Antique Wood Cook Stoves

[WXYZCIENCE]

This is the project. I scored this beautiful, antique wood burning cook stove. I don't know much about it's exact age. Built by Beach Foundry in Ottawa Canada. Here is a picture of the stove.



The oven has to be rebuilt, the shaker grate and fire box also needs work. It has a cast iron water jacket in the fire box and a copper water tank on the right hand side. I will post more pictures as the work progress into the fall.
Joseph.

[willib]

that looks real nice Joseph

[rossw]

You're lucky you don't live in my neck of the woods.

We've seen a number of old (some antique, but few as nice looking as yours) wood burning heaters and stoves, but not one would pass the new regulations for installation or operation of such devices here.

Sure, they could be rebuilt such that they should burn sufficiently cleanly to make the grade, but it's $10,000 PER TEST to have it approved. If it fails and you have to go back and try again, it's another $10K. And again... until either you get it to pass, or you run out of money.

Nowdays they're all pretty ugly "modern" things without any of ye-olde-world charm or character.

[Norm]

Yeah those were the days no gas bills, no water

bills, no sewerage bills, no jobs, no worries,

but lotta laughs and friends.

            ( :>) Norm

[WXYZCIENCE]

rossw,


but not one would pass the new regulations for installation or operation of such devices here.
Where do you live that such fools can take away your freedom to pump plumes of nauseous black smoke into the sky.


The type of wood (if it is seasoned correctly), the way you ignite it, makes all the difference. I would contest the figures of most EPA approvals.


My question; At what point would the price of heating fuel (gas, oil) produce more environmental damage than burning wood?
Joseph

[johnlm]

That does sound like pretty stiff regulations.  I suppose in some areas they are going to start fining people for farting.  Or charge you some kind of carbon tax.   Methane contains carbon doesn't it?  Somebody is going to make alot of money off the carbon taxes.

nice stove by the way.  Does remind one of simpler times.

johnlm

[rossw]

I live in a small city (large town) in regional Australia.

Yes, the rules get pretty daft, but you know what bureacrats are like - they make lots of red tape and rules and regulations to justify their position. Then, they get to employ lots of their fresh-out-of-university-but-got-no-damn-clue buddies to enforce the half-baked ideas they come up with.

If you're really sure of your facts, and prepared to do the hard work, you may be up for a challenge and win. Example was building my new home - it's non-combustable construction - all concrete, cinderblock and steel - and between 1 and 5 metres underground - yet the pen-pushers decided I had to move it 10 metres further in from the fence because we are in a designated "fire-prone area".

It took 6 months, and ultimately a personal appeal to the state fire commissioner, but they finally backed down and let us build where we wanted it originally - conceeding that (a) concrete and steel construction wasn't going to burn, and (b) burried under the ground at least a metre was enough to overcome any perceived problems with the place burning down!  (Not to mention: in a wildfire, being 10 metres further away from the fence would simply mean an extra 5 seconds before the place burned down!)

[SteveCH]

Good luck, nice stove. I did this--rebuilt an old range I got for about $25 [it was BAD]--about 25 yr. ago. Took me forever, but I did it. Mine needed a couple parts replaced. Luckily not the copper water bin or door hinges. I finally went to a machine shop and managed to interest a welder to take a look, made me the parts. They weren't original-looking [not cast iron but steel], but by that time I was getting desperate. It works fine. This was in the days before Google, etc., so perhaps it'll be easier for you.

[Tritium]

Reading here ALWAYS makes me feel very lucky.

My Location,

No building permits.

No inspectors or inspections.

No Zoning.

Pretty much the way my Great Grandfather lived

if I want to do it I do it.

Thurmomd

[ghurd]

Hi Joseph,

Lehman's has a stunning inventory of parts for old stoves.

I don't think they are cataloged, but a phone call should get the right person to tell you what they have.

Good quality + Low volume = Not Cheap.

G-

[TimV]

Nice stove.

There is a company in Pennsylvania that casts the cast iron parts for most any old kitchen stove.

I found it by doing searches on more sites than just google. They have drawings of most any piece you want.

Friend ordered a new waterjacket for his Kalamazoo it was less than $100 which isnt bad for a new part from scratch.

 If I run across the number I will post and will ask friend for the number.

[keithO]

Cook stoves are EPA exempt.   That is why the Vogelzang POS stoves all have the removeable plates "for cooking" and why they too are epa exempt.   When it comes to building inspector approval, there are guidelines for instaling unlisted appliances which basically impose minimum required clearances.  A lot of this stuff is in fact common sense (not that people didn't have it back in the days before insurance, its just sometimes a miracle what one got away with...)

Most of the current "brand new" cookstoves still use "old technology", but there are a few exceptions like the ESSE (see picture).   Anyone who is going to split and stack wood should be interested in doing anything that will reduce fuel consumption and the likelihood of a chimney fire, which is why a modern combustion system is preferable.

[WXYZCIENCE]

keithO, Cook your bread, make coffee and heat the cabin at the same time. Thanks for the input.
Joseph

[shauna]

do you happen to have the serial number for this stove?? or any kind of number on it?

thanks shauna