# Blast from the past: Estate Heatrola



## privatejoker75

We just moved to this house last year. I'm a former city slicker that always just flipped the heat on and off for heat. So when we moved here I had no idea what was going on.

This looks cool I guess, but mother of god it's a pain in the butt. I'm reading these forums now about people getting 20 hour long burns. I'm lucky if i get 1 hour with fir on this thing. Looking to get a new one this summer, since this is probably considered dangerous by today's standards. Anyway, here she is...












It burns coal too, but the only time I tried it, the CO2 detector went off so never again.


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## Jags

Ahhh....yes. There were several MFG's of units like that back in the day. Pretty rare that you will still see one in use. Your idea of replacement -- is a good idea.


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## privatejoker75

My wife's parents bought it in the 70s.  I think they got it because they were running a lumber mill here and i guess assumed they'd rather sell their wood and burn coal...that's my guess anyway


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## Jags

privatejoker75 said:


> My wife's parents bought it in the 70s. I think they got it because they were running a lumber mill here and i guess assumed they'd rather sell their wood and burn coal...that's my guess anyway


 
Many of those units simply performed much better with coal than they ever did with wood.  One of the major design differences in coal units is that the air is brought in from underneath the fire.  When you do this with wood it will simply burn up in a flash.  I am unfamiliar with any unit that makes both a good coal stove and a good wood stove.  Most that were designed to burn both never did either one well.


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## privatejoker75

Jags said:


> Many of those units simply performed much better with coal than they ever did with wood. One of the major design differences in coal units is that the air is brought in from underneath the fire. When you do this with wood it will simply burn up in a flash. I am unfamiliar with any unit that makes both a good coal stove and a good wood stove. Most that were designed to burn both never did either one well.


 

That makes a lot of sense, thanks


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## Jags

privatejoker75 said:


> That makes a lot of sense, thanks


Dat's what we're here for.


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## privatejoker75

Well now I'm excited to get something new and not spend hours a day tending this thing


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## Jags

Get on over to the hearth room. Supply the folks with info.
Size of house (area to be heated)
Pipe or flue setup
placement.
etc.
Peeps will be more than happy to flood you with good ideas.

Oh - and if don't already have a bunch of wood that is cut/split/stacked expect about half the posts to direct you to do so. (and it IS a good thing)


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## privatejoker75

Already on that...I have it narrowed down

And yeah, winter broke early here this year so i've been cutting/stacking for the last few weeks.  I won't rest until I have a few years supply on hand


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## BrotherBart

I want one of them.


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## Jags

You gonna burn coal?


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## privatejoker75

BrotherBart said:


> I want one of them.


 
It looks nice, it's just not very fun to use to provide warmth for your house lol


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## Jags

privatejoker75 said:


> It looks nice, it's just not very fun to use to provide warmth for your house lol


 
If you have never used coal in it, don't underestimate its heating capabilities.  Growing up, we had an old timer in town that was also our blacksmith.  He got coal for his forge and also used it in a setup somewhat like yours (I was too young to care what brand it was).  I remember that thing pouring out heat.


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## privatejoker75

We tried coal a few times.  It did get HOT...almost too hot but i'm guessing it was windy or the seals need replacing because the CO2 detector went off every time we tried.


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## begreen

Ya, there appears to be some blowback thru the front vents.


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## oldspark

Flower planter, it is neat though.


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## begreen

Hard to tell from the picture whether it is being run improperly or if it has defects. Inspect the interior closely with a bright light for cracks or gaps between castings. Is there mica (isenglass) windows on the inside door? Are they in good condition or damaged?


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## privatejoker75

We're just going to replace it with something much more modern and store this in the shed


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## begreen

Good plan.


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## privatejoker75

I had no idea what I was missing out on before signing up to this forum a few days ago


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## Jags

privatejoker75 said:


> I had no idea what I was missing out on before signing up to this forum a few days ago


 
Wait till you get enough posts that you are entitled to the free lunch buffet.


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## begreen

Hrmph, I'm still waiting...


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## denn

If that stove has a donut heat exchanger at the top, there's not many coal stoves built as efficent today.
It's not as efficent as a coal baseburner.
But for wood there is better choices


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## SMPRFI33

Looking at the dates of all these messages I suppose this reply comes too late to do any good but it might help somebody in the future from taking any advice to replace this stove with a modern one. I have this exact stove and have used it for thirty some years. This beautiful art deco stove represented the pinnacle of American stove technology and manufacturing in its day. Seldom, no never, have I seen a modern stove to compare with it over all. Yes some might get a longer burn, but many don't. Absolutely none have all its features.

