buying a stove....today

[waterflea]

And should have posted this question long before this but we'll see what comes up.
I'm replacing an old tin box stove I stuck in the living room about 12 years ago. Not
very efficient and ugly.
The new stove must be:
-wood
-open front so I can see some flame.
-efficient with good burn time
-doesn't need to be too big. The house is a fifteen year old 2 story colonial style.
I'm not looking to heat the whole house and drive us out of the
living room, just take the edge off the downstairs.
Any suggestions as to the direction I should be looking would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Brian VT]

What size pipe ?
Me, I'd look at the PE Alderleas and the Harmon Oakwood. I suppose I'd give the Woodstock Soapstone a look too but I generally like a stronger radiant feel when I come in from the cold.

 

[cmonSTART]

If you're OK with the plain steel box look, Englander 13's are plentiful around here and are good little stoves. They're pretty efficient and can be found at a lot of Home Depots. Beyond that I would suggest just shopping around at local stove stores. Fireplace Village has a few locations around NH. If you're near Milford, Sons Chimney is located on the oval. I've had some limited, but good experience with them. As for brands, Englander is fine. I've been fairly impressed with the Napoleons I've seen. I'm sure you'll find something that works for you.

 

[Brian VT]

Oh yeah, you didn't tell us how much of your money we could spend ! lol

 

[Tree farmer]

I would go for a Hearthstone myself, long radiant heat and long burn time. A friend has one after a couple other stoves and claims this is the best stove he as ever had he heats 2200 sqft no problem. I am always quizzing him on performance because it impresses me so- burn time heat etc. when I am visiting. Bring your wallet though he spent just under 4k. Good luck

 

[savageactor7]

waterflea all the newer EPA non cat steel stoves are pretty much the same...it depends on what you what to pay and how long you're willing to wait for installation.

 

[fishinpa]

There is a maintenance difference between cast iron and steel stoves, which is why I went with a steel stove. This applies to cat & non-cat stoves also.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

It depends upon what you want.

If you want a stove with the qualities that you stated you require and more, then do you want:

A Stove company who really stands behind their product?
A company with best warranty on the market? It can't be beat!
A stove that really looks elegant? A beautiful stove indeed.
A stove that gives maximum heat per fuel burned? See below.
A stove that burns much less fuel than what you are accustomed to? (I cut my fuel needs by over 60%!)
A stove that will heat your home but not roast you in the room where the stove is? A soft heat. You can feel the difference.
A stove that will give heat for long periods without refueling often? But only if you have properly seasoned wood; same as with all stoves.
A stove that is very simple to operate?
A stove that burns the fuel so efficiently that you don't have to clean your chimney as often.

Look no further than Woodstock and look specifically at the Fireview.

 

[jtb51b]

I like my buck stove, mine is a model 21 which might be a bit small for your needs but the model 74 is very nice.. Reasonably priced as well..

Jason

 

[Chief Ryan]

NH is not that big. Take a ride to Woodstock Soapstone Co. You wont be disappointed. Great people. They'll show you the entire factory and all of there products. I was there for four hours.

 

[stanleyjohn]

A point to remember is there are basically two types of EPA wood stoves!The down draft type that does its secondary burning in a back chamber and the Tube type which has tubes with holes in them mounted on the top of the burning chamber.The tube type is easier to use with a nice light show when the secondary is working and the downdraft! the secondary is hidden in the back chamber.

 

[sl7vk]

There is a maintenance difference between cast iron and steel stoves, which is why I went with a steel stove. This applies to cat & non-cat stoves also.

Agreed.

That is why I went the Cast Iron direction!

If you overfire, you can always take apart, replace and rebuild the damaged components with a cast iron stove.

 

[begreen]

Waterflea. we'll be glad to help, but without a lot more details about the house size, room size, general floor plan info, budget, etc., we're just chattering here. What stoves have you considered? If you can post a picture of the current setup, that would be great.

IMHO, a woodstove is not something one just decides to go out and buy. Often that leads to buyer's remorse. Take a week to do some research on stoves, costs, and options before rushing in. This is going to sit in the center of the house for quite a while.

