I Am Looking for a New Coal / Wood Stove

I would go with at least at 100k BTU stove. I think the d.s. 1600 is a good choice. I imagine it gets pretty windy on the island.

Thanks for the info.If I was to choose an installer on long Island and I was deciding on either Rella off of Rt.112 or Sleepy Hollow stoves in Deer Park. What would be the wise choice?

Thanks for the input.The air handler is for my central air system and I am hoping to have it distribute the heat thru the house. The antique base burners where an education in what I cannot afford. Pretty ornate.

does anyone have any reviews on the Harman TLC 2000

longislandsteve wrote:does anyone have any reviews on the Harman TLC 2000

Use the search option at upper right of the screen, to find forum threads including the TLC 2000.
One word of advice: Having had both a hopper and a non-hopper stove, I greatly prefer the hopper. I don't think the TLC 2000 has a hopper.
If you search on the brand, spell it "Harman" not "Harmon".

It also might be small for your needs. I believe it is rated at 72,000 BTU, which means in reality it is probably good for 40,000 on a day-in/day-out basis.

The Vermont Castings Vigilant 2310 has nice federal lines and style and will go 12 -14 hrs without a shake and load, no electricity needed and is rated for a 2000 sq. ft. home. If I had a home with an oil fired boiler there would be a coal stoker boiler next to it! If you are looking for eye candy this would work along with the antiques previously mentioned. Good luck.

longislandsteve wrote:does anyone have any reviews on the Harman TLC 2000

rberg is right the TLC 2000 does not have a hopper and will be to small for you house.

TY. After looking into the vigilant it does'nt have a hopper either.The vigilant is rated at 2000Sq.Feet .And the Harman TLC is rated at 1700-3000. What makes the Vigilant a better choice ?

longislandsteve wrote:TY. After looking into the vigilant it does'nt have a hopper either.The vigilant is rated at 2000Sq.Feet .And the Harman TLC is rated at 1700-3000. What makes the Vigilant a better choice ?

The Vigilant has a thermostat and is made of cast iron which is more rust resistant. It looks better and probably has lower stack temperature.

The Harman has a better shaker and bigger ash pan.

Both have their own set of drawbacks as do all stoves, even the best of antiques. There is always something that another stove is a bit better at. Better fire view, cleaner tending, quicker tending, larger ash pan, more effective shaker.The best antiques have a better more effective fire pot for even burning and higher combustion efficiency.

I agree with rberg that a hopper and thermostat are very desirable.

[quote="longislandsteve"]TY. After looking into the vigilant it does'nt have a hopper either.The vigilant is rated at 2000Sq.Feet .And the Harman TLC is rated at 1700-3000. What makes the Vigilant a better choice ?[/quote]

I will say a "good choice", I never tried a TLC 2000 so I can't say "better choice". The Vigilant has an indirect exhaust path, similar to an antique base burner, this slows down the burn and increases efficiency. The swing out ash pan with cover is also helps keep the living room clean. It is cast Iron so it can run hot around 700* if needed, it's nice to sit and watch the fire.Most important the Mrs. likes the look of it best!

Now my home is only 1100 sq.ft. and an open style single story ranch so heat is pretty simple. If your home is more segregated then the Vigilant might not be enough. Air flow and heat transfer is vital. For a stove to heat a 2000 sq. ft. 2 story home getting cold air down to the stove level is important but as they say every set up is different.
The best part of my stove is, I can keep my family warm and cook on it with out electricity.

The look of the vigilant is great. The wife would really like it.The fact that it is cast iron is a plus also beacuse it probably really will pump out the heat.The TLC has a direct exhaust path so I guess that is a loss in efficiency.The swing out exhaust pan with a cover sounds good also.Neatness will go a long way .Regarding moving the air around my house . I have a central AC system in my house .At the top of my stairs there is a return that I plan on running this winter as it pulls in the hot air from the stove and distributing it thru the AC vents. That's how I plan to get the heat thru the house.You mentioned that you can cook on your stove.How is that possible.

The only thing that may make me lean towards the TLC is that the Vigilant states it will heat a max of 2000 while the TLC claims to heat up to 3000. What do you think.?

[quote="longislandsteve"]The look of the vigilant is great. The wife would really like it.The fact that it is cast iron is a plus also beacuse it probably really will pump out the heat.The TLC has a direct exhaust path so I guess that is a loss in efficiency.The swing out exhaust pan with a cover sounds good also.Neatness will go a long way .Regarding moving the air around my house . I have a central AC system in my house .At the top of my stairs there is a return that I plan on running this winter as it pulls in the hot air from the stove and distributing it thru the AC vents. That's how I plan to get the heat thru the house.You mentioned that you can cook on your stove.How is that possible.[/quote]

........anything you can cook on a stove top you can cook on the top of the Vigilant, percolator coffee pot, tea pot, stews, soups, burgers, steaks, cast iron pots and pans work best and they also increase the surface area of your stove when not being used for cooking. Can't put a price on piece of mind. Hopefully those with the TLC will jump in.

p.s. search for used stoves, one member found a Vigilant 2310 and close to a ton of coal for peanuts because the previous owners didn't know how to start a coal fire!

longislandsteve wrote:The look of the vigilant is great. The wife would really like it.The fact that it is cast iron is a plus also beacuse it probably really will pump out the heat.The TLC has a direct exhaust path so I guess that is a loss in efficiency.The swing out exhaust pan with a cover sounds good also.Neatness will go a long way .Regarding moving the air around my house . I have a central AC system in my house .At the top of my stairs there is a return that I plan on running this winter as it pulls in the hot air from the stove and distributing it thru the AC vents. That's how I plan to get the heat thru the house.You mentioned that you can cook on your stove.How is that possible.

Two things.
1. Have you figured out what running that fan motor - at LI electric rates - all winter, is going to do to any savings on fuel ?

2. How well will that set-up heat your house during a power outage ? Will it be able to prevent frozen pipes in other areas of the house - like the basement ?

I only ask because I've dealt with both, having lived down there for many years , and used a coal stove for a few of those years . The stove was in the basement where it could prevent freeze-ups during a power outage.

Paul

[quote="Sunny Boy"]Two things.
1. Have you figured out what running that fan motor - at LI electric rates - all winter, is going to do to any savings on fuel ?

2. How well will that set-up heat your house during a power outage ? Will it be able to prevent frozen pipes in other areas of the house - like the basement ?

I only ask because I've dealt with both, having lived down there for many years , and used a coal stove for a few of those years . The stove was in the basement where it could prevent freeze-ups during a power outage.

Paul[/quote]

Good points Paul, If I ran my furnace blower all winter not only would the noise drive me nuts so wouldn't the electric bill. A basement stove might be the best in keeping pipes warm and getting the heat upstairs with the air handler...but this is turning into a chicken or the egg question. Like I have stated in other threads, if I had an oil boiler there would be a coal boiler next to it. You can always pick up a used hand fired for the upstairs for short money. To para phrase a friend..."if your refrigerator crapped out on you, you would have a new one the next day"