   I have burned both wood and coal in it. I found the coal got so hot it damaged the grates over the course of two seasons and while it gave off more heat it did not actually burn longer than wood. For all these years I have used about three cords per season and an overnight burn is easily achieved assuming you're using good wood. Being a lifelong city dweller maybe you are not yet able to distinguish the type and quality of firewood. If you're only getting a one hour burn your problem is probably that you have the air intake located the the cleanout door open too much. It should pretty much never be open more that one turn and as little as one quarter turn for a long burn. 

I get twelve hour burns with high test wood - hickory, white oak, black locust. Mid grade red oak always get s 8 hours. Regular low grade like hard maple or ash will not go as long so use it during the day when you're around. Nothing less than these should be brought home. Oh yeah, there is another small air intake on the inside of the upper door. It is a small round flap which should always be kept closed when burning wood since its purpose
was to give a shot of fresh air over top of the coal to burn off all remaining gasses. There is a crank on the lower right which dumps the ashes into the cleanout tray. There is a pedal at the lower left front which opens the feed door if you come in with an armload of wood. The stove can be burning while you remove the ash tray so I typically have the stove going for a month non stop in the winter. Because the outer jacket is enameled steel with a
space between it and the inner cast iron firebox, you can always touch the stove without getting burned. Room air goes in the louvres all around the bottom. moves by convection up between the outer steel and inner firebox and gushes out the top. This stove is truly a marvel of design. One more benefit is that it takes wood 12-13 inches long, no 18-24 inch pieces to split and carry.


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## begreen

Good information, thanks. And welcome to hearth.com.


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## bholler

SMPRFI33 said:


> Yes some might get a longer burn, but many don't. Absolutely none have all its features.


What feature are you referring to i like the stoves and they are pretty good coal stoves and ok wood stoves but they are no where near as good as most new wood stoves i am sorry.  But i agree that they look very good and for coal if you know how to burn it and have a barometric damper on them they work great.


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## SMPRFI33

Cawley Lemay: I listed its many features in my previous reply. Please read again. As I also said I didn't like using coal. Too much heat can ruin the grates, plus you generally have to let it go out for cleaning. Disposal of the ash and clinkers is a problem.
Other than those gigantic outdoor stoves that use the rediculous 42 inch logs I have seen no other stove that beats it by much and those that do use 16-24  inch logs so you can see that they use a minimum of thirty three
percent more fuel to do it. And, you use thirty three percent more effort to split and carry the wood. So much for the efficiency of the modern stove. This was designed at the time when all wood was cut by hand so it was even more important
to maximize return. I feel this is something that virtually everyone overlooks. As I said, I've had this for thirty some years and in all that time have cut and split my own wood. Never once bought any. I think I'd have been worn out by now
as are all my friends with supposedly efficient modern stoves.

I like that that while the outside is hot, your skin doesn't stick to it if you should touch it by accident. I like that it can burn indefintely without having to go out for cleaning. I know of no modern stove with such and ingenious and functional
convection system. At best  they are all just cast iron boxes, at worst steel boxes lined with firebrick. This stove is a masterpiece of design, engineering and manufacturing that lazy cost cutting people nowadays simply cannot equal.
On the other hand, those pellet stoves can be pretty great apart from the obvious drawbacks: you have to buy the pellets and you have to plug them in!

What kind of stove do you have? What's your typical  burn time? And of course, what length is you firewood? What's your favorite? Thanks for the reply. I hope to hear from you again.


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## bholler

My cawley can burn non stop too I get at least 8 hours it uses 24" splits which means fewer cuts which to me is easier but that is debatable.  I am by no means saying that heaterolas are not good stoves but my cawley is from the same era and it is much more efficient.  If i had my choice of stoves and price was not an issue i would have a bk king or a regency 5100 for allot more burn time and heat output



SMPRFI33 said:


> engineering and manufacturing that lazy cost cutting people nowadays simply cannot equal.
> On the other hand,


What cost cutting are you referring to there is a whole lot more engineering that goes into a modern stove.  And the heaterola was not exactly innovative in its day either it was just one of the last steps in the progression in design of the parlor stove which was quickly phased out soon after that buy other designs.  And by the way if you really do get that long of burn times i am really impressed i have never heard of anyone getting over 4 or 5 hours out of one most get less unless they are burning coal and with a barometric damper they are pretty easy to controll when burning coal and dont over fire like you described.



SMPRFI33 said:


> What's your favorite?


If you are referring to my favorite wood that would depend on the outside temp when its really cold hickory or locust normally oak birch or ash.  And when its mild cherry maple or what ever else i had to cut up i will burn pine walnut or whatever.  If it falls and i have to cut it up i will burn it.


