They are quite different. They 1800 and 2000 model seem to be well received without a lot of problems. They are more picky about the draft and dry wood then the NC-30 put perform well otherwise. The 2400 is in a category by itself . While a great looking ,clean burning large stove with a huge viewing glass it has door issues. If choosing this stove, ck it carefully for door and stove body warpage before you buy. Has a tendency to leak air around the door if you get a bad one.
My husband is very concerned about any roof penetrations, leaking because we are already having a hard time getting the chimney we had installed to stop leaking when it rains. The man who installed it is a professional contractor--not necessarily a chimney specialist but someone who understands construction--but had to seal it in the dark. Warned my husband he may have to go up and re-seal it. Sure enough, he did. But, it still leaks a bit.
Thank you for the info. I definitely don't want to end up with a stove that's picky about draft & dry wood. Just because we are already facing draft challenges (and it's a pain!) and we often have to scrounge for free wood that may not be seasoned perfectly. I mean, we try to use decent, dry wood, but can't always guarantee quality wood.
If the chimney penetration is relying on sealant not overlapped metal it wasn't done correctly and will continue to be a problem
If you dont have dry wood , your asking for trouble with any stove if heat is the desired result. Even a fireplace will not burn wet wood well. Smokes, smolders and you have to waste dry wood to keep it going and produces tons of creosote. And very little heat. Wet meaning anything over 20%. Fix the wood first ,all else will go smoother. I burn a lot of old 2x4s and floor joists to supplement my supply that come out of demolition jobs. They are very dry. Just avoid floorboards as they are usually varnished or painted or treated wood.
Sooo? You want a durable, economical wood stove that will be plugged into a vent system that you know is insufficient. AND you intend to make this work on periodically scrounged free wood that may not be properly dried.
Done right , heating with wood is way more work than most people realize or even want to sign up for. Its certainly not for everyone.
You are right about the high chimney being a lot for our mobile home. At least, according to my husband. He put a metal roof on it when he bought this old '88 trailer, and although he did add extra 2x4's or whatever boards to reinforce the roof, he says that the added weight of a much taller chimney would be a bit too much stress for our structure. However, there is the possibility of bracing it to a pole or other structure, as suggested, or we can install the new stove in the addition when we build onto the house.
I didn't know about those solar kilns! What a neat idea! We were able to get a little more wood from another friend who recently moved here and we shared some of our wood with. The husbands kinda work together to collect wood. Some of our wood was seasoned wood that we bought from others; others was just free wood that had fallen and a couple trees we cut down last spring to make room for our house. This spring, we will begin collecting (hoarding?) wood and making sure it's well seasoned.
No, I am trying to figure out just what we need to do to make our venting system work given the budget we have and the structure of our house. Also, we make every effort to burn the best wood we can find, and even drove a good distance at one point to buy seasoned wood from a guy who was selling for a good price. However, since this is our first year here and we were renovating the house while living in it with our 6 children, it was very difficult to put out the money and time needed to set up the stove and get enough seasoned wood before winter. And there was no furnace nor usable air ducts in the house, either. Buying a furnace and installing that along with duct work would also have been too expensive. Besides that, we want to be able to be more self-sufficient and not have to rely on public utilities to survive. So, we are doing the best we can to meet our family's needs on the budget we have, and we have a lot to learn about burning with wood- and homesteading in general. That's why I joined the forum. To learn what I don't know in order to improve our lives. Only then will I eventually be able to help others who are in the situation I came from.
It is a lot of work, but we are not signing up for an easy, luxurious life. We are aiming to be more self-sufficient, with the goal of being able to produce more than we consume.
I was mostly referring to the enormous amount of work needed to get a years supply (or more) of dry wood ready to burn. I had no idea myself when i first got into it. Im sure all the work makes some people have second thoughts. I too like to be self sufficient,not depending on utilities for everything .Good luck.
