New to me Fireview 205 may be too much restoration for me

[biopete]

Hi All. I got a Fireview 205 from the original owner nearby in Arivaca, AZ. I found Todd's rebuild thread here researching what stove i should buy and then I saw on marketplace there were two fireview 205s here at the same time and I got one and the other one got away. Woodstock looked it up and said it was sold Feb 2009 and shipped to Arivaca, AZ. He was originally asking $1200 for it but said he would take half so it seemed good. $600 for a stove that wasn't used much here in AZ.
The other one that got away the person was asking $2000 for . It may have been a lot newer or something. Or it seems a little trendy here to ask twice as much than you will take on marketplace. I've seen that a lot. I bought a bike marked down from 175.00 ultimately for 65.00 . Lol.

My stove was rusty but I thought it just needed a little cleanup work and paint job. I have been trying to take it apart to paint and make operational and replacing gaskets and such. All in all the stone is in great shape. He said it got rained on but I didn't really probe much because how much rain could it get here in AZ ? Avg is 18 in a year, lol.

It must have just rained down his chimney pipe or something . Every bolt I have tried to remove has broke or stripped lol. My plan was to take the the combuster pan out and clean it up, inpsect it from there. Or at least get the cover off and peak inside https://www.woodstove.com/image/catalog/205 Fireview /Instructions/Old-Format-Instructions/205-comb-pan-preasssembled.pdf The 4 flat head bolts holding the cover on won't budge though. Any ideas there? I got a flat head socket and impact and still no luck.

What do you all think? Does it take a lot to get. an old stove in this shape back up to snuff? I will see what woodstock thinks as I emailed some pics and they said they would look and advise what I need. Here are some pics . Maybe i just need to replace the gaskets, get a few new parts and paint it and she should be good. That would be great. Otherwise anyone interested in taking this off my hands or I will just It won't take much arm twisting

I'm going to call Woodstock tomorrow. They are so nice. I am really tempted to buy a new one and just focus on the hearth myself and installing the chimney as that has to all get done. After doing all that myself I will deserve a beautiful new stove that will just work and the wife will too. That would be much better than installing this 500lb behemoth and it smokes and doesn't work after all that. Plus It would be fun to pull her leg and pretend I rebuilt the old stove like new too. He hee.

 

[Todd]

Those pictures look worse that the ones you posted before. Lots of rust, I can see why you’re busting off bolts. It will be interesting to see what Woodstock has to say.

I think I would try and get that combustor pan out somehow. I wonder if you tie a rope around it and removed the four corner tie rods, popped the top frame off you may be able to lift the whole thing out? Not exactly sure though since the bottom half of that combustor pan is held in by those two eye bolts inside the firebox. I probably wouldn’t do anything til Woodstock advises.

 

[biopete]

Thanks Todd. I talked to Katelynn at Woodstock. She said the cover bolts should come out with some pb blaster but I can’t get inside to get pb blaster on the bolts much. I was thinking the same thing — just want to get this combuster pan out .. If i cut the eye bolts will it lift out with the cover on and just be heavier?

Turns out Katelynn has the Metallic brown color I want in stock and I am buying that. I decided this was too much work for me to be pressured to do .. Plus I don’t have any baseline of how the stove should work. It will be nice to have a baseline to work from. So all the pressure is off and i can tinker with this when I want too. Eventually maybe one of my children will get a nice house warming present in a few years.

How do the corner stone and trim pieces come off? One of my corners just kind of was loose and popped off but I’m not sure how they are supposed to be attached and removed.

 

[Todd]

Thanks Todd. I talked to Katelynn at Woodstock. She said the cover bolts should come out with some pb blaster but I can’t get inside to get pb blaster on the bolts much. I was thinking the same thing — just want to get this combuster pan out .. If i cut the eye bolts will it lift out with the cover on and just be heavier?

Turns out Katelynn has the Metallic brown color I want in stock and I am buying that. I decided this was too much work for me to be pressured to do .. Plus I don’t have any baseline of how the stove should work. It will be nice to have a baseline to work from. So all the pressure is off and i can tinker with this when I want too. Eventually maybe one of my children will get a nice house warming present in a few years.

How do the corner stone and trim pieces come off? One of my corners just kind of was loose and popped off but I’m not sure how they are supposed to be attached and removed.

Congrats on the new stove! Sounds like a good decision. I’ve been talking with Katelynn as well. Still missing some stones so she’s working on that for me.