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## SMPRFI33

BHoller - Certainly didn't mean to insult your old Cawley.  I was not comparing mine to a crazy expensive Bk or other high end one like it for purely burn time Of course they will win on that score, partly because the firebox
is  2-3 times as big.  I was just talking about the average one that most people buy, and yours and mine apparently are their equal.
The mid- range ones mostly don't have the cleanout tray and so go out for cleaning. Other than that, all are noticeably lacking in all the other features I mentioned, most importantly the inherent convection system with the heat
exchanger "donut", louvres, etc not to mention any sense of style. I know that's subjective BH,  but hey...    Other than the remarkably long burn which is great but very expensive, I remain unimpressed. Mostly just black boxes
sitting there in your living room.

In all these years though, I've never needed a thirty - forty hour burn. If you do, that's surely the way to go and I'd get one. I wonder how much heat they're giving off at a low burn though. Do you know?

I understand that you feel fewer cuts and making 24 inch wood is easier, but for me cutting is the easy part.  Either way you have proved my point: _Twice as much wood. _  I don't have a wood splitter so that bigger length would be too hard for me.

Where did you get your old stove? What model? Sounds like you're really into stoves. I used to be but stopped paying attention until now.  You've revived my interest. Thanks.


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## SMPRFI33

bholler said:


> If you are referring to my favorite wood that would depend on the outside temp when its really cold hickory or locust normally oak birch or ash.  And when its mild cherry maple or what ever else i had to cut up i will burn pine walnut or whatever.  If it falls and i have to cut it up i will burn it.


You sound like  me. Ever notice if you go outside when burning black locust it smells just like garbage burning. If you get a log of it that been cut just long enough for the bark to start falling off it's really slimy
underneath and truly smells like garbage. Probably not a good choice for a smoker!


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## bholler

SMPRFI33 said:


> Where did you get your old stove? What model? Sounds like you're really into stoves. I used to be but stopped paying attention until now. You've revived my interest. Thanks.


I am a chimney sweep so i have to know about them i got my cawley lemay 600 free from a customer who burnt it without the combustion grid and baffle which cracked the top.  I got the parts and rebuilt it they are great stoves with an early secondary combustion system.  Yes i  put more wood in mine per load but it puts out allot more heat than a heaterolla.  And by the way i do like tho look of the heaterolas allot.  I sell regencies and have sold a few now the customers are happy with them and say they put out good heat for atleast 15 hours.  I don't personally have any knowledge of the bks but i hear they are fantastic.


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## SMPRFI33

bholler said:


> What cost cutting are you referring to there is a whole lot more engineering that goes into a modern stove.  And the heaterola was not exactly innovative in its day either it was just one of the last steps in the progression in design of the parlor stove which was quickly phased out soon after that buy other designs.  And by the way if you really do get that long of burn times i am really impressed i have never heard of anyone getting over 4 or 5 hours out of one most get less unless they are burning coal and with a barometric damper they are pretty easy to controll when burning coal and dont over fire like you described.


I am surprised to heart that so many get only 4 or 5 hours. Some of that is probably the quality of wood, some maybe have that little flap air intake open on the upper door. That really does burn wood fast. This stove certainly requires 
"high test". This is not a problem for me since I run the sawmill, 95 percent hardwoods,  in a huge state park, 50,000 mostly wooded acres. I do not even transport a piece with an irregular shape that would mess up my woodpile;

Most modern products from ink pens to airplanes spend heavily on engineering. Products as conceived by engineering then undergo design reviews before production begins and at that point, if not sooner,  serious cost cutting discussions
begin. Representatives of manufacturing, marketing, maybe sales and even outside vendors suggest measures that impact the final product. It is the norm, not the exception. Let's use this cheaper material, let's not include this or that, 
most people will settle for this instead. It is exactly why the quality of so many things has declined. Excessive craftsmanship just had to be phased out and much engineering effort is focused on this minimalist approach : what is the least
we could do or use to achieve this. See what I mean?  Things have to be made overseas, and cheaply.  I mean jeez, it was this mentality that gave us planned obsolecense. It is why one of my toy guns from the fifties could be used
as a hammer to break pieces off a cheap modern table saw. The plastic of 100 years ago was cast iron. Look at the junk we have now. It is why we have tools that break and black box stoves in the lining room. Craftsmanship and elegance 
is eliminatedwherever feasible. beginning with this casting mold - if casting is even used - because it cuts costs. The good modern ones certainly do work better than our old ones but most of them don't and most of them are just variations on a box. 
Only a few actually inspire admiration. I don't know BH, maybe I really just like the Heatrola as art from a time when more overall quality and form rather than just efficiency was valued.That's just me. I don't wear hats or sunglasses
or use seatbelts either. I like revolvers and bolt actions too. No cheap metal stampings allowed.


