# Getting rid of a wood stove



## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

This beast is sitting in the basement corner of Stately Hand Manor, and I want it gone. We don't use it, and it will never get WET certified (per the inpector), so it sits and costs me extra on my insurance, and blocks my using that corner for gear.

I have contacted a place about getting it removed, to have them respond that these old beasts are too heavy, and they won't risk their employees on it. It is basically solid cast tiron and aside from the doors et al, is all one piece. I legitimately worry for the integrity of the basement stairs if I try to remove it -- I am told it weighs 500+ pounds.

The way I see it, I can a) just leave it there, b) rig up a convoluted system using a come along, boards and large dowels or pipe to move it like the Egyptians moved the rocks for the pyramids, c) rent/buy a plasma cutter, fireproof blankets and extinguishers and go to town, or d) same as 'c' but with an angle grinder and a lot of cutting wheels.

Any other ideas/options better than my hare-brained schemes?

Obviously, the only truly safe option is a, if I can't find someone to do this for me.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Hit it really hard with a sledge, sometimes the old cast will break apart.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Post free on kijiji, must remove? 

Disassemble as much as possible, then hire piano movers? They have straps to lift and carry heavy things


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

I would keep it anyway !
Just one day off energy on a cold Winter day and that is all you have to heat the house and make some cooking : It happened to me once and I was glad to have one.
Meanwhile, put something like a Leprechaun on it : Could help the magic of the music, ain't it ?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I would say removing the doors and then smashing up the fire bricks inside would reduce the weight considerably.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Mark Brown said:


> Hit it really hard with a sledge, sometimes the old cast will break apart.


Just did some research. Turns out these old beasts are made of steel, so all a good whack with a sledge will do is dent it. Maybe.



tomee2 said:


> Post free on kijiji, must remove?
> 
> Disassemble as much as possible, then hire piano movers? They have straps to lift and carry heavy things


Hadn't thought of piano movers...might be a consideration if I can get it most of the way apart.



mawmow said:


> I would keep it anyway !
> Just one day off energy on a cold Winter day and that is all you have to heat the house and make some cooking : It happened to me once and I was glad to have one.
> Meanwhile, put something like a Leprechaun on it : Could help the magic of the music, ain't it ?


As noted, this would NEVER be WETT compliant. I do not know the condition of the chimney, save for the "don't use this ever" warning from the WETT inspector.

And yes, I would take things apart as much as possible. To quote BB King, "Why make it hard?"

Edit: it's WETT, not WET. Gah. What is a WETT inspection and do I need one? - The Gardiner Team


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

Rollin Hand said:


> Just did some research. Turns out these old beasts are made of steel, so all a good whack with a sledge will do is dent it. Maybe.


......scratch that idea then lol


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## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

Remove doors. Remove fire brick from inside. Disconnect chimney pipes. Get a good appliance dolly, and a couple ratchet straps. Get it on the dolly, ratchet it in place. Narrow end against the dolly. Two feet on the bottom lip. Get a strong friend, and haul it up and out.

I use this one for moving jukeboxes and coke machines. They weigh about the same as your stove, and I do them myself unless I'm going UP stairs, then I'm up top pulling and someone is below pushing. See the rollers on the back? Those go against the stair edges as you go up or down. You'll be able to rent something like this.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

around here you would put it on a local online classified or kijiji in the categories for hunting and fishing or farming and somebody would be more than happy to haul it away and use it in a situation that requires no WETT inspection and would pay good money for it if it's located at a height that can be loaded onto a truck without too much trouble

if you don't want to risk your stairs and flooring to rural moose hunting farmer oafs then go with the piano mover idea as far as getting it up to your garage or out the front door and then ask whatever the movers' fee is for it. mention in the ad that it's at main floor level or even better if it's a few stairs up at pickup truck bed height and that saves the man-cave guy from a bunch of work and providing a hundred bucks worth of pizza and beer to his strong backed friends who will also want to come out to the hunt shack and sit around it next fall.

j


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Sorry, I had skipped the meaning of "WET" inspector :
I thought you meant you did not have to fear any flood ! 
So, it has to go.
I once had one gone with the worker as payment for closing the chimney.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

jayoldschool said:


> Remove doors. Remove fire brick from inside. Disconnect chimney pipes. Get a good appliance dolly, and a couple ratchet straps. Get it on the dolly, ratchet it in place. Get a strong friend, and haul it up and out.
> 
> I use this one for moving jukeboxes and coke machines. They weigh about the same as your stove, and I do them myself unless I'm going UP stairs, then I'm up top pulling and someone is below pushing. See the rollers on the back? Those go against the stair edges as you go up or down. You'll be able to rent something like this.



