Calling any DS Machine Owners

Hey fellas. Just a few questions. I currently have my stove in the basement and heat 3500 sq ft (1750 basement, 1750 1st floor) with a Harman Mark II. Brand new construction in 2012 (Ranch style) with double insulated pre-cast foundation so my basement is R-30. I have a nice view but with view comes wind. The stove works well and keeps my house a minimum of 70* but my biggest gripe is obviously burn time. I am very interested in a DS Machine stove, namely the DS1600WH circulator or the DS2100WH basement stove because of their price, hopper system and design. I took an hour road trip with my boy and I visited Jim from JL Cerase stoves today and let me tell ya, what a guy. Very knowledgeable and answered every question I asked and then some. I was there (with a 2 year old) for 2 hours and gathered quite a bit of info from him. Any one in the NEPA area check out JL Cerase Stoves, 110 Sweet Valley Road, Hunlock Creek, PA. 18621 (570) 406-7000. I've learned DSM has been able to keep their costs down due to the minimal overhead. This in turn is then passed onto the consumer.
I have spent quite a bit of time researching the stoves themselves and countless hours on this forum reviewing other DSM owners' posts. I haven't heard of an unhappy DSM owner which is a plus. Both stoves I am considering are rated with only a 5k BTU difference between them. The 1600 is rated at 125k and the 2100 is rated at 130k. However, I noticed a bit of a difference in construction. Both units were super beefcake and fully welded. My only concern is that all points of access on the 1600 were bolted on as opposed to the 2100 which were welded on. The framing of the load door, ash door, hopper door and flue hookup on the 1600 were bolted on. Those areas on the 2100 were welded on. Maybe I'm being overcritical but when I inspected the stove those were the only things I noticed that made me wonder about durability and/or quality. I haven't seen any 1600 owners (or anyone else for that fact) post any complaints about this though so it makes me wonder if it's even that big of a deal. I prefer the concept of the 1600 because of the circulating tubes and it has a glass load door but I like the way the 2100 is built. Does anyone owning a DS Machine stove have an opinion regarding the bolt on aspect of the 1600 or am I worrying about this too much? Thanks in advance for your replies.

What concerns do you actually have about the bolt on flanges? I've not had any issues with them on my 1600.

Yeah I guess that would be my only concern is that the flange is bolted on to the body of the stove rather than welded onto the body of the stove. I've read a few of your prior posts and you seem pretty happy with yours thanks for the reply. I'm leaning towards that 1600 too, it is beast.

It's definitely paid for itself. I love this stove.

Do you ever have a time when you wish it came installed with a fan?

MudFlapLip wrote:Do you ever have a time when you wish it came installed with a fan?

from reading other DSM owners,I believe that DSM will build anything you want to your stove,without comprismizing the stoves function.The glass doors can be added on also,and welcome

Very true I could always have them modify the stove to change certain features. Kinda makes you wonder though if it's even an issue to begin with, I'm sure they would've made those changes before they sent them out on the market if it was going to be questionable.

MudFlapLip wrote:Do you ever have a time when you wish it came installed with a fan?

No, the stove works very well without a fan. And welcome to the forums.

I purchaced my DS1600WH from JL Cerease as well, great guy to work with and good price! He delivered and roughly (basement) installed it into my house at no charge! Love the stove and very good quality. I burn my stove daily 12-14hrs without touching it and have gone 24hrs a couple of times and has no problem shaking down and firing up. At lower stove temps (225-275) I have gone 36hrs without touching it.

Sounds like you've had pretty good results with your 1600. I'm looking forward to a longer burn time and you've pretty much hit the nail on the head.

Did not want a fan...
does not need a fan...
Got the glass...
So i can see the ladies...
love the hopper...
MPD...
no baro...
Basement #4...

Even though the circulator stove has bolted on parts, I don't think they would cause a problem unless the stove was routinely being severely overfired. These stoves are built like tanks. The top loading door is awesome, in addition to using the hopper with anthracite, I have pulled the hopper out and used the top door for loading bituminous. These stoves do a nice job burning cheap bit coal.

MudFlapLip wrote:Do you ever have a time when you wish it came installed with a fan?

Absolutely not. Part of the reason I liked the DS Machine stove is that they are set up to maximize heat circulation without resorting to fans. I don't like listening to the drone of a fan, and I want to be able to retain the full heating capacity in the event of a power outage.

LDPosse wrote:Even though the circulator stove has bolted on parts, I don't think they would cause a problem unless the stove was routinely being severely overfired. These stoves are built like tanks. The top loading door is awesome, in addition to using the hopper with anthracite, I have pulled the hopper out and used the top door for loading bituminous. These stoves do a nice job burning cheap bit coal.

MudFlapLip wrote:Do you ever have a time when you wish it came installed with a fan?

Absolutely not. Part of the reason I liked the DS Machine stove is that they are set up to maximize heat circulation without resorting to fans. I don't like listening to the drone of a fan, and I want to be able to retain the full heating capacity in the event of a power outage.

Ok good that makes me feel a little more confident in the build of the stove. I was concerned that the bolt on portions of the stove would make it weak and prone to problems in those particular areas. And the lack of a fan isn't really an issue for me but I did know if any current users wished it had a fan for certain applications or conditions. Thanks.

So you do not like your Harman, because of burn times. I have a Mark 3 and I get 24to 36 hours at a steady temp at 475 degrees before shake down an reloading. I got this to save on heating gas and electric. So where is the logic. Does your Harman have a baro, load to the top of the bricks. A balance between draft and efficiency and other ideals from other very knowledgeable coal burners on this form. I asked you, why do you want to buy another stove base on burn times? If you want to spend good money, spend it on your home to make even more efficient to keep out the wind and cold. This is my 2 cents worth. G

Storm wrote:So you do not like your Harman, because of burn times. I have a Mark 3 and I get 24to 36 hours at a steady temp at 475 degrees before shake down an reloading. I got this to save on heating gas and electric. So where is the logic. Does your Harman have a baro, load to the top of the bricks. A balance between draft and efficiency and other ideals from other very knowledgeable coal burners on this form. I asked you, why do you want to buy another stove base on burn times? If you want to spend good money, spend it on your home to make even more efficient to keep out the wind and cold. This is my 2 cents worth. G

Yes burn time is my main problem with the Mark II but I do like the stove. As I said it keeps my house at 70*......as long as I can be there to tend it. I can also keep the stove running for 16 hours on a 40 degree day because the draft is only open 1/2 turn and it's idling. On cold days with 2 to 2.5 spins on the draft, I can't keep a fire longer than 8-10 hours and that's pushing it. I have it banked and stuffed as full as I can possibly get it when I leave at 6 am for work. When I return at 6 pm (I'm not married and I have no one to tend it periodically throughout the day) the stove is out or close to it. This is very frustrating when it happens several days a week. I have sneaked home several times to tend it on very cold days in order to save the fire. Unfortunately I can't do that all the time and quite frankly I don't want to and shouldn't have to. If I had a larger stove pushing more BTU's such as the Mark III as you do, I would probably not have to run the stove as high therefore obtaining a longer burn time. I'm asking a 72k max BTU stove to heat a 3500 sq ft house for 12 hours minimum. I'm pulling ever ounce of heat that stove can push and it keeps up well for a Mark II considering the amount of area I'm asking it to heat. I don't have a baro or MPD as Harman does not call for either. I've also asked other Harman dealers in the area who all state the same, NO baro or MPD for the stove. As far as spending money on making my home more efficient, I believe it is as efficient as I can possibly get it. Again brand new construction in 2012 with double insulated R-30 pre-cast foundation which is 80% underground. If that's not efficient I don't know what is.