Cat or no cat

Cat.

Is your basement insulated? How well?

If pretty well insulated, cat. For goodness sakes it's -25 below here now, forecast low overnight is -35 and I am burning spruce in a cat.

If not insulated, hmm, listen carefully to begreen who will probably be along in the AM.

Poindexter said:

Is your basement insulated? How well?

If pretty well insulated, cat. For goodness sakes it's -25 below here now, forecast low overnight is -35 and I am burning spruce in a cat.

If not insulated, hmm, listen carefully to begreen who will probably be along in the AM.

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I think he is talking about buying an insert for the main floor

sepulvd said:

I currently have a old fisher in my basement that I use in my house but in the process of buying a insert for the main floor. I went to the local wood stove seller and they were recommending me not to buy a stove with a cat due to wood that's available in the PNW it's mostly soft. they sell BK, enviro, PE, and regency.

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The BK's thrive on softwood . That's what they are tested with. Not sure why they are telling you that . I use both hard (Oak, Ash, Madrone.) and soft wood: (fir and doug fir).......I get just as long of burn times with the hard as with the soft .... Sometimes longer burn times with doug fir. The most important thing is the dryness of the wood that you would be using.

alforit said:

I get just as long of burn times with the hard as with the soft .... Sometimes longer burn times with doug fir.

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What? How does that work? But yeah, in a moderate climate, and if you are away from the house for long periods and need a long burn, the cat is where it's at. Heheh. In non-cats, PEs are supposed to get pretty long burns. That's really a nice choice of brands you have there, all quality stoves.

Woody Stover said:

What? How does that work? But yeah, in a moderate climate, and if you are away from the house for long periods and need a long burn, the cat is where it's at. Heheh. In non-cats, PEs are supposed to get pretty long burns. That's really a nice choice of brands you have there, all quality stoves.

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Wish I knew myself. Have burned both hard and soft wood in the two years I have had BK's and the biggest difference I have found in burn time has been with doug fir. And that has given me the longest burn times over all the other woods. The one thing that makes the biggest difference in burn time is the dryness of the wood...period.

alforit said:

The one thing that makes the biggest difference in burn time is the dryness of the wood...period.

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OK, that's nutty talk. Just ask any old-timer and they will tell you, dry wood burns up too fast.

Woody Stover said:

OK, that's nutty talk. Just ask any old-timer and they will tell you, dry wood burns up too fast.

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Dryness meaning not using sopping wet wood,
Can only get it so dry where I live. heh

alforit said:

Dryness meaning not using sopping wet wood,

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My cats seem to like real dry wood, although webby3650 and the Woodstock PH tests indicate they can burn wet wood...

Woody Stover said:

OK, that's nutty talk. Just ask any old-timer and they will tell you, dry wood burns up too fast.

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Woody Stover said:

My cats seem to like real dry wood, although webby3650 and the Woodstock PH tests indicate they can burn wet wood...

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Ummm........No........I had a Woodstock PH and it was fussy as hell with wet wood.

The BK's on the other hand burn it just fine.....you just have to watch the creosote factor and keep that chimney clean,

Normally I would say that the dealer probably doesn't sell any cat stoves . . . but as the OP mentioned . . . they do.

Crazy statement to make . . . as long as the wood is seasoned it shouldn't matter if the wood is hard or soft . . . and whether it has a cat or not.

alforit said:

Ummm........No........I had a Woodstock PH and it was fussy as hell with wet wood.

The BK's on the other hand burn it just fine.....you just have to watch the creosote factor and keep that chimney clean,

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I currently burn a Woodstock Progress, and while it can burn wet wood, it does much better with well seasoned stuff. Go figure....

sepulvd said:

Am really not sure why they said that. You Would Think They Would Try To sell me One With A cat But I Dont Know That's Why I Asked here. They sell good quality stoves. I gotta take measurements of the first story fireplace and am gonna still use the fisher in the basement. Both floors are a little over 1000sqft

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So you ran into a salesman that was either working you or was a complete moron. Different stoves have different profit margins and some items include a "spif" to sellers which gives them an incentive to sell that stove regardless of the suitability. Then there is the whole turnover issue where when a stove sits in inventory too long you get dinged for it. It may be apparent to you by now, but I really dislike the sales tricks.