Interesting. The stove itself weighs 562 pounds, but I am betting with the cast iron doors removed, we could get it down to ~ 520. But I still worry about the integrity of the stairs going up. I am a huge guy, and to get under it and push I would need a similarly "prosperous" friend. That would mean a LOT of weight being held up by 2 2x12s and some steps ( I would likely shore them up somehow). I would also be worried about killing my friend or myself.

Apparently these folks took stoves seriously. The top is 5/16 steel, and the sides are 1/4-inch thick.

EDIT: I should add that I have bad knees, so doing this with the dolly myself is likely out.


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## Johnny6String (Aug 27, 2018)

If it’s steel and not cast, maybe a saws all and a box of blades…..and good hearing protection.

Johnny


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Johnny6String said:


> If it’s steel and not cast, maybe a saws all and a box of blades…..and good hearing protection.
> 
> Johnny


Well, that would be more time and less sparks than an angle grinder.....


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

Remove doors & firebrick
List locally for cheap on kijiji/ marketplace.
As is where is.
Someone will come get it.

It would be great for a garage, workshop or hunt camp.

Nathan


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

mawmow said:


> I would keep it anyway !
> Meanwhile, put something like a Leprechaun on it : Could help the magic of the music, ain't it ?


I’m fresh out of leprechauns. Where does one find them these days?


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

Put strings on it and post it on Kijiji. @2manyGuitars will be over shortly.

Seriously, an angle grinder with some thin cutoff wheels will make short work of that - you probably only need to cut it in half and remove the bricks and doors to make it manageable for two people.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

The stove is a classic. Do not destroy. Disconnect, Move out of the way and save for a snowy day. As @Mooh said: one emergency and you will never regrat it. Mine is in the garage. We used it yesterday after the surprise SECOND blizzard of April when the power went out.

Even so, there is no need to damage the stove. Remove eveything possible. The doors are cast. The rest is steel and won't "smash". Cutting that much 1/4" with a stone is just dumb. 

@jayoldschool has the right approach. Do that.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)




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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

KapnKrunch said:


> The stove is a classic. Do not destroy. Disconnect, Move out of the way and save for a snowy day. As @Mooh said: one emergency and you will never regrat it. Mine is in the garage. We used it yesterday after the surprise SECOND blizzard of April when the power went out.


I agree that it's a classic, but....like I said, we were told "do not ever use this." I expect using it would cause a second, more immediate emergency that would have the fire department heading our way.

Also we have a wood fireplace on the main floor that is WETT approved, so we could generate heat from that in a pinch.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Paul Running said:


> View attachment 414963


I like the cut of your gib, sir.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

I'd seriously consider replacing it with a modern stove, like a Vermont Castings or something. Most companies will remove the old one for you.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

BlueRocker said:


> I'd seriously consider replacing it with a modern stove, like a Vermont Castings or something. Most companies will remove the old one for you.


Not an option in this case. We simply don't use the space that way. To get the chimney and all WETT compliant would be a fair-sized undertaking.

I could kind of see swapping out for a gas fireplace, but for our use, it would be a massive expense (old one out, new one in, running the exhaust/intake, etc.) for something that is essentially unnecessary and mostly heats the ceiling.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

I've moved a piano or two (or more) out of basements and some organs and a few fridges and some wood burning stoves. a lot of houses have been renovated since the thing was installed and don't always have the stairwell clearance they once did

there's a temptation to have a big guy on the bottom and some skinny little DIY genius with a complicated version of ropes pulleys straps and winches up top. about two thirds of the way up the guy on the bottom realizes that if any one of a hundred possible tiny things goes wrong with the bright eyed keener at the top the bottom guy gonna be lying on the floor crushed under a sharp cornered and uncomfortable heavy thing.

