Calling All Chubby Stove Owners!!

I talked to Larry at Chubby Stoves and he said to definitely use a barometric damper if we went with a chubby so I was trying to look them up and all I can find are the ones that would go in a vertical pipe (like a T), but our install would be in the fireplace. Would the same one work? I'm trying to get an idea of everything we need to buy for installation and I can't figure this part out. And I know we said that we could install the manometer after the fact. Is there anything else that gets installed immediately? Also, would you guys mind telling me how big your houses are, how drafty/insulated, state you live in, if your chubby has a blower, and how much anthracite you go through? I'm trying to get an idea how much coal we need and will the blower make a significant difference. I know that a gazillion things come into play but I'm just trying to get a vague idea. And one last thing, if you find one in your local for sale ads would you care to shoot me a message? There is NOTHING around me and I can get a refurbished one from Larry directly but it would still be $1500 (for one with a blower, which, if I'm gonna pay for a refurb I'm gonna go ahead and pay for a blower) plus shipping of around $250. So this is not a cheap alternative by any means but given the hearth space we have I think its our best bet. But I would LOVE to find a really nice used one fairly inexpensively like some of you mentioned in another thread because you can have Larry refurb them for $300-$400 which could end up being much cheaper than the $1500 if I got a good enough deal. Oh, and one more question...(I am also going to ask Larry, but would also like your input)...would it hurt the draft, stove performance, or anything else for that matter if we went from the 6" flue down to 5" pipe to go up the chimney? We could do 5" without dismantling the damper frame or bricks or anything other than the damper itself and I would love to go that route if it would work as well. Ok...GO!

You may or may not find this link of interest.

Chubby Data Logging

It was my attempt to record temperatures as measured on the stove and on the flu pipe as well as refills and shakedowns.

BARO - regardless of what anyone tells you - "you may or may not require a baro".
And even if you require a baro...it doesn't mean you absolutely need one.
You should be able to control the Chubby with the manual pipe damper (built into the flu outlet of the Chubby) and the draft air intake slider.

To be honest I think it's safer to not use a baro then it is to use one.
This is just my opinion - I am not a professional stove installer.
There's a ton of people on both sides on this barometric damper topic...you could research it until the cows come home.
I do not use one.

This a short clip of what the baro does - it may help you understand the operation. They use these things for oil furnaces also.
Most of the units I've seen can be flipped around or the counterweight adjusted so you should be able to make do with any of them, in either a horizontal or vertical installation.



Also - I'd hate to see you go with a refurb and shell out large sums of money. My first impressions of you were that of trying to economically heat your house - in such a way you could back up to the thing and roast your behind. You certainly do not need to buy refurb'd. Honestly there's not much to these stoves. If the grate is intact it may bode well for the entire stove. You should not have to spend more than $350 for a perfectly good unit - perhaps not in the middle of January...but in June/July you may find prices drop to more reasonable levels.

And no - you cannot go from 6" to 5" flu vent.
It is both illegal and unwise.
You can always go bigger - for example a 6" stove outlet to 7" or 8" etc....but never the other way around.

I hope all this helps. I'm not trying to be absolute here...but I do subscribe to the best bang for the buck theory.

I found your link very interesting! Thanks! I am really hoping to find one for a reasonable price too. I just really hate to pay that much for a refurb, but I want to get what we really need so hopefully the right one will appear sometime before next heating season. I'm about to give up on having anything in this winter I guess my behind will just be cold til next year. But if I don't find a good deal by next fall I may do something irrational, lol.

How's that go MS, cold butt, warm heart???

When are the 2014 Chubby's being released?

freetown fred wrote:How's that go MS, cold butt, warm heart???

Hahaha!! Well, I don't know, but I can say for a fact that if there is a relationship between cold extremities and warm hearts then I've got the warmest heart on earth! Lol!

EarthWindandFire wrote:When are the 2014 Chubby's being released?

I've been all over their website and I have yet to see anything about that. idk, maybe I missed it.

You might have a hard time finding a used one with a blower. It is my understanding from reading here that the blower stoves are really efficient.

I bought a refurbed Chubby Jr this season from Larry. It has a 5" pipe but it is still recommended to go to 6", which I did. I have a baro on it but only use it when real windy, otherwise it is covered. Basicaly, its just a small version of the full sized stove you are looking at. Its as simple and basic, easy to use, as they come.

We're heating a 1200 square foot ranch with my Chubby. Our house was built in the 60's so insulation isn't the best. We have the original single pane aluminum slider windows. Basically we have an under insulated drafty house. The stove fairs well though. It keeps our house comfortable until single digits hit, then our oil burner kicks on to pick up the slack. I have a barometric damper installed and it helps maintain a steady draft. They can be mounted in the vertical or horizontal position by just moving the weight. I recently installed a manometer between the stove and mpd, don't know how I managed without it. This stove is as easy as they get. It's a beautiful piece of art as well! My only complaint is the shaker system. Maybe I'm just lazy but I find it makes me fatigued when shaking. Good luck with your search!

Used Chubby prices have more than DOUBLED in the past year around here. I monitor used Chubby prices for Larry. Most blower units I see now on CL are now north of $450. Of course with due diligence you might find one on the cheap for say $250. You would still have to send it Larry for say $300, pay Larry to rehab said stove for around $350 then another $250 to have it sent back to you.

