# Wood Stove



## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

My wood burning stove finally arrived! At the hardware store it had to be taken out of the crate just to fit it in the back seat. Once my boyfriend and I got home and tried to take it out we realized that it would be a lot of effort to drag it up a steep flight of stairs. It was decided that it would be a lot easier to drag the individual pieces upstairs. On the sides there were bolts where the body of it was pieced together and not forged as one solid piece. As we're taking the top of it off I noticed a fiberglass lining and a sealant between the pieces of metal. 

When the day comes that we have to leave this place or we get snowed in by a blizzard that knocks out the power, we will eventually have to use it and I thought it would be a good idea to put more sealant between the pieces before using it. What kind would be the best? The hardware store sells high heat fireplace sealant in a tube and I'm wondering if that's what I should use.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

Stove instructions have a parts listed and indicate what type of "sealer" they used?


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

TheLazyL said:


> Stove instructions have a parts listed and indicate what type of "sealer" they used?


The owners manual says that a periodic tune up may be required by refilling or replacing the cement/joint mortar along the seams between the metal, but it doesn't say what type is recommended. Would the high heat silicone fireplace sealant be the correct type?


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

WAIT!!!!

You need to take it apart and take it outside for it's first firing!! Don't do it inside, the smoke will be so thick you can't see across the room!!

Also..... the first fire needs to be SMALL. The whole stove needs to come up to temp very slowly the first time, as the metal will move around a pretty fair amount!! This takes at least an hour to do, longer if it is cold outside. I have a friend who cracked one of the cast iron sides on a brand new boxwood stove because he started a fire it that was too hot (too fast!)!


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

LincTex said:


> WAIT!!!!
> 
> You need to take it apart and take it outside for it's first firing!! Don't do it inside, the smoke will be so thick you can't see across the room!!
> 
> Also..... the first fire needs to be SMALL. The whole stove needs to come up to temp very slowly the first time, as the metal will move around a pretty fair amount!! This takes at least an hour to do, longer if it is cold outside. I have a friend who cracked one of the cast iron sides on a brand new boxwood stove because he started a fire it that was too hot (too fast!)!


Thanks for the heads up! I had a cast iron griddle do that to me once. The first time I used it was the last because it broke in half. I thought they lied about the metal content and put an alloy in it. I didn't know that it was the heat that could do that. Would sticks about 1" in diameter be small enough to bring the heat up slowly?


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Even high temp silicone is only good to 500 degrees or so and usually not for wood stove fireboxes. Furnace Cement is a more cement based product that was commonly used on wood stoves. When dry it is hard and not flexible. But will withstand temps in a wood stove.


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

hiwall said:


> Even high temp silicone is only good to 500 degrees or so and usually not for wood stove fireboxes. Furnace Cement is a more cement based product that was commonly used on wood stoves. When dry it is hard and not flexible. But will withstand temps in a wood stove.


I looked it up and they sell the furnace cement also at the hardware store. I will definitely add it to my list of things to buy.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

IF you stairs are wide enough you can build a ramp from 2 x 8 lumber or thick plywood and move the stove with a hand truck, if it is too heavy to pull, you can make an anchor to put across a door way at the top and pull it up with a winch.
(this thread will probably get moved to the homestead section)


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

Tirediron said:


> IF you stairs are wide enough you can build a ramp from 2 x 8 lumber or thick plywood and move the stove with a hand truck, if it is too heavy to pull, you can make an anchor to put across a door way at the top and pull it up with a winch.
> (this thread will probably get moved to the homestead section)


My landlord would never allow that. He would probably freak out if he saw the stove, which is why it's being hidden in the corner behind the tv and covered up with boxes. However, I will follow the advice given here and after the stove is pieced together again with the proper sealant and heated up outside it will have to be brought in our bug out cabin and a ramp will be used to make the job easier. Now that you mention it, I do have some rope and a cart that is strong enough to hold it. We could easily pull it up a ramp with a low incline.


