Larger rear exit stove suggestions.

Alive · Jan 18, 2016

Hello there! I have been to a showroom and read many a thread, and will soon pull the trigger (ill informed or not!), but i figured I should make a thread before I wave goodbye to 3000 washingtons.

I have a 6" stainless liner, in an original stone fireplace from the 1800s. My hearth is 33" deep (not including fireplace depth), and the fireplace is just shy of 31" height (30 5/8 - 307/8 - it varies, its natural stone and old). Tall chimney (20+). want a stove that will only require an ember protection mat so i can place the stove close to the edge of my hearth. Right now I have an older, mid size quadrafire insert, with ebay fans in there. Its not heating enough. 1500 sq foot house that leaks like a seive (siv? spaghetti strainer) (Lets disregard wood and insulation for now, as the insulation cannot be fixed in my particular case and my wood supply will improve over the years).

I want something bigger, hearth mounted, to get more of the heat in my room (or so i hear).

My considerations

1. Size
2. simple to operate
3. reliable / easy maintience

I place all 3 of those fairly evenly.

My closest dealer has jotul, hearthstone, lopi, and PE. Saleswoman pushed jotul the hardest (highest margins? who knows. But i have read many good reviews) But anyway, so far my options (all need to be rear exit to make it into the fireplace and into the existing liner (and the jotul are going to barely clear at 30"5/8 height according to schematics....)

1. jotul 500 - quoted 2550 - i like the looks. I like the front door. I dont like what i read about the sloping firebox giving it less usable space than reported.
2. jotul 600 - quoted 2950 - I like the looks, I like the size, but I dont really get the front door tool. Can you not leave the knob on? Me and the wife are going to loose something that comes off (by loose i mean my dog and cats will take it)
3. jotul f55 - no quote yet - I like the size, and prettty much all I read, but i havent found much in the way of reeviews. This is larger and cheaper than the 600 and 500 from what i have seen - is this only because of the looks? (I like them less, but if its a better functional unit Then i may just have to get this)
4. Hearthstone Manchester - I love the looks, but havent read much on it at all, besides that it likes to smoke when you open the door. Any newer reviews on this? Sales lady said hearthstone was good stoves but not as "bang for buck" as jotul...
5.jotul f50 rangley - no quote - same as the f55 but with the fancy top loading? I like it.

Am i missing anything? 3000 or less is my price range (3000 is my absolute max and is already pushing it)

And lastly - My plan was to have this professionally installed - and then pack roxul all in the fireplace, put up durarock (or suitable alternative) over the fireplace entrance and around the flue, and then tile over that to stop heatloss up chimney and give it a finished look. Will that be helpful? and even if not helpful, is that safe (I want it for looks regardless). Thanks for reading my disjointed essay.

begreen · Jan 18, 2016

From that group my vote would be for the F55 for the added capacity and simplicity of design. But all will do the job.

Your plan sounds safe as long as non-combustible components are used. Not sure how much gain there will be in packing the fireplace with roxul if the front is sealed, but perhaps some.

tcassavaugh · Jan 18, 2016

i understand your dealer may have been pushing jotul because he might get a higher return in sales. however, i really like them. i'm not familiar with the one begreen recommended but looking at it, it certainly seems to be able to heat a large area with a pretty good burn time. it did surprise me that given those factors, it only used 18 inch wood.....sometimes that can be a problem. i have a little F3CB that i absolutely love and its bullet proof. its a great stove but a little on the small side and short on burn time. I've been looking at moving up a size or two to achieve those longer times. good luck with your choice. sometimes thats the hardest part of being a wood burner.......lol.

Alive · Jan 18, 2016

If the sign I saw in the dealer was correct they were asking 2399 for the f55, which would allow me to get the blower and still be under the f600. My wife would appreciate that (she wants a blower).

mellow · Jan 18, 2016

Just throwing this out there, but is this an exterior chimney? If so, have you tried insulating the firebox yet with the insert in it? You might be losing all those BTU's to the outside world, before spending more money I would try that first.

iluvjazznjava · Jan 18, 2016

I have the F55 and I recommend it - its simple and well built. Everything you need and nothing you don't. I have a roughly 3,400 sq ft home and it won't heat it completely, but it helps a lot. It meets all three of your criteria above I think - not 100% sure on the dimensions. The F50 Rangley is popular too, but unless you actually plan to use the winter grill I don't really see the point. Do some searches around the forums and you will find lots of info on all those options, including the F55.

tcassavaugh · Jan 18, 2016

Alive said:
If the sign I saw in the dealer was correct they were asking 2399 for the f55, which would allow me to get the blower and still be under the f600. My wife would appreciate that (she wants a blower).

in my humble opinion, a blower is worth the money as it helps circulate the air much easier. the trick is to not be bothered sometimes by the accompanying noise.

