babysit time?

We're "'stoners" and we don't rely on wood for 100% of our heat (but if the juice goes out we certainly can!). We keep our home (and my shop) heated to a minimal setting for the boiler (home) and furnace (shop). Our home/my shop are pretty new (1991/2007) and nicely insulated. We use wood to keep our spaces comfy when we're there to enjoy the heat. We have no desire to pump prime seasoned wood into the stoves to maintain a base level of heat when the boiler/furnace can do the work for reasonable money; doesn't make sense to us.

I light the stove in my shop at 5:30-6AM. Usually one full load will take care of my work day and defray the furnace for most of the night. Often, I come out in the morning and the furnace hasn't been triggered at all. I'm still playing around with the setting of the programmable thermostat, it's set between 40-50, depending on how cold it will get at night. I haven't found the "sweet spot" just yet. Our home is handled basically the same way, although the ground floor is on 3 zones (lots of insulation between zones and ceiling) and our primary residence on the second floor is controlled by 2 zones. The home stove is on the second floor. It takes me (primary stove technician) about 20 minutes to light and bring each of our two stoves to "cruising" temperature.

Once I engage the catalytic combustor and see that the temperature is "taking off", I have no worries about "setting it and forgetting it". With seasoned wood and a good starting practice it's easy-peasy.

When I'm reloading a warm stove, I can usually have the bypass closed, t stat set and walk away in 10 - 15 mins. Come back in 12 - 24 hours and do it again

The Freedom Bay is similar to the Liberty I beleive. 5 am wake up time with plenty of coals takes me 7 minutes for a raging fire with only wood splitter scraps and a few 1" pieces covered with progressively larger fuel that fires the large long burn splits. It's a good 30 minutes more that I reduce air in steps during breakfast and the morning news. So I figure 45 minutes and I'm comfortable leaving it unattended for the long haul. She'll run a stove top of 500-600 a few hours then begin to taper off. The fan stops at about 250 degree stove top which is about 7 hours later. Coals enough for the same unassisted relight will go another 4 hours or more. I can be gone 10 hours and still come home to 68 degree room air. The above workday cycle peaks at 75 degrees room air temp. That cycle is for 10 degree morning low and 25 degree afternoon high. I've never loaded this stove over 75% of its capable volume and always run excellent quality hardwoods. Bottom line is really about 8 hours of good heat. A cat stove will beat that. We truly enjoy the dancing light show of the secondary reburn action. Many other threads cover the cat vs non-cat. We're extremily satisfied with the Lopi. I've spent a lot of time messing with a Buck 91 cat which hold more fuel and will heat longer but I prefer my non cat. Our furnace has not run at all in 2015. Just depends on your lifestyle time away from home. For weekend I'm around I'll load less fuel about every three hous and keep a nearly flat room tempurature. Good luck.

What happened with the Summit? Just turned off by the dealer? I think the PEs are supposed to get long burns. Never saw it in person but the Summit to me looks well thought-out, and quality construction. And that red looks good. I wouldn't let the dealer keep me from the stove I wanted, but everyone's gotta make that call for themselves. I think the Liberty likes to run hot in the first part of the burn, so may roast you in the basement early in the load unless you can move air. I have seen it...good quality and blower is quiet. You may want a blower to help move heated air out of the stove room.