Okay Blaze King owners, why should I go with this Cat stove (Ashford 30) over a hearthstone or Jotul oslo? I can find plenty of non-cat stoves at dealers in mid missouri. but no cat stoves ( they frown about them when asked).
I am planning a new home build 1400sq. ft. of open floor plan, heavily insulated on a slab. Stove will be centrally located in living space.
I will need a softer heat, not a searing,"can't get within 5 feet of the stove" heat, due to the proximity of stove to dining/living area.
I find plenty of nay-sayers on cat stoves but obviously you folks are all about it in these Blaze Kings.
concern #1 - Will an Ashford 30 run me out of the living space before I ever get the 2 bedrooms warm?
concern #2 - Are they really so easy to load and leave every 12 hours they are boring? a good thing imo, or is this just over zealous fan talk.
concern #3 - do I 'have' to run a fan kit ? few other Co. even make a fan kit this days, letting natural convection of the space do that job. I am sure time will tell and the location/floor plan/etc will have a let to do with this answer given all the variables.
thanks for the input, it is an important decision, and one I hope to get right the first time
I just traded three Jotul Firelight stoves for two Ashford 30's, so this response is based on several years of burning multiple Jotul Firelight stoves, and a few weeks of burning one of the Ashfords at the end of last season.
The Ashford 30 (actually, all BK's) can burn remarkably lower and slower than any other stove on the market. Stretching a 2.8 cu.ft. firebox for a 30 hour burn time really opens up the range of heat output like no other stove you've ever operated. I'd venture a guess that the Ashford 30 can run at a lower heat output than even the smallest 1.7 cu.ft. stoves.
North-south loading, deep firebox floor, and large front door. Yes, it's very easy. Rake out your coals, load the box full, get it going and wait for cat probe to hit active range (eg.20 minutes), close bypass damper, wait a few minutes, then set your desired heat output on the automatic thermostat. It's much easier to run than my Firelights ever were.
Fan kit is not necessary. I ordered them because I have my stoves stuffed back into large fireplaces, but they roll out some nice natural convection without the fans running. In fact, not having fans is easier, if it works for your situation. If you run fans, you'll find you have to shut them off and wait 5 minutes to get accurate cat probe readings, since the fans do cool the probe shaft (it penetrates the convective deck).
As to "soft heat", they're a convective design, and because they can burn so slow (with no flame in the box), you can even eliminate the searing radiation you get off the glass of stoves that burn with flame in the box. So, yes, they can give off a very low gentle heat, if that's what's desired. Turn up the thermostat, and they can also sear your eyebrows, if that's what you need. The beauty of a catalitic stove is that you have both options.