but it's always the keener up top shouting 'push!' and chatting with the homeowner about how it's not a big deal that the strap is a bit crooked on the thing they have it wrapped around

and it seems to be the keener up top collecting the fee or taking the thing home and the big guy below stuck with an american lite beer and two slices of soggy pizza and a thanks very much afterward

i've never had a set of stairs collapse but i've wondered like you say

j


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

If someone got it in there in one piece then you can get it out. Get the right dolly as mentioned and a couple of young fellas. Oh, and never call the lazy duckers who refused to even quote you on moving it ever again.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> I've moved a piano or two (or more) out of basements and some organs and a few fridges and some wood burning stoves. a lot of houses have been renovated since the thing was installed and don't always have the stairwell clearance they once did
> 
> there's a temptation to have a big guy on the bottom and some skinny little DIY genius with a complicated version of ropes pulleys straps and winches up top. about two thirds of the way up the guy on the bottom realizes that if any one of a hundred possible tiny things goes wrong with the bright eyed keener at the top the bottom guy gonna be lying on the floor crushed under a sharp cornered and uncomfortable heavy thing.
> 
> ...


Well, my dad did the complicated pulley thing with an outbuilding at his place. It was too close to the water, so he moved it to another spot using a come along and some logs.

My uncles were there to help, but both agreed that they were largely there just so my dad could show them he could do it.

For this job, the big question would be where to attach the come along. I might be able to bridge it between the door out to the garage and a closet doorframe, but that doesn't get the stove to the basement stairs, or out of the house.

I love solving problems, and this one is interesting.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Rollin Hand said:


> "do not ever use this."


Whatever. LOL.

If you insist on hacking up the old girl, check out using a metal skill saw. Super noisy but no sparks or fine dust.

You can buy metal cutting blades for your ordinary circular saw, but metal can get on the windings and ruin it. One job would probably be OK, especially if the saw is old and you don't care.

Otherwise maybe rent the real deal.

I used them on full sheets and they are quite effective, but definitely the most noisy option possible!


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

JBFairthorne said:


> someone got it in there in one piece then you can get it out


except for the reno that happened in '84 when they put the door in for privacy and then the next one in '92 when they put new tread caps and skirt trim on the stairs and then in '08 when they put a closet in the entry ...

it's worth checking clearances. wood stoves not as large as pianos and chest freezers but there's quite a few places where there ain't no possible way it's coming out without taking something apart

j


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

I see some sparks here but not a steady stream like grinding.

I used these saws to cut square floor grating an inch thick on the sides.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Yes. I was also going to suggest a sawzall when you though it was cast iron. I’m not so sure how it would work on thick steel though.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> I've moved a piano or two (or more) out of basements and some organs and a few fridges and some wood burning stoves. a lot of houses have been renovated since the thing was installed and don't always have the stairwell clearance they once did
> 
> there's a temptation to have a big guy on the bottom and some skinny little DIY genius with a complicated version of ropes pulleys straps and winches up top. about two thirds of the way up the guy on the bottom realizes that if any one of a hundred possible tiny things goes wrong with the bright eyed keener at the top the bottom guy gonna be lying on the floor crushed under a sharp cornered and uncomfortable heavy thing.
> 
> ...


You've obviously helped a lot of people move.... spot on description.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

Rollin Hand said:


> where to attach the come along


ha ha i've done pianos where the little guy upstairs suddenly realized that the doorframe across the hall was not as stout as he thought. on one we ended up going out the door across the room to a truck out in the yard with a recovery strap. thankfully he didn't try pulling it up the stairs with the truck but it was something stout to anchor to. 

interior partition wall framing is not intended to have a several hundred pound lateral live load mid span on the door jamb

if you're not too precious about the stair surfaces i would step a wood stove up one at a time with a working guy on each corner and short straps for the upper guys so they don't have to bend down too far. the lower guys can carry at hip level with 120# ish each that's not too bad. 13 rises to a flight and out into the truck and done. have an extra guy on the bottom to swap out if one of them isn't as strong as he once was. easy to damage the stairs that way though

j


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

JBFairthorne said:


> If someone got it in there in one piece then you can get it out. Get the right dolly as mentioned and a couple of young fellas. Oh, and never call the lazy duckers who refused to even quote you on moving it ever again.


To be fair, given it came with the house, it may have gone in before the stairs did.

