So, I've been thinking of getting a new wood stove for my home. We currently have two wood stoves in our home. The one we hardly use is a nice fireplace insert in our dining room. The other which is in our living room is a Fisher Grandma Bear wood stove which we use (almost) daily throughout the late fall until early spring (when we're home that is). I'm a big fan of Fisher Stoves, they throw off great heat, but, it's very inefficient compared to the new stoves that are out there today. The stove pipe comes out of the top and there is no baffle to disperse the heat. Basically, the majority of the heat goes right through the chimney. When I burn, I do burn hot, within the 'burn zone' of my stove pipe thermometers, and there is very little or any smoke coming through the chimney when I burn. We currently have approx. 4 seasoned cords on hand (moisture content at 16% to 18%) in our woodshed and 11 cord currently seasoning for the next few years. We go through about 2 to 2-1/2 cord per year. I'm planning to save my Fisher Stove and place it in my barn / workshop for use in there. I use my workshop primarily on weekends. Our home isn't too large, approx. 1,600 sq feet. I'm thinking of getting a Jotul cast iron stove or even a Vermont Castings cast iron stove. For those who currently have those brands, what are your thoughts? I can tell you that the Fisher Stove that I use does work great. There are no gaskets that need to be replaced, it's durable steel and it's bulletproof. But, it sure would be nice to actually see the fire burn as there are no windows on The Grandma Bear. We all know the saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" Which, I may continue to keep the stove in our home. I was just curious if the community has any comments regarding the Jotul or Vermont Castings brands. Having a catalyst on the stove would be great to burn the smoke, having a baffle to disperse / capture the heat is a great thing and being able to see the fire would be nice too. I only burn firewood at 16% to 18% moisture content. I always use a moisture meter to measure the sample of each pile as well (each measurement is always taken after a fresh split, in the middle). Hoping all is well! This is a great community we have here!
No experience with CI stoves, so can't help with that. Have you considered an BK Ashford? It's steel with a CI shell, if I'm not mistaken. How about a Woodstock Progress or Fireview? Probably in the same price range. Not a whole lotta' love for Vermont Castings anymore from what I've seen. Oh, a variant of the saying is: "If it ain't broke, fix it until it is".
I've heard negative and positive things about Vermont Castings. I'll probably stay away from that brand as well. Pretty expensive if you ask me. I will research the Steel stoves as well. Also, definitely like the variant. Thanks for sharing!
I havent heard anything good about VC these days. I'd second checking out Woodstock Soapstone since you're in NH. You buy factory direct, so they're somewhat reasonably priced.
Howdy fellow NH neighbor! Yes, I will check out Woodstock SoapStone. I'm not too familiar with the brand, but, I will definitely do my due diligence. Appreciate the feedback!
Welcome, good luck on your hunt for a new EPA stove. Our old stove was very similar to your Fisher and it had a pretty large firebox. I replaced ours 5 seasons ago with a large firebox non-cat stove. Same amout of heat with 1/2 the wood, hard to imagine going back... The newer stoves are a whole different animal when operating and was a learning curve for me when I changed over. Very happy we did. Maybe someday when we get a budget with a little more $$$ we'll spring for another, bigger, better stove or maybe even an indoor wood furnace (we heat the whole house from the basement). For now we're plenty happy with the wood heat and savings we get from the set up we have. Again, HAPPY hunting for a new stove. There are a ton of great choices out there.
I have the Woodstock Progress Hybrid. Very happy with the stove. Pricy compared to other stoves WS makes but that stone is worth it IMO. Once you’ve sat in a room with a soapstone you’ll never go back. Very efficient too. Beautiful flame shows. My sister and mother both burn Ideal Steels. That being said I doubt any modern stove is built as well as your fisher. Those things are bank vaults designed to last forever . I know years back there were vids on YouTube of people modifying them in an attempt to gain better burn efficiency.
As nice as many of the old stoves (still) are, they can eat some wood. I'd drop by Woodstock and check out their offering(s) for a mid size stove. Pacific Energy has a few steel stoves with a cast iron shell if you're wanting the look of cast iron. Just don't let their current anti-catalyst drum beating put you off. I've rebuilt and replaced parts in a Vermont Castings, also a Jotul 500 and my brother has replaced the secondary assembly in his 600 at least twice. Once was fun/challenge. I have a tiny SCandia stove that's falling apart. I'm done with cast iron stoves.
"But, it sure would be nice to actually see the fire burn as there are no windows on The Grandma Bear." ... I must have said that a thousand times at our old farm. Same with the old Fisher we had. When we bought the home we're in now, we chose the Lopi Liberty, mostly because of the big glass. I love it now... watchin my fires...
You're welcome! Theres plenty of Woodstock owners on here, so you will be able to find plenty of info on them. If you visit the factory in Lebanon, they will be able to advise you what is best. You will be able to see all the stoves as well. If you get one that's customizable, like an Absolute Steel, you can see all the different combinations as well if they arent too busy. I went there to buy on a Saturday, and were dead. The salesman spent a lot of time with us out in the shipping dept showing us different color combos, andirons, and artwork. Great experience with some really.nice people.
And I hear the customer service is outstanding after the sale. We haven't had to use the service yet but we love our stove.
As a Vermonter for now I’d stay away from VT casting.. older ones are fine newer ones parts are impossible to get and my cousin worked in the factory. I got a Woodstock. my uncle in Sharon, had his mama bear rebuilt after 45 years.. he loves it in his basement garage of his raised ranch..
Another option to consider is the Drolet HT2000 or HT3000. The Englander NC30 as well. All are EPA secondary burn stoves that would far and away out perform your current unit efficiency wise. Guessing these will emulate the higher heat output you are accustomed to. They are well respected and the investment cost is low. Worth doing a bit of searching here and on other related sites for opinions/experience's etc. Believe you might be surprised.
Another vote for Woodstock. Any stove in their line is top notch and not many can make that sort of claim. Good luck with your choice!
We have 2 Woodstock stoves. If I was heating your sq footage I’d strongly suggest their fireview. I grew up with and used a mama bear until we bought our ideal steel, then we bought the fireview, pound for pound inch for inch the fireview is amazing. Heck of a heater. Good luck and have fun stove shopping.
