Who upgraded to a BIGGER STOVE and how much better was it?

Hey, I am actually purchasing a bigger stove tomorrow to replace an existing stove. I currently own a US Stove Company 1100B and I am replacing it with an Englander NC-30. Hopefully the bigger burn box will better suit my needs.

I went from the medium VC Dutchwest to a Lopi Liberty and love it. In the shoulder seasons I have to be careful not to cook us out. When it was -39 with no power the Liberty kept the house at 65*. This is the 2nd year with the Liberty and I am learning when it is warmer (20*) to fire and let it almost go out before stoking. That mass of steel keeps heating for a long time.
Doug

I went from a 1.8 to a 2.6 cubic ft firebox and definitely think it was worth it.
I'm burning 24/7 loading the stove 2.5 times a day when its real A cold, 1.5 times when it's mild.

Went from an I1200 to an H2100 and loving it. HUGH DIFFERENCE!

Previous 3 seasons: Woodstock Classic

This season: Blaze King King


Huge upgrade. Not in terms of customer service, build quality, etc., because the Woodstock was superb, just too small. The MUCH larger BK firebox has no substitute for a 24/7 woodburner. I've not used one drop of fuel oil this season, and I can't say the same while I owned the Woodstock. Or even the big Fisher from prior years.

The firebox is 9" deep below the firebox, so coaling/ashes may occur at the same rate, but they don't need cleaning out for longer intervals.
Even during the recent -36 temps, I only load twice a day. +30, I load it twice a day. But man, CAN I LOAD it! My largest load was 98 lbs of hard maple & oak; I weighed it on kitchen scales, so it's a good accurate number. This load, of course, was with the firebox mostly cleaned out, only about an inch to two of coals left in bottom.

It's only the 1st year using it, so we shall see how the catalyst life and door seals go over the next few. All in all, it's the best heating purchase I ever made. And I think one of the best 3-5 purchases I EVER made. I revere it that much.

I went from the large Vermont Castings/Consolidated Dutchwest with CAT to the Summitt non CAT. Not real satisfied with the switch. Not so much because its bigger but because it burns different and i don't think as hot. Bigger box means i don't have to load it as often but I think I'' switch again come next fall and get a BK.

cass

fire_man said:

The recent cold wave must have many WISHING FOR A BIGGER STOVE. I love my Fireview but it's too small for a primary heater in my house. If you upgraded to a new stove, it would be good to know:

What 's your OLD STOVE/NEW STOVE make and Firebox size?
Are you happier with the new heat output?
Do you have less of a coaling problem?
Do you have much less frequent re-loads and get a better night's sleep?

Overall, was it worth getting the bigger stove?

Click to expand...

Tony, I think you may know this but with the purchase of the Fireview, we actually upgraded to a smaller stove! So what are the results?

What 's your OLD STOVE/NEW STOVE make and Firebox size? Old Ashley C-60. I'd have to measure the firebox but it was huge compared with the Fireview.

Are you happier with the new heat output? Definitely!

Do you have less of a coaling problem? No.

Do you have much less frequent re-loads and get a better night's sleep? Yes.

Overall, was it worth getting the bigger stove? Absolutely. Why did we wait for so long?


Good luck Tony.

Ive been toying with the idea only for extending burn times. The only way id make a move is if the new Woodstock stove specs are noticeably bigger than the Oslo. Im also interested in North/South loading, but im not sure i'd get that with the Woodstock.

fire_man said:

mikepinto65 said:

Ive been toying with the idea only for extending burn times. The only way id make a move is if the new Woodstock stove specs are noticeably bigger than the Oslo. Im also interested in North/South loading, but im not sure i'd get that with the Woodstock.

Click to expand...

What is good about N/S loading? I've read a few posts about it but I can't figure out why some prefer it?

Click to expand...

the question you should ask is "what isn't good about N/S loading?"... you can stack it all the way up without arranging burning wood around, you don't have to worry about it rolling out the front door when you open it, or on the glass when it's closed... Burns like a cigar, front to back easilly, does not leave unburned "ends" on either side after a full load on slow. All in all, you can't go wrong w/ N/S loading!

N/S loading is nice because I burn myself less. I do not see any difference in the burn rate or amount of wood. I do like the fact that if I come across a huge, odd shape piece it will usually fit in the door...

This is our first season burning wood and I'm already planning an addition. We currently have a 1.8 cu ft Osburn and plan to add a NC30 in our second living room. I'm really looking forward to a larger firebox (almost double the size) as right now I load the stove 4 times a day and struggle to stay warm without the furnace... especially the bedrooms.

mikepinto65 said:

Ive been toying with the idea only for extending burn times. The only way id make a move is if the new Woodstock stove specs are noticeably bigger than the Oslo. Im also interested in North/South loading, but im not sure i'd get that with the Woodstock.

Click to expand...

I thought the new Woodstock was going to be a side loader.

TX-L said:

Previous 3 seasons: Woodstock Classic

This season: Blaze King King


Huge upgrade. Not in terms of customer service, build quality, etc., because the Woodstock was superb, just too small. The MUCH larger BK firebox has no substitute for a 24/7 woodburner. I've not used one drop of fuel oil this season, and I can't say the same while I owned the Woodstock. Or even the big Fisher from prior years.

The firebox is 9" deep below the firebox, so coaling/ashes may occur at the same rate, but they don't need cleaning out for longer intervals.
Even during the recent -36 temps, I only load twice a day. +30, I load it twice a day. But man, CAN I LOAD it! My largest load was 98 lbs of hard maple & oak; I weighed it on kitchen scales, so it's a good accurate number. This load, of course, was with the firebox mostly cleaned out, only about an inch to two of coals left in bottom.

