allseason Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 I'm planning a kitchen reno on my 1883 Victorian farmhouse. I'm looking at ranges, propane fueled and want any feedback on Elmira's reliability. http://www.elmirastoveworks.com/ The alternative is an original stove updated. Any input in that direction also much appreciated. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 I have a 1940 vintage Roper. No safety devices, utterly reliable. $250 for the stove, $300 to rebuild the oven t-stat a couple years after I bought it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Elmira airtight wood burning cookstoves were very good, but I understand they sold that part of the company to Heartland. The new company continues to make excellent wood burners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Elmira airtight wood burning cookstoves were very good, but I understand they sold that part of the company to Heartland. The new company continues to make excellent wood burners. Ya'll still burning wood in the kitchen up there? Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kogel Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Elmira airtight wood burning cookstoves were very good, but I understand they sold that part of the company to Heartland. The new company continues to make excellent wood burners. Ya'll still burning wood in the kitchen up there? Marc It's a new age thing, Marc. Food tastes better cooked on a wood fire, or something like that. I see 2 or 3 wood burners in the kitchen in a given year. The airtights have an extra deep firebox. Not something I personally miss from my childhood. Wood warms you 5 times, the first 4 when you cut it, haul it, split it and stack it. [] From grade school - "Johnny, can you name 3 parts of a woodstove?" "Lifter, leg and poker?" "Report to my office after school" [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 I have a 1940 vintage Roper. No safety devices, utterly reliable. $250 for the stove, $300 to rebuild the oven t-stat a couple years after I bought it. Put up a pic, please. Some of those old Roper's are awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 [uTube] [\uTube] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Fabry Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 For almost 20 years our daily driver was a 1920's Odin gas range. We still have it in our barn and I'm positive that it would go back to work tomorrow without complaint. It has a really small four-burner cook top that just isn't practical. When we remodeled our kitchen my choice was 30's O'Keefe & Merrit, 20's and 30's Chambers and some older Ropers and Norge models. My wife prevailed though and we have a 36 inch Blue Star. I love our big range and it has a couple 32k btu burners that boil 2 qts of water in about two minutes, a simmer burner that will coddle water at 210 degrees and a giant oven. Still.... if we did again again, I'd work harder for the vintage range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Blue Star is the new classic imho. I fiddled with some old Chambers for a while, retro'd a Roper, toyed with a couple other behemoths, etc., but if one likes to cook, some of the new models rule. Dacor makes a 30" that's solid, no bells or whistles, just pure function, a high btu output burner and a convection oven. There's nostalgia and then there's cooking. It's a choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Booth Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 [uTube] [\uTube] ..........I've pressed the like button......Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neal Lewis Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 Chris, I guess you've moved out of the Bergen Co. and joined US Inspect ? I did a stint with them around 15 years ago. Most of the guys are gone now except for Mike C and Guiseppe. Best of Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted February 10, 2016 Report Share Posted February 10, 2016 [uTube] [\uTube] ..........I've pressed the like button......Greg Me too. The Timmy Brothers Water Maker video is pretty good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 This one is very similar to mine, though a bit newer. Mine has a separate valve for the oven fuel. Turn to on, turn the stat to just above room temperature, hold match to ignitor tube. I have those salt and peppers but have swapped them for a set with a timer. Mine also has a work light over the vent. Click to Enlarge 29.59 KB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted February 11, 2016 Report Share Posted February 11, 2016 Sweet. There's probably more steel in that thing than a lot new cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted February 12, 2016 Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 The shell is porcelain on something close to 20 gauge, maybe 22 on the interior, over a cast iron frame. It weighs over 400 pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nolan Kienitz Posted February 12, 2016 Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 I cook predominately with cast iron ... they would love that unit!! Not that my CI skillets would tell me one way or another ... but it would be a good fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Whitmore Posted February 12, 2016 Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 I want this one: http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ppd/5415101181.html Sorry, no help to the OP at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Raymond Posted February 12, 2016 Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 I have one of that vintage too. It's missing a few pieces, but it is too cool to go to scrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allseason Posted February 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2016 I want this one: http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ppd/5415101181.html Sorry, no help to the OP at all. That's a great price for that. I have seen some old units, 20's and 30's restored for more than that. Some with 6 burners and double ovens for up to 12K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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