trying to find the right stove

Howdy folks.

I'm having a heck of a time trying o find a suitable stove that fits my needs and wants. I'll go over what it is i have in mind and what i'm trying to do and maybe someone can help shed some light on what might fit the bill.

I like in a fairly new house (built 2001) which is centrally heated by a gas furnace. However, in my unfinished, virtually uninsulated garage i have my office. I'd like to be able to work out there during the winter, so a stove seems like a good option.

my needs are simple.
1) a stove that will adiquitely heat this space, all winter

my wants however are a little longer
1) i'd like handfired, because i like to maintain the fire
2) i'd like glass front
3) i'd like it to be able to run when the power's out with no electricity at all
4) i'd really like coal/wood stove, because sometimes a wood fire is nice, and i have a few large oaks that'll be coming down over the next few years, so i'd like to salvage the wood.
5) installed cost no more then $3500


The only wood/coal stove i can find that isn't a cast iron potbelly, is the harman tlc 2000, whcih according to the dealer is way too much of an overkill.

I've thought about corn and pellet as well, but coal seems to fit me a little better, plus i hate the fact they need electric.


any suggestions would be wonderful. i'm doing my best to research this in a detailed mannor, but sometimes the web isn't as friendly as i'd like for searches with my questions.


thanks ahead of time
J

Look at the Hitzer 30-95, it's small in size, is gravity fed, needs no electricity,has a window,gravity chute can be removed to burn wood if coal turns out to be too hot for your garage, it's pretty, comes in different colors and is built like a tank. Also can be purchased for under $2000.00 I think.

BK

maybe a Harmon Mark II or Mark III. I have the Mark II and it throws heat well when the power goes out. It also has a small blower in the back that circulates the heat great when the power is on.
It is havd fired and has a glass a large glass window so you can check the fire without opening the door. it will burn wood surprisingly well but is primarily made to burn coal.
I would also suggest insulating the garage. It would be so much easier to heat when it is insulated. Your stove will not eat up the fuel as quickly either.

Lastly, Since this stove will be in your garage I would not waste my time or money on the stainless steel flue. I would just find a local contractor to build you a good soild masonry chimney. I had mine built 2 years ago for $300 in material and $300 for the labor and it is 35ft. high. That is ALOT cheaper than the stainless and ( in my opinion) will last alot longer...

By the way, You can usually find a nice little coal stove in the local classifieds for reasonable prices. I bought my Harmon for $200.

http://www.harmanstoves.com/list.asp?id ... l%20Stoves

i was unaware that a masonry chimey would be cheaper then stainless. When i think about it, i guess it makes sence with bricks being fairly cheap, i guess i figured labor would be far more then that.

i think the problemn with the masonary idea is that, where it would be located isn't especially suited to having a chimney there aesthetically, i'll have to double check i'm sure. i really wouldn't mind it so much, but i know the wife would probably call veto on that one.

I'm planning on insulating as well. However, the stove was my #1 priority. I don't really want to finish the walls, and i read somewhere you should leave the pink stuff exposed without covering it I'm thinking 2" foam boards. I'll have to consult my brother, i don't really know what i'm talking about when it comes to insulation.

the dealer suggested the Mark I, well really he suggested a pellet stove for ease of operation, but i'm not fond of that idea.

bergw wrote:the dealer suggested the Mark I, well really he suggested a pellet stove for ease of operation, but i'm not fond of that idea.

I'm not sure how much easier it is to use, but if he sells pellets he will be a lot happier than you.

I had a pellet stove and in my opinion they suck. They don't seem to throw the heat as well as a good coal or wood stove. Not to mention you are at the mercy of the pellet makers prices.

My neighbor dropped $2,100 on a stainless stell chimney two years ago and now it looks like crap with creosote all over it..

if you get a stainless steel chimney pipe, you will like the fact that you will not have to climb on a roof to clean it or have to hire someone to sweep it for you. and make sure you get the kind of rain cap that allows for the smoke to completely exit the top of the pipe or you will get lots of creasote up around the top , the smoke needs a place to exscape. lots of people put the wrong typs of caps on cause they look pretty but in fact are not the ones for burning wood or coal. so the smoke just sits in them and swirls around causing the tar to stick everywere. dont burn green wood and soft woods in the stove thats not helpful either. hope the info helps.

Thanks for all the help.

