Another newbie question: Quad 3100i or Country C260

[tim46r]

Hi, I'm new to the world of wood stove inserts. I have a 1-1/2 story cape 1,700 sq-ft house in the Albany, NY area. The ceilings are about 7 ft high. The 1st floor is fairly open. The living and dining rooms are basically one room, 25 X 30 ft with the stairway to the upstairs in the center of the room. Air can flow around the stairway easily from the living room to the dining area. The existing fireplace is at the south end of the house, in the living room. The kitchen and mud room are at the other end of the house. You can stand in the mud room (north end of house) and easily see all the way to the south wall. Lot of spaces for air to circulate. The two 25 X 25 ft bedrooms and full bath are upstairs. The fireplace is masonary and contains a "heatalator" insert that has glass doors. The internal dimensions are: Width 41" in front 31" in back (trapezoidal); 29" high; and 24" deep. My plan is to use my current oil burner (hot water system) to maintain the house at 60 degrees and use the insert for temps upto 70 degrees.
I went looking for stoves on Thursday and the two stove inserts that were recommended by the sales persons (different stores) were the Country Legacy C260 and the Quadrafire 3100i. The heating area size for the stove are about equal 1,300-2,000 sq-ft. Installed with blowers, chimney liner, and tax prices were $4,155 (3100i) and $4,860 (C260), a $700 difference.
I have a two-acre wood lot with sugar maple, white ash, red oak, and hemlock. I figure that made the decision for wood over a pellet stove.
The max heat output of the C260 is 79,000BTU/hr and 10,000-54,000 for the 3100i. Should I put any creedence in those numbers? Or are they just sales numbers. The c260 weighs about 160 lbs more than the 3100i. The stove extension into the hearth are 7"(3100i) and 6-1/2" (c260).

So,
1. Does the insert sizing for my house seem reasonable?
2. Is there a concensus that the stoves are about equal?
3. Is there another stove insert that considerably better given my heating requirements? I looked at the 4100i but wasn't impressed with the door handle and the bay door itself.

Thanks for any input and I hope you had a fun 4th
Tim

 

[begreen]

Welcome Tim. The sizing is ok. You'll want at least a 2 cu ft firebox size. The price is a bit high, but stove shops are busy this year. Still I'd shop around a bit more and get some competitive quotes.

 

[tim46r]

The price quoted by the 3100i comes from a dealer (Woodburning Wharehouse) that friends have indicated have the lowest prices in the Albany area. It appears that due to high sales volume this summer, dealers have no incentive to keep prices low. The pre-season price for heating oil is currently $4.59/gal, where it goes from there is anybody's guess.
I guess this goes under the heading of "shoulda bought one a couple of years ago".
Thanks, Tim

 

[BrotherBart]

OK the following is all from observation and opinion. I have never owned either product but have examined them in stores and seen comments here on the Forum for the last few years.

I think the Quad 3100I is the way to go. Both stoves are extremely well built but I am concerned about the Country line since Lennox bought them out. Lennox has a downright crappy reputation for 1.) Buying and wrecking stove lines and 2.) Shipping manufacturing off the Mexico (just a personal beef of mine). They have also been known to charge un-earthly prices for some replacement components. On the flipside Quadrafire dealers and the company have seemed to take good care of their customers. Not in all cases but most that I have seen discussed here.

As to the prices, the one for the Quad seems fair. Figure posted list prices are between twenty-three and twenty-eight hundred, throw in six or seven hundred for the liner, two or three hundred for a blower plus labor and taxes and $4,100 seems like it is in the ballpark.

 

[tim46r]

Thanks Bart, A friend of mine has owned 2 Quads (different houses) and has been happy with the quality.
Tim

 

[TMonter]

I have owned a 3100i for 5 years now and have been nothing but satisfied with the stove. I have a review on the web site review section.

Here is what I can say about the stove:

Pluses:

Great Heat Control

Easy to start

Good burn times (8-10 Hours)

Easy to keep secondary burn going

Great warranty service

Works well without a blower

Minuses:

Pipe hookup often requires an offset box

Glass gets dirty fairly easy

Not as pretty as some other brands


The 3100i is a solid capable heater with a proven track record in my mind.

 

[jtp10181]

We install a lot of 3100i units and we have never used an offset box. (I don't think the sales people even know there is such a thing and I plan to keep it that way). Just depends on the lintel size. You would need an offset box if you barely have enough room for the height and a large lintel.

The glass gets dirty on a lower burn setting or if wood has too much moisture. Once you get a good fire with good wood it cleans off by itself. I assume this is how all units are? If there are some that can keep the glass clean even on slow burns that would be interesting.

 

[tim46r]

Thanks for the replies, it sounds like the 3100 would be a good choice. I also noticed that a lot of folks posted positive reviews.
Tim