That stove shop seems to offer some great brands. Not often do you see BK, PE, and regency stoves in the same shop. BK and PE are my current favorite premium brands of mainstream stove. Woodstock my favorite "custom" stove, and Englander is my favorite budget stove.

It is completely ridiculous to think that soft woods make any difference at all. Among pnw softwoods you have range from pine all the way up to tamarack (larch) which is quite a dense wood that has more energy per split than many hardwoods. Our PNW hardwoods range from willow to madrona but you will most commonly run into red alder which is actually lower in energy density than your more typical softwoods. Lastly, the BK stoves are made in WA and/or southwest canada where the forests are full of softwood. I propose that the BK is more designed to burn softwood than it is for hardwood but as you can see, it makes no difference.

Oh and for a primary heater, one that will provide heat instead of a furnace, a cat stove is superior. I have owned both and fed all kinds of PNW woods into each.

Highbeam said:

So you ran into a salesman that was either working you or was a complete moron. Different stoves have different profit margins and some items include a "spif" to sellers which gives them an incentive to sell that stove regardless of the suitability. Then there is the whole turnover issue where when a stove sits in inventory too long you get dinged for it. It may be apparent to you by now, but I really dislike the sales tricks.

That stove shop seems to offer some great brands. Not often do you see BK, PE, and regency stoves in the same shop. BK and PE are my current favorite premium brands of mainstream stove. Woodstock my favorite "custom" stove, and Englander is my favorite budget stove.

It is completely ridiculous to think that soft woods make any difference at all. Among pnw softwoods you have range from pine all the way up to tamarack (larch) which is quite a dense wood that has more energy per split than many hardwoods. Our PNW hardwoods range from willow to madrona but you will most commonly run into red alder which is actually lower in energy density than your more typical softwoods. Lastly, the BK stoves are made in WA and/or southwest canada where the forests are full of softwood. I propose that the BK is more designed to burn softwood than it is for hardwood but as you can see, it makes no difference.

Oh and for a primary heater, one that will provide heat instead of a furnace, a cat stove is superior. I have owned both and fed all kinds of PNW woods into each.

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I would think that any modern cat stove can burn any wood providing it is well seasoned and dry.

sepulvd said:

they were recommending me not to buy a stove with a cat due to wood that's available in the PNW it's mostly soft.

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My opinion would be just the opposite: if I was burning only softwoods, I would prefer a cat. I burn pine and spruce in my downdraft stove, especially during shoulder season, and it burns too fast and too hot for my warmer-weather needs. I would love to have a stove like a BK that I could dial down too get a longer burn from softwoods, with lower heat output and no smoke.

I say cat. I would consider Woodstock (and Buck) as well as BK.

sepulvd said:

I currently have a old fisher in my basement that I use in my house but in the process of buying a insert for the main floor. I went to the local wood stove seller and they were recommending me not to buy a stove with a cat due to wood that's available in the PNW it's mostly soft. they sell BK, enviro, PE, and regency.

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I say skip the cat but not because of the wood, that's ridiculous.

MEOW

I just started burning last year after a 30 year hiatus, and I simply love having a cat stove. When friends come over and enter my home they are surprised that the stove is going. The house is comfortably warm with absolutely no smell of smoke both inside and/or outside. And I find it super easy to run and control.

sepulvd said:

I really like both the BK and the PE.

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You're in a good place then, because you won't go wrong with either brand.

In insert land your options are limited. Is your fisher an insert? I've only seen freestanding fishers. I would always recommend a freestanding stove over an insert if it is possible. The only BK insert is the princess and does not have as much firepower as a big grandpa bear fisher. The PE summit insert is well liked. How big is the home?

Bigg_Redd said:

I say skip the cat

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Ah, dammit, too late for me.