casual wood burner dreamer for years and no real world experience, I figured it was time to start posting!

I gave the scoop to my neighbor and like I said he seem puzzled. He was friendly with the previous owners but didn't know all the details concerning their day to days.

I guess I will just get some bricks, one course vertically along the outside, and than fit some in between across the floor to keep the sides upright. It won't give me to much height on the sides but from what I have seen, it would seem to be common to only have bricks one course high stood vertically on the side walls.

I tried to search out Country Flame dealers locally but the only one who actually did any "dealing" was into pellet stoves and coal burners...no help there. I had considered having the sweep who did the inspection come back out. That would run me around 150-200 bucks, and if he didn't know much about the stove either...well, that would be money down the drain. I guess its not rocket science, so if I can get some bricks in there I can use it. The previous owners were obviously using it with no bricks.

I also sent an email to Magnum, who seems to be the new Country Flame manufacturer.


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## 930dreamer (Oct 29, 2013)

My CF02 only has the two bottom bricks, I plan to fit side/back bricks if possible.


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## mellow (Oct 29, 2013)

Not all older stoves came with bricks,  this one looks like it didn't.   Can't say I am to crazy about that design with no bypass,  I can see why they ripped out the cat,  but as you can see it is a creosote factory now,  you will have to burn that stove pretty hot to keep it from looking like that and plugging up your chimney with no cat in it.

You can always add bricks to it,  not sure how much good it will do if you burn it with no cat as the bricks help to hold in the heat to help the fire burn cleaner at lower temps when using the cat.

Btw, that stove already shows signs of being over fired quite a few times.


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## 930dreamer (Oct 29, 2013)

You could clean all the creosote from the insides, maybe gently with a sandblaster. Line the inside with firebrick and fire it up. If it were me I'd remove the stove and test it outside, you might check into a chimney liner for your home. I used (4) pieces of cheap 6"x36" pipe for a makeshift flue/chimney on the driveway at my shop to test my CF02. Good luck with this, by testing outside you have the stove removed already in case you find another stove.


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## jamendjr (Oct 29, 2013)

Thanks again guys.

I know the previous owner had been using daily. What are the signs of over-firing?

We saw it in operation when we looked at the house prior to buying, everything was toasty, no smoke in the house, and the previous owner did have CO2 plugs in, in th eoutlet near the stove as well as a combo smoke/CO2 in the downstairs and upstairs hall.

I dropped 60 bucks on firebricks today, bad idea? Magnum got back to me via email this morning. They forwarded me a scan of the oldest manual they had, it seems they came with "floor" refractory bricks only, which I guess explains the lack of clips or brackets on the walls. I tried to upload but its to big. My plan was to stand up a row along the walls( only one row stood vertically ) and hold them in place with the floor bricks. Any thoughts?

I think a better stove may be in our future, but for now I wanted to use this one. I cleaned the chimney, the previous owner stayed on top of this as it wasn't very dirty at all and I know he had been using the stove prior to our move in. I think I know the answer to this, but should I go ahead and remove the elbows in the house and give those a cleaning while I am at it, as well as chip away at the creosote inside the stove?

Great site, thanks again for the help.


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## mellow (Oct 29, 2013)

jamendjr said:


> What are the signs of over-firing?



When the steel turns white as you can see on the sides.  Other signs are warping and cracking.


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## mellow (Oct 29, 2013)

I would replace the door and glass gaskets before burning as well.


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## jamendjr (Oct 29, 2013)

mellow said:


> I would replace the door and glass gaskets before burning as well.



Gotcha', thanks for the response.

The crazy thing is the "whiteness" on the sides is not really apparent in person but the camera really brings it out. I wouldnt be surprised if it was over fired a bit, it seems like thats pretty common. I am glad you mentioned it though, I didnt even notice it.

I am going to chip away at it a bit, clean the doors down and give it a go with the new bricks I picked up. 

The chimney sweep that inspected it said the gaskets look good. Not sure if they are visible in the pictures or not. What are your thoughts about running it for a year or two more? I definitely think a new stove is in our future but right now funds are a little tight for a new unit. I was thinking that learning the ropes on this one was a decent idea before upgrading. My thinking was that if I do that I would have a better idea as to what I would want out of a new stove.


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## 930dreamer (Oct 29, 2013)

If you fit the side bricks in first, the bottom ones should keep them in place. Clean everything you have access to. Try the stove out but keep an eye out for any issues. Keep us posted! I still need to pick up some bricks.


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## mellow (Oct 30, 2013)

The picture that shows the gaskets is out of focus and I can not tell.  Do the dollar bill test on them, they might be ok.


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## jamendjr (Oct 30, 2013)

mellow said:


> The picture that shows the gaskets is out of focus and I can not tell.  Do the dollar bill test on them, they might be ok.