My thinking is if the eye bolts are cut the whole pan should come out but you will also have to remove the front air deflector and scoop as well.

Those corner stones are all secured by the top frame and outside corner frames. Once you remove the four tie rods they can loosen up on you and actually fall away if you don’t have a rope or strap around the stove. There is a little stove cement on the top inside beveled edge to the frame so it take a little persuasion to remove the top frame.

 

[BenDE]

Those pictures look worse that the ones you posted before. Lots of rust, I can see why you’re busting off bolts. It will be interesting to see what Woodstock has to say.

I think I would try and get that combustor pan out somehow. I wonder if you tie a rope around it and removed the four corner tie rods, popped the top frame off you may be able to lift the whole thing out? Not exactly sure though since the bottom half of that combustor pan is held in by those two eye bolts inside the firebox. I probably wouldn’t do anything til Woodstock advises.

Hi Todd, instead of starting a new chain I hope to get a reaction from you, an expert, about this same model. I own the original Woodstock purchased in the early '80s and it is getting VERY tired. There is a good condition fire view 205 for sale in Watersmeet. What I want to do is convert the 205 fire view into the original model with top load capability (a must for me) by removing the complete CAT system. Does this sound plausible?

 

[Todd]

Hi Todd, instead of starting a new chain I hope to get a reaction from you, an expert, about this same model. I own the original Woodstock purchased in the early '80s and it is getting VERY tired. There is a good condition fire view 205 for sale in Watersmeet. What I want to do is convert the 205 fire view into the original model with top load capability (a must for me) by removing the complete CAT system. Does this sound plausible?

Ha I had my eye on that stove too!

The biggest problem with doing this is the combustion air system between the two. The old original Fireview took combustion air from the door. The new 205 gets air from the rear top and runs through the baffle and down in front of the glass. If you removed that baffle and air duct the air flow would be totally different and I doubt you’d be able to top load.

Some of those older Fireview had a rough secondary air tube and air wash, does yours?

I’ve asked Woodstock about converting the 200/201 to a 205 or vise versa and they said it couldn’t be done. Yours is even older, I’d like to see some pictures.

 

[BenDE]

Ha I had my eye on that stove too!

The biggest problem with doing this is the combustion air system between the two. The old original Fireview took combustion air from the door. The new 205 gets air from the rear top and runs through the baffle and down in front of the glass. If you removed that baffle and air duct the air flow would be totally different and I doubt you’d be able to top load.

Some of those older Fireview had a rough secondary air tube and air wash, does yours?

I’ve asked Woodstock about converting the 200/201 to a 205 or vise versa and they said it couldn’t be done. Yours is even older, I’d like to see some pictures.

That's hilarious. I'd say 'small world' but I guess if you own a Woodstock, it gets dramatically smaller automatically!

Don't have a secondary air intake and I did notice that the door on the 205 no longer had those grates. I assume the rest of the face casting is unchanged and was considering knocking the door on my old stove off and swapping them - I don't see me using mine anymore anyway so it's a throwaway and can pick parts from it. I'm currently in Europe and can't check if this is possible, however, so this might just be a pipe dream if it sells before I get back before Thanksgiving.

 

[Todd]

I think it may be possible but you may have to take the cast iron rear exhaust off the 205 and use your old one? Is it cast iron back there or solid soapstone? I think the older stoves had all stone and a 5” exhaust collar, the 205 has 6”.

The doors may or may not be compatible, you may have to switch out the whole frame?

Also with no air wash the glass will blacken up and be a pain to clean.

Why not just use the 205 as is? Top loading is a nice option but you would save a ton of wood with all the guts inside and it would be so much more efficient and clean burning.

 

[BenDE]

Yes, the exhaust is a cut in the full stone back on mine. No big deal on the pipe diameter. I have a full portfolio of every conceivable size and shape of piping. The glass is no big deal. It would likely get hot enough to peal it off once in a while and I'm not terribly concerned about seeing every tongue of flame. The glow is enough.

Honestly, I think I need the full firebox. It is my only source of heat and I live there throughout the winter. Although renovations are coming along to make the place much tighter, I still only have a few inches of 90 year old cellulose in the attic. I pack the stove completely full before I crawl into bed (sometimes even above the rim of the cover, keeping the lid just a bit lifted) and that gets me to about three in the morning when it's -20° before frost starts on the outside walls. Even with a considerable improvement in efficiency, I'm afraid I just won't have the necessary volume to make it work as a 205.

