Moving - time to shop for new stove....

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Slow1

Minister of Fire
Nov 26, 2008
2,677
Eastern MA
So, our family is moving to Colorado Springs. Lots of busy things to figure out, but the house we have found happens (heh) to have a wood burning fireplace.

So clearly I must put an insert in there (or free-standing stove). I do not yet have the measurements of the fireplace but it does not appear to be unusually large or small. House was built in the 70's and the fireplace was used by prior occupants (comments along the line of "it is great, once you get it going").

Anyway to the point of the post - My first thought is a BK Princess insert. Being that we'll have to burn softer wood up there it may be a good choice for long, steady burns. On the flip side, that may not be the most important thing as we expect to be home much of the time and don't mind loading the stove...

Suggestions with arguments welcome - If anyone is in that area can make specific recommendations about sweeps, wood supplies, stove shops etc that too would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance :)
 
Congrats to the new house!

Any chance you can get the amount of heating fuel (gas/oil) the previous owners used? That will help in sizing the insert/stove correctly. The fireplace dimensions will also help. Maybe the Progress would also fit or are you certain you will not move it?
 
If everything keeps going according to plan, we'll be moving in a few weeks. Not across the country, though. Just a few miles.

I have my stove shopping done in my head, but my wife may have other ideas.
 
Congrats to the new house!

Any chance you can get the amount of heating fuel (gas/oil) the previous owners used? That will help in sizing the insert/stove correctly. The fireplace dimensions will also help. Maybe the Progress would also fit or are you certain you will not move it?

Good idea - I hadn't thought to ask if we could have that info. House is heated using natural gas (as is the DHW). Home is pretty big (approx 2800 sqft) so I don't think I'm likely to get "too much" stove here. Layout isn't ideal for heating from that fireplace location so I don't expect full replacement of heating load.

Yes - I will be getting the fireplace dimensions in a couple weeks (next time we have access to it - during inspection).

Given the room layout a freestanding stove is less ideal - but I have not yet ruled it out. The PH is staying here - it simply weighs too much for us to move.
 
The PH is staying here - it simply weighs too much for us to move.
That is too bad. Just finished reading a bunch of old PH posts and remember your name from them. If you end up with a BK, let us know how it works in comparison to the PH. As a new owner of a WS Fireview, I kind of find the BK/WS debate rather entertaining ... always did like throwing a bit of gas on the fire :)
 
Well, BK's should be less expensive in Colorado if you decide to go that route. As far as longer burn times, to me the convenience of not having to load the stove often is just the residual effects. The real advantage to long burn times is the nice, even heat without the peaks and valleys.
 
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Going from rock to steel. Love it.

Have I ever mentioned that I love big honkin steel stoves?
 
Wow, that will be a major lifestyle change. We can help more when you have pics and dimensions. Do you know what altitude will the new home be at and how tall is the chimney?
 
I've been on this forum way too much in the last few years, and I don't recall ever seeing a complaint from a BK Princess owner.
 
Thanks for the voices of support/opinions.

Rock vs Steel - Is there a rock insert? :) Have to go with what you have. And I admit, I just like getting new stoves too... But I'm not yet fully decided against a stove venting into the fireplace, but I do like the idea of saving a bit of space and having it in the wall. Not thrilled about having to power (or listen to) blowers though...

Chimney height I don't yet know, will perhaps get a measurement when we do the home inspection. I also have discussed with the inspector the need to check the chimney inside - may decide to get a sweep out as well if warranted.

Home is in Colorado Springs - altitude is about 6400ft as best as I can estimate (seems you can go a few hundred feet up/down in a rather short distance... have to get GPS going on site to see what it says). But in any case, I'll clearly be at high altitude.

On the bright side, soft wood in that dry air should dry out quite a bit faster than the oak does around here... then again it will burn faster too....
 
That is too bad. Just finished reading a bunch of old PH posts and remember your name from them. If you end up with a BK, let us know how it works in comparison to the PH. As a new owner of a WS Fireview, I kind of find the BK/WS debate rather entertaining ... always did like throwing a bit of gas on the fire :)

I understand - I have to admit just being able to play with a new stove is appealing and I've wanted to operate the BK. Most praise I've read though has been for the BKK - I have to figure the princess is a bit different being an insert and all. I have enjoyed the PH and the Fireview before it. I won't say it has been perfect but I am a rather picky/anal sort.

Some of my main concerns, however, center around fuel supply etc. With wildfires being one of the big concerns in that area not sure having 12 cords of wood stacked tight and close to the house will be as well tolerated there as it is here. As long as it dries faster there maybe I can get away with only having 2 years supply on hand... Unfortunately the lot is only about 1/4 acre which is less than I have here...
 