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## Tirediron (Jul 12, 2010)

we have a set of 2 x 10 s that are the same length as our basement stairs, we just screw 2 x 6 blocks across them to hold them at the carts wheel track , the spacers also rest on a stair tread to keep the ramps in place, while we use them nothing permanent, same with our winch brace, ours is steel with a pipe welded in between , because we use it a fair bit but you could easily make one out of wood, a few blankets in between to protect the walls and no one is the wiser. We have moved a extra large fridge up & down the stairs easily with this set up.
Appliance movers also have hand trucks with tracks , similar to a bulldozer (only a lot smaller) for moving heavy things on stairs.


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## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I have a small wood stove, that can fit inside a 55gallon drum, with a little room.
I got it used & cheat years ago, for a green house.
But now I would like to try a Rocket stove.
I like the cob seat that stays warm all day, but have not built one yet.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Harbor Freight (and other hardware stores) sell the Vogelzang Boxwood for $129 (with a coupon) and I heated our house for three years with one. It is NOT a very efficient design... it uses a lot of wood for the heat you get out of it. My wife liked the rustic look of it.

I had to use aluminum foil "rolls" to seal the door and ash tray lid, the stove just lets in too dang much air! Blocking down the airflow leaking in helped a ton, both in wood usage and efficiency. I also left the lid closest to the flue slightly ajar to "break" some of the draw, this help the wood load to last all night long.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

> the Vogelzang Boxwood


For many years these were known as the #27 boxwood heater. They must have made a million of 'em. Good long lasting heater for a cheap price but they do eat the wood fast.


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

crabapple said:


> But now I would like to try a Rocket stove.
> I like the cob seat that stays warm all day, but have not built one yet.


I've never heard of the cob seat but have heard about the rocket stove on this forum. I'm planning to look into it later on because it's always good to have heat and energy from multiple sources in case one fails.



LincTex said:


> Harbor Freight (and other hardware stores) sell the Vogelzang Boxwood for $129 (with a coupon) and I heated our house for three years with one. It is NOT a very efficient design... it uses a lot of wood for the heat you get out of it. My wife liked the rustic look of it.
> 
> I had to use aluminum foil "rolls" to seal the door and ash tray lid, the stove just lets in too dang much air! Blocking down the airflow leaking in helped a ton, both in wood usage and efficiency. I also left the lid closest to the flue slightly ajar to "break" some of the draw, this help the wood load to last all night long.


The Vogelzang 106,000 BTU stove was the one I bought from Ace Hardware. I still have the Mr. Heater portable indoor heater, but not nearly enough propane cans to last for a while. You also can't cook on the propane stove so it isn't a multi purpose item. The only other option for us was to build a fireplace but I have nowhere to keep the bricks and concrete mix for it. One of the things I like about the boxwood stoves is that you can also bake on it. A long time ago they used to make metal boxes lined with insulation and a door on front that you would set on top of the stove and load pans on the racks. It functioned just like a wood burning cook stove (without the extra space). Some of them even had thermometers on them and they weren't attached to the stove so you could remove them whenever you needed to. I recently bought an oven thermometer just for that and post shtf, I'm hoping to be able to make a box to fit on top of the stove to bake with.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Elinor0987 said:


> I've never heard of the cob seat but have heard about the rocket stove on this forum.


Search for rocket mass heater instead


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Elinor0987 said:


> The Vogelzang 106,000 BTU stove was the one I bought from Ace Hardware.


You bought the BX42. 
I had the BX26 (96,000 BTU)
Be VERY VERY careful of adding too much wood at once.... you can ALWAYS add more.... but taking it out is VERY difficult to do! Small fires can be made into larger fires at your leisure.... but making a "too large" fire smaller is NOT easy. Burn those words into your memory.

As for 1" pieces... They are called "kindling", and they burn like gasoline if you pack the stove full of 'em. Even a small pile can be dangerous when they are dry and have plenty of airflow. Be very warned. Practice learning how to control your fire (wood size, and type) by learning from small ones..... large fires have a very steep learning curve!



Elinor0987 said:


> I still have the Mr. Heater portable indoor heater, but not nearly enough propane cans to last for a while.


