wood stoves

[redman2006]

I am not sure if this is the right place for this, but if not, the mods can move it.

I have been asking for a lot of help recently, but I do not feel like I have given much. If I can, please ask away.

OK, so we are interested in finding a decent wood stove for the primary purpose of back up heat. We are all electric, so if power goes, things get fun in a hurry. We do have a fireplace, but it will just keep the living room barely warm should power go in the winter.

I need a smaller type stove that can be put fairly close to a wall. The blazeking princess with the "ultra" package is a newer one that would work about right for the footprint and clearance issues so you have an idea of what we need in that regard.

I am in NW Georgia, so wood is abundant and temps are never horribly cold. We reached -4 F last winter here. We do want a stove that can be used for stovetop cooking. In the winter, it may be used that way without any emergencies. We would love a true cook stove with an oven, but room is an issue, and they typically don't heat well anyway as I understand. I have only limited experience with one.

Cost is a concern, and we are looking to buy used if we can find something on Craigslist or whatever.

So for stovetop cooking, what do we need? Can you cook on a stove designed for heat? What are some budget options? What about blowers? If electric goes, will the blower be damaged by burning the stove without it running? Dad had an old magic heat on the pipe of his Stive in his shop that we wrecked doing just that, but that was 20+ years ago. His stove was a very inexpensive cast iron one that was not air tight. It worked great for the shop, but I don't think that is what I need here.

Any help is welcome.

Thanks

[tk]

Redman I have no idea if you got Amish down your way but if there is a settlement someone will be selling stoves. We are in gas country here and most Amish use open burner types for cooking but some still use wood cook stoves. One family I know has a water jacketed cook stove . It has the flat top with a fire box on both sides of the oven and a water jacket underneath that holds water and then it has a tap so they can have warm water. It also acts as a kind of radiant heat . There are all types of cook stoves they still make them new . I get a chance to get to the stove guy I'll get some company names for you. Nothing comes to mind just now.

[redman2006]

Thanks TFK. I am really limited by space here. As this is supplemental heat and cooking, I can't buy one of the new cook ranges or anything like that. Someday in my "forever" home, but not yet.

Thanks for the help

[Gwynmael]

redman,

Sorry I don't have a lot of info for you on this as it's an area I need more knowledge on myself.

I do know that you can cook on any heated surface. When I was 14 we had a major Thanksgiving storm (wind and rain, not snow) bring down some large trees and knock out power to the area we were living for four days. At the time there was an insert installed in our fireplace that had a surface area deep enough to place a 2qt pot or 8in pan on, wide enough to use both at the same time. My mom kept us fairly easily fed from that. The biggest issue was there was no way to regulate the heat of that area, so no "fancy" cooking or anything that required a "change" in heating temperature and it was not something you could walk away from and trust it wouldn't be burnt by the time you came back. The Blazeking has a much larger surface area than we had, so it highly likely that the temperature varies across that surface similar to a cook stove.

Also, I don't have any detail about them, but I do know there are fans and/or blowers that work somehow by heat induction so use no electricity. Most of the "fans" are magnetically surface mounted so if for some reason you weren't wanting to use it, you could easily remove it.

[W.Lynn]

Most stoves are built to contain the heat, so you don't make the kitchen (or other space) too hot to be in, then you can open the oven door and release heat to the room without opening the firebox and making your fire burn faster. There are also heaters that are meant to put out heat, and just like a stove or fireplace, they need to be vented to the outside, have ashes shoveled out, etc. Many of the heaters also have a flat top where you can heat things, but the main function of it isn't cooking.

[redman2006]

Will the heaters warm enough to cook well? A few things I was reading indicated the surface may not be hot enough to really cook. I also read about raising and lowering the pot as a way to control heat as opposed to trying to control the surface temperatures.

[W.Lynn]

I don't have a heater, the RP didn't see any point in getting one that was available to us while he was still in his "normalcy-bias," and where we are, heat isn't likely to be a large need if the power is out. I have some tent-heaters that use a small propane bottle that have met needs, and likely will again, until he gets past the point of worrying about everything and getting little done (but gaining other kinds of hardware.)

[Gwynmael]

redman, good question. Not sure about frying an egg or a hard rolling boil, but should be plenty to heat up soup/stew or grilled cheese sandwiches and the like. You might have to adjust "what/how" you cook something in order to accomplish it. They should also produce enough heat to cause water to steam - it's common to have/use a cast iron "tea pot" to put some humidity back into the air.

[redman2006]

Gywn,

I have always admired those cast iron tea pits, but I wondered how they did not rust out. Normal cast is seasoned. I don't see how those could be or hold it.

[RD]

Gywn,

I have always admired those cast iron tea pits, but I wondered how they did not rust out. Normal cast is seasoned. I don't see how those could be or hold it.

Red- You season those also, old way was to oil inside and out and throw it into the fire. Today you just oil it down and throw it in the oven to season.


RD

[Gwynmael]

Actually, the newer ones I've been seeing on woot.com have an enameled coating inside and out. So no need to season.

[fisty]

Red man where do you live. I know where you can get small wood stoves here in nc pretty cheap. I just bought four nice ones. For my house.

[redman2006]

Nw Georgia. I am sorry I missed this. For some reason, I am not seeing newer posts.

[fisty]

Well if you get to NC I got a few. Now for the last 6 weeks I have been cooking on my old Marco Pride wood stove I restored. And I love it! I even went and got a 10.5 gal tub to wash small stuff in. Now if u can learn to make soap, I will be in business.

[W.Lynn]

fisty, plant a western soapberry tree, and guard it against pests until it gets big.