My head is spinning.

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JA600L

JA600L

Minister of Fire
Nov 30, 2013
1,288
Lancaster Pennsylvania
I've set money aside to possibly purchase a new stove. I am an efficient person. I love efficiency. So I have been researching. What I am seeing is Blaze King, Woodstock, and after visiting the dealer, the Harman TL300 is on the table too.


My question is how do I narrow it down from here?
 
There is no "best" stove, but in my experience a lot of people use style and budget to determine their final choice. Whichever you choose, you are going to be looking at it for a long long time. Independent of style and budget, I think there are many stoves - including those you mentioned - which will burn efficiently when used with the proper wood, chimney and operator.
 
If you love efficiency, then cat (Blaze King, Woodstock) makes more sense than downdraft (Harman).The nice thing about a cat is you can oversize a stove and still get pretty efficient burns without excessive heat output. A bigger downdraft stove means, in shoulder season, either too much heat or less efficient fires.

As well as style and budget, you need to figure appropriate firebox size(s). One common approach is to precisely size the stove based on climate, house size/tightness/layout, desired burn times... and then buy a bigger stove!

If you follow the Ideal Steel beta threads, they might help narrow it down for you.
 
I plan to purchase a stove this summer for a new house we are building. I am pretty sure we are going with the Ideal steel from woodstock. We live close enough to be able to make a daytrip to see the stove before the final decision. I've been looking at pipe lately. I need to make a decision if I want a t connection to be able to clean without taking the pipe apart or a keydamper to be able to choke it down if needed.
 
I just looked at the Country Grandview 230. 84% thermal efficiency and 92% combustion efficiency in a non-cat. Take your time and get the stove you like the best.
 
begreen said:
Country Grandview 230. 84% thermal efficiency and 92% combustion efficiency
Click to expand...

Nice heat exchanger... why don't they want to tell us the firebox size?
 
The 230 is ~2.3 cu ft, the 300 is ~3 cu ft.
 
branchburner said:
Nice heat exchanger... why don't they want to tell us the firebox size?
Click to expand...

Pictures of the size of the box in my Montlake 230, the insert version.
Depth is 17" to the doghouse
IMG_20140309_190130781.jpg

Width is about 16.5":
IMG_20140309_190148752.jpg


I have no idea where they get the 18" maximum log length size - that would be a fraction of an inch away from the glass.
 
sigsegv said:
Pictures of the size of the box in my Montlake 230, the insert version.
Depth is 17" to the doghouse
IMG_20140309_190130781.jpg

Width is about 16.5":
IMG_20140309_190148752.jpg


I have no idea where they get the 18" maximum log length size - that would be a fraction of an inch away from the glass.
Click to expand...

I frequently have 2nd row splits that come up over the lip. 1" from the glass is ok.
 
rideau said:
Country Grandview 230 EPA test load 28,000 BTU;
cordwood 76,000 BTU??? Something doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...

EPA test load on a PE Summit is just 37,000 BTU but PE figures 90,000 stoking it like a locomotive. EPA burns more like reality??
 
rideau said:
Country Grandview 230 EPA test load 28,000 BTU;
cordwood 76,000 BTU??? Something doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...
For the 300 it says 29,181 and 100,000 for cord wood, I was puzzled by that too.
 
BrotherBart said:
EPA test load on a PE Summit is just 37,000 BTU but PE figures 90,000 stoking it like a locomotive. EPA burns more like reality??
Click to expand...
Are the EPA ratings all done the same way? If they are at least we can compare apples to apples.
 
EPA method 28 does not require testing BTU output or efficiency testing. Defaults are used. Defaults established in 1986. To get true numbers a manufacturer has to pop for around twenty grand of further testing. Which most don't do.

The max cord wood numbers are totally numbers cooked up in-house by the manufacturer.
 
The EPA does not care if a stove will heat your house. Or for that matter burn it down. They care if it smokes and how many particulates are in the smoke.
 
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I was told that the suggested new EPA testing will be done with cordwood. I had h impression they would be tested for BTU output by the EPA with cordwood, but that may be wrong.

Woodstock is/or will be testing the Ideal Steel with cordwood.
 
Cordwood testing has the industry very concerned. It may sound good but is totally undefined. It's a hugely ambiguous term. How do you ensure consistency from test to test, stove to stove? Are east coast stoves tested with oak cordwood and west coast stoves tested with fir cordwood?
 
Just looked up the fire box dimensions of the Country Grandview.

230 = 17" Wide x 19" Deep x "Not Listed" High
300 = 18.2" Wide x 21.23" Deep x 13" High
 
Our Country 210 has done us well enough that I would definitely recommend it. The one thing I would change if I could would be the burn tubes. They are only about 9 or 10 inches from the floor of the stove and I am constantly hitting them on reloads. Hasn't hurt them yet though.
 
tarzan said:
Our Country 210 has done us well enough that I would definitely recommend it. The one thing I would change if I could would be the burn tubes. They are only about 9 or 10 inches from the floor of the stove and I am constantly hitting them on reloads. Hasn't hurt them yet though.
Click to expand...

Actually having low head room in the tube stoves helps make the stove more efficient.
 
What I am really looking for is a stove that I can fill as full as my Quad and get 10- 12 hours of good 300 degree + solid heat. I want to use much less wood and cut down on my scrounging while also being price conscience in regards to the stove.
 
A BK stove is going to be the closest to delivering that kind of performance consistently. Thermostatic control will help maintain consistent temps.
 
I have plenty of quality hardwood firewood. I only use softwoods for kindling. The quad does what is designed to do, but I need longer burns. Thanks.
 
JA600L, I love my old Hearthstone, it does everything I ask even if it is a little hard on wood. That being said, if I were to go buy a new stove today it would be a Blaze King and since I heat from the basement it would be the King model.
 
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