So I did the right thing and looked up the dollar bill test.

Test complete, results as follows.

Tops of both doors solid, bill would have been torn pulling it out. Right hand door bottom same result, left hand door bottom had the bill pulling out with a slight tug, definitely not as solid as the other door bottom.

Thoughts?

I also have an update with pictures after cleaning the inside of the stove and the pipe and elbows through the wall to the flue.

930 dreamer: like your stove this one has the bottom bricks! The grate threw me off. I assumed because they were using a grate that under all that ash was metal...not so. There are indeed two large fire bricks, see photos.

Now I have 60 bucks in bricks, do I use them as planned on top of the existing two bricks? Is there any advantage to this? I was thinking that maybe having the bricks vertical on the sides could help, any thoughts?

I can always return them to the local ACE Hardware.

I cleaned the pipes and inside the stove as best I could with a wire brush, all of the large creosote chunks popped right off but there is still some small bits clinging to the metal. The pipe passing through the wall was the worst, the flue was definitely restricted, not sure how often the previous owner took everything apart and cleaned this section. The flue running up to the roof was not to bad, but compared to this pipe and the inside of the stove, my guess is he didn't spend as much time on it. However as previously mentioned by mellow, maybe its a creosote machine and he was cleaning it. My guess is he got to the vertical flue more often though as it was much cleaner than the stove, the elbow, and the pipe through the wall.
	

		
			
		

		
	



	

		
			
		

		
	
Before Cleaning


	

		
			
		

		
	
 After Cleaning
	

		
			
		

		
	



	

		
			
		

		
	
 Fire Bricks exposed


	

		
			
		

		
	
Some bits clinging to the pipe 



	

		
			
		

		
	
 Dog waiting for fire.

I forgot to take a picture of the grate he was using, it had been burned right through, not sure if thats normal or not but it seems no one uses them inside their wood stoves.

The weather here in the peoples republic of Maryland jumped back up to the 60's today so no burning tonight, maybe by next week. We have the electric heat pump thermostat on 60, 67 in the house right now so we are good...I know, I know, we are cheap.


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## 930dreamer (Oct 30, 2013)

Looking good!


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## jamendjr (Oct 30, 2013)

930dreamer said:


> Looking good!



Thanks! Like I said before it seemed to be working fine last season so hopefully we get a few years out of it.

It looks like we will be firing it up after the weekend, so I will keep you guys posted. Thanks for your help so far.

Also, every time I read a post from you and see your location I hear "Amarillo by morning..." in my head! Ok, maybe not the whole song, just that line.


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## 930dreamer (Oct 30, 2013)

Like a fine wine, Amarillo is an acquired taste.


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## BrotherBart (Oct 30, 2013)

930dreamer said:


> Like a fine wine, Amarillo is an acquired taste.



I have always said that six people love West Texas. And the other five send me Christmas cards.


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## 930dreamer (Oct 30, 2013)

Coming from the PNW it was a big change!


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## jamendjr (Oct 30, 2013)

Wow, I bet. I always wanted to move out to Washing ton State.


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## mellow (Oct 31, 2013)

I wouldn't use the grate like the previous owner,  they are a PIA to keep the wood on.  I thought you said this chimney was already cleaned?  I would be making a call to that sweep asking why I found it looking like that.

As for the gaskets I would change them,  you can find the gaskets at Ace hardware or a local shop,  take some off so you can compare them to find the right replacement size.

Take the bricks back unless you want to figure out a way to attach them to the sides.


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## jamendjr (Oct 31, 2013)

mellow said:


> I wouldn't use the grate like the previous owner,  they are a PIA to keep the wood on.  I thought you said this chimney was already cleaned?  I would be making a call to that sweep asking why I found it looking like that.
> 
> As for the gaskets I would change them,  you can find the gaskets at Ace hardware or a local shop,  take some off so you can compare them to find the right replacement size.
> 
> Take the bricks back unless you want to figure out a way to attach them to the sides.



The chimney was swept, but that was back in February of last year. We had the house inspected a few months before we closed on it. So, the previous owner used the stove for another month or two. 

I will stop in at ACE and see what gaskets and supplies they have there, it seems like a simple enough process. The doors are pretty gunked up though so it may be a bit of a challenge.

Thanks again, I will post an update after the next step! Luckily I have a few days before I will want to use the stove.


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## mellow (Oct 31, 2013)

That is quite a bit of buildup for only 2 months,  that guy must have been burning some very green wood.


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## jamendjr (Oct 31, 2013)

mellow said:


> That is quite a bit of buildup for only 2 months,  that guy must have been burning some very green wood.



Yeah, he never stored wood on site. He would pick up free wood, cut it and burn it. When we looked at the property originally we assumed he was not burning the wood regularly because he had no storage on site. I thought he was burning for the effect when the property was being shown by realtors. After moving in my neighbor explained to me that he was burning wood and bringing it in by the pick up truck as needed. So, I am not sure how dry the wood he was burning was.

