Buying a new wood insert need some advice

[supertreat]

Hello everyone
I have a masonry fireplace on the basement level of my home with an old heatilator B vent EZL gas insert which leaks a good bit of cold air into the basement. My house is a split foyer design with a finished basement area of 576 sq ft. which houses the gas furnace as well. My garage is located directly adjacent to the finished basement below bedrooms on the main floor and has a bonus room attached with total area of about 792sq ft and this area is not heated. I have about 1500 sq ft of living space on the main level. We spend a lot of time in the basement which has our tv in it and as you can imagine gets really cold in the winter. We get some below 0 F temperatures here in the winter. The two dealers i'm working with in my area carry pacific energy or quadrafire brand inserts. My question is what size stove should I buy? I live in an area with mostly ponderosa pine for burning which can be had for basically free. I'm debating between the 2700i or 3100i or comparable pacific energy units. Fan noise is a concern as this is our TV room and we have the furnace fan in that room as well. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Todd]

I like the Pe baffle system better than the Quad but both are good stoves. Go with either larger models, big Summit following here.

 

[begreen]

The Quad is reported to have a nice blower system, but I have not personally listened to it. The PE blower is pretty quiet, especially on low speed. How large is the opening from the basement room to the main floor? I would also lean towards the larger stove too, but only if there is a wide, open passage for the heat to travel to the main floor. If not, I'd be more inclined towards the 2 cu ft models.

 

[supertreat]

We mostly want to use the woodstoove to heat the basement area in the winter. Wouldn't we be sweated out if we got a large stove like the summit? Isn't it less efficient to use a large stove at a low setting? The opening to the upper level is a stair well on the opposite side of the room as the fireplace - I'm not counting on it heating the upper levels but just want it to keep the basement area nice and toasty. Any other pros and cons of pacific vs quadrafire? Do both draw in combustion air from the outside? What's this patented ACC technology. Quad 3100i vs PE Super which would you guys pick and why?

 

[begreen]

How large is that opening to upstairs? That is going to determine whether the space gets overheated or not.

My preference is for PE's baffle design. But the Quad is also an excellent heater.

 

[supertreat]

It's about 8ft tall by 3 ft wide - hallway with stairs going up on the opposite side of the room.

 

[begreen]

A doorway is a relatively small opening. I can understand your concerns about overheating now. The less restriction the better the convection will be. If the hallway is inline with the room, you could assist this with a fan in the hallway or at the top of the stairs, blowing the cool air towards the stove room. Based on the description, I would stick with the medium sized PE or Quad insert.

Though others may not agree, I think the ACC system is a gimmick for new wood burners. As long as you have dry wood, starting a fire in these stoves is easy. I don't like another thing that can break over time unless it make a dramatic improvement in overall stove performance.