Customer Reviews

Vogelzang Barrel Stove Kit, Model# BK100E

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an excellent stove - I have used the double barrel type for 3 years - but you need to be aware of one thing. The stove [...] door bracket (part number #6 - see it on the "replacement parts" downloadable .pdf hyperlink) is made of exceptionally thin steel that will bend when you close and secure the cast iron door. Several days ago in the night the fire alarm went off. I ran downstairs in the smoke filled house to find the door had loosened and opened up - was wide open - and fire was coming out of the door 2' into the air. Very scary situation. Got the door wedged shut with a cement block. I removed part #6 the next morning and fabricated a new door closure part #6 made of 1/8" thick metal. It works fine now. The manufacturer's customer service did not answer my email about this dangerous situation. Stove is 5 star. Door catch part #6 is dangerous.

All in all it's a very good kit, however, the draft hole is too small. When the door is closed and the draft damper is wide open, the fire goes out due to lack of oxygen.

the unit is a nice product heats my 24 by 30 camp with no insulation. only problem with product is the draft holes are to small i had to drill them larger., but over all great product.

b.m.l from maine

I installed it on a new barrel it took me about an hour. Everything went well and easy.

Was looking for a way to heat a small steel building...And here it is! Assembly was easy. Legs were a little short, but I was aware of this. Just used some cinderblocks under the legs to bring it up from the floor. Brought temp of bld{20x30} up to a workable level of comfort. Beats buying a wood stove for hundreds of dollars. Parts can be swapped from one barrel to the next when barrel starts to give way from use. looks like years of use from one barrel,by use I mean 20 to 30 hours per week during winter months.

My husband built a 35 gal barrel stove from a Vogelzang kit in 1985 and it heated our 2-story farmhouse until 2008. Using fire brick to line the bottom probably helped preserve its strength. The barrel is now shot and the Monitor heater oil bills are killing us. We are now looking for another heavy duty 35 gal barrel. The kit parts are still in great shape so they could be reused. It's the little barrel we can't find. Over the years we tried using other, more traditional, wood stoves with a lot of bells and whistles but nothing did the job of the little barrel. My husband used to bank it down at night with large pieces of wood and it would keep all night. The house was heavenly the next morning.

I purchased a barrel stove kit. the kit states it will work on a 55 and 30 gallon barrel. However the radious of the damper does not match up to a 30 gallon barrel. How do you make this work?

Little about this kit is suitable for long term use. The barrel face will warp under the door, creating numerous air leaks. The air holes are too small to keep the fire going and create backpuffing. The latch is completely hopeless. The legs are too short and need a front to back brace. But the pipe flange is good. I'll mention what I did: I cross braced the legs and raised the stove on two cement blocks. The stove legs are bolted to the blocks. I used 2 kits. That gave me 2 door frames. I cut one frame into 2 pieces because one frame had to fit inside the stove. The whole frame goes on the outside and the cut one on the inside. I put fiberglass cloth under the outside frame then drilled double holes. Once bolted it is super strong and permanently leak and warp-free. I used the round bung opening for the air inlet and a flat steel backer to slow down the air - no more puffing. On the outside of the bung I screwed on a 2" by 8" cast iron plumber's pipe (same threads!!) with a little door over the end. I made a heavy latch for the door. For the smoke and ash removal I used three pipe flanges; each with fiberglass cloth underneath. Two on the top for the flue: one a closeable straight pipe and one that joins the straight pipe containing a 6" by 2" catalytic converter ($120 ebay). The third one is on the bottom with a cap for ash removal. It's great to just push the ash out the bottom into a container instead of shoveling. I lined the bottom of the barrel up to 1/2 the sides with firebrick to prevent burn-through. Unfortunately, the catalytic combustor is a must. The stove will put a full inch of creosote in the chimney PER MONTH. I've had 8-plus chimney fires. But not any more :).

This barrel heater kit is the best thing I've ever purchased. I should have gotten one years ago. Absolutely love it. I would recommend it to everyone that has the space to use it in.

The product arrived on time, I have not used it yet, it appears to be of good quality and what I expected.

Vogelzang Barrel Stove Kit, Model# BK100E