# Lange 1979



## holg (Feb 4, 2011)

Hello everyone--I'm new to this forum.  I have been reading posts for awhile now and its obvious this community has a wealth of info that they willingly share in a friendly manner.  This is my first post here and I'd like to ask some advice.
I have a 1979 Lange, a Danish stove that I was the original owner of in 79, and burned it 24/7 for 5 winters, and compared to the old wood gobblers I had before, thought I had died and gone to heaven. It produced enough heat to keep a drafty southern Wisconsin farmhouse warm and always left a nice bed of coals for in the morning.  After 5 years, I moved, crated it up safely and always stored it in the house with the exception of one winter in a decent shed.  It was considered state of the art back then.
I have finished some remodeling and am ready to install a wood stove in a home that otherwise has hydronic heat--one main floor of ~2000 sq ft where the stove will be--good and tight construction and very well insulated in northern Wisconsin with a passive air intake for fresh air.  There is a basement that can get it's heat from a separate hydronic zone down there.
Until doing a little research and a lot of reading on this forum, I didn't know stoves had made so many advances in the last 30 years. My stove was tested and listed by Maine in 78, has met the specs of that time and my insurance is good with the info that that testing provided.  
The Lange is a cast box, kind of like the Jotuls of that era, with a chamber above the main firebox that required the exhaust to make to u-turns to exit, unless you opened a bypass and then the exhaust went straight up.  The stove was great, but I used to get creosote on the cap spark arrester to the point it would run down the outside of the class A chimney pipe.  I am now wondering if that was the stove's fault, or if I was guilty or cutting down the air flow too soon and I was the problem rather than the stove.
I am debating buying a new stove (Hearthstone Mansfield or VC Encore or ?) or using the Lange and letting it cruise with a little more air to solve the creosote problem.  Any thoughts?  Thanks in advance,  Riverbrother.


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## pen (Feb 4, 2011)

Welcome to the site!  You are in the company of a large group of pyro junkies as I am sure you already know.  

Are you planning on 24/7 burning or just occasional? 

What are your wood heating goals?

pen


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## holg (Feb 4, 2011)

Planning on 24/4 until I can cut down the out-of-the home work responsibilities, then 24/7.  I would like to heat the main kitchen/dining/livingroom open concept, with some overflow to the bedrooms via a 7' wide hallway with an overhead fan.
Thanks


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## pen (Feb 4, 2011)

Since that stove is still in model condition, you should be able to heat just fine with it so long as it is installed according to all appropriate distances to combustables (of course) and with a suitable chimney.

If you were to switch to a more modern stove you would save some wood and perhaps extend burn times as well.

Since this stove is obviously a part of your family and in good condition, I would try running the stove and seeing how you make out.  Keep checking on this site to see how others in the world are doing and if appropriate, try and find a new stove if you find the lange isn't doing what you need it to do.  

pen


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## Jimbob (Feb 4, 2011)

Someone on this site had good results modifying their older non-EPA stove to burn cleaner, and more efficiently.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/60745/
Might be something to consider.


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## holg (Feb 4, 2011)

Wow--the modification for the non-EPA seems a little daunting, and I'm a dedicated do-it-yourselfer. 
I was thinking of using the Lange and seeing how it went.  The drawback in my situation is I think I would design the hearth and area around the stove differently for the Lange then I would for a newer stove.  With the Lange, the hearth would be deep and not as wide; with the other stoves I'm looking at, the hearth would be wider and not as deep--and the stone work I would put on the wall would change then too.
 I guess I am still wondering if that old creosote problem on the outside of the pipe was likely a result of my shutting it down too tight or an inherent problem with the stove.  The chimney I had back then was a double-walled insulated pipe going straight up--~5' to a second unheated floor, then another 8 feet to an attic, then starting at that point up the insulated chimney pipe went thru cement block ~6' to the roof  and ~2' above that at the roof ridge.  I did have a stove pipe damper also.
Thanks again, Riverbrother


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## begreen (Feb 4, 2011)

Lange made some really nice stoves. I think you should give it another chance with some added instrumentation (thermometers) on the flue pipe and stove so that you can lick the creosote problem. With a proper flue and dry wood, it should perform pretty well.  If you want to go this way, the first step would be to get next season's wood soon.


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## precaud (Feb 4, 2011)

Sounds like you have one of these:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Lange_Stoves

Click on "Another small spec sheet ".

Nice stove. These older stoves are smoke dragons if you damp them down too much. Maintain a lively flame and they do quite well.


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## defiant3 (Feb 4, 2011)

The old Lange 6302's are among my all time favorites, and I heated with one until we added on and needed more firepower.  Speaking of which, 2000 sq.ft. is alot for one of tose guys to have to do, but with everythinbg else you described, it's definately worth a try.   By the way, there are still repair parts available for that thing from Woodman's Parts Plus here in N.H.should that ever be a thing...

Happy Heating!!


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## MF1529 (Feb 5, 2011)

I currently have a Mansfield and I replaced a VC Encore with it.  I would urge you to heavily research the Soapstone and experience the coal build up and heating before you spend $3200 on one.  I regret buying my Mansfield because of its slow radiating type heat and the time it takes to get up to temp.  I feel it does not throw as much heat as a cast iron stove.  One thing I can say is it's the best looking stove I've seen.  This is just my 2 cents based on my experiences.  There are a number of people that love their Mansfields.   I have also read the new VC's are not built like they used to be.   I would say give the old stove a go.  You know how it's been treated and they don't make 'em like they used to.


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## holg (Feb 6, 2011)

I want to thank everyone who has responded to my first post on this forum.  In reading posts/replies from before, it appeared the comments were always thoughtful and helpful.  Now I have experienced that for myself, and the advice given is helping me to come to a decision.  I feel I have a handle on my original concerns related to creosote build-up in a pre-EPA stove.  As to whether to make the switch to a new stove with new technology, with the thoughts shared via the various posts, my wife and I have more to base a reasonable decision on. Thanks again. Riverbrother.


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