Rearscreen · Jan 18, 2016

Soapstones are totally different than steel or cast. Through my evolution of many different stoves including all of these types, I'd never ever go back to steel or cast iron. Too harsh, cools way too quick.

Creekside · Jan 18, 2016

We love our f55, it's well made and has a big firebox. The only thing, and this isn't even a problem, is that I seem to get the best most efficient burns on full loads of wood and the climate where I live it sometimes is too much heat if it isn't in the 30s or lower. But if your house leaks like a sieve it will probably be fine, otherwise I would say it's a little big for 1500 sq ft

firefighterjake · Jan 19, 2016

Would you be able to use the side door if you go with the Oslo? One of the few complaints with the Oslo is that using the front door allows ash to dump out on to the ash lip and it makes a mess.

tcassavaugh · Jan 19, 2016

firefighterjake said:
Would you be able to use the side door if you go with the Oslo? One of the few complaints with the Oslo is that using the front door allows ash to dump out on to the ash lip and it makes a mess.

lol......burning wood is always a mess, its just a matter of how often you clean it up.

begreen · Jan 19, 2016

Rearscreen said:
Soapstones are totally different than steel or cast. Through my evolution of many different stoves including all of these types, I'd never ever go back to steel or cast iron. Too harsh, cools way too quick.

Perhaps you haven't owned a cast iron jacketed steel stove yet. Soft heat that keeps emitting after the coals die down.

Rearscreen · Jan 19, 2016

begreen said:
Perhaps you haven't owned a cast iron jacketed steel stove yet. Soft heat that keeps emitting after the coals die down.

No I haven't, and I can imagine that with the air buffer it creates a nice cushion of radiant insulation. If I could wave my magic money wand I would love to experience this stove as the design from a heat capacitor makes much sense. Have you owned a soapstone yourself?

jatoxico · Jan 19, 2016

I don't know if this food for thought or just going to give indigestion but I know some have argued that convective stoves are better than radiant ones for old uninsulated homes, especially if there is a lot of stone. The idea is the stone sucks all the heat from a radiant stove whereas a convective stove heats the air not the objects.

Maybe someone else can chime in this regard??

Guessing the F55 w/ the blower fits the above.

heavy hammer · Jan 19, 2016

Like firefighterjake pointed the 500 and 600 have side doors the 500 on the right the 600 on the left. These might be an option I don't know a lot about the f50 or the f55 they have great reviews and are made by a very good company. I would look to see which has the largest firebox. More fuel at a time. The 500 is a great stove in my opinion but you may want larger. Buy one bigger than you think you need. The only thing I seem to hear from the great people here is that they wish they would have gone a little bigger. You can always open a window or cut the air back or what ever means necessary to cool you house back down. Nothing worse than struggling to get your house warm. Good luck and let us know what you get.

begreen · Jan 20, 2016

Rearscreen said:
No I haven't, and I can imagine that with the air buffer it creates a nice cushion of radiant insulation. If I could wave my magic money wand I would love to experience this stove as the design from a heat capacitor makes much sense. Have you owned a soapstone yourself?

Nope, but helped renovate a friend's and have spent many days by that stove. It a big old Hearthstone H1. Eats a bit of wood but heats very evenly and nicely in their place.

Woody Stover · Jan 20, 2016

begreen said:
Perhaps you haven't owned a cast iron jacketed steel stove yet.

Perhaps not; I can't really tell what stove he has from the avatar. ==c

jatoxico said:
some have argued that convective stoves are better than radiant ones for old uninsulated homes, especially if there is a lot of stone. The idea is the stone sucks all the heat from a radiant stove whereas a convective stove heats the air not the objects.

I didn't load last night since it bottomed out about 20* but by the time I did, it was down to 66 in here. There are 1" thick plaster-type walls and it's hard to get them back up to temp. Using the blower, I can regain room temp in about half the time.

Alive said:
1500 sq foot house that leaks like a seive (siv? spaghetti strainer) (Lets disregard wood and insulation for now, as the insulation cannot be fixed in my particular case and my wood supply will improve over the years).

"leaks like a sieve" implies air leaks as well; Have you addressed those? After I did some simple air-sealing work, I found my smaller stove was able to handle this space much better. I would get it as tight as you can, plastic-film the windows, whatever I could do, then size the stove.

begreen · Jan 20, 2016

I almost bought a Mansfield several years back. I have seen them burning and liked their quality of heat. Wife didn't like the look so we got the F400 which I predicted would be too small. (and was right)

firefighterjake · Jan 20, 2016

tcassavaugh said:
lol......burning wood is always a mess, its just a matter of how often you clean it up.

True . . . but the Oslo's front door is notorious for ash spillage. It works much better as a side loader and only opening the door for the occasional cleaning.

Larger rear exit stove suggestions.

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