Napoleon 1900 or Englander 30? Radiant or Convective stove - which one best/better for finished base

krysssyann · Jan 7, 2012

Looking to put a second stove in our basement. We have a large house about 1400-1500 first floor and 1000 second floor. We put a 1700 Enviro Venice insert in our fireplace in the family room (but not an open floor plan) so doing ok heating most of first floor but not moving much upstairs (still working on fan placement) - first year with stove so finally learning how to get it cruising at 500-550 versus turning the stove down too soon like most of us newbies do.

My question is we are working on finishing our basement (about another 1000 sq feet) that will be a large open room (but where we want to put the stove is opposite side of the house as current stove but in basement not on first floor like the insert). I have read a decent amount on here about basement installs but it will be a primary heat source for making the room functional and will be insulated walls as well. We are putting porcelain tile floor down and removing the insulation in between the basement ceiling and main level floor) to help with heating as well. Will keep basement door open with fans as well to help move heat. Probably won't cut new registers in floor for this.

Home Depot has just started its clearance on the Englander stove and have an opportunity to buy a new Napoleon 1900 (with door/ash pan) for very reasonable $1000-$1300. We will have to add a chimney for either one and they both take 6" flues). I am VERY attracted to the Woodstock Progressive hybrid but I can get a chimney in and stove for price of just the Woodstock stove.

So my question to all you guys is an opinion on which stove to get. We do also want to be able to use the basement as a game/activity room without totally being baked out but want to free myself from our heat pumps as much as possible (luckily upstairs has its own furnace/heat pump) so if i did need to supplement that its ok.

Is one stove more convective vs radiant? Looking for any insight into this! I know go for bigger stoves

esp where we have a LOT of windows and a late 1970's house that could always use more attic insulation (next spring) but at least has newer windows. Not 100% sure how tight it is, only been here a few months.

Also open to other sugeestions that might fit the bill as well OR if I should really just save up a few more pennies for the stove I am truly in love with (both looks and specs - if you think it would perform best for my situation) - if I left any details out (because it is definitely past my bedtime) just ask away!

Thanks!

kjayhawk · Jan 7, 2012

krysssyann said:
Looking to put a second stove in our basement. We have a large house about 1400-1500 first floor and 1000 second floor. We put a 1700 Enviro Venice insert in our fireplace in the family room (but not an open floor plan) so doing ok heating most of first floor but not moving much upstairs (still working on fan placement) - first year with stove so finally learning how to get it cruising at 500-550 versus turning the stove down too soon like most of us newbies do.

My question is we are working on finishing our basement (about another 1000 sq feet) that will be a large open room (but where we want to put the stove is opposite side of the house as current stove but in basement not on first floor like the insert). I have read a decent amount on here about basement installs but it will be a primary heat source for making the room functional and will be insulated walls as well. We are putting porcelain tile floor down and removing the insulation in between the basement ceiling and main level floor) to help with heating as well. Will keep basement door open with fans as well to help move heat. Probably won't cut new registers in floor for this.

Home Depot has just started its clearance on the Englander stove and have an opportunity to buy a new Napoleon 1900 (with door/ash pan) for very reasonable $1000-$1300. We will have to add a chimney for either one and they both take 6" flues). I am VERY attracted to the Woodstock Progressive hybrid but I can get a chimney in and stove for price of just the Woodstock stove.

So my question to all you guys is an opinion on which stove to get. We do also want to be able to use the basement as a game/activity room without totally being baked out but want to free myself from our heat pumps as much as possible (luckily upstairs has its own furnace/heat pump) so if i did need to supplement that its ok.

Is one stove more convective vs radiant? Looking for any insight into this! I know go for bigger stoves esp where we have a LOT of windows and a late 1970's house that could always use more attic insulation (next spring) but at least has newer windows. Not 100% sure how tight it is, only been here a few months.

Also open to other sugeestions that might fit the bill as well OR if I should really just save up a few more pennies for the stove I am truly in love with (both looks and specs - if you think it would perform best for my situation) - if I left any details out (because it is definitely past my bedtime) just ask away!

Thanks!

We just replaced the Napoleon 1400 with the Englander 30. The bigger Napoleon you are thinking about will be more of a convective stove; the Englander will definitely radiate more heat, making your basement living space warmer than the Napoleon will. I'm sure you would be happy with the Englander ... especially with the clearance price! Yet, the Napoleon 1900 for the price you quoted is quite the deal.

Does firebox space matter to you? If so, I would recommend the 3.5 cu/ft Englander. It will give you 12-15 hour burn times and easy lighting on reloads. Our wood consumption has not increased since switching to the Englander ... so from our experience the Napoleon 1900 would likely consume a bit more wood.

Both are good stoves, and you would likely be happy with either one. In my opinion, I would choose the Englander. The build quality appears to be better and you can't beat Englander's customer service.

Happy stove-buying!

bluedogz · Jan 7, 2012

That's a really well-phrased summary of the exact same questions I just asked, except I'm looking for a main 1st floor stove to replace the smoke dragon.

I ended up deciding on the NC30- big firebox, long burn time, and Mrs. Blue believes is pretty "enough" for our home.

krysssyann · Jan 9, 2012

Thank you guys for the input so far! I am torn as to which type of stove makes more sense (especially for a basement install) - is there any other input from real owners for basement installs? It will be finished space just don't want to cook us out of the basement which leans me towards Napoleon 1900

kingquad · Jan 9, 2012

If your looking for something more convective, consider the Heatilator WS-22. Should be cheaper than the Nappy. Initial reports seem to be favorable.

krysssyann · Jan 9, 2012

I am trying to decide on the best type of stove for the space (convective or raidiant) - to both heat the basement and use some extra heat on the 1st floor (to help out our Enviro Insert that is already on the 1st floor). I can get either stove brand new for under/around $1000.

begreen · Jan 9, 2012

For the task described, both stoves are more convective in nature and both are a bit oversized for primarily heating a 1000 sq ft insulated space. The mid-sized Napoleon 1400 or 1450 would do the job fine, especially considering this is a secondary stove. That said, you are getting a heckuva good price on the 1900 and it is the more convective of these two stoves. If the heat can convect easily to the main floor, then it could become your primary heater except in the coldest weather. If that is the case, go for it.

ScotO · Jan 9, 2012

We have a Napoleon 1900p and it heats our 2800 foot bi-level house nicely. My biggest gripe is the fact that Napoleon does not deal directly with the customer...... Other than that we love the stove...... we like it so much we went ahead and bought a Napoleon 3000z fireplace for our living room project....

Vanskills · Jan 10, 2012

Napoleon doesn't deal directly with the customer?

That's odd, you have to talk to the dealer for everything?

begreen · Jan 10, 2012

Actually, that's very common for any big corporation. Most prefer the customer to work through their dealer first.

Vanskills · Jan 10, 2012

I'm buying an englander this summer, about 70% of that decision is from reading about their awesome customer service

I been to a few stove dealers here in Denver and they remind me of cheesy used car salesmen

The first thing I do when I want to buy something is google their service and complaints. The Internet age makes it almost impossible to hide incompetence, as a customer i like that, although I'm sure companies hate that

Of course I'm not saying anything bad about other stove companies,I just think it's pretty cool englander is so transparent and helpful, that means alot to me.

krysssyann · Jan 15, 2012

Thank you guys for all your help

If all goes well on Monday I will be putting in the order for a brand new Napoleon 1900, at $1050 I just can't pass it up

2nd stove

already addicted and loving wood burning and its only going to get better! Hooray for another female wood burner like Gamma Ray

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