I am starting with some dry stuff so I guess I will have a better gauge on how fast the build up occurs.


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## jamendjr (Nov 7, 2013)

Ok, so door gaskets replaced....


Doors off...and gaskets were pretty bad.


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## jamendjr (Nov 7, 2013)

Also got my first burn in...dog was loving it.

Glass gaskets could probably use a replacement as well but the screws are a mess so I think I will hold off until after this season. Stove got up to temperature, we ran the blower off and on, worked great and heated the whole house. Thanks for everyones help so far!


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 7, 2013)

Careful... this will turn into a restoration project if you get the bug


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## jamendjr (Nov 7, 2013)

Funny you say that.

I have been telling the boss ( wife ), that we should get something newer next year or maybe the following....but after I had it going that night I kept thinking, we need to keep this thing forever! Its amazing hw big the difference is between heating with a wood stove and heating with electric or natural gas. 1 ) Theres a real appreciation for the heat...it may be close to free in dollars...but theres real work involved getting it in 2 ) The heat itself is different, I think better 3 ) You actually get to "know" your appliance/heater...weird.

I think I will attempt to get the glass out in the Spring, the screws are a mess though so I am not sure how it will go. next on the list, as in the next day or two, is trying to get that glass cleaned up.


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 7, 2013)

I am burning a late 80's era Federal Airtight CAT stove that also came with the house.  Leg up though was their were two owners before me, the most recent owners only thought of it as a decorative piece and never used it.  By condition I think the owners before that used it only sparingly.  I replaced gaskets this year and what a difference that made in being able to control the fire.  At first I thought I had a draft problem when I ended up snuffing out the fire closing down all the air.


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## jamendjr (Nov 8, 2013)

I never ran this one with the old door gaskets so I am not sure if it made much difference. I do know that there is a slight gap between the doors, at the top corners where they meet. Its tiny, and you can only see it when the stove is running, but its there.


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## mellow (Nov 8, 2013)

That is why I stick with stoves with a single door.

After dealing with this I am sure you will have the same thought when you look for a new stove.


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## jamendjr (Nov 8, 2013)

Yeah, that makes sense, it also seems that it would be easier to load with a single door.


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## dmmoss51 (Nov 8, 2013)

I'm assuming one door slightly overlaps the other?

That's how mine is. Although I never open the front double doors I do everything through the side loading door.  Mine had the doors as weill as one on the front of the left door where they overlap.  If yours has the same thing did you replace that as well?


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## jamendjr (Nov 8, 2013)

They do overlap, but no side loading door so no luck there. So far so good though. I ran it again last night, go it a little hotter than we like, it was 75 in the hall by our bedrooms, 70 in the morning about 6-7 hours later, low mid 30's temperature outside. Seems to be working.


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## BJ1958 (Feb 14, 2014)

jamendjr said:


> So........this will be my first post here at hearth.com.
> 
> For the last few years I have stopped in here as I dreamt of burning wood for heat. Unfortunately I lived in the big city and burning wood was not an option in our old brick row home. However, I recently moved to the ex-urbs, just past the suburbs, and have the chance to burn some wood!
> 
> ...


 Hi , I just recently bought a stove just like the one in your picture. A log grate didn't come with it. Do you know if I'll need one? also, there are two air vents under the two doors. I've only used the stove one week and the vests have already clogged up with ash  and had to be removed for clean out. Is this normal? These vents are very hard to put back on once one removes them. Any help you can give will be great. thank you.


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## jamendjr (Feb 14, 2014)

My understanding is that you should not use a grate with the stove. I have not used the one shown in the pictures above.

In fact, not sure if I mentioned this or not, the grate itself had melted through in one spot. Seeing that made me initially question its use.

The air vents on mine have never been clogged. Air only flows in through the vents, it seems to keep them clear. In addition to the movement of air flow, there are also metal covers on the inside that shield the vent, they are open on each side but directly behind the vent is mostly shielded.

Also, I tend to try and keep the fire towards the rear of the box, for safety and ease of loading. I had a fire or two collapse as I was getting the hang of this and opening the doors with a burning or smoldering piece of wood against the door is not a good idea!

There are some very knowledgeable folks on here that could point you in the right direction. I am not sure if its the vents, the covers, the type of material you are burning, the placement of material, etc. 

I can say for certain that I know the grate is not neccessary or even recommended, hope that helps.


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## rwhite (Feb 14, 2014)

Does that stove have an outer jacket? Just looks like there may be a space between the inner wall and the outside of the stove, maybe for the air channels. If that's the case it may bee the reason there is no bricks in it.