You need to get the extension hose that allows you to connect to a 20lb grill bottle. Those little canisters are insanely priced for what you get!!!!



Elinor0987 said:


> A long time ago they used to make metal boxes lined with insulation and a door on front that you would set on top of the stove and load pans on the racks. Some of them even had thermometers


I have one, but not here. I forget the name on it....


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Vogelzang stove with too much wood and plenty of airflow!!!

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f26/post-photo-any-photo-15634/index136.html#post290528


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## Elinor0987 (May 28, 2010)

LincTex said:


> I have one, but not here. I forget the name on it....


One of the people that I subscribe to on YouTube put out a video a while back on one of the boxes. His was called E-Z-est Way Oven.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

I did a google search for images.... this one is really close to the one I have


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## elder (Oct 25, 2008)

LincTex said:


> Vogelzang stove with too much wood and plenty of airflow!!!


I was considering the Vogelzang "Lil Sweetie" for patio use as a trash burner, occasional and emergency cooking. The photo posted shows such use, how do they hold up with outdoor use?


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

Tirediron said:


> IF you stairs are wide enough you can build a ramp from 2 x 8 lumber or thick plywood and move the stove with a hand truck, if it is too heavy to pull, you can make an anchor to put across a door way at the top and pull it up with a winch.
> (this thread will probably get moved to the homestead section)


I have a big game pulley and gambrel setup, for hanging deer/elk/etc from a tree while I field dress them. There's no reason that couldnt be used for moving something like this up a flight of stairs if you had the plywood sheets to give it a smooth surface to ride on.

If I remember correctly, every pair of upper/lower pulleys on a block and tackle set reduces the weight by 1/2. You can buy one on Amazon for under $20

http://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B00CKCW7HA/ref=sr_1_3_acs_b_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389824983&sr=8-3-acs


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## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

Just a note on what someone referred to earlier in regard to bringing the temp up slowly.

First off I am a service consultant for a boiler combustion company, I have rebuilt boilers from the ground up, when i say boilers though I mean the combustion system within the boiler. I have converted coal to gas burners and this requires replacing the refractory (Bricks) within the lower portion of the boiler.

My reason for bringing this up is we have what are called "bake out" requirements, meaning we run the boiler on 'low fire' for several hours (over night) prior to bringing the temp up 50 degrees at a time and leaving it for a period of time at each 50 degree integral to ensure we 'bake out' any moisture contained in the bricks. If the temp is brought up to quickly the moisture in the brick or cement used to fill around the bricks will blow out because the water will become super heated steam and this makes a lot of energy that has no where to go but through the brick!

The steel that we use on boilers is heated treated steel, all good quality, high temp stuff! Still if we bring the temp up to quickly it will cause the steel to distort. We also check for air leaks (Tramp air) throughout the entire boiler during each temp integral to ensure we are not getting to rich of a fire, this also helps with emissions on large boilers. A large industrial boiler can expand up to 8"-12" from low fire to full power! This has a real ugly affect on steel if not done properly, like a lot of money replacing it because it no longer has any integrity and can't seal the boiler. The same can happen to your stove! When we do this on large boilers we have temp sensors placed at several different monitoring points both within and outside the boiler to ensure an even heat is placed on the refractory (Bricks/Cement).

The advice to burn a small, controlled fire in your stove for an hour that was given earlier was sound advice IMO! I would even burn a small fire twice allowing it to cool to room temp in between then after the second one burns for an hour gradually increase the size of the fire and the temp as well. I am getting ready to purchase a wood burning furnace for our new home and the first fire I burn will be outside (as stated earlier), then once it cools I will take it to it's final resting place in our basement where it will fired on 'low fire' for a few hours just to ensure it is properly 'baked out' to avoid costly repairs and frustrations!

Good luck to all of you!


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

elder said:


> I was considering the Vogelzang "Lil Sweetie" for patio use as a trash burner, occasional and emergency cooking. The photo posted shows such use, how do they hold up with outdoor use?


