appalachian 36bw should i buy or go with something else?? plz help.

[topcat]

hi everyone my name is tom. I have enjoyed this forum very much over the past 6 months. i now have a very important question for all of you who have more experience in this field than i.I am a first time home owner aswell as a first time wood burner my wife and i have enjoyed burning wood .My house came with and old consolidated dutchwest 288ccl it was a freestanding insert located in living room on first floor. last week the doors broke off. now we are in need of a new stove.our house is 1800 sq.ft colonial.I am currently looking at an appalachian 36bw. the old stove used to heat the house pretty well except the kitchen.anyways how is the appalachian36bw for my needs which are heating the whole house on wood if possible if not atleast as much as the other stove which was 4 cords of oak since november and about 70 gallons of of oil per month.we live in the northwest part of rhode island which is typcilly the coldest part of the state.is this a good stove to purchase the price is around $1700 b4 delivery and instal add another $600 to that or should i look in adifferent direction.I'm sorry for the long post but i figure the more info i provide the better. i appreciate any and all info the great people of this forum can provide.thank you . and to all keep burning safe

 

[restorer]

You gave great information about your situation except why and or how the door was broken. What happened? Can it be repaired? Do you want to have it repaired? I am not a stove expert, but if it did a good job, do you want to save a lot of money and invest in your stove and make it work better? Let us start with how to solve your basic problem. Several members here will give you good info on what is worth saving and what is worth throwing. Let's start there.

 

[begreen]

Welcome topcat. What condition is the rest of the stove in? Does the cat convertor still work well? If yes, have you checked to see about getting a replacement part? Post a picture of the stove and the damage area if you can.

There seems to be two issues here - fixing or replacing the wood burner, and second, getting more heat into the kitchen. I'm not knocking the Appalacian, but you might want to think about service in the long term. What do your local dealers sell?

As to the first, I would also look at a new CDW stove for comparison. If you are used to working with the cat, why not stick with it for the longer burn times? If you are going for a big view stove, consider the large Englander 30-NCL for best value or a Quadrafire 4300 milenium or Pacific Energy Summit for a bit dressier stove.

As to getting heat in the kitchen, what is the house layout like? Where is the stove located in relationship to the kitchen? How open is the floorplan?

(broken link removed to http://www.vermontcastings.com/content/products/productdetails.cfm?id=311)
http://www.englanderstoves.com/30-ncl.html
(broken link removed to http://www.quadrafire.com/products/stoves/woodStoveDetail.asp?f=4300mill)
(broken link removed to http://www.pacificenergy.net/wood%20FS%20lrg.html)

 

[topcat]

hi,thanks for the quick responses so far.the only way to fix the old stove is to have the cast iron doors made.they are no longer avail.from the company as replacements.as i do more research i don't feel the cat was working my burn times were 4hrs 51/2 if we were lucky.as i mentioned this is an old stove pre 1990.i also looked up the manual and found this stove has a 38,000 btu max.to me this doesn't seem to be enough for my space.as far as the kitchen location it is located right behind the living room (which is where the stove is).keep those recomendations coming!!they will be a great help. thank you

 

[elkimmeg]

Top cat practically a neighbor can you provide a picture of your current setup tell us a little about venting these modern stoves draft different than your old one

 

[topcat]

here is a pic of the stove(b-4 the doors broke off) as you can see it goes right into the fireplace and up the chimney.as far as venting that's all i know it goes up the chimney. thanks

 

[Corie]

Hrmmm, doors broke off eh? Can you describe what happened?

I'd love to get another one of these stoves for the donor program. Perhaps if you were just going to junk this one, you would consider donating it?




Also, if the hinge mounts broke off the front of the stove, you can purchase just the front section of the stove, disassemble and then reassemble with the new piece. It isn't too hard and would certainly save you money over going with a new unit.


Have you been using the catalytic combustor on this stove?

 

[babalu87]

Topcat, in my opinion you couldnt do much better than a Morso 3610. Our house is the same sq footage as yours and if anything the stove is a little too big but our house has MANY South facing windows.

http://www.morsoe.com/us/Products/Stoves/3610/Model_3610/Morsø+3610.htm

 

[DavidV]

I have an appalachian. Bought mine used. it's 18 years old now and we love it. I hvave the 32 BWXL. Rhode Island is much colder than VA but I bet your house is more solidly built and better insulated. We run the stove 24/7 during the winter and it kept our 2200 SF home warm....gas bill averaged about 40 bucks(I don't get up in the middle of the night to reload.)I would have no problem putting another Appalachian in my house if I replaced the one I have. The only issue for me is I am cheap to a fault and I can't ever see myself buying a new stove.

 

[topcat]

hello everyone i think i found my stove.the quadra-fire 4300I insert can pick one up in mass for $2400. is this o good stove? does anyone own one and if so how well does it heat your home?

 

[elkimmeg]

good quality stove from a well respected manufacturer good luck and good choice