Burn Baby, Burn!

With all the time we spent without power last year Rebecca and I began discussing the advantages to having an alternate source of heat for our house during the cooler months. We agreed that a wood burning stove would be a good investment even if we only used it occasionally. I grew up with a wood burning stove so I didn't go into this venture clueless but I was surprised at how much stoves have changed over the past (gulp) 25 years!

 

Thankfully we have a very efficient home considering the cost of home heating oil. Rebecca being the awesome book keeper that she is was able to determine what we have spent on oil each year since we built the house.

We looked into the stoves that are carried by Tractor Supply Stores, Harbor Freight and the local Aubuchon Hardware Store. I wasn't against buying one of these stoves but really wanted to learn more about the brand name stoves that are popular throughout New England.

 Rebecca and I started researching stoves online prior to heading out to the local sales establishments. I was originally planning on getting the stove and installation as a package deal but after our first meeting with a stove sales man I quickly realized that we would not be able to afford it without me hitting the lottery or robbing a bank - neither of which was ever going to happen! Despite our first experience being a horrible experience due to a pompous sales man it ended up being a blessing in disguise. I'm not going to mention the company because I don't want to give them any undeserving business but as I go along I will eventually name the two places that were very helpful with our purchases.

Our second outing was a trip to Squire Lumber and Hardware and were treated like their #1 customer and given a wealth of information despite them not having the style stove we were interested in. While on site I watched another one of their employees show a customer step by step on one of their floor models how to take out and replace a part that was bad so the customer could save money by doing the repair himself. Despite not purchasing my stove at their store they made me into a loyal customer with their customer service. I learned a lot about the difference between the name brand stoves and the budget models sold at the supply stores, information I would use to determine my final purchase.

We had started our quest for a stove mid year and I decided that we would wait a little longer and take advantage of the deals that are offered during the autumn "fair" season. Not only would this be a great way to save a dollar it would be a worth excuse to take a day off from work and spend the day at the Big E with the family!

We all enjoyed a day at the fair and the kids were very grateful to have the option of taking in the sites and sounds of the fair while Daddy was "wheeling and dealing" with all the stove vendors on site. I had narrowed my options down between two different companies that were there and before signing on the dotted line I took the offer that I liked best and went to the second vendor. Now this vendor sold the same stoves as the store Rebecca and I had our first bad sales experience with but hoped that dealing with factory representatives would be better. Needless to say the factory representative was not only as pompous as the sales man from the store, he was also deceitful and when I caught him in his deceit he asked for the paperwork back that he had given me and threw it in the garbage. This was his way of letting me know he didn't want to play "deal or no deal" with me anymore.

I made my way back to the first vendor which was Green Mountain Stove Company from New Hartford, CT. Once Rebecca realized I was going back to try and get an even better deal than Jerry had offered me earlier in the day she too was grateful for the option to go enjoy the sites and sounds of the fair. Jerry was happy to see me back despite my declaration to him that there was more that I wanted in order to finalize our deal. In the end he made a couple phone calls and met my demands and in exchange for his flexibility I offered to pick up the stove from his warehouse and save him from delivering it across the state. My father taught me that "one hand washes the other" and to "always take care of those who take care of you." Now those may seem like cliche' sayings but to me they are practiced whenever possible. This can be done in person or sometimes its as simple as making a call to an employees supervisor to let them know that you had a good experience at their establishment.

Once I had the stove home we needed to pick up all the supplies to install the stove and chimney. I had learned while shopping for the stove that the chimney was going to be expensive whether I did it myself or if I hired someone to do it for me. Once again my wife took to the computer and started researching where I could get the parts I needed for the best price. We also called and received a quote from one of the local chimney companies for a full installation. It was quickly evident that we would be doing the chimney ourselves. At this point I called Rebecca's father to let him know I would be leaning on him for his expertise with cutting holes into my house, something I was really worried about doing.

Now that I had the guaranteed help I would require we started purchasing the parts and pieces which Rebecca had found some amazing deals on Amazon and the Ace Hardware Outlet for all our Class A chimney pipe. When I say amazing deals I am not exaggerating we found out the deals we paid equal or less than Squire Lumber pays for their pipe!

Chuck (Rebecca's Dad) came over one afternoon and together we cut the hole and installed the through the wall kit which was the hardest part of the install. The remainder of the parts arrived and Rebecca and I decided to put the effort into finishing the job ourselves. I had dad's 30' ladder and piece by piece I began assembling the chimney up the side of the house making sure it was level and maintaining the necessary clearance from the siding. Eventually I made it to the roof line and needed Rebecca to get up on the roof to assist me. Now I said earlier that cutting the hole in the wall was the hardest part of the install - I've since changed my mind, getting my wife who is afraid of heights on the roof was harder! After promising to clean up after myself and offering to do the cooking, dishes, cleaning of the bathrooms once a week and vacuuming the house the rest of the year I was able to convince her to make her way up the ladder onto the roof where she sat securely straddling the eave of the house.

The final sections were in place and the roof braces installed all I needed to do was complete the internal connections now. I took a trip back to Squire Lumber where once again the employees went above and beyond to assist me with everything I needed to finish my install which I was able to do shortly after getting home that night.

It was with much excitement that I lit the stove for the first time to start breaking it in first with a slow burn and eventually working up to the roaring hot fires that heated my house the remainder of the year!

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Living in the country I had plenty of seasoned wood to get me through the fall, winter and beginning of spring which resulted in our thermostat remaining off for the entire year and the only oil used was for heating the water for bathing via our heat as you go tankless system. The stove is a Pacific Energy Summit and does a great job of heating our home, thankfully we had the option of opening windows and doors when needed to cool things down although I will admit it was fun asking the family if they thought I was made of money so they could heat the outdoors!