Time for a new stove

[emory]

So, after spending some time over the last few weeks with the VC Vigilant that came with our house. I've finally come to the conclusion that it isn't worth rebuilding. It has a single piece fireback that needs to be replaced, plus several other parts are out of wack (upper damper, both front doors).

Luckily I haven't lost anything except for my time to break it down. The stove to be will have the following requirements:

Located in the basement so it doesn't have to be decorative, but at the same time the basement is finished.
Will be used as primary heat source.
House is a ranch with partially finished basement, total square footage, including the basement it is located in is approx ~1800.

So the question I have is, what would be a suitable replacement? Should I look for something used or just go for a new stove all together.

 

[elkimmeg]

the current stove had about 50k Btu capacity so how well did that do the heating job? Second will you still want a top loader and slide out ash pan and cover it?

Will you be using the 8" connector pipe and looking for 8" flue collar stoves? Explain you current chimney venting setup the Venting issue becomes more imperative with Very draft sensivive ,modern stoves. If you coulkd find a decent Encore or Defiant it would basically fit your current setup with very little modifications I just bought a terrific condition one for $500

 

[Jags]

In that size of stove, if price is heavy consideration you may want to look at the Englander 30 NC. If price is not a deal breaker, you have about 50 stoves to choose from. There are a few quads that will fit the bill (I run an Isle Royal that I would give an A for a grade), and lots of others, like the PE Summit get very good ratings. Your question falls into the category of "who makes the best BBQ ribs?" Start window shopping, then get it down to a couple of choices and use the search function on this site, and you will probably come up with more info than time. Hope this helps and good luck. Keep us informed.

 

[emory]

Thanks, I understand it is kind of an open question, but was just looking for some suggested starting point. I've searched around the forums and it's tough to find a good starting point since everyones setup is different.

Elk - I'm not sure how good of a job it did since we bought the place in May. They claimed they used it but based on the condition of the stove, I can hardly see how that would have been possible/safe. I like the toploader design but am not stuck on it. I'm going to look at a defiant this evening, but my only concern is size (width) since the stove and chimney are located in the corner of a room.

 

[emory]

Scratch that, no go with looking at a Defiant tonight, guy just sold it.

 

[begreen]

If this is a corner install, check clearances first. The Jotul 500 and Quadrafire Isle Royale have closer corner clearances. There are also some double-skinned steel stoves that work well for corner installs. As a hybrid you might want to check out the Pacific Energy Alderlea T6 which has a castiron shell on the PE Summit.

 

[emory]

Figured I throw in some pictures. The outside one is a little dark since it's been pretty dreary here today.

First attachment is of the chimney
Second attachment is the area for the stove.

 

[Harley]

I see a little issue there with probably any replacement you might look to. That would be : What's under the rug in front of the stove as far as flooring? Since it's in the basement, I'm assuming its concrete, but there really needs to be something non-flamable, as the stove sits very close to the edge of the hearth. It doesn't look like you have any room to extend the hearth with the door there.

 

[emory]

Yeah, thats just a small dirt stopper rug we have there in the summer.

 

[Gibbonboy]

Is the white color on the stove from overfiring? The pattern looks right, if the doors didn't align properly.

 

[webbie]

In my experience, you might want to scratch the Encore off the list. It is a very controllable stove, but not in any way a powerful stove - and trying to heat most of a house from a basement location with it might prove disappointing. My first thought would be a stove with a firebox of well over 3 cubic feet, for long burns...and also something that can be cranked up pretty well.

Since you are not stuck with style, you might be able to find something for a better price per BTU......like the Englander mentioned, or any of MANY other models. You didn't mention your budget or other considerations.

In general, a non-cat is able to crank higher than most cats....which again might be of use when trying to heat from the basement location. So I guess we need more info as to budget, style, etc.......are you going to burn 24/7? How open is the basement to the upstairs for the heat to rise, etc.?

 

[elkimmeg]

Boy has that stove been over fired all that white area No wonder it has warped parts that need replacing

 

[emory]

You didn't mention your budget or other considerations.

In general, a non-cat is able to crank higher than most cats....which again might be of use when trying to heat from the basement location. So I guess we need more info as to budget, style, etc.......are you going to burn 24/7? How open is the basement to the upstairs for the heat to rise, etc.?

Hi,
I plan on burning 24/7, I have a good supply of seasoned wood, 4 cords. The basement is open to the upstairs via a staircase that is about 6 feet to the right of the stove. The stairs do not have a door and has a half wall at the top in the living room. There are no returns on the opposite side of the house (YET), but those will go in shortly.

