cant make up my mind. (which stove is right for me)

[Lynch]

hi everyone new to the site.
have been reading alot of good info.


on to the topic .... i live in northern maine where it can get very cold -30 is not out of the norm.
just bought a house and it has force hot air furnace which works fine but want the good ol wood heat back that i love.

the house...672 sqft. ranch style home with open LR to kitchen and bedroom off of LR , about 12 foot ceiling in LR with fan.
new windows pretty well insulated, and plan to add more to attic space. 1970's build.

so my thoughts have been on the jotul 602 or VC aspen at this time.
with only 672 sqft. its not much to heat and i dont have much space for any big hearth setup. so the more compact the better.

would like the stove to provide as much of the heating as possible for the home ,but have the furnace as a back up.



so any input on my setup would be helpfull ,
thanks
mike

 

[Lynch]

if there is anything else you need to know just ask

 

[jotul8e2]

Sounds like you are on the right track. Given your space concerns you need to look at the stove "footprint" - i.e. the area with front, side, and back clearances to combustibles surfaces. This can vary widely even among stoves of the same approximate size. Heat shields, where available, have a tremendous impact as well.

Good luck in your search.

 

[CALJREICH]

either of those stoves should be fine for you.

 

[begreen]

The Aspen has not been a very successful stove. The Jotul 602 is decent, but the burn is short and heat retention won't be great. In a box stove look at the Morso 2B Classic also. For an alternative, look at small stoves with more mass. In a cat stove, consider the Woodstock Keystone or Palladian. In non-cat, I'd look at the Hearthstone Tribute or the Pacific Energy Alderlea T4.

 

[southbalto]

hi everyone new to the site.
have been reading alot of good info.


on to the topic .... i live in northern maine where it can get very cold -30 is not out of the norm.
just bought a house and it has force hot air furnace which works fine but want the good ol wood heat back that i love.

the house...672 sqft. ranch style home with open LR to kitchen and bedroom off of LR , about 12 foot ceiling in LR with fan.
new windows pretty well insulated, and plan to add more to attic space. 1970's build.

so my thoughts have been on the jotul 602 or VC aspen at this time.
with only 672 sqft. its not much to heat and i dont have much space for any big hearth setup. so the more compact the better.

would like the stove to provide as much of the heating as possible for the home ,but have the furnace as a back up.



so any input on my setup would be helpfull ,
thanks
mike

I really think you need to consider something a bit bigger. The aspen and 602 are going to require constant attention to keep that space heated.

Why not look at the Jotul Cb3 or Woodstock Keystone?

 

[southbalto]

Put it to you this way.....I'm in MD where we get temps down to the teens from time to time. My castine puts out serious heat for about 3-4 hours before slipping into the 350 range. I have coals in the AM but the stove is only warm to the touch.

 

[Lynch]

thanks for all the advice im defantly thinking bigger now .

 

[Fsappo]

GO for a min 2.0 cubic foot firebox if you want to even get close to an overnight burn. Also, consider a steel jacketed stove with double wall stove pipe. Sounds like