And the guy I asked about it (only one who responded so far said "it's too heavy. No one will want to do this." And that is fair -- he is well within his rights to turn down work if he feels it's unsafe, or even not profitable.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Sketchy Jeff said:


> ha ha i've done pianos where the little guy upstairs suddenly realized that the doorframe across the hall was not as stout as he thought. on one we ended up going out the door across the room to a truck out in the yard with a recovery strap. thankfully he didn't try pulling it up the stairs with the truck but it was something stout to anchor to.
> 
> interior partition wall framing is not intended to have a several hundred pound lateral live load mid span on the door jamb
> 
> ...


I don't totally trust the stairs with that much weight on them. The stringers are 2x12 closed end, but it's a long rise up. Get the doors et al out of the stove, it's maybe 500 pounds. Then add four guys. If they are 150 each, that's 1100 pounds. If they weigh more, as I do....

Temporary additional structure using 2x4s to frame under the centre of the steps would help, and with current wood prices would only cost eleventy bajillion dollars.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Does going up the stairs take it outside or just to the main floor? Both ways would be handled differently.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

You could always just build a smelter in your basement and melt it down.... WETT certified and all 

500 lbs is heavy in the "holy shit moving this sucks" sense, but not really so much in the structural load sense. Your stairs would be fine, if you wanted to make it stupid easy, build a ramp on them out of ply and put it on a sledge and a come along, simple 2 wheel dolly would get it to the base of the stairs no problems.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Guitar101 said:


> Does going up the stairs take it outside or just to the main floor? Both ways would be handled differently.


Takes it to the main floor. It's then a short distance to the door leading from the house to the garage. Quite frankly, that space is so tight for turning, I would think going around the corner and out the front door would be easier. There is no straight shot, unfortunately.



Mark Brown said:


> You could always just build a smelter in your basement and melt it down.... WETT certified and all
> 
> 500 lbs is heavy in the "holy shit moving this sucks" sense, but not really so much in the structural load sense. Your stairs would be fine, if you wanted to make it stupid easy, build a ramp on them out of ply and put it on a sledge and a come along, simple 2 wheel dolly would get it to the base of the stairs no problems.


Anchoring the come along becomes the issue there. There isn't anyplace I can sort out to do it safely without doing some damage that I am not skilled enough to fix.

If we're coming up the stairs, I think the dolly looks easier, and could spread the load a bit.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

i think his concern is valid if the the staircase has only the 2 closed stringers unsupported over a full flight 
four 200# guys plus a 500# stove plus the live loading of all the jumping around is a lot of moving weight on an assembly with quite a few flex points
in that case could be tempting to use 2 long 2x10 with a gap between and skid it up with guys pulling from the top 
either way setting up and cleaning up would take longer than doing the job and it's not a piano or freezer so tight fit isn't the issue it is with those things or a pool table. 
good grief pool tables is another whole set of headaches what were they even thinking in the '70s. i remember my dad showing up with a pool table in the back of his truck in 1979 or something like that. down in the basement it went somehow or other and sits there to this day
j


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Pay someone to cut it apart with a torch?


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## Acoustic Tom (Apr 6, 2020)

Sounds like a pile of work. I'd move it out of your music area, put a battery operated candle in it, and put a plant on top of it! Badda Bing, badda boom problem solved.


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

Sell the house.


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## oldjoat (Apr 4, 2019)

go to the local "welding school"

talk to the instructor and have him get a couple of students to "torch" it into pieces , with welding blankets to surround the work site and floor .


offer a few pizzas / bucks and liquid refreshments as incentives.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

mrmatt1972 said:


> Pay someone to cut it apart with a torch?


Plasma cutter would be preferable. Marginally less fire.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

butterknucket said:


> Sell the house.


But all my guitars are there. You can see the bind I'm in....


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Rollin Hand said:


> But all my guitars are there. You can see the bind I'm in....


If you need some place to store them I’m sure there will be a few guys around here to help…


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

Rollin Hand said:


> But all my guitars are there. You can see the bind I'm in....


Take the guitars with you. Leave the woodstove as a free gift with the house.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

butterknucket said:


> Sell the house.


But first build a wall in front of the stove.


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

Yeah, just enclose the woodstove with drywall. It will be a nice mystery for future owners of the house.


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

Check the interior. Usually, wood stoves have a fire brick liner that disassembles. Once removed, you will be dealing with less weight, at least not all at once.

