Banf1100 vs Alderlea T4 vs Explorer I vs ?

[mar13]

After reading these forums on an off for a few years and obsessively this past month, I'm doing my first post. (As a matter of fact, my first post ever on any discussion board.) Anyhow, after 15 winters of using my old VC Vigilant (1977), a state voucher is pushing me over the edge to get a new stove. Clearance issues on my corner (quarter circle, 58" radius to brick, see attachment) hearth has me restricted to the Napoleon Banf 1100, P.E. Alderlea T4, or Quadrafire Explorer I. (As far as I can find out there.) I think it'd be a push, without hearth addition to increase to the 1400, T5, or II. We'd like to maintain the cast iron look.

I'm hoping to get any opinions contrasting these stoves and their corporate backing against one another. I'm beginning to conclude the companies are all reputable and the stoves good, so perhaps it just comes down to aesthetics.

I live on the Oregon/CA border on the coast, so our winters are wet and cool, say 5 or so degrees warmer than Seattle. Redwood tree shade, but no snow. 1800 ft home 2 story, salt house style home. Overnight burns aren't critical. I typically have done small hot fires with seasoned oak in the Vigilant with the occasional baffle shut for the big days, but I'm truly looking forward to not it every 25 minutes and running outside to see if I'm burning clean. And of course being modern with fire code...

 

[begreen]

The Vigilant is a strong heater. I think you will be disappointed in the lower heat output and burntime with a smaller stove and would recommend going up a size to at least 2 cu ft. The Alderlea T5 and the other 2cu ft stoves may fit ok. With double-wall stove pipe they can go right up against the brick if the brick depth is 4". The clearance for all of them with dbl-wall is around 4" in the corner, but that is to the combustible wall behind the brick. The Quad Explorer II also has a close clearance with double-wall stove pipe and is less deep. This makes it mostly an E/W loader, but with a slightly larger firebox. It is a very good looking stove.

 

[mar13]

Thanks for your comments. Today also I talked to a local friend who has a firebox of only 1.5 cu ft, and he regrets getting such a small stove. Two people giving thumbs down in one day has me upsizing. So I'll have to see if I can squeeze at least the next size up (Banff 1400?) onto my existing hearth or just get excited about determining how to aesthetically extend the hearth.

On a similar note, I just noticed PE's Super Classic and Summit Classic models which are narrower (24 & 25.5in) , less deep (both 23.625in) and bigger fireboxes (2.1 and 3.0 cu ft), plus I assume NS loading. They don't fit the cast iron look, but the porcelain does help avoid the "black metal box" look which my wife doesn't care for. They still have corner clearances of 4 and 5 inches. People's reviews seem very positive.

So with you being an experienced Alderlea T6 owner: (1) Is the cast iron jacket much of a big deal? (2) Is the "extended burn technology" a significantly helpful feature?

Thanks again.

 

[begreen]

The mid-sized Super, Spectrum Classic, or Alderlea T5 all have the same firebox. It is a great stove with a very good burntime for its size firebox due to the linked secondary air control. The Summit shares the same firebox as the Alderlea T6. It uses the EBT to extend burn time by barometrically regulating the secondary air. Either will heat the house. If you were further north then the Summit would be a better choice, but in your area the 2 cu ft stove would get the job done.