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woodstove

ManuelLabor79 | Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on October 19, 2008 08:17am

Im thinking of purchasing a temp wood stove air tight down draft model 24x14x14 full firebox brick lined off craiglist for $400. any questions i should be asking this guy or its a good buy

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  1. sandalboy | Oct 19, 2008 08:56pm | #1

    What condition the gaskets are in? Catalytic or non-catalytic? Anything warped? EPA certified? Brand and model? Any of the stove pipe included?

    Putting new gaskets in is not expensive, just annoying and time consuming. If it's catalytic there can be some very expensive parts to get. You could easily spend $400 to $800 on parts for a catalytic stove if it was overfired. Even the newer type of non-cat stoves have air tubes that can need replacement. I don't know how much that costs.

    Anyway I'd first get a brand and model number and then do my online research from there. This also will give you a good idea of what it is worth. Some stoves are $400 brand new, and some are thousands of dollars.

    1. ManuelLabor79 | Oct 21, 2008 03:30pm | #14

      its a downdraft so there is no door just a lid wit ha handle firebrick looks good and stove looks practically brand new no pipes included though i dont see any brand name has a eagle mounted on front he said it was  temp stove meaning temporary or temp brand i dont know now lol

  2. Henley | Oct 19, 2008 11:29pm | #2

    Some down draft stoves can be difficult to light.
    I'd ask and also look for signs of excessive carbon build up from
    poor combustion.

    That aside, the usual- gaskets and firebrick are the things to
    look at.

    1. Piffin | Oct 20, 2008 12:18am | #3

      I am wondering about why you want a 'temporary' wood stove. The majority of the cost of one of these is in the masonry - floor and wall protection - and the chimney flue.And those need to be located and sized according to the unit being installed. If you do a small unit now and then change to a larger one later, the non-combustible surfaces will probably not be right anymore, and/or the chimney connection could be in the wrong place.So you definitely want to know what the final unit will be so you can plan accordingly and end up with all the proper and safe clearances.Sizing the flue can be another issue. A small stove might use a 6" flue, and an 8" metal pipe will be more likely to build creosote than a smaller one. But if you install a 6" flue pipe, and then get a larger stove that requires an 8" pipe later, you have wasted money on this install 

       

      Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

      1. Piffin | Oct 20, 2008 12:28am | #4

        Ooops, with all that, I forgot to answer the primary Q.Look for broken firebricks that have been overheated.
        Look for warped metal parts from overheating. There may be an operable shuttle or draft flap - On downdrafters, you light it as an updraft, then after the chimney is drawing well, you move a lever that changes the position inside so the smoke moves down over a heat dispersing surface before heading off up the chimney. One common reason for selling these used is that the draft flap has been warped by overheating and no longer functions, being locked into one position or the other.The other thing I would look for is excessive rust. A metal chimney is installed so as to always have the creosote fluids running back down the inside of the pipe back into the flame to be burned off. That means that any water from windblown rain or condensation in off seasons will run down into the unit. Combine that water with the acids in creosote and the lye in ash at the bottom of the stove and it occasionally happens that there is a pitted spot at the base of a unit that has been installed but un-used for a long time.The size of this suggests that this might be a soapstone stove. You don't rteally say if it is cast iron, steel plate, or soapstone.Usually firebrick is found in the welded steel ones. Probably not in the other two kinds. Do you know the name and model of this unit? 

         

        Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

        1. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Oct 20, 2008 11:19am | #5

          Ooops, with all that, I forgot to answer the primary Q.

          That's one of several reasons why I think of you as The Professor. 

          1. Piffin | Oct 20, 2008 03:15pm | #6

            The absent minded kind, right?;) 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          2. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Oct 20, 2008 04:46pm | #7

            Hey, at least you remembered to answer the question...eventually. 

            I remember one or two teachers who were like wind-up toys.  Get 'em started on a favorite topic, particularly on Friday, and they'd forget everything else, including the weekly quiz and the homework assignment for the weekend. 

            As I recall, these tendencies and how to exploit them were passed down by students, year to year.  One really old teacher was legendary for his gullibility. 

          3. Piffin | Oct 21, 2008 01:11am | #8

            we had a French teacher in HS like that - Ms Shadbot. she wasn't that old, probably 50-55, but she could have been a better social studies teacher, except that she was far too opinionated - even more so than me!Then there was this Chemistry teacher, a hot blonde about 32 named - well I forget her name, but not her face. Anyways, she should have been a biology teacher instead of chemistry. I remember one class where she warmed up the room better than a wood stove ( trying to stay on topic here ) by digressing about female fantasies. That brought on some Catalytic reactions.Of course, we were an equal opportunity HS. Her husband did teach biology. Now this was back in the day of miniskirts. I sat in the back of the room but I know that some of the girls sitting up front were pretty hot and thought that he was cute. There were times that his blush on his neck and cheeks was warm enough that the radiators got to take some time off. I'll leave it to your fevered imagination what caused that. I don't think it was when we were talking about frog dissection. 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          4. Hudson Valley Carpenter | Oct 21, 2008 01:28am | #9

            I'm gonna have to reserve comment on that topic, though I do have many fond memories.

            :-)

        2. ManuelLabor79 | Oct 21, 2008 03:25pm | #13

          i believe its a temp stove, it looks brand new and the firebrick is in good condition its not super heavy probably about 250-275lbs, it didnt come with the pipeing just the stove and the vetns are on the side

          1. Piffin | Oct 21, 2008 03:39pm | #15

            When in regular use, a wood stove can easily need the stove pipe replaced every few years anyways, so it is best to have new. Get the thickwall strong black pipe. 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          2. ManuelLabor79 | Oct 24, 2008 01:14am | #16

            thanks

      2. seeyou | Oct 21, 2008 02:31am | #10

        I am wondering about why you want a 'temporary' wood stove.

        There is a company that makes solid fuel inserts, fireplaces and chimneys called "Tempco". I wonder if that's what he means? FWIW, I think they are pretty crappy products, but I haven't touched one in a while.View Image

  3. Southbay | Oct 21, 2008 06:47am | #11

    Dad has been running a TempWood down draft stove from October to March for 30 years. It's a simple steel stove lined with firebrick. Easy to regulate by two draft louvers on the top. It also loads from the top. He burns anything, including lots of scrap construction lumber.

    Check the firebrick, but it is easily replaced. Good stove.

    1. seeyou | Oct 21, 2008 01:45pm | #12

      Yeah Tempwood. I new there was another "Temp" stove.View Image

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