Budget wise I can go anywhere from 1-2k.

 

[begreen]

Englander NC30 comes to mind for budget burning. If you're going for pretty, VC Defiant cat, PE Alderlea T6, Jotul Oslo are the first thoughts.

 

[Hogwildz]

basement location, outside block chimney. Man you have your work cut out for you.

 

[emory]

basement location, outside block chimney. Man you have your work cut out for you.

This will be our first winter in this house, so I'm not really sure how the location will work. We loose power around here in the winter during big storms. So it needs to be able to do it's job and keep the place from freezing up. When there is power, we have an oil furnace as well so it's not like this is the only heat source for the place. Are you thinking that we will have cold chimney issues?

 

[elkimmeg]

You might check out these stoves.I like the price of the one with broken leg and I know where you can get another leg
plus it may be near you the add has run for a while. You may be able to bargin a bit


VERMONT CASTINGS ENCORE WOOD STOVE
Used 2 yrs, nds 1 leg. Gd cond. $750/bo; Call aft 6PM. (Danville, NH) 603-382-6758 p


(broken link removed to http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/hsh/413758269.html)

have a 6 year old Vermont Castings Encore Wood Stove $1000


One factor these stoves will be a direct replacement of your existing stove same vent pipe used.
May not heat you entire home, but run correctly, it will take a big dent out of your heating bill

Plus the 8" flue connector might be the best possible solution to your outside block chimney and basement location

 

[emory]

Found this in the for sale forum:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/8703/

Looks like another 6". How does this impact the stove selection? Right now I believe, as elk stated above, it's an 8".

 

[begreen]

emory, is there an air space behind the stone wall veneer surrounding the stove? What are the current clearances from the back and side of the Vigilant?

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

Reffering to your comment too Hogwildz and maybe cold chimney issues:

When I lived with my parents we had a VC in the basement and always had draft issues starting a fire until one day I got sick of it. Here is a really easy way to get a draft going.
I would prepare my kindling fire in the stove and crumple up 3-4 xtra newspaper pages (for outside). I'd go outside and open the chimney clean-out door (make sure its cleaned out), put the newsaper in there light it , get some good flames going (shut the door).Go back inside and light the fire. It worked every time without getting puffed smoke in the house. As for a stove, make sure you call several dealers, when I bought my new Jotul Oslo F500 in Sept 04 here is the price differences I got for the same matte black Oslo F500 (pretty crazy)

Matte black Oslo F500
dealer 1 $1999.00
dealer 2 $1799.00
dealer 3 $1699.00
dealer 4 $1399.00

Hope this helps,
The Woodbutcher

 

[emory]

emory, is there an air space behind the stone wall veneer surrounding the stove? What are the current clearances from the back and side of the Vigilant?

There is no air space between the stones and the foundation. Currently there is about 9-12" between the back and sides.

 

[begreen]

That is what it looked like. This is not consider a noncombustile wall due to lack of airspace. I'll let Elk comment on code violation, but examine any new stove manual for clearances first, before you buy.

 

[emory]

That is what it looked like. This is not consider a noncombustile wall due to lack of airspace. I'll let Elk comment on code violation, but examine any new stove manual for clearances first, before you buy.

I'm not really sure how granite, mortar and concrete are considered combustible. This is in a basement, there is no combustible material except for the ceiling.

 

[webbie]

The potential for a colder than normal chimney is another reason to think about a non-cat stove in this case. Of course, you could line the chimney with 6" stainless and pour insulation around it. A non-cat puts more heat up the flue, so that can tend to keep the flue drawing better.

If your wall is solid - block or poured cement, etc. - then you don't have to worry about clearances to it. It still pays to keep the stove away a bit, as the wall can soak up a lot heat and end up heating the dirt outside instead of our house.

Lots of hints about dealing with cold chimneys in the Q and A as well as in the article section (how to start a fire - chimney articles).

WB is right - the key is to start it hot and keep it hot for the first hour or longer...once things get going well, they often stay that way.

 

[begreen]

That is what it looked like. This is not consider a noncombustile wall due to lack of airspace. I'll let Elk comment on code violation, but examine any new stove manual for clearances first, before you buy.

I'm not really sure how granite, mortar and concrete are considered combustible. This is in a basement, there is no combustible material except for the ceiling.

Ah, my error. If this is right against the foundation with no drywall behind it, then it's non-combustible.