Sizing up my insert, questions for LARGE insert owners

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EJL923

EJL923

Minister of Fire
Oct 29, 2009
599
Western Mass
I have decided that I want to size up my insert. I currently own a Jotul Rockland. Cant really say anything bad about it, other than i undersized the stove. We wanted the largest flush face insert at the time we bought it two years ago, and the Rockland was it. it is an absolute beauty of a stove, best I have seen but time to move up. It was rated for 2000 sq ft, which is probably about right, but my house is 2400 sq ft. I figured that the heat wouldnt move well in my layout to the upstairs, but i was dead wrong. The upstairs just wont stay warm enough, well warm enough for my wife.

So two questions remain.

1. Best way to sell a used Jotul Rockland 550, used for two seasons, just about mint condition. When i mean mint, it can be thrown right into someone elses firplace and be used for a couple seasons. I took very good care of it. I even have an extra blower for it, it has two. Ideally i would like to sel one before buying another so i can put that money towards it.

2. Which stove to size up too? The most popular question on this site. I frequent the site a lot, so i thought i knew the answer. I was going to a PE Summit insert, but I still see people have weld issues. I would appreciate some advice.

Thanks all
 
I don't think there are many choices. Over 2000sf from an insert is difficult. You also have to look at burn time. I wouldn't want a hot insert that has a short burn time.
 
I like my insert a lot... but... If I were to do it again I would build an extension in front of my hearth and put in the biggest free standing soapstone stove (hearthstone equinox) I could get.
Just my .02
 
There are a few choices. The first will provide the best payback - get an energy audit and work on the issues the audit details like sealing up the house + insulate. The second choice is to put the heat where it is desired. The stove is an area heater. Can a smaller stove be installed upstairs? A third choice would be to install an efficient wood furnace like a Caddy or a Kuma.
 
EJ...flush faced inserts were my agenda too. I also really liked the Rockland, but chose the Flush Wood Insert from Lopi because of firebox size (almost 3 cu. ft.). Did you look at any Travis Industries stoves (Avalon, Lopi, FPX 33)? Such stoves were on the market 2 years ago. I believe you are going to be very limited with flush inserts larger than this. To my knowledge, I'm not sure there are any on the market.

If heat upstairs is your goal, I'd maybe consider a free standing unit. Even with one, you may still face challenges in directing heat that way. Take some pics and list accurate information regarding the Rockland & post here in the For Sale forum as well as on Craigslist.
 
Great feedback so far guys. I have some more info for you.

1. I am willing to go with an extended insert. In fact, i think i prefer it this time around.
2. I did look at the Lopi and Avalon flush face. I didnt like the lopi becuase i thought it was too low. The avalon was priced much higher at the shop i was at, so that was out.
3. I have done quite a bit with insulation and sealing, work in progress.
4. My upstairs now gets up to about 64. I figured with a larger stove i could jump about 5°, which would be adequate. For instance, i think the Summit insert has almost a 1 cu ft firebox advantage, but again, am leary of the welds. I am also trying to keep the costs lower. A shop said he would sell a Summit for $2300 delivered, not sure how that relates around other parts.
 
EJL923 said:
Great feedback so far guys. I have some more info for you.

1. I am willing to go with an extended insert. In fact, i think i prefer it this time around.
2. I did look at the Lopi and Avalon flush face. I didnt like the lopi becuase i thought it was too low. The avalon was priced much higher at the shop i was at, so that was out.
3. I have done quite a bit with insulation and sealing, work in progress.
4. My upstairs now gets up to about 64. I figured with a larger stove i could jump about 5°, which would be adequate. For instance, i think the Summit insert has almost a 1 cu ft firebox advantage, but again, am leary of the welds. I am also trying to keep the costs lower. A shop said he would sell a Summit for $2300 delivered, not sure how that relates around other parts.
Click to expand...


If I could not not install a second stove/insert elsewhere in the house, which would probably be the best option, I would want to oversize the hell out of my next purchase to make sure I don't run into this problem again. That said, look into Buck inserts and Country Flame inserts. By doing that you will have to suck it up and insert an 8" liner.

Buck Model 91: 4.4 cu ft firebox
http://www.buckstove.com/wood/model91.html

BBF Insert: 3.9 cu ft firebox
http://www.americanenergysystems.com/bbfinsert.cfm
 
That is a super price on the Summit, though I don't think it is 1 cu larger than the Rockland. They should be pretty close in size. For larger inserts look at the Buck 91 or Kuma Sequoia. The Kuma would be my choice I think, but note the 8" liner requirement.
 
BeGreen said:
That is a super price on the Summit, though I don't think it is 1 cu larger than the Rockland. They should be pretty close in size. For larger inserts look at the Buck 91 or Kuma Sequoia. The Kuma would be my choice I think, but note the 8" liner requirement.
Click to expand...


It's like I'm reading your mind...
 
BeGreen said:
That is a super price on the Summit, though I don't think it is 1 cu larger than the Rockland. They should be pretty close in size. For larger inserts look at the Buck 91 or Kuma Sequoia. The Kuma would be my choice I think, but note the 8" liner requirement.
Click to expand...
Why the Kuma over the Buck? Just wondering.
 