No matter what, plan ahead for preventing soot damage. Protect surfaces, items of value etc. Wear a mask when needed.

Suggest contacting a bunch of potential contractors about your project. There must be an experienced competent pro out there, you just need to find them.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Put it on Kijiji for $500. Buy 2x4s to prop up stairs.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

As mentioned earlier, get a stair climbing dolly.
You can rent a powered one.




__





Powered Stair Climbing Cart 1500LB – Ingersoll Rent-All







www.ingersollrentall.ca


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

laristotle said:


> As mentioned earlier, get a stair climbing dolly.
> You can rent a powered one.
> 
> 
> ...


Works good for many things.


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## MetalTele79 (Jul 20, 2020)

Since it's your gear corner you could clean out the inside to store an amp head or all your guitar accessories and use the top as a raised platform for a cab or combo.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

or.. mount a baffle/speaker inside and disconnect the pipe from the top?
Top ported steel cab.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Milkman said:


> Works good for many things.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

laristotle said:


> As mentioned earlier, get a stair climbing dolly.
> You can rent a powered one.
> 
> 
> ...


That might be our answer. Thanks!


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

If you were a famous rock star and had roadies, you could turn it into your amp cabinet to make them earn their keep when you're on tour.


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## Moosehead (Jan 6, 2011)

An appliance dolly for sure and something you can use as a lever to help the guy up top to take it up stair by stair. I've tried the 4 guys on the stairs while trying to move my wife piano out of the Mcgill ghetto in Montreal. We were going down stairs mind you but there were too many people. at most 2 on the bottom, 1 up top or vice versa. 

A powered stair climbing dolly would be nice. I've never had the luxury. If you had something to anchor to, a winch would be a nice safety measure with the benefit of additional mechanical assistance.
If you don't care about the stove then find some scrap mongers to cut it up and take it out for you for free.


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## elburnando (11 mo ago)

I've taken many of these out of cottages, workshops, etc. The bulk of the weight is the frame, the rest is thinner steel and firebrick. Either call a scrap guy and they'll probably haul it away, or you can do it yourself if not. To lighten but not totally destroy it, Remove the brick, venting and doors. Then you'll see rivets or some sort of fasteners, they used all kinds of shit years ago. Drill, chisel or cut them so the legs come off. That should make it manageable, if not just further diseasemble until your good. We knew pretty well how to do it, and my apprentice and the boss' kid would have it out by the time I finished my coffee and smoke.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

I have a guy coming next week to take a look. I don't think these ones come apart, at least not the casing. As noted, it's 1/4 inch thick steel all around, and 5/8 on top (no seams in the top either), so not exactly light and easy. even if it comes apart.


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## 2N1305 (Nov 2, 2009)

Paul Running said:


> View attachment 414963


You beat me to it! goshdarnit


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## Eric Reesor (Jan 26, 2020)

We had a Fisher in our living room that was piped into a fireplace that tenants were burning drift wood in it to save on electric heating bills. Over the years, salt smoke ate the mortar and the chimney was falling apart when we bought the house. Needless to say, the person we bought the house from was very happy to get rid of the place and the potential liability. 

Fortunately the stove was a light one that only weighs in at about 400 lbs. I removed it, dead ended the fireplace and put in an electric, got rid of the chimney and redid the roof without a chimney. 

It was a wonder that the house didn't burn down because the stove sat out on the old oak floor and the chimney had caught fire a few times and there were even scorched boards on the roof rafters and even old ember burn marks on the wood floor in front of the wood stove which stuck out past the hearth with an old oven pan on the floor and an old orange crate being used as a wood bin right beside the stove.

The Fisher is now yard art in our back yard, it looks great. I am considering turning it into a smokehouse and driving the neighbours crazy with the smell of smoked sausages and kokanee. It will all work out if we invite them over and serve them beer and smoked kokanee though.
Oddly enough the double door Fisher you have is worth a fair amount of cash up north, they are by far and away the best made stoves and are the best for large buildings. Judging by the size of the one in the picture it could heat a 3000-4000 sq ft shack or shed.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

@Rollin Hand did you manage to come up with a solution?


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Well, the guy was supposed to come last week, but...we all got an illness that rhymes with STOVID. I still need to reschedule.


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## Mark Brown (Jan 4, 2022)

That makes a stove seem a little less important.


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