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
http://www.hikuta.net/classical-conditioning/ChiFitness.cfm
Well it's been a while since you posted this and no one commented(these stoves were and are a small market) so I'm not sure you'll get this but wanted to ask if you're still using yours, what you burn, and how it's working. I was getting ready to buy a new smaller stove this winter when I found one of these gems. Just curious what you've learned about them, Chad
ReplyDeletejust happened by. I've been running one for 18 years burning mostly alder and maple, but pretty much anything that will go in the firebox. it'a our primary heat for the house, and the only issue is you do have to learn how to run them properly and be aware it takes them time to come up to temperature and to cool off.
DeleteThis is a beautifully appointed german-made stove. We bought it brand new in 1986 for $4,200. We used it in a 4000 square foot home and it did a really good job. (Socal)
ReplyDeleteIt takes a while for the box to come up to temperature. The key is to keep the Box fully loaded and slow down the air intake and it produces wonderful Heat. We just brought it up from Southern California to Truckee in Northern California. This thing is a beast he probably weighs more than 500 lb. Took four of us to wrestle it into position. It heats the house beautifully up here in this brutal cold climate. (10° tonight) The only reason I assume they don't sell these stoves here anymore is they probably didn't want to deal with EPA compliance in the US. If you can find one that's in good shape buy it. The Firebox could be a bit larger but other than that it works well and is a show piece in your home.