Thanks guys. Im gonna have to say 8" liner is out. If there is no upgrade with a 6" liner then i might have to put a hold on this. What about buck 74 insert?
 
EJL923 said:
Thanks guys. Im gonna have to say 8" liner is out. If there is no upgrade with a 6" liner then i might have to put a hold on this. What about buck 74 insert?
Click to expand...
I think that it's about the same size as your Jotul.
 
There's always the Lopi Freedom, Freedom Bay & Avalon Olympic. All 3 + cubic feet of firebox and rated at 2,250 sq. ft. With that said, I'd still consider extending the hearth if you can and putting in a free stander.
 
EJL923 said:
Thanks guys. Im gonna have to say 8" liner is out. If there is no upgrade with a 6" liner then i might have to put a hold on this. What about buck 74 insert?
Click to expand...

The Buck 74 is what I have, I can keep 2100 sq. ft. with average insulation between 68-75. After using the 74 for one year I have only one complaint, split size. I have tried both e/w-n/s loading and the most effiecent is e/w. With that being said your splits have to be no more than 17" long. I have swithed to block wood from the local lumber yard so for me, its not so bad. The Buck sure heats great!!!
 
If you're still interested in a flush face, Hearthstone has a gorgeous insert. The Clydesdale has a large viewing area. However it's not huge 2.4 Cu ft but everyone that I spoke to that has one love it. http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/wood-stoves/stove-details?product_id=16

If steel plate protruding fireplace is of interest, The Osburn 2400 is a 3.2 Cu Ft.
 
FyreBug said:
If you're still interested in a flush face, Hearthstone has a gorgeous insert. The Clydesdale has a large viewing area. However it's not huge 2.4 Cu ft but everyone that I spoke to that has one love it. http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/wood-stoves/stove-details?product_id=16

If steel plate protruding fireplace is of interest, The Osburn 2400 is a 3.2 Cu Ft.
Click to expand...


The Clydesdale will put out about the same heat as the Jotul he has. Seems a bit pointless to do that. The Osburn would make a difference, though.

What is the largest insert that still takes a 6" liner?
 
2400 will take 6". I dont know if anyone makes anything bigger on 6" but i'd like to find out.
 
FyreBug said:
2400 will take 6". I dont know if anyone makes anything bigger on 6" but i'd like to find out.
Click to expand...

I suspect the OP will need something as large as possible while still using a 6" liner to be sure he feels the difference. The 3.2 is good, but I wonder if there is anything out there north of 3.5 that still takes a 6" liner?
 
The Olympic insert from Avalon (Travis Industries) can be installed as a flush mount OR as a cook top mount. Basically, the cook top mount pulls the insert more out into the room. More like a hearth stove/heater. The Olympic insert can be turned into a stove by just buying legs for it. I would check out the webpage for Avalon. the manual is online, so you can read it to see the differences in installing the two options. The measurements for the fireplace are all in there too.
 
kingquad said:
BeGreen said:
That is a super price on the Summit, though I don't think it is 1 cu larger than the Rockland. They should be pretty close in size. For larger inserts look at the Buck 91 or Kuma Sequoia. The Kuma would be my choice I think, but note the 8" liner requirement.
Click to expand...
Why the Kuma over the Buck? Just wondering.
Click to expand...

Probably just me, but I am not a big fan of the bay windows style. Too much bling for my taste and I haven't seen one yet where the side windows stay clean. This might just be lack of experience on my part though. For sure, at 4.4 cu ft. the Buck 91 has it over the Sequoia's 3.6 cu ft capacity.
 
I've got a Lopi Freedom which takes a 6" liner. With 24/7 tending I can heat the house reasonably well (2600 sqft colonial with decent insulation and a less-than-ideal floor plan) but it will take a couple days to even out the temperature. My house was not built around a hearth, and instead was intended to be heated by hydronic baseboards. That's a systemic limitation I must accept. If I miss a firing or let the temp on the stove fall below 300 the house starts to cool off, and if the temperature dips it can take a while to get it back up.

As far as the insert goes, I'm glad I got the larger sized one. I don't think that size matters as much in an air-tight welded firebox. What matters is wood and how dry it is. The Freedom can be mounted flush but we chose to pull it out to give us a surface that has come in handy more than once. The best thing I can say about it is that it is an insert, and NOT the useless fireplace that was there.
 
We've got a Regency I3100. 3cuft box, 6" liner. It easily heats our 1800 sqft bungalow main floor and once the main floor is warm some of that heat even seems to migrate down to the basement a little (through the floors and registers I guess).

We like it a lot. Get long burn times and once we get going 24X7, we rarely ever have to start a new fire from scratch. I'd suggest getting your opening dimensions and start looking at mfg web sites for opening requirements. Get the biggest box you can fit in there, as we all know, you can always make a smaller fire or open a window if it gets too hot.

How have you been getting the warm air upstairs?
 
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