Thoughts on non EPA Stoves...

I have a small place, 875 sq ft. Very well built and insulated, walls have an honest 6 inches of spray foam and very little thermal bridging due to the way it's framed. I use a late model Fisher Baby Bear and burn about 5 face cord a year. I think the Fisher is great!!! I love the history of the stove and how they came to be!!! The only thing I 'wish for' is that it had a glass door to see the flames. I bought it for $225 about 5-6 years ago and it was in great shape with little use. Been very economical and saved me tons of money and given me security in a number of ways.

A couple of my friends have wood stoves, but are not heating all winter like me. We talk about stove and firewood and all the things about a wood stove. They definitely think I should upgrade to a more modern stove for efficiency and to get the glass door. I just can't justify the expense when what I have works so great for me and that to me - if it ain't broke don't fix it, just treat it right and maintain it. I fully believe the Baby Bear will last me another 25 years or till I am dead and gone. I love the step design and I really love that there is no door gasket to fool with or burn tubes to replace - yes, I know these things all add to efficiency, but I think I am pretty good with my small set up based on my needs and that I could spend a lot of money to upgrade with very little pay back. I have to admit that there have been times where I was short on good and properly seasoned wood and have burned less than optimum stuff and I know the Fisher can deal with that just fine and I like that a lot too. I feel that I have the most cost effective set up possible and that for the most part I burn pretty cleanly with well seasoned wood - based on moisture meter readings, no visible smoke after start up, and very little coming out of the chimney when I clean it.

Not sure how many here are burning non EPA stoves....interested in what your thoughts are regarding your satisfaction with them, your plans to keep it or upgrade it, your experience with them either good or bad. And yeah, I am a bit concerned with the go green idiots that want to ban wood stoves. Looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say. Thanks.

 

Some of the Fisher stoves had an optional fireplace screen that could be put up when you want to leave the door open for a view of the fire (fireplace mode) not sure if the BB had that option or not?

 

If you're only burning 5 face cord I surely wouldn't consider changing anything either, especially if you're happy with your setup.

And I agree with looking into the screen if it's an option, or you could have someone fabricate one possibly.

 

From my research there was never a screen with the Baby Bear, I think Coaly confirmed that at one time although I could be wrong on that part. I looked into fabricating a screen, but we thought that even with a stove pipe damper it would probably be too difficult/risky to control much of a fire, even a small one??? I am open to the idea though as long as it is well thought out and safe...don't want to burn my place down.

 

What kind of burn times are you getting with the Fisher? While 5 face cords is pretty low, you'd probably use a bit less with an epa stove. That would allow you to get your firewood dried out, by simply using less and allowing more to be used in future years. The glass would give you light and a nice flame show. Not only is it light, is also great for your mental wellness, combatting any Seasonal Affective Disorder that could happen.

 

Been burning a fisher mama bear for 4 years and I’ll tell you it’s hard to beat the old “smoke dragon”

 

You don't burn any wood at all really. But you would like to see the flame, so I would look into a PE or a simple qudra fire, with secondary burn but no cat. No need to spend a bunch of money on something over the top. "Smoke dragons" kept us warm for generations now. Insulated as your place is, it may get hot, but burning a few extra wheel barrows of wood because a window or two may be open is nothing to you. Save the money on a bear rug to put in front of the fire or something. Enjoy the ambiance.

 

Man you must be very toasty in that house with that foam insulation stopping those cold drafts.A screen could work if you have a good draft going keeping the smoke from coming into the house.I put a screen in front of my Mansfield when I'm down to coals.That way I'm squeezing out more heat and get a little show.

 

Burn times depend on how I load it. Normal loading/not packing it in there, I get about 5 hours, which will leave me enough coals to put in a couple small pieces on them and a couple of larger pieces on top of that and it will get going pretty easy. If I load it right up and take time to really fill the fire box I can get about a good 8 hours with a decent coal bed left at the end that will also take off with a couple of small pieces on the bottom. I let the fire take pretty good when I load it up before adjusting the pipe damper and air control. I am fortunate to have a decent mix of hardwood on my property so I normally burn pretty good wood with decent BTUs.

 

If you’re happy, I’d leave it alone. Even if you cut your wood consumption in half it’ll never pay for itself. Otherwise, I’d go for a cat stove for its low burn ability. It would be very easy to overheat your small well insulated house. I can always stretch a 1.4cuft load for 14 hours, sometimes 24 hours (during mild weather, very dry oak). Good luck.

 

I know that I would not get my money back in terms of saving on wood that I use/process. I do look at facebook market place and CL throughout the year to see what is out there for a more modern steel stove with glass door, the prices are just more than I am willing to pay. I will still keep an eye open though.

 

Calling WeldrDave !

He knows a thing or three about Fisher stoves.

 

Hey there WeldrDave good to see you again!!!. Thanks for your thoughts on this. A simple Rectangular Frame out of angle iron for a snug fit should be easy enough to do and figuring out what to use for the screen though is something I have to look into...if you have any ideas on what to use/where to get something for a screen let me know.

Dave - do you remember that I have the rare Fisher Baby Bear with a cat in it???

 

Expanded metal would work well for your application.

 

Like what they use for a the base when doing masonry?... I have that in the barn, kinda sharp though

 

Something like this. Is not cheap but you only need a small piece. Maybe stop by a fab shop and see if they have a cut they will sell?
expanded metal - Google Search

 

You could probably find a fireplace screen on Craigslist or at a thrift store for cheap.