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## bholler

I am curious how many modern stoves you have actually inspected played with and burnt.  Most are not examples of cost cutting some absolutely are but most good stoves seem pretty intent on putting out the best quality stove they can most are made in north america out of good materials.  And yes you can still get very pretty cast stoves and stone stoves but for basic functionality the plate steel ones are great.  Yes most dont look that great but they are meant to heat and most do that very well if you know how to use them




SMPRFI33 said:


> he good modern ones certainly do work better than our old ones but most of them don't and most of them are just variations on a box


Most new stoves are pretty good there are some crappy ones but i would say that most will out preform either of our stoves i am sorry.    Also if you look at the parlor stoves from the time you stove was built they all look about the same just as in the 80s most look like fishers.  That is just how it works Right now the majority are black boxes with a big glass door.  I am by no means bashing you stove but until you have some real experience with a range of new stoves you should not bash them either.  And i love my cawley but i am keeping my eye out for a nice modern stove at a good price to put upstairs.  I want a modern one up there because of the massively reduced clearances increased efficiency ect.  My cawley will still get used in the basement but the second one will be there to help out when needed  And i am curious what wearing seat belts has to do with stoves.  I cant understand why some one wouldn't wear one either but to each their own


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## Jags

I get to watch my fire.


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## bholler

that is always nice jags.  Like i said i will be getting a modern stove for upstairs sooner or later


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## DougieD

SMPRFI33 said:


> Looking at the dates of all these messages I suppose this reply comes too late to do any good but it might help somebody in the future from taking any advice to replace this stove with a modern one. I have this exact stove and have used it for thirty some years. This beautiful art deco stove represented the pinnacle of American stove technology and manufacturing in its day. Seldom, no never, have I seen a modern stove to compare with it over all. Yes some might get a longer burn, but many don't. Absolutely none have all its features.
> 
> I have burned both wood and coal in it. I found the coal got so hot it damaged the grates over the course of two seasons and while it gave off more heat it did not actually burn longer than wood. For all these years I have used about three cords per season and an overnight burn is easily achieved assuming you're using good wood. Being a lifelong city dweller maybe you are not yet able to distinguish the type and quality of firewood. If you're only getting a one hour burn your problem is probably that you have the air intake located the the cleanout door open too much. It should pretty much never be open more that one turn and as little as one quarter turn for a long burn.
> 
> I get twelve hour burns with high test wood - hickory, white oak, black locust. Mid grade red oak always get s 8 hours. Regular low grade like hard maple or ash will not go as long so use it during the day when you're around. Nothing less than these should be brought home. Oh yeah, there is another small air intake on the inside of the upper door. It is a small round flap which should always be kept closed when burning wood since its purpose
> was to give a shot of fresh air over top of the coal to burn off all remaining gasses. There is a crank on the lower right which dumps the ashes into the cleanout tray. There is a pedal at the lower left front which opens the feed door if you come in with an armload of wood. The stove can be burning while you remove the ash tray so I typically have the stove going for a month non stop in the winter. Because the outer jacket is enameled steel with a
> space between it and the inner cast iron firebox, you can always touch the stove without getting burned. Room air goes in the louvres all around the bottom. moves by convection up between the outer steel and inner firebox and gushes out the top. This stove is truly a marvel of design. One more benefit is that it takes wood 12-13 inches long, no 18-24 inch pieces to split and carry.



Good Info. I have a Heatrola that looks like this:





And on the door is a screen assembly that looks like this:




That's a metal screen with what used to be something like mylar over it, but it got brittle with age and tore and broke. Do I need to replace that mylar (or whatever it is) to use this thing to burn wood in my garage? What is that film, and what does it do? Given there are two holes below, I'm wondering how important it is that those screens be sealed off with that film.

Thanks for any insight you can provide. I just want to use this to heat my garage/shop while I'm working in it. I seem to have a steady supply of soft wood to feed it.


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## begreen

The 'mylar' like substance is most likely mica aka isinglass. It is definitely required for safe burning. You can still buy this online. 

Note that having a wood stove in a garage is not permitted in many areas. Check local regs.


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## DougieD

begreen said:


> The 'mylar' like substance is most likely mica aka isinglass. It is definitely required for safe burning. You can still buy this online.
> 
> Note that having a wood stove in a garage is not permitted in many areas. Check local regs.




Thanks, begreen. I found some Mica (it's a little pricey) and ordered it. About 20 bucks delivered for two 4x5 pieces. And ordered some furnace cement to repair the cracks in the cast iron exhaust. We'll see how it goes. (Should I use that furnace cement to seal the joints in my chimney pipes?)


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## begreen

DougieD said:


> And ordered some furnace cement to repair the cracks in the cast iron exhaust


That makes me a bit nervous. Furnace cement will rarely stay in this type of repair. You might take the piece to a good custom automobile exhaust welder for a better repair if possible.


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