Home with the kids today due to snow day. I'm sitting in front of a roaring fire and it just seems like a good day to post my impressions so far with my new stove. I've been burning in my new Super 27 for a few months now. I've been through some shoulder season burning with mostly maple, and some cold weather/24-7 burning with mostly oak and cherry. All together I think I'm through over a full cord of wood. It's heating a 1450 Sq Ft ranch. Thus far it couldn't be better.
Overnight burns have been a piece of cake with cherry and oak. I've had lows in the single digits this winter and have been tuning in the stove around 10pm for the night with a packed load. Typically I reload around 6-7am on a warm to hot stove and real nice bed of coals. Overnight burns are just simply awesome!
Start ups have been an absolute pleasure compared to my 17vl. Weather from a dead cold start or on a hot coal bed, I can be cutting the air back in as little as 5-10 mins. The air damper in far more precise too. I feel I can set it right where I want it typically. It was more of a high-med-low with the 17.
Previously I used the blower a lot. I am glad that I got the blower with the 27. On those single digit nights I did use it to help spread the heat a bit. But 99% of the time I don't need it at all. The heat radiates from the top a lot more on the 27. With the 17 the top was insulated and most of the heat seemed to come off the front of the stove. There is obviously a lot more surface area on top of the 27 and a lot more of the heat goes straight up. This has a lot to do with the layout of my house, but that has resulted it a bit more even heat distribution toward the back of the house.
Font to back or North South loading is one of the best things I feel I've gained. It's just a far better way to go. Safer. Easier. Faster, too, I think.
Ash removal is nicer just because of the increased capacity mainly. I did get the ash pan, but other than filling it up and leaving it. I haven't used it for removal. I've been separating the coals and shoveling out the ash every three or four days maybe. With the 17 it was a morning routine outside of shoulder season.
If I had any issues at all with the Super 27 it would be a very, very, minor one. It does pop and ping a bit more than I would of guessed or than I was used to. I speculate this is due more to the jacketed firebox design. I'm fairly curious if Alderlea owners experience the same pings as the PE steel stoves owners do. I would think that the cast iron jacket wouldn't do that near as much if at all. Not a deal breaker or problem IMO, but it would be the only negative I can note.
So, thus far, I couldn't be happier with my investment. The 27 is really living up to it's reputation as far as I'm concerned. I still have the rest of my first winter to get through, but if the first half is any indication I'm in great shape.
Overnight burns have been a piece of cake with cherry and oak. I've had lows in the single digits this winter and have been tuning in the stove around 10pm for the night with a packed load. Typically I reload around 6-7am on a warm to hot stove and real nice bed of coals. Overnight burns are just simply awesome!
Start ups have been an absolute pleasure compared to my 17vl. Weather from a dead cold start or on a hot coal bed, I can be cutting the air back in as little as 5-10 mins. The air damper in far more precise too. I feel I can set it right where I want it typically. It was more of a high-med-low with the 17.
Previously I used the blower a lot. I am glad that I got the blower with the 27. On those single digit nights I did use it to help spread the heat a bit. But 99% of the time I don't need it at all. The heat radiates from the top a lot more on the 27. With the 17 the top was insulated and most of the heat seemed to come off the front of the stove. There is obviously a lot more surface area on top of the 27 and a lot more of the heat goes straight up. This has a lot to do with the layout of my house, but that has resulted it a bit more even heat distribution toward the back of the house.
Font to back or North South loading is one of the best things I feel I've gained. It's just a far better way to go. Safer. Easier. Faster, too, I think.
Ash removal is nicer just because of the increased capacity mainly. I did get the ash pan, but other than filling it up and leaving it. I haven't used it for removal. I've been separating the coals and shoveling out the ash every three or four days maybe. With the 17 it was a morning routine outside of shoulder season.
If I had any issues at all with the Super 27 it would be a very, very, minor one. It does pop and ping a bit more than I would of guessed or than I was used to. I speculate this is due more to the jacketed firebox design. I'm fairly curious if Alderlea owners experience the same pings as the PE steel stoves owners do. I would think that the cast iron jacket wouldn't do that near as much if at all. Not a deal breaker or problem IMO, but it would be the only negative I can note.
So, thus far, I couldn't be happier with my investment. The 27 is really living up to it's reputation as far as I'm concerned. I still have the rest of my first winter to get through, but if the first half is any indication I'm in great shape.
