Page 12 RAIN November 1976 Bill Day's So much of what we buy is new that we forget that even the most honest salesperson can't know how long a product will last, whether repair parts will be available in 30 years, or how often repair will be needed. It's useful to talk to a mechanic or repairperson-their experience can tell a lot about something you're thinking of buying. WOODSTO~ Bill Day has been repairing wood stoves in Oregon for two generations. Here's his advice covering stoves commonly available on the West Coast. The energy panic has lifted. It's no longer necessary to accept shoddy, ill-conceived wood heating equipment. Most manufacturers are slightly exceeding consumer demand with their current production, so a few improved models recently arrived in dealers' showrooms. However, as we have come to expect, the general quality of our available wood stoves is still in a gradual decline. "Public demand" still allows manufacturers to produce inefficient, poor quality wood burners. Until you and I, together with our friends and neighbors, improve our criteria for spending money, we can expect to see sleezy junk on retailers' shelves. Possibly more important than the choice of stove is the choice of retailer. The price of a wood stove should include competent advice about installation and necessary safety precautions. A salesperson's familiarity with a wide range of products will help him advise you in making your selection. Knowledgeable salespeople are notoriously lacking in chain stores, decorative fireplace shops and retailers selling one brand of stove. Parts and service is as necessary for wood stoves as for other home appliances. You wouldn't consider buying a television or a new automobile from a dealer who didn't service his product. Even though a dealer may not stock parts, he should be able to exhibit parts lists for five- to twenty-yearold models in the lines he sells. To begin a discussion about wood burning stoves, one must understand the terminology used in referring to the construction materials and finishes employed by manufacturers: Cast iron is the oldest, most acceptable material used in wood stoves. It is used for firebox liners, grates and stove bodies. Cast iron transmits heat and does not warp or disintegrate easily. Sheet steel can be combined with cast iron to produce a serviceable stove. Quite often the sheet steel portion of a wood stove can be easily replaced. This material shows heat fatigue.. sooner than cast iron and when welded together produces a short-lived stove. Firebrick is used to line fireboxes. It lasts well, does not transmit heat and is generally a useful tool in constructing a wood stove. Cast aluminum is being used for doors and handles. This material transmits heat so rapidly that it may be unsafe. Dangerous burns easily result from an accidental touch. Nickel plating is used as decorative trim on many older stoves. Recently, I've seen some shops attempting to sell chrome-trimmed stoves. Chrome discolors when it gets hot, and its sales are limited to the unknowledgeable by the unscrupulous. Better quality stoves often have a porcelain (glass) finish. Porcelain eliminates a great deal of maintenance as it lasts for many years. Baked Enamel Paint is used on some new stoves. This finish deteriorates rapidly and is almost impossible to maintain. Normally, the lowest-priced wood stoves are the expedient "throwaways." They will provide a short term solution to your heating needs. Usually, these stoves are oval drums of lightweight sheet metal. One improvement in this low-priced group is the barrel stove which can be built for $50 to $65 on a do-it-yourself basis. (Barrel stove kits from Locke Stove Company retail at $45.00). The highest priced "throwaways" are the welded box (Earth, Frontier, Fisher, Schrader, etc.), heaters spawned during the '7 3 heating panic. Many of these stoves were built by franchises who no longer exist. Upgrading a bit, we fifia the traditional cast iron box heater. These stoves derive their names from the shape their assume. Box heaters are rectangular in shape and usually can be fed from the front or top. These stoves are the most versatile and utilitarian designs ever to exist. They come in a variety of sizes and are manufactured by many foundries. MARTIN King Box CAST BOX HEATERS Brand Usable Parts Name Wood Availability and No. Manufacturer Length History Price Comments Arctic 20 Washington 19" $105 Overall, this line is the finest available on the West coast. Washington Stove Works is 25 Stove Works 23" Very Good $140 assembling some units in South Korea and some in Everett, Washington. The import 30 28" $175 units do not show an appreciable quality loss. King 624 Martin 23" Good $125 Medium quality, lack of workmanship shows in rough, grainy castings. 628 Industries 26" $140 Atlanta 27 Atlanta 24" Dubious $110 Medium quality, rough, grainy castings, poor, slipshod assembly. Stove Works Sears Poor $ 90 The poorest quality on today's market. These stoves exhibit every bad feature I've ever encountered in a cast box heater. Wards 26" Poor $ 90 These poor quality stoves appear to have been copied from the King 628. I found microscopic casting cracks, strip.ped threads on the tension rods and sloppy stove Hearth craft 26" Poor $ 90 assembly. j
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