$250 for the stove +$300 freight to MA, $350-$399 for rehab depending on style of stove and $250 freight sent to you in Ohio

This totals $1150, perhaps more and that is assuming you can get the stove for $250. As I said used Chubby prices have more than doubled in the past year since Larry has started making new stoves. Many CL ads for used Chubby's are now making reference to the fact that new Chubby's are being made and list the prices for a new one.

The freight charge from Ohio to MA is a guess as well but the $250 freight to Larry to you is solid. So PRICE wise you aren't that far off from just getting the stove direct from Larry for $1399+ freight which I know he has one at that price. Are you sure you need a blower unit?

I would suggest installing a baro like Larry mentioned. Unless your space is very tight it shouldn't be an issue. A baro can be laid sideways on the back vent pipe and the baro face can be turned like a clock. You can always remove it later. I have seen many baro's installed with stoves vented in the fireplace. Reducing the flue is not a good idea. Tempting yes but I wouldn't do it. How about using a piece of flexable liner to squeeze into place past the damper?

We are heating about 1100 sq feet with a new Chubby. The wife always has the upstairs balcony door open. ALWAYS. She likes fresh air and of course the cold air rushes into the house yet I have no problem keeping the house in the 70's with an easy 14 hour burn at 450f+ here in New England.

EWF I am testing a proto 2014 Chubby now. Should be for sale next fall. The current 2013 models are awesome as well.

MrsSouthy wrote:

EarthWindandFire wrote:When are the 2014 Chubby's being released?

I've been all over their website and I have yet to see anything about that. idk, maybe I missed it.

Click on "new Chubby's" on the left side and page down. They are not the 2014 but they are new stoves.

Holy Cats,Gurl! You've Ping-Ponged all over the Place ! Now your eye'n up one of Dr. Larry's Beauties,Ehh? As far as I'm concerned,if Larry Trainer told me that using single-ply toilet paper is better for my Septic System,well I'd believe him. Case in Point,Larry's the Father of The Chubby Line-Up. He's lived long enough to see things come back full circle and a New Generation of Chubby's are in Shakedown Mode and then release for Sale. I remember you saying that you wanted the availability of being able to burn free wood also. You don't use a Barometric Damper with wood burning. If you fail on the needed Chimney Cleaning,as some Woodburner Folks often due,you invite a Chimney Fire. If that occurs,you'll suck feed air from your Home through the Baro and make what sounds like a jet engine. You lose control of shutting off the feed air to the Chimney Fire. When your sleeping or not at home,that's bad news. It's due to Creosote. I feel Larry didn't know you planned for wood to be burned,also. If you burn Anthracite only,then you follow Larry's Advice and use the Baro. What happened to the Hitzer Insert and the BaseBurner ideas? Don't get me wrong,a Blower Chubby's Good,but I thought you wanted to be able to burn Wood,Bituminous and Anthracite. Pardon my vast ignorance,but can you burn Bit in a Chubby?

Hambden Bob wrote:Holy Cats,Gurl! You've Ping-Ponged all over the Place ! Now your eye'n up one of Dr. Larry's Beauties,Ehh? As far as I'm concerned,if Larry Trainer told me that using single-ply toilet paper is better for my Septic System,well I'd believe him. Case in Point,Larry's the Father of The Chubby Line-Up. He's lived long enough to see things come back full circle and a New Generation of Chubby's are in Shakedown Mode and then release for Sale. I remember you saying that you wanted the availability of being able to burn free wood also. You don't use a Barometric Damper with wood burning. If you fail on the needed Chimney Cleaning,as some Woodburner Folks often due,you invite a Chimney Fire. If that occurs,you'll suck feed air from your Home through the Baro and make what sounds like a jet engine. You lose control of shutting off the feed air to the Chimney Fire. When your sleeping or not at home,that's bad news. It's due to Creosote. I feel Larry didn't know you planned for wood to be burned,also. If you burn Anthracite only,then you follow Larry's Advice and use the Baro. What happened to the Hitzer Insert and the BaseBurner ideas? Don't get me wrong,a Blower Chubby's Good,but I thought you wanted to be able to burn Wood,Bituminous and Anthracite. Pardon my vast ignorance,but can you burn Bit in a Chubby?

No you can't burn bit, not sure about wood, but at any rate this is the hubby's choice ultimately (yes, I'm one of those old fashioned "submissive" types, lol) and he likes the design of the chubby. I like it too, but you're right, I'd prefer to be able to burn all 3. I'm just doing the legwork and in the end he decides what he thinks is best and this is the direction he wants to go so I'm just figuring out what it takes to make it work well As far as the Hitzer theres really no advantage over the chubby that I can find except for the hopper but with the chubby being capable of 12-14 hr burn times I really don't think the hopper is that major of a deal. And the base burner, I love, but I'm being outvoted, lol.

Yes, anthracite comes in different sizes as well as bituminous coal. I would not burn bituminous coal in your Chubby. The draft design will not burn it very well. Bituminous coal needs more draft above the fire to burn it well and the Chubby is not designed for bituminous coal. The Chubby manual states to use only wood or anthracite for this reason. Anthracite is the hard clean burning coal that you want to burn in your Chubby. From the prices you stated, they are better than what I can get here in Pittsburgh, PA.....Doug

I answered my own question-Don't Burn Bit in a Chubby !

HB wrote:

Pardon my vast ignorance,but can you burn Bit in a Chubby?

No. Chubby's are ANTHRACITE only.......They do burn wood pretty good though as I have been playing around with that with the warmer weather we have been having in these parts. GOD BLESS GLOBAL WARMING!!!