Unfortunately, price of the stoves was in the $3,000 range ( in 1980s dollars ! ) so I settled for a door/heat exchanger combo. This worked pretty well until the great ice storm that knocked out power for almost a week. No power = no heat exchanger!
I've often joked that the only time my fireplace kept me warm was when I was chopping wood !
The West German Weso is a thing of beauty combined with fantastic functionality.
The Weso is a cast iron stove, with a inch or so gap, mostly encrusted with a ceramic tiled shell ( beautiful tiles imported from Italy ). Ceramic glass door so the fire is in view but with a porcelain covered swing grated door that when closed still allows fire viewing.
When closed you can touch any part of the stove ( except the back of course) without getting burned! a great feature with kids or pets around!
The top has a similar grating which can be quickly taken off should one want to use the Weso for cooking.
The Weso heats your home via several methods :
Convection : natural air flow created by the air space between the cast iron and ceramic tiles. Cold aircomes from bottom is warmed and dispersed from the top. No electric powered heat exchanger needed!
Radiant : The Ceramic tiles stay warm even after the stove cools.
infa Red thru the glass of the fire door.
JacSaVage
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