We are getting estimates on our first wood stove, so far for a Quadrafire or Vermont Casting its about 8 grand installed. Waaay more than I hoped. Still waiting for Lopi estimate. I need brand advice, nothing from China. Lots of other brands out there from big box stores. Hard to find installer if you buy stove online. Help...
Someone said Quads were made in “China”, but I can’t confirm or deny that claim. I stopped looking at them when I noticed a lot of them being sold used that were not that old. Red flag to me. Perhaps it was coincidence. Lopi makes a tank of a stove. As does SBI...brands by them are Osburn and Drolet. Parts are cheap and service second to none. Lots of good reviews here in them and cheaper in price as well. To me that kind of money better have wheels on it. Jotul and Blaze King are also good stoves but also pricey. WoodStock is worth mentioning here also. Their customer service is top notch also...and order factory direct. Which Lopi model are you considering?
You’ll always notice red flags about stoves particularly when the customer/buyer is unaware what role seasoned wood plays.
“One” of the red flags I was seeing was fire bricks deteriorated far in advance of their life span being over. True dry wood or wet wood shouldn’t have anything to do with that.
The bricks are not usually made by the mfg and don't cost much to replace. I would not let that sway my decision.
Welcome to the forum Qualityytm It should not be difficult to find an installer. Most any good carpenter should be qualified to do the job and do it well.
Write a more detailed post on what you are doing; what needs to be installed, etc. and maybe the guys on here can help you out. I had never installed a SS chimney before and the guys on the forum helped me to understand what I needed to do. I did most of the chimney install myself; not completely but a good part of it by myself. I am planning now to install some sort of faux stone behind the stove on the wall to make it more attractive as if there is a masonry chimney structure. I even made my own hearth pad using tile and I had never worked with tile before and it didn't turn out that bad.
Excuse the pun, but for what it's worth, dollar for dollar having a stove properly installed and following the appropriate/required clearances is worth the piece of mind, to say nothing of the catastrophe of losing a home... or worse. 8 grand seems high... but there's some information we're missing. The type brand of stove is a good start, but what model, do you need to build a hearth, how the stove is exhausted, is there an existing chimney, are there other modifications that need to be completed for the install to take place, etc. whatever else I'm overlooking at this time. I'm not some grand carpenter or anything, but I was able to competently and confidently install my own stove and just did one at my in-laws this weekend. Depending on what your comfort level is a little bit of research / looking around can shave off some of that stick shock.
Listen to experience here and other wood burners. Go and ask who has stoves, and how they like it for heating. Get good wood well seasoned. A quality SS insulated chimney like Selkirk is not a difficult DIY job IF you follow directions. I've installed a few, with the last two on their 20th year. As above, stick with a reliable maker such as Jotul, Woodstock, BK, Pacific Energy; read reviews. Choose the tech of the stove: cat or non cat. We had used VC cat stoves here in Maine and northern Mass for decades. My experience with their "newer" stoves is not good. Finally, be sure you'll all enjoy how the stove looks
Look into Pacific Energy. They make steel, cast iron, and soapstone stoves. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
One more consideration: Most with wood stoves don't use them for most of their heating needs. Central furnaces are in close to 100% of wood stove owners. The "up from" a thermostat set in the 60's F is the norm. So, how much of your BTU needs do you expect out of the stove ?
I really like my quadrafire 4100. It appears a couple pellet stoves from quadrafire might be made in China, but if you do a bit of research, you'll see that while some castings and electrical items come from Asia and other countries as things do in a global economy, that most are made in the US. I'm sure that most stove manufacturers do the exact same thing with the global economy. From some other site.. "Quad makes castings in Europe and in Asia...and maybe even in the USA. They also make a lot of stoves (wood) in Wash state as well as share a lot of parts production from their factories (USA and Mexico, I think...maybe Canada too)".
I think the newer quadrafires have pumice based bricks. Mine have held up pretty well, and only 2 have cracks, but they are holding up well enough. If you don't want pumice based bricks, then buy a non factory brand when you replace them. They are wear items. Easy fix. That and don't slam the wood into the stove when you load it. No matter what the bricks are made of, they will last longer if you don't abuse them.
^^^^. This will save you mega bucks. I removed my pellet stove and liner and installed my 6” SS liner and my wood insert myself. Could only imagine what that would’ve cost. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
^^^Double This.... I installed my quadrafire insert with no dealer help. It was easy, and aside from getting the stove inside the house and into the fireplace opening, it was pretty easy light work. Sure, the stove was heavy, and the 18' or so stainless steel liner was awkward to say the least, but not difficult at all. If you are handy, and have a buddy, you can save a lot of money. It's very gratifying work too.
If it makes you feel any better my PE T5 stove + double wall stainless chimney install ran me over 7k.
