BK Princess insert vs Lopi Revere insert vs Lopi Leyden+ liner advice

[bigspoke]

Hello, this is my 1st post so pardon a bit of ignorance here. I'm looking at the BK P insert and Lopi Revere and Lopi Leyden. I have an unlimited amt of wood to cut myself. House is 1800sqft upstairs and same down in the basement. Basement is completely below ground...not a walkout. 8 ft ceilings. We have a fireplace available upstairs with a 7 inch square (inside measure) clay square tube tile flue. All appearances are no cracks and has been used very little since constructed in 1979.

I know the stoves will do the job but I like the idea of cutting and handling less wood with the BK cat cause I'm 50yrs old and have a temperamental back at times. In real world I may be running either pretty strong to heat my space. Unit will be in the living room and our bedrooms are down a standard length 3br ranch style hallway. Wondering how clean each will burn related to creosote buildup. I'm guessing the BK will need less cleaning of ashes due to better burn. The Leyden has ashpan but I will need to have shorter legs (about 4" shorter) for it to be installed at the front of my fireplace opening.

I work 12 hr shifts often and that would make things easier on wifey if we go with BK. Just dont care for the looks. The all black is tolerable. Most say you cant cook on a bk so kudos there to the Lopi stoves.

About liners....where can a person order online for liners? I found some kits on ebay for $250 with 15 ft and top cap etc. I thought I'd see how uninsulated works then during better weather pour in loose perlite from these guys http://www.hometownperlite.com/Masonry_fill_details.html

I would have to make a block off plate at the fireplace damper area. There is only 5 3/4 inches at best opening thru the damper 6"x 28" roughly is the opening. There is also a protruding connection that hooks to the damper opening/control rod that also limits the easy path of the stainless liner as it is dropped down. I think this damper assembly is of cast material and wonder how easily it would be to relieve part of it with an angle grinder? The damper rod protrusion is of course directly in the center of the flue path. I'm pretty handy overall and will have help from my son but am looking for some advice to help here. The flue also comes down straight from the top of chimney and then is offset as it passes thru the damper area. I do see some references to 5 1/2" pipe liner and wonder if those would work. In any case, the main housing of the damper (not the damper flap) looks like it is solidly built into the chimney and not removable. Without cutting off the earlier mentioned protrusion, I may have to go up to the side of that area via elbows etc. My seller says they sometimes do the "slammer install" but I want to sleep well at night knowing I have the liner.

Could I just try a block off plate at first and release into the chimney above the damper into the existing chimney?

Thanks for you help, Bigspoke.

 

[Pagey]

Spoke, in some ways you are comparing significantly different stoves. Let's start with the Leyden. This is a cast iron stove that uses the "downdraft" EPA technology to achieve secondary combustion. I have no idea if Travis Industries (maker of Lopi) has mastered this design any better than, say, Vermont Castings, but it can be a more temperamental design for reburning wood smoke/gases.

The Revere is a plate steel insert that uses a masonry baffle and secondary burn tubes to reburn the wood smoke/gases. It's much like the Endeavor we use at home. I'm sure it's a quality product like the rest of the steel stoves from Travis. Keep in mind with an insert that you will need the blower to get the most heat out of it.

The BK is of course a heating beast of plate steel and is catalytic in design. With properly seasoned wood, you'd have no trouble getting the longest burn times from the BK.

Now, most important, is that all of these stoves are going to perform their best with wood that has been cut, split, AND stacked for at least 1 year. They'll perform correctly with wood in the 20-25% moisture content range, but the BK will probably actually prefer wood that's 15-18%.

 

[bigspoke]

Thanks for the reply pagey. I really like the 2 inserts but contemplated the Leyden since i have a deep hearth and could use the Leyden without a blower cause I have a ceiling fan to stir the air. I really want to go with the BK but wish you could cook off of it in case of power loss. I'm kinda big into preparation these days. Not really wanting to drink the "recession is getting better" koolaid that the Pres and mainstream media keep serving up.

Thanks, bigspoke

 

[branchburner]

If you get an insert, go with a liner to make flue cleaning easier. Less of a problem if you have a stove, and your flue is a decent size, but a liner still makes life easier.
I have a stove rather than insert in my fireplace for several reasons: better radiant heat, blower not essential, stove top cooking, and I like the looks better.
My stove is a top-loading downdraft like the Leyden. In real cold weather (like now) it is perfect for me, less so in milder temps, but twelve-hour stretches would not work. If I was to switch, I would go with a Woodstock Fireview, but you may want a bigger firebox.
Regardless of the stove type or size, I think you will have a very easy time heating your main floor 1800 sq ft and a very hard time heating your basement 1800 sq ft with the stove upstairs.