 

[fossil]

BrianVT brought up an important point in the first response. Lots of older stoves had 8" flue collars. Almost all the newer stoves are 6". Depending on your current setup, there could be some implications beyond just selecting and buying a stove. Not what I'd call a good candidate for an "impulse buy". Rick

 

[waterflea]

Thanks for the replys. I have a 6" outlet @ 32" off the hearth. The first floor is about 1200 sf ft and the
living room is about 300. The upstairs is about 950. Like I said I don't want to be driven out of the LR
everytime I light the stove. I think we'll go check out one place that is open today and check out Woodstock
next week since they are closed today.

 

[BrotherBart]

Buying a wood stove is a pretty straightforward process. Come to hearth.com and lay out what you want to heat and what climate you live in, your insulation, sq. ft. etc. Then go to several stove stores and look at what stoves are available, prices and how you feel about the kind of service you will receive from the dealer. You then go home and do your research on the stoves you have seen and the ones suggested by members on this site as to heating efficiency, emissions, wood usage, type of technology (be it catalytic or non-cat, steel or soapstone or cast iron etc.), reputation of dealers and manufacturers etc. After you have thoroughly examined all of the aspects of the stoves available you are ready for the next step.

Go back to the stove shop and buy the one that your wife likes to look at.

 

[begreen]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

LOL Yep! Then replace it in 2 years with the stove you thought you should have gotten in the first place.

 

[begreen]

waterflea, while looking you might want to check out a Hearthstone Heritage and a Pacific Energy T5. Both will give you decent long burns with a slower convective heat.

If that is too pricey for the budget, maybe a PE Super27, Englander 13NC or Napoleon 1400?

 

[waterflea]

Well we looked at a few stoves. Leaning towards the Hearthstone Heritage over the Jotul F 500 oslo.
The wife likes the HH more and so do I. Going to look at the Woodstock Fireview tomorrow. I like the
side door on the right. The EPA rating is lower on the WS than the HH. Is this a big deal?

 

[snowtime]

The answer is no. All the stoves you are looking at are good. How you load and run your stove will be the difference on efficiency.

 

[kork]

Ordered my new stove on Wed. and having it installed on the 18th.. Oslo F500 in mat black. I love the enamel colors especially the cream but I couln't swing the extra $$. I'm like a kid waiting for X-mas, & the wife thinks I'm nuts. Made an ash can from a bucket and set in the family room already.
Hank

 

[gibson]

Buying a wood stove is a pretty straightforward process. Come to hearth.com and lay out what you want to heat and what climate you live in, your insulation, sq. ft. etc. Then go to several stove stores and look at what stoves are available, prices and how you feel about the kind of service you will receive from the dealer. You then go home and do your research on the stoves you have seen and the ones suggested by members on this site as to heating efficiency, emissions, wood usage, type of technology (be it catalytic or non-cat, steel or soapstone or cast iron etc.), reputation of dealers and manufacturers etc. After you have thoroughly examined all of the aspects of the stoves available you are ready for the next step.

Go back to the stove shop and buy the one that your wife likes to look at.

So true. After one week with the new insert she says today.. "I wasn't really sure about this, but now that we have it I absolutely love it!"

Spell that money well spent!

Good luck.

 

[firefighterjake]

Well we looked at a few stoves. Leaning towards the Hearthstone Heritage over the Jotul F 500 oslo.
The wife likes the HH more and so do I. Going to look at the Woodstock Fireview tomorrow. I like the
side door on the right. The EPA rating is lower on the WS than the HH. Is this a big deal?

All great choices in my opinion. I went with the Oslo myself since it offered me what I wanted -- simplicity, availability and in my price range.

I love the Oslo and its look (plain ol' black), but I think for blow-you-away beauty the soapstone stoves are the cat's meow . . . of course this is only one person's opinion as beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[firefighterjake]

Ordered my new stove on Wed. and having it installed on the 18th.. Oslo F500 in mat black. I love the enamel colors especially the cream but I couln't swing the extra $$. I'm like a kid waiting for X-mas, & the wife thinks I'm nuts. Made an ash can from a bucket and set in the family room already.
Hank

Nah, you're not nuts . . . just hang out here for awhile and you'll realize that you're perfectly sane . . . it's the rest of the world that's crazy.

And P.S. regardless of the color or finish I think you'll like the Oslo.

 

[waterflea]

We bought the Woodstock Fireview. Should pick it up tomorrow. Will let you all know how it works
when it's up and running. Thanks again for all you input.