It's only the 1st year using it, so we shall see how the catalyst life and door seals go over the next few. All in all, it's the best heating purchase I ever made. And I think one of the best 3-5 purchases I EVER made. I revere it that much.

Click to expand...

Hey, that was what I was going to say! I went from a Jotul Oslo to the King Ultra. The Jotul is a great stove, just wouldn't keep up in the new house.

fire_man said:

The recent cold wave must have many WISHING FOR A BIGGER STOVE. I love my Fireview but it's too small for a primary heater in my house. If you upgraded to a new stove, it would be good to know:

What 's your OLD STOVE/NEW STOVE make and Firebox size?
Are you happier with the new heat output?
Do you have less of a coaling problem?
Do you have much less frequent re-loads and get a better night's sleep?

Overall, was it worth getting the bigger stove?

Click to expand...

Went from 5.4cuft Nashua to a 3.1cuft US Stove Magnolia.
Somewhat but house is a little cooler even though stove feels nice and toasty
Never had one before but sure do now.
Still load at least twice in the night but thats mainly trying to keep stove temps up to do the job.
Plan on getting a stove bigger than the Nashua. I think bigger is better.

Remkel said:

mikepinto65 said:

Ive been toying with the idea only for extending burn times. The only way id make a move is if the new Woodstock stove specs are noticeably bigger than the Oslo. Im also interested in North/South loading, but im not sure i'd get that with the Woodstock.

Click to expand...

I thought the new Woodstock was going to be a side loader.

Click to expand...

?, dont know. I did say that I dont think the new Woodstock will be able to load that way though.

fire_man said:

mikepinto65 said:

Ive been toying with the idea only for extending burn times. The only way id make a move is if the new Woodstock stove specs are noticeably bigger than the Oslo. Im also interested in North/South loading, but im not sure i'd get that with the Woodstock.

Click to expand...

What is good about N/S loading? I've read a few posts about it but I can't figure out why some prefer it?

Click to expand...

I think Summit nailed it.

N/S loading is not for all stoves. If you have a front or top loader then it is great. Not so good for a side loader. Maybe it could be but you'd need a large firebox. Side loaders best stick with one way.

We went from a VC Resolute (16" wood) to a VC Defiant (24" wood). We were heating mostly with wood, with the furnace kicking on in the middle of the night or during the day when we were at work. Now we are heating totally with wood....... I could count on one hand the times the furnace has kicked on this winter. Our house is much warmer around the clock, and burn times (overnight) have noticeably improved. I cut our wood to 20 - 22 inches now, and as a side benefit the wood piles are much more stable. One drawback...... an armfull of wood is much heavier now. I'd say we do burn a little more wood now, but its well worth it since the furnace virtually never comes on. Granted, in the shoulder seasons we do occaisionally regulate the temp in the house by cracking a window or door, but the benefits of the larger stove far outweigh any inconvenience.

I'm considering upgrading to larger stove(current 2.2 cubic ft) at some point but it's been a tough choice. Even when we had the resent sub zero days the stove did a pretty good job but bigger would do better. I had to run the heat an hour or so during the cold snap to help out on a night I was away. Other than that teens or better and the current stove does a fine job. Single digit days don't make up a big part of our winter so who knows what I'll do!

Tony, I hear you on the coaling in the Fireview. I over came that limitation with my setup but if you are needing the max heat output of the fireview all the time to keep warm, you are going to need a bigger stove. I heat from a finished basement, 425 sq ft + 1200 up. The heat goes up the stairs and through the registers decently but I am away for work for 12 hours at a clip. It is too long for the at best average insulation I have in the house. On the weekends when I can load every 6-8 hours the house is toasty warm. I have beat myself up thinking how I should have bought the Blaze King Princess but I would have overheated the downstairs with a bigger stove. We would need to know your layout and insulation to determine if the stove is big enough. Through my user experience I would say that 1200 sq ft is perfect for a Fireview as a 24/7 burner.

Some are going to argue and say they heat much more and yes it is true. I heat 1625 sq ft with it and on the weekends, 68-70 upstairs even in the single digits. I would love to be able to load the stove up twice a day to set it and forget it. I can do that in the shoulder seasons and it works beautifully. As for a high of 12, I need to load every 6 hours. I have a simple solution. Install another stove and be a two stove burner. That is my plan. For Winter I plan on getting another Fireview and putting it upstairs. The two of them will beat back even a nasty winter like this one. If you have an open floor plan and want/need only one stove, get the biggest stove you can. Just my opinion.

If you decide to sell your Fireview, send me an IM. I might be interested

We went from a non-EPA old Napoleon to an EPA Napoleon 1450 in the basement. 1.6 cuft to 2.25 cuft and it made a huge difference for a couple of reasons - 1) EPA - saved wood and 2) big enuf to load N/S. The 1450 would be warm by morning, but not really hot, just enuf coals to do a hot re-start.

Since that worked out so well, I ripped out the Gas FP in our LR and installed a Regency I3100 (3cuft box) and it makes a huge difference - much better heat and easy to get good heat through the night and easily get a good re-start quickly in the morning.

Was it worth it - You bet!!

fire_man said:

What 's your OLD STOVE/NEW STOVE make and Firebox size?
Are you happier with the new heat output?
Do you have less of a coaling problem?
Do you have much less frequent re-loads and get a better night's sleep?

Overall, was it worth getting the bigger stove?

Click to expand...

I went from an advertised 2 to an advertised 4.3 cu ft firebox. Definitely happier with the heat output when it is cold and blowing. However, in general I don't burn much warmer or use much more wood, just get longer burns and don't have to worry about reloads in the night or during the work day. I went from 4 reloads a day when its cold to 2, and 2 reloads a day to 1 when its milder. Overall, the BK is much easier to operate as a primary/sole heater.