 

[Todd]

Yes, the exhaust is a cut in the full stone back on mine. No big deal on the pipe diameter. I have a full portfolio of every conceivable size and shape of piping. The glass is no big deal. It would likely get hot enough to peal it off once in a while and I'm not terribly concerned about seeing every tongue of flame. The glow is enough.

Honestly, I think I need the full firebox. It is my only source of heat and I live there throughout the winter. Although renovations are coming along to make the place much tighter, I still only have a few inches of 90 year old cellulose in the attic. I pack the stove completely full before I crawl into bed (sometimes even above the rim of the cover, keeping the lid just a bit lifted) and that gets me to about three in the morning when it's -20° before frost starts on the outside walls. Even with a considerable improvement in efficiency, I'm afraid I just won't have the necessary volume to make it work as a 205.

I guarantee you the 205 with the guts inside will give you twice the heat with half the wood and will easily burn overnight. I’m heating about 1000 sq ft leaky log cabin and mostly just need two loads per day. If it’s below zero I may load it 3 times.

 

[biopete]

Hello. Hope everyone is staying warm. Rebuild complete check it out. JK . I bought a new one. Now for the install. Question - how long laterally out the back can the stove pipe go? What my wife wants is to go through that wall and up on the outside. On the other side of that 2x4 wall is an exterior patio with a flat roof and I have to clear a rafter. So about 18 inches horizontally i need to come out the back of the stove and then the chimney would T up ? Will it draw good like that? I couldn’t find anything in the manual and i called woodstock and left a voice mail. My plan is to cut out that section of the exterior wall between the blue tape and make it all brick so the stove can be real close to it. Does that sound like it would work fine?

 

[biopete]

Oh one more thing — if anyone wants to take on this rebuild let me know. The stove is in Tucson, AZ .

 

[stoveliker]

18" horizontal depends on how tall the flue will be vertically. The vertical part generates draft, the horizontal part kills part of it.

Also making that wall brick: if still on studs then you only gain 1/2 in clearance as you take the drywall off.
Clearances are to the nearest combustible regardless of what (eg. Brick) is in between stove and that combustible.

 

[biopete]

Thanks. That is very helpful. Im going to cut all the combustible and put a header in to screw the mantle to 30 inches above the stove.

I have 20 ft of chimney to go up with if i need it. I think it needs about 12 to 15 to clear the 10 ft high point. Any idea how tall you think it needs ?

 

[stoveliker]

I don't know your stove well enough to be sure but 20 ft will likely be okay imo.

Look up the 10-3-2 rule for chimney height requirements in view of clearing roof ridges.

 

[moresnow]

Any reason to not simply go straight up and out?

 

[Todd]

I’d opt to go straight up but with 20’ chimney I think an 18” horizontal will draft fine. Wish I was closer I’d take that rebuild off your hands.

 

[begreen]

Congratulations. Straight up would be better but It will probably work ok if the chimney height outside is 20'. The effective height with the 18" horiz. section and the a 90º turn at the tee will be around 16'. Tucson is at about 2,400 ft. elevation so it's on the cusp with the altitude adjustment. However, IIRC this stove is an easy breather. I think we had an old timer running a Fireview on a 13' flue years ago.

Use an 18" section of class A chimney for the tee snout going through the wall with the appropriate class A thimble.

 

[DBoon]

I have the Fireview baby brother (Keystone). My install is about an 18" horizontal to a 27' vertical. I'm at 1100 feet. That drafts very well, and I am borderline not needing the in-line key damper I installed (I may remove that this spring). I think you might be just about perfect with a 20' vertical and 18" horizontal (even at altitude). A little extra height probably won't hurt you. I end up running the stove at 0 secondary air during colder days.

 

[biopete]

Thanks all for the replies. I’ll give it a shot. I wanted to go straight up and out the roof. Would be so much easier. The wife doesn’t like stoveipe in the living room look. I’ll let you know what i end up doing.

 

[Burnin Since 1991]

Thanks all for the replies. I’ll give it a shot. I wanted to go straight up and out the roof. Would be so much easier. The wife doesn’t like stoveipe in the living room look. I’ll let you know what i end up doing.

Stovepipe can be painted different colors using high heat stove paint. Just a thought. Trying running colors by her. Good Luck. Let us know what you and her decide.