After reading around the forum, i discovered that stoves made in europe are normally designed to burn both coal and wood. When the import them, the EPA only certify's them for one, usually coal.

esse made a stove that was about the size i need and looked rather nice. I found them retail at the semi-local dealer for around $1100. Then, again in the forum i found a thread that said someone was selling them on ebay. $240 + free shipping. Now i don't know about you, but the seems like a scam in a box. Corrie from the forums had ordered one, so i shot of an email to him to see how it worked out. He said, it was in fact new in the box, came with everthing, shipping was actually free.

i figure they're discontinued models, the guy selling them isn't a dealer ... so it's probably some off liquidation.

Either way, i feel the money saved is worth the risk and lack of warrenty. I can't even buy a new pot belly stove from harbor freight for that price. and this is a much better stove.

Now i just gotta call around about the chimney. chmney's can go entirely inside correct? (well beside from the2 feet at the top). What i mean is can it go inside against an exterior wall? cause if i can do that i'll probably put it in the corner. that way if i ever move i can easily take the stove and the chimney will be in a place out of the way that doesn't prevent parking two cars in here the way a normal person would.

I'm extrememly excited about this. is that odd? i mean, it's just a stove right? for some reason i almost feel like i'm getting a new friend to sit with and interact with during the day. Maybe i've been working from home by myself for too long.

Sure the chimney can go inside. it will actually draw better because the chimney will stay warmer and not allow the gases to cool as quickly. It will also throw off a tad bit more heat. Just be sure your clearances are there.

Something to consider.

Alot of insurance companies are not all that thrilled with wood/coal fired stoves. Especially inside an garage that is attached to the house and has all kinds of chemicals such as gasoline stored in them. Might want to check this out with your insurance comany. You wouldn't want to have a fire and then find out you are not insured. I would also make this call anyonomous (sp?) just in case.

Yes, it is normal to be excited about getting a new stove. I think you will find it addicting in a strange sort of way. ( why do you think we are all talking about stoves in the middle of august?) I guess because it is a way to stick it to the oil companies.

Yeah, i called about a month ago to see. they said as long as it's professionally installed it's fine, no extra premium either. So i'm good to go on that one

bergw wrote:After reading around the forum, i discovered that stoves made in europe are normally designed to burn both coal and wood. When the import them, the EPA only certify's them for one, usually coal.

Be very careful buying stoves made in Europe, there is about 1 ton of anthracite there, so most of the stoves from Europe don't burn it. You can't go wrong with the units reccomended in this thread and if you ever need anything for it, its right there for you.

Hello bergw, welcome to the forum. A suggestion: go to your local dealer who has that stove for sale, and take several photos. We want to see the grate where the fire will burn, we want to see that the grate has a shaker mechanism, we want to see that the comustion air comes into the stove from under the grate, not above the grate, we want to see that the firebox is fairly deep in relation to it's area and preferably lined with firebrick. Also required is an ash pan under the grate, preferably with a separate door for the ash pan.

With any of the above items missing from the stove, it is probably a no-go for burning anthracite coal. Even if it is free, if it doesn't have shaker grates and under-fire air, it won't work well if at all with anthracite coal. Without shaker grates, you can function with a well designed poker that you drag under the coal bed to get the ash to drop through the grate openings, but this is a compromise.

If you can, take and post some photos, or email them to one of us and we can give you an 'appraisal' of the stove.

Keep an eye on the local papers and craigslist.com for a good used coal burning appliance. There are lots of bargains out there before the weather turns cold.

hope this helps. Greg L

EDIT: I have no idea why when I type in -anthracite-coal- [without the dashes] it automaticly becomes a link to a description. A bit annoying I think.

Greg L

Be carefull of European made stoves if they haven't been tested and certified for use in the US your insurance will be voided. This could explain the reason the stove is so cheap. If the stove has a certification it will have placard on it somewhere that shows who tested it , clearances and when it was tested.

I took a look on Ebay, and did a search for 'Esse' wood and coal stoves. The result showed an ornate stove with glass doors. Air vents on the bottom of the doors, no apparent separate ash pan or air vents for burning anthracite... So unless the photos are generic and don't show an actual 'coal version' of the Esse stove, I'd shy away from it. It may be a good wood stove, but from what I can see, not for burning anthracite.

It also since it is a very ornate stove. this can only be done with cast iron. This means that the top, bottom, front, back and sides are all separate pieces, subject to poor joints and sealing at the joints. Another reason to shy away from this item.

Greg L

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