I'll bet they don't keep it out there. The rain kills the seals where the pieces are joined together. I have seen them rust away into nothing usable in 2-3 years when left outside.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

cqp33 said:


> The advice to burn a small, controlled fire in your stove for an hour that was given earlier was sound advice IMO!


Thanks for that!
http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f2/wood-stove-21505/#post290338


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## elder (Oct 25, 2008)

LincTex said:


> I'll bet they don't keep it out there. The rain kills the seals where the pieces are joined together. I have seen them rust away into nothing usable in 2-3 years when left outside.


Maybe the seals wouldn't be such a problem for outdoor use, or stuff foil in the gaps.

BTW, Harbor Freight has them on sale for $169.99. If they will accept the 25% coupon that's a great deal.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

elder said:


> Maybe the seals wouldn't be such a problem for outdoor use, or stuff foil in the gaps.


Then just cut the bottom 1/3 off of a 55 gallon barrel and use that.


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## elder (Oct 25, 2008)

LincTex said:


> Then just cut the bottom 1/3 off of a 55 gallon barrel and use that.


Wouldn't look so great on a patio short of SHTF.


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## Kodeman (Jul 25, 2013)

LincTex said:


> WAIT!!!!
> 
> You need to take it apart and take it outside for it's first firing!! Don't do it inside, the smoke will be so thick you can't see across the room!!
> 
> Also..... the first fire needs to be SMALL. The whole stove needs to come up to temp very slowly the first time, as the metal will move around a pretty fair amount!! This takes at least an hour to do, longer if it is cold outside. I have a friend who cracked one of the cast iron sides on a brand new boxwood stove because he started a fire it that was too hot (too fast!)!


My first stove, many yrs. ago, was cast iron, I disliked it so much I gave it away. I've stayed with steel since then and swear by these stoves. Presently have 3 (house, camp and out building).


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

It is kind of like using Teflon cookware. It is only years later you find out that you cannot use it above a medium heat level. A high temp will cause it to go bad and give off gases as well as breakdown the materials. I guess it helps to read the darn book first. GB


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Kodeman said:


> My first stove, many yrs. ago, was cast iron, I disliked it so much I gave it away. I've stayed with steel since then


I really do not think it has much of anything to do with materials so much...

as much as the design.

Cast iron has to be made into simple shapes. My newer welded steel stove has a very efficient design and complex airflow channels that can only be done with welding pieces together.

My cast iron BX26 stove was simple and worked fine for what it was, but in its simplicity was also its downfall.


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## Kodeman (Jul 25, 2013)

LincTex said:


> I really do not think it has much of anything to do with materials so much...
> 
> as much as the design.
> 
> ...


Your reasoning on the design issue may be true but I've found cast iron is more likely to crack if the fire gets too hot. I'm very aware of proper damper settings to avoid this but every once in awhile a fire will get ahead of you if your not diligent.


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## elder (Oct 25, 2008)

My interest in the BX26 was due to size, price and portability. I there anything out there in a steel stove that compares?


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

elder said:


> My interest in the BX26 was due to size, price and portability. I there anything out there in a steel stove that compares?


If it's just going to sit outside and rust away, go for the cheapest thing you can find.


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## elder (Oct 25, 2008)

Cast iron takes a long time to rust away. There's a stove eye that I found on the property that's about a hundred years old. I suspect that seals and hinge pins will be the items to fail. No ash shaker is a plus in that regard.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

elder said:


> Cast iron takes a long time to rust away. There's a stove eye that I found on the property that's about a hundred years old..


Nope.

The 100 year old one is ten times thicker and much better quality iron.

The Chinese ones are very thin and made from something that "barely resembles" cast iron... seriously, their foundries really suck.


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## Kodeman (Jul 25, 2013)

elder said:


> My interest in the BX26 was due to size, price and portability. I there anything out there in a steel stove that compares?


I am unable to answer any questions regarding stoves that are presently on the market as my stoves are 30-40 years old and going strong.


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## elder (Oct 25, 2008)

I guess I'll just have to make the move and post my experience.


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