Russo Combo

Hi all,,, I'm newbe and been lurking around picking up some info. I'm about ready to plunk down some cash on Russo coal-wood stove. Don't know the exact model # but it is rated for 15,000cuft and looks alot like and size of a Harman Mark I or Mark II. Recommended clearances listed on the back of the stove are quite wide, which I would need to reduce with appropriate backing board, airspace and perhaps a steel stove reflector. Some fire brick liner needs replacing. Shaker system/grate is fine. Russo is out of business I believe but the stove looks as good as any Harman hand fired stove I've seen, but I'm not an expert.
...can I resonably find and replace the brick liner..?
...can I assume I can reduce back clearance per my plan..?
...is/was this a pretty good stove..?
...how is this stove as a coal burner..? and as a wood burner..?
...got a hand damper setup, will I need a baro damper..?

I understand some have predicted a colder winter than the last five years, so I'm getting ready. Thanx all

..hyway61

See my tale below. They were probably all wood stoves, then transitioned to coal, thus, a small ash pan. They were good heaters. I don't believe the brick are hard to find.

I have a Russo wood stove. Assuming they followed suit with the coal stove, it uses common stove bricks, sometimes called "half bricks".

Okay thanx Tom and Freddy... good info Tom on your trials and tribulations....looks like I own the Russo. Will do a baro and manual damper in the hookup.. Flue currently comes out the top of the stove, which is what I perfer,,,hope that is OKay,,,,then 17feet of staight run 6" stainless type A....I'm thinking it will draw fine at this point,,neighbors tree might be an issue however....

thanx...hyway61

Freddy wrote:I have a Russo wood stove. Assuming they followed suit with the coal stove, it uses common stove bricks, sometimes called "half bricks".

The brickyard has them, they call them "splits" too.

My brickyard calls then "thins"
DON

OKay located a 'thin' firebrick...standard size fit exactly.. All the brick in this unit are the same thin bricks all around. Couple more are cracked but still stuck together. Come to find out this Russo is a model C-55. Only burned wood so far; an so far so good. Local dealer has got coal over $11/bag Blaschak....no can do that. This unit may be a wood burner afterall.
Anyway thanx all for you feed back.

hyway61

I have a c55 also,I burn wood and coal in mine.The stove is designed to burn coal and does it very well but still burns wood nice even without secondary air.Belts out alot of heat for a small stove and I can get up to 14 hour burns on coal

tstove....that's good to know...thanx. I wonder if there is a way to get secondary top air to a wood fire in these c-55's.....?

hyway61

I think you could drill some holes in the front wall of the stove and install some of those spin style dampers,I might do that also.As long as they are closed when burning coal they shouldn't affect coal burning.

I had purchased a Russo wood-coal stove for my dad. It is heating his split-level very well just with wood. He got 10 bags of Blaschak but as of yet I don't know if he has swithed over. The wood is free. I picked up a blower for him and he said he didn't need it. He is very happy with the stove

Yesterday I see Aubuchon Hardware had stove bricks in stock. Must be a seasonal thing for them.

Freddy wrote:Yesterday I see Aubuchon Hardware had stove bricks in stock. Must be a seasonal thing for them.

.
I'm not opposed to supporting my local stove store, but I noticed build supply stores, esp. masonry/stone suppliers, often routinely carry refractory brick...for fireplace building, bar-b-cue custom jobs and so forth.

hyway61

Whatever you do, don't order your replacement bricks from Russo's parts operation- FireplacesEast.com in Randolph MA. Very expensive, and don't fit like the originals. Later I tried to order a replacement connector bar for the far end of my shaker. One bar, $57! I went to the hardware store and got a anchor bolt of the same diameter, took it to the shop at work, bent the other end to match, cut to match and put it in the stove. Two washers, two retainers, one anchor bolt, less than $1.50 if I remember right. Who cares? it wasn't $57.00 plus shipping!

These bricks aren't the same size as the originals either, but for WAY less than the imitations sold as originals by FireplacesEast.
http://heating-and-cooling.hardwarestore.com/98-5 ... 36963.aspx

I went to my local tractor supply and bought them for $2.29 each. Perfect fit.