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## jamendjr (Feb 14, 2014)

rwhite said:


> Does that stove have an outer jacket? Just looks like there may be a space between the inner wall and the outside of the stove, maybe for the air channels. If that's the case it may bee the reason there is no bricks in it.



I dont believe it does, I see where the picture could give the impression that it does but there does not appear to be any outer jacket. There are two large bricks on the floor of the stove.

I have been burning now for a few months and so far so good. Other than the POLAR VORTEX timeframe here on the east coast it heats the whole house with ease with two fire's a day.


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## BJ1958 (Feb 14, 2014)

jamendjr said:


> My understanding is that you should not use a grate with the stove. I have not used the one shown in the pictures above.
> 
> In fact, not sure if I mentioned this or not, the grate itself had melted through in one spot. Seeing that made me initially question its use.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the very fast reply. You've been very helpful. My problem may have been not keeping the fire more toward the back wall of the stove. I'll try that. Do you know why a grate isn't recommended? It might make ash clean up a little easier. thank you.


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## jamendjr (Feb 16, 2014)

BJ1958 said:


> Thank you for the very fast reply. You've been very helpful. My problem may have been not keeping the fire more toward the back wall of the stove. I'll try that. Do you know why a grate isn't recommended? It might make ash clean up a little easier. thank you.




I am no expert, as you can see above, however I would go grate-less. After heating exclusively with wood for the first time this year, I feel like having a grate in there would actually make clean up more of a pain.


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## gundy (Feb 18, 2014)

I was excited to see your pictures - we have a similar stove. It is apparently a CMD31-BL. We've used it 3 winters now. It is enough to heat our house - it sure saves $$$
	

		
			
		

		
	






	

		
			
		

		
	
 !

My masonry chimney is outside the house. It doesn't warm up too much and so it builds up with creosote fairly fast.

We lined our stove with fire bricks - laid flat across the bottom and on edge at the sides.

We do not use a grate - more wood can fit in that way 

Did you ever find a manual?  We are looking for one, too.

Gundy


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## jamendjr (Feb 19, 2014)

gundy said:


> I was excited to see your pictures - we have a similar stove. It is apparently a CMD31-BL. We've used it 3 winters now. It is enough to heat our house - it sure saves $$$
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I did receive some info from Magnum Products. I think Country Flame went out of business and these guys bought up the name, not sure. Anyway, someone from there tech center emailed me some scanned pages of a manual. Its to large to upload here but didn't give a whole lot mor einfo than you can find out on the internet already. I was pleased that they at least got back to me though.


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## Waywest (Dec 14, 2014)

gundy said:


> I was excited to see your pictures - we have a similar stove. It is apparently a CMD31-BL. We've used it 3 winters now. It is enough to heat our house - it sure saves $$$
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Was wondering if you have a photo of the blower on the back of the stove? Or any information on where to get one to fit the stove. Also do you have a cat for the stove? If so where can you get one.


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## snojean (Dec 26, 2014)

We have a stove that looks just like your pic. We have used it for 20 yrs, was in our house when we bought it. Our blower box is on the back and seems to be trying to go out. Comes on and off. Where do I look for a new fan/blower/switch? Also, what make and model is the stove in this pic?


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## Waywest (Dec 30, 2014)

I have a stove like the one in your photos. Do you have a catalyst in the back of yours near the pipe opening?

If you have one do you know where to purchase them?

If you don't have one in it doesn't it burn fine without it?



jamendjr said:


> Yeah, that makes sense, it also seems that it would be easier to load with a single door.


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## Waywest (Dec 30, 2014)

jamendjr said:


> So........this will be my first post here at hearth.com.
> 
> For the last few years I have stopped in here as I dreamt of burning wood for heat. Unfortunately I lived in the big city and burning wood was not an option in our old brick row home. However, I recently moved to the ex-urbs, just past the suburbs, and have the chance to burn some wood!
> 
> ...


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## Waywest (Dec 30, 2014)

We just purchased a stove like the pictures in your post.

Do you use a catalyst with yours or just use it without it?


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## F4jock (Dec 30, 2014)

jamendjr said:


> Funny you say that.
> 
> I have been telling the boss ( wife ), that we should get something newer next year or maybe the following....but after I had it going that night I kept thinking, we need to keep this thing forever! Its amazing hw big the difference is between heating with a wood stove and heating with electric or natural gas. 1 ) Theres a real appreciation for the heat...it may be close to free in dollars...but theres real work involved getting it in 2 ) The heat itself is different, I think better 3 ) You actually get to "know" your appliance/heater...weird.
> 
> I think I will attempt to get the glass out in the Spring, the screws are a mess though so I am not sure how it will go. next on the list, as in the next day or two, is trying to get that glass cleaned up.


The best thing I've used on corroded screws and bolts is something called Kroil. Beats any other product I've ever tried.


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