More than one home owner has decided to restore a "real" American made potbellied stove back to service. True you can purchase offshore foreign made models - yet they "are not the same" both in substance Evan Engram Jersey , quality and intrinsic ambiance to your home or cottage. A turn of the century old "parlor' stove or pot-bellied unit complete with mica doors and nickel plate foot rails adds a sense of charm and Americana like nothing else. Yet the whole process has to be done properly and fully firstly for safety and fire insurance concerns and secondly for authentic presentation.
For the most you should remember design predates modern electronic driven heating system designs so all in all you are dealing with simple engineering and designing and this low tech construction and repairs overall. Your genuine antique to be had, may require nothing more than a simple coat of stove blacking paint or some panes of mica to replace the windows. Or in the case of newer models you may have to hunt out a replacement gasket to keep the firebox airtight. Amazingly these gaskets were relatively standardized and can be easily had at local heating or heating and plumbing stores and outlets. In a pinch if you find the sealing gasket hard to obtain - check at various online outlets via email or toll free numbers. At the worst eBay is always a good resource for such stove parts.
However the passage of time and neglect may have resulted in more substantial damage to the stove such as obvious perhaps even none as apparent separation along the seams. Yet these appliances were not of the throw away variety as we "enjoy" today. American made goods then was made to be used and people "fixed" appliances as opposed to just chucking them out on the hop. Separating seams on cast iron stoves can usually be quickly mended with ready to had furnace cement. Just check out your local outlets that sell wood stoves.
Next step before installation or perhaps a retrofit is to verify all is in order for installation or if the heating unit was in place , but not used as heating appliance for some time to ensure that local building codes are met for fire safety. Take the time and attention to detail to measure the clearances between the stove and the surrounding walls.
For your project you may choose to remove the stove pipe's actual fittings if necessary to inspect your pipe's passage and passages through the walls or top ceilings. Ensure with care that the pipe any piping be fully and specially insulated at these point and essential clearances be observed and provided for as for safety and local up to date building codes. Next in sequence check the hearth for adequate size - adequate for heat and fire safety and perhaps as well for aesthetics and interior design needs. Inspect the stove itself. You or a heating trades professional or local handyman will have to determine whether the composition is of cast iron itself or sheet metal. How to tell? A cast-iron stove to the trained or untrained eye will basically have the same "rough surface" of what will remind you of a cast iron skillet whereas a shiny-metal stove has a smooth and often shiny type surface. If you find that you do have a sheet metal type stove you should be more concerned with apparent condition and condition. Unfortunately sheet metal itself B.J. Hill Jersey , as compared to real cast-iron metal has a tendency to warp badly with heavy usages. If your treasure is a sheet-metal stove then for more than decorative use you may well find that your found antique is not worth the restoration efforts and expense involved.
Still all in all there is nothing like a real genuine American vintage old turn of the century pot bellied or old time parlor stove. You may put a real genuine cast iron unit back into solid action - after all that was its purpose and function as a heat furnace for an area or perhaps you will determine that in the case of what you know you is an older sheet metal unit that while it may not have safe use as a furnace but spiffed up it sure may add to any room or home as a center point decorative antique. It is your choice and project. Every time I come home to New York, I feel as if the roads are more and more crowded to the point where it almost makes me feel claustrophobic. However, it is not only in New York that I feel this way. In fact Will Hernandez Jersey , in the particular area of North Carolina that I live in, I have been able to witness the population growth that has taken place over the brief amount of time that I have lived there. I can still drive around on the local streets and recall a time when there never used to a road in a particular location, or where there are now rows of houses where only a year before there were miles of running trails.
In a lot of ways all of the construction that has taken place should be viewed as a positive thing I suppose. However Eli Manning Jersey , in a lot of ways, this population explosion has also been causing a lot of problems. For example, there used to be a time when I could go for a drive or even go running in an area where there weren t that many cars driving through. However Saquon Barkley Jersey , if I want to go for a run near where I live now, it isn t a pleasant or relaxing experience because of all of the noise pollution that is in the area from all of the numerous vehicles zipping by on their way to whereve