How old is your wood stove?

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
This my Dad's stove he made in 1974. 2 boiler ranks and an old coal furnace door was used to put it together.

dadqustove1.JPG


dadqusstove2.JPG


It had been their sole heat source since it was made and still performs great.

MVC-001S_41.jpg


This was my great granparents stove, where I reside, that was bought in the 1920's I believe. Don't use it now but still in place for memories.
Soapstone sides?
 
My first woodstove was a Nashua N24. It was the biggest stove made by Nashua. I bought it new in 1978.and used it until around 1997 or 98. I built a room in my basement where the stove was and it had to go. I then picked up a used Osburn 2200 fireplace insert. We have been using that continuously since that time. I'm not sure what year it was built.
 
We installed a Vermont Castings Resolute wood/coal stove (brand new) in 1985 when we had our house built. In 2020, we decided to change the hearth, so I took the stove out to the garage and decided to refurbish it. We stopped burning coal, so I took the coal "guts" out of it to be able to hold more wood.

1740070431650.jpeg
1740070526727.jpeg

Curing the paint...1740070614294.jpeg
1740070778800.jpeg

I guess it was made in 1979..
1740070661530.jpeg

1740070941957.jpeg

It's been a great stove...

Rich
 
Sorry to correct you, but the "baby" of the 1970's -1980's Vermont Castings line was the Intrepid. Got one in the garage I bought about 30 years ago but never put in a chimney out there. We did have a Hearthstone II in the house from 1989 until 2018 or so. It was pretty worn out - we put about 5 full cord a year through it most of that time. Its replacement is a Hearthstone Heritage and our usage is much lower now - it will probably outlast me. We absolutely love those soapstone stoves.
 
I am a proponent of later model stuff. Air tight models have been around for a while but I really appreciate the technology enhancements that have improved burn efficiency. No, not that I am harping about smoke and particulates, but those things are indicating poor combustion.

We bought a Quadrafire Isle Royale in 2010 for new construction and spent a few extra $ for the mahogany porcelain finish for the look. It has held up really well, the finish is kind of frail though. But the unit runs really clean and the 4 stage burn is not marketing hype. It's our only heat source. The unit isn't picky about the wood either. We've run a lot of PPine through it because of bug and draught kill and the chimney still stays pretty clean - mainly the cap gets occluded after the 3rd year. We pipe outside air for the intake. So I'm quite happy with it overall. It was worth the expense.
1740078435083.jpeg

A well deserved honorable mention is the Central Boiler I had at a previous place. I really loved that unit and it was a workhorse having to heat a 3600sf house, two glass greenhouses, a 36x48 shop and domestic water heating in the house and the shop. Every year it would have a chimney fire and I just let it burn itself out. It didn't care. I would've done that here but this place is too small.
 

We cook on the woodburner often in the winter. A, duh. Several times a week there are dry beans soaking in the back to go to a meal in a big cast iron flat bottom or a bizziolion layer stainless pot. I have a 1" x 16" dia thick pipe flange on one side as a heat sink so we alternate between the direct contact vs the flange based on how much heat is needed. Every night the fire dies out but that flange is still warm to the touch in the morning. It's our hillbilly crock pot procedure. And OMgosh does good stuff come off that woodburner. I tried to fry something once. No, I never did that that again. That's why God created a fire pit and that has its advantages.

We camped here years before building. Our firepit is beloved and still is today. We love to 'swing a pot' over the pit. I did build an outdoor oven later. Ever had a smoke pizza? Really good.
 
We cook on the woodburner often in the winter. A, duh. Several times a week there are dry beans soaking in the back to go to a meal in a big cast iron flat bottom or a bizziolion layer stainless pot. I have a 1" x 16" dia thick pipe flange on one side as a heat sink so we alternate between the direct contact vs the flange based on how much heat is needed. Every night the fire dies out but that flange is still warm to the touch in the morning. It's our hillbilly crock pot procedure. And OMgosh does good stuff come off that woodburner. I tried to fry something once. No, I never did that that again. That's why God created a fire pit and that has its advantages.

We camped here years before building. Our firepit is beloved and still is today. We love to 'swing a pot' over the pit. I did build an outdoor oven later. Ever had a smoke pizza? Really good.

The big 6-gal pot lives on the stove 24-7. Always have hot water to cook/dishes/make coffee or tea.
 
We did a Rinnai tankless water heater. A 100g propane tank lasts us two years along with the stove top. I think we use more propane for the morning coffee press and evening tea water than anything else - even keeping a pot on the stove. Yes, we draw water from the pot on the woodburner and it only takes a minute to steam on the kitchen stove. What cool tech we have available in these times. Each time there is a new propane driver that needs leading to our place - they don't last long? Must be a tough job....

Ya can live on the cheap easily in the middle of nowhere with no utilities. It would be harder if full time and a city job This is a major problem for young folk to take over a family homestead. But raising kids in the rough.... Don't they have memories?

Anyway, kids cuddled up to the woodburner is a memory. Now it's only the dogs. And me on occasion. Even an old woodburner is worth its massive weight in gold on a cold blustery winter night.
 
The wood furnace that we heat with here in northern Mo. is a Longwood. It was in the house when we bought in 1986. It was about 10 years old at the time. We have fired it every year since and we only use a backup if we are going to be gone. Very efficient and easy to cut wood for if you have a supply that doesn't have to be split. It will take a five foot piece of wood.
 
I have an add on Kingwood wood furnace that I bought used about 30 years ago. It works pretty well for heating my 86 years old house, despite what most folks seem to believe there ain’t nothing cheap about burning wood, but it is more comfortable than just running the LP furnace.
The front of the stove has had a crack for many years, I have had to replace the blower a couple times, and the fire brick about three times.
 
Back
Top