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WI-I1TBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY,NOVEMBER 13. 1985, PAGE 13 o-od burning pot beliy stoves in chic come-back The'ugly black box' burning a path to the suburbs 1 tcIay's stoves are air- doubling their initial back box, c Brad Robbins, owxior of Oshawa's Stove Den, throws another log in his store's wood burning stove. The mountatns in the background are only wallpaper, but they hint at rusticity anyway. Free Press Staff Photo standard-sized stove will heat an entire bungalow, while a slightly larger one will heat a two-storey home. Robbins cautions fir- st-timne buyers against getting a stove that's too large. Unless you plan (o heat an entire house, the smaller model is more than adequate. The trick to heating large areas is getting the warrn air cir- culating. Robbins offers free consultîng about placement of vents and heating ducts with in- stallation. For two- storey heating, power- driven fans are ad- visable. As virtually ail of Durham Goldsmi'thrn5 DIVISION 0F 585710 ONT. INC. -Craftsmen and Designers of Fine Jewelry-- ARE YOU THINKING 0F INVESTING N A DIAMOND RING? IF SO, THINK TWICE INVEST WISELY 1. Do you want to spend your savings on a ring which is manufactured by the thousands? By SUSAN LESJAK Free Press Staff The woodstove, once disdainfully referred (o by modem urban dwellers as 'that ugly black box," is rnaking a come-back in Durhamn suburbia. Essentially revamped pot-bellies that have been gussied up with gold-plated doors and fancy glasswork, the'stoves have become a popular way of beating the fuel bill and adding charac- ter (o one's home. In the five years Bra Robbins has been selling stoves, his lien- tele has changed dramatically. "The main market isn't the guy in the country with cheap wood close by, but the suburbanite, " he says. The owner of Oshawa's Stove Den ex- pects to seli at least 200 stoves this year, more than double the numbor he sold ast year. Only two months Into the season, Robbins has aready topped last year's sales. Ninety-five percent of those buying wood- stoves, buy (hem as a primary heat source, says Robbins. For a homeowner who's been heating with oil, a wood- stove (which costs i anywhere front $650 (o $900> wiIl pay for itsehf in one year. One customer, he reports, went from an oiù bihl of $1,300 one year to a bill of $90 the next, as a result of adding -a wood burning stove. The cost of burning the stove for a winter shouldn't run much more than $200. A bush cord of hardwood (ap- prox. 4 cubic feet) 'wil see most stove burners through the season. While softer less ex- pensive woods can also bo used, hardwood is recommended due to its dlean hurn. Ail woods produce a sooty substance called creosote when they burn, but hardwoods, which burn at a higlier temperature than other woods, produce less Logs wilh burn a good 10 (o 12 hours so theres no need to wake up chilly in the morning. A tight, fuel efficiency is maximized. A freestan- ding stove of fers 65 to 70 percent efficiency, while an "insert" (an airtight stove which can be built into a fireplace cavity) offers 60 to 65 percent efficiency. A conventional open fireplace in contrast, is only 10 percent heat ef- ficient and loses as much heat from air escaping through the flue as it generates. As for wood consum- ption, fireplace burns logs four times as fast as an airtight stove. It's factors like these which account for the 9phenomenal increase" in the popularity of in- serts, says Robbins. "People are able to take those >heat-loss fireplaces and for the price of an insert <$900 to $1,15o) turn (hemn into a major heat source." As stove buyers who don't already have a chimney must purchase a prefab one (more than who already have fîreplaces are way ahead of the game. Besides the heating benefits, the old-world aesthetics of the stoves attract many pur- chasers. With the ad- vent of fancy ornamen- tation and clear pyro- ceramic doors, the 2. Do you want to pay for a chain stores high overheads. (mail rent, employees etc...)? Mlake the right inves1ient. Have a diamond ring custom <les igned b y JOSEPH REIJJVEI and yOUil have a ring of distinction! once basement, now has an honored place in many a livingrootn. For a look at today's potbelly object d'art and tips on cost-effective heating, visit the Stove Don at Taunton Rd. and Simcoe St. in Oshawa, (part of Taunton Pools and Spas). Owasco Expands1 in order to serve the Durham Region better, Owasco Volkswagen is doubling the size of its service dèpartment, body shop, part depar- tment and sales force. To celebrate the expan- sion, the Dundas St. E. car dealership is hosting a contest. Customers who can guess the total squarç footage of the new ad- dition , to Owasco's building are eligible to win one of two vacation a one week-trip south of tlhe border for two. Second pnize is a weekend getaway in a Volkswagen Deluxe Vanagon camper plus $50 spending inuney. Winners will be an- nouned on the day of the dealerships ôfficial new opening. In the event of a tie there will bea draw for first prize. Mayor Bob Attersley will ho presenting the prizes. Drive your new Vol kswagen as for as you lik for up to stili coveedi. Every 1985 Volkswagen carnes a 24-month Unlimited Mi Ieage Warranty. Ask us for details. OWASCO VOLKSWAGEN INC. 1425 Dundas St. E, Whltby Whitby: 688e9383 Toronto: 683-3234,361-1128, Aax: 683-3235 AN "I1 CARE" and OMI SERVICE WINNER I35 minutes train Downtawn Toronto