Should I keep it?

[dhungy]

Hello,

Just bought a new to me house that has a Federal Airtight stove. Its small and looks to be in fairly good condition. I have never used a wood stove.. is this a good stove to cut my teeth on or should I get something new and more efficient? If the consensus is to replace who makes a stove that vents out the back like this one?

 

[peakbagger]

Not sure about the stove but expect the clearance to combustibles is inadequate (especially at the back of the stove to the floor). There should be rating tag attached to the stove with required clearances. If there isnt you insurance company may balk at allowing it. There are standard clearances for unrated stoves.

Standard suggestion is to have the chimney cleaned and inspected but may not be worth the cost if the insurance company wont allow or you dont want to reinstall with proper clearances.

 

[Woody5506]

Agreed the pad should have been extended on the floor to the brick wall. That's a bit goofy.

 

[dhungy]

Not sure about the stove but expect the clearance to combustibles is inadequate (especially at the back of the stove to the floor). There should be rating tag attached to the stove with required clearances. If there isnt you insurance company may balk at allowing it. There are standard clearances for unrated stoves.

Standard suggestion is to have the chimney cleaned and inspected but may not be worth the cost if the insurance company wont allow or you dont want to reinstall with proper clearances.

I would b

Agreed the pad should have been extended on the floor to the brick wall. That's a bit goofy.

I guess my question is... is this thing worth keeping or am i better served to replace it.. obviously if I replace it I will follow installation guidelines from the stove manufacturer.

 

[begreen]

The exterior looks ok, but the real question is the condition of inside components and how well they still operate. If you can find a certified sweep in your area that is familiar with Federal and Consolidated Dutchwest stoves it would be good to hire them to inspect the stove and the chimney for safety and operability. www.csia.org

 

[mtcox1791]

I am a newbie, but I was in a similar situation when I bought my current home 2 years ago. I had never had a wood stove before. I would not light the stove without an inspection from a chimney sweep. I would make an effort to find a good one. My chimney sweep recommended repairs to the chimney cap and a few other things, but the wood stove was safe. It is an older less efficient model. I have used it for the last two winters (not terribly cold in Upstate South Carolina). I am learning what I want when I upgrade to a new stove.

 

[Ashful]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but it looks like an ideal spot for a Woodstock.

 

[branchburner]

More important than the actual stove is the setup. Clearances were already mentioned, but the other factor is the venting. Chimney must be inspected and deemed fully suitable for a stove, regardless if the stove is old or new. (A 6" stainless liner is ideal, but a larger tile chimney may work, provided the tile is clean and sound.)

I see no reason not to give that stove a try, pending inspection for any cracks or other serious problems. They are fine stoves if in good shape. Even if not in perfect shape and not super efficient, it should provide a good into to heating with wood if it is basically sound. After a season or two, you could upgrade if desired.

 

[Destructor]

That looks like the exact stove we had in my father’s house. It was the first “modern” stove we had. It replaced an Atlanta stove works Franklin. It was an excellent burning stove and used much less wood than the Franklin. It is capable of burning overnight but we usually never cut the draft down enough to get it to burn that long, didn’t want the creosote buildup. It also can burn coal but works better as a wood stove.

Check the baffle/smoke shelf. They burn out, the rest of the stove held up well. Don’t worry if the baffle is cracked or a bit warped as long as it doesn’t open up. My father fashioned a steel plate to shield the crack on ours and we got a few more years out of it. The threaded door handles are a pain, a moron must have designed them but they work, just have to adjust them often. I’d use it if the baffle is still good and your chimney is safe.

Maybe you can put down some material to make for a safer hearth. The biggest problem with the stove is the cheap cast iron but like I said ours held up well except for the baffle, there are no replacements, apparently they all got used up. Be careful about the draft control on the ash door, it should be closed when burning wood. cracking open the lower draft does help start a fire or getting a fire going again but don’t leave it open. Shut it tight once a fire is established. We ended up replacing ours with a Jotul F100.

 

[Woody5506]

I would b


I guess my question is... is this thing worth keeping or am i better served to replace it.. obviously if I replace it I will follow installation guidelines from the stove manufacturer.

Sorry my original comment really offered zero feedback in regards to your question, but I would say as others have said that if it were mine, and assuming it's in working order, I'd use it. See how it goes before just getting rid of it.

 

[dhungy]

That looks like the exact stove we had in my father’s house. It was the first “modern” stove we had. It replaced an Atlanta stove works Franklin. It was an excellent burning stove and used much less wood than the Franklin. It is capable of burning overnight but we usually never cut the draft down enough to get it to burn that long, didn’t want the creosote buildup. It also can burn coal but works better as a wood stove.

Check the baffle/smoke shelf. They burn out, the rest of the stove held up well. Don’t worry if the baffle is cracked or a bit warped as long as it doesn’t open up. My father fashioned a steel plate to shield the crack on ours and we got a few more years out of it. The threaded door handles are a pain, a moron must have designed them but they work, just have to adjust them often. I’d use it if the baffle is still good and your chimney is safe.

Maybe you can put down some material to make for a safer hearth. The biggest problem with the stove is the cheap cast iron but like I said ours held up well except for the baffle, there are no replacements, apparently they all got used up. Be careful about the draft control on the ash door, it should be closed when burning wood. cracking open the lower draft does help start a fire or getting a fire going again but don’t leave it open. Shut it tight once a fire is established. We ended up replacing ours with a Jotul F100.

Thanks for the info.

Is the Baffle the metal piece that comes from the back of the stove and arches toward the front and top?

 

[slickschoppers]

i'm brand new to the whole wood burning world, but I've been reading up for the last week on how to properly install stoves, and code. talking with a lot of experts locally, and on this forum.

one thing in the pictures that seems out of spec is the hearth pad.

the experts here can correct me if I'm wrong and please do.


on any stove that I've looked up, the minimum hearth pad size is listed. for instance on my 30-nc it is 39 x 52.5 minimum, WITH AN IMPORTANT EXCEPTION !

if you are running any horizontal pipe, the hearth pad needs to extend below that pipe and extend 2" past the horizontal run or to the wall thimble. you need your hearth pad to extend ALL THE WAY TO THE WALL.

so far, I haven't seen any wood burning stoves that don't have that requirement.