The Hearthstone Clydesdale insert is cast iron with rock lining it. People talk about it being slow enough to come up to temp and cool down to suggest it shares a characteristic with the free standing rocks.
 
Hello
At this year's NEHPBA dealer's meeting I attended the BK wood stove lecture. I was soo impressed with their knowledge and high tech wood stoves that BK has my vote hands down!
 
With the amount of space you will be heating, why not the BKK? I guess my question would be, is the asthetics more important than heating as much as possible with wood?

The Princess free stander is also larger than the Princess insert.
 
Aesthetics are important - especially to the family, but the BKK isn't that bad to look at is it? :) All in the eyes of the beholder.

As suggested, I will have to see how much fuel was used the last few years and get a sense of the required heat load but at this point I'm not thinking that 100% wood will be reasonable with one stove given house layout. Main living areas covered is perhaps good enough - the room with the stove adjoins the kitchen and thus is at the heart of the home.

And while I have seriously enjoyed my cat stove experience I probably should consider non-cats too.. why limit the field...

Anyway, I am not gong to rush this purchase, have to get some wood stacked first anyway eh? Can't truck my stacks there so going to have to start all over.
 
That's a big move your about to make. I'm sure you have more on your mind than just a wood stove right now. But hey, I've heard much good about the beauty and climate of Colorado.

Once you get settled in would probably be a better time to stove shop the area, meet some dealers or just relax in the stove room and visualize.

Sucks to start over with wood but your probably right about requiring less drying time, especially with the softer woods.
 
That will be quite a change. I hope you like it. The front range of Colorado is not as cold as a lot of people presume. It is much warmer than the ski country on the other side of the divide that most people think of as Colorado. You may be able to supply most of your heat from one stove/insert even with that much area.

Finding a BK dealer here can be a bit of a challenge. I don't think there are any showrooms with them. Appeared to be mostly sweeps or maintenance service type companies. I went outside the dealer network to use an installer whose service I knew and liked. Cost me quite a bit more.

As long as you accept burning the local soft woods (and the short burn times), you should not have to store anymore than a 1 year supply on site. Most all of the available wood is deadwood that is already very low moisture content. I collect all my wood as deadwood in the summer for the very next winter from my property and the surrounding national forest land. Moisture content is typically 12-18%. Forest service only allows collecting standing or fallen deadwood in my area (Estes Park). There is currently plenty of it available.
 
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What species wood are you usually burning? What are the typical burn times you are seeing with the Ashford?
 
... have to get GPS going on site to see what it says).

...


If you bring up google earth on your property, it will give you the altitude in the lower left hand corner if you move your mouse over it.
 
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What species wood are you usually burning? What are the typical burn times you are seeing with the Ashford?

I burn mostly Lodgepole Pine and Engelmann Spruce, and with lesser amounts of Douglas Fir and Sub-Alpine Fir These are the predominant trees at my elevation of 9000 ft. The make-up changes a lot with elevation. At lower elevations like 6400 ft., I would expect to see more Western Pine and less Spruce and Sub-Alpine Fir. I would guess that most of my wood has been dead for 4-10 years and maybe longer. I leave trees that I know have recently died for at least another season or two. As long as they remain standing, they dry out but do not seem to decompose rapidly. Sort of like seasoning in place.

All of it lights easily and burns fast and hot. I generally reload every 12-15 hours without having to try to really pack the Ashford. I think I could probably get 18-20 hours if I really worked to load it up and let it go inactive, but it is much easier for me to routinely load in the morning and evening, and it never goes inactive. I do not think there is anyway I could consistently get 24 hr runs with the local wood. A neighbor buys hardwood from Nebraska. Not sure of the species. I noticed it burned much longer in my FPX when I tried some in it. I may try to get some from him again next winter and see how the Ashford performs with it.

I use the Ashford to heat the downstairs recreation room and two bedrooms (1000 ft2) and it holds the temperature there in the low to mid 70's with it on the lowest settings (1.0 or sometimes 1.5) regardless of outside temperature (down to -25 F). Some of the heat does go upstairs when the FPX burns out of wood. The downstairs is a walkout basement that was fully insulated on the floor and walls for leaving area in the original construction, so it only needs to run on low most of the time.
 
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That's a big move your about to make. I'm sure you have more on your mind than just a wood stove right now. But hey, I've heard much good about the beauty and climate of Colorado.

Once you get settled in would probably be a better time to stove shop the area, meet some dealers or just relax in the stove room and visualize.

Very true. Many details to work out in the move and although it is about 2 months away, I expect the time will fly by!
 
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