Looking at getting a new furnace

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gravely_todd

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I am currently using a Jensen wood furnace from the 80s and I was thinking of getting something a little bigger with a longer burn time as I am away from the house for up to 12hrs at a time during the day. The Jensen works well, but is hard to keep fired for that long. I have about a 2500 sq ft farm house without much insulation in the walls and when the temps aren't so low, I use an Amaizablaze cornstove for heating, but need the furnace to help with really low temps. I have been considering several furnaces, the one dealer close to me has Harman and Brunco, and the local TSC has Clayton from US Stove Co. I sort of like the Brunco as they are made somewhat local to me and like to keep the money in the local economy....(which is why I like my cornstove :clap: )...anyway, I am going to check further into all 3 makes and see which one has models that fit my application better. My Jensen currently has a 6" flue and a 12" hot air connection and would like to keep them the same if I can to make the installation easier as I already have that stuff in place. Any comments on the above mentioned makes ?

Todd
 
Considered an OWB?

Have you considered an OWB? I think that it would be hard to beat the burn times on something like a CB5036. I can often get 18-24 hours burn time with high quality wood. It is really a function of the size of the firebox - hard to imagine a wood stove that I can climb into (I am 6'4" and 250 lbs) the way I can my 5036 for cleaning. All that space means I can really load it up if I am going to be gone for a while.

There are a number of differences between OWB and stoves so it may not be right for you, but I will never stop using an OWB.

One other thing to think about - it might be nice to keep the older stove as a backup (the OWB needs power since it uses a circulating pump and the HVAC system).
 
all that space also means all that extra armloads of wood required to get those long burn times ,if you play your cards right you can get a forced air indoor unit that gets 8-10 hour burn times with a third of the wood the boiler guys use ,but each style has its benefit no doubt,personaly i would not want to cut over a dozen cords of wood or more than 6-7 for that matter
 
Brunco is a good stove, I dont know about the others. I have the 120 in an old poorly insulated two story & wish it were bigger. After I get a bed of coals down I can easily get 10-12 hrs and still have enough left to just add more wood. Bought mine in the early 80s for about $950 new, I see they are more than twice that now! But I have no regrets, just get bigger than you think you need if you are poorly insulated. Do your reserch,& Good luck
 
Have you considered an OWB? I think that it would be hard to beat the burn times on something like a CB5036. I can often get 18-24 hours burn time with high quality wood. It is really a function of the size of the firebox - hard to imagine a wood stove that I can climb into (I am 6'4" and 250 lbs) the way I can my 5036 for cleaning. All that space means I can really load it up if I am going to be gone for a while.

There are a number of differences between OWB and stoves so it may not be right for you, but I will never stop using an OWB.

One other thing to think about - it might be nice to keep the older stove as a backup (the OWB needs power since it uses a circulating pump and the HVAC system).

I have considered OWBs and have looked at several, but I am just not interested in getting one of those and going through installation when I can just replace what I have in the basement right now with a larger, more efficient unit for a fraction of the price. My neighbor has an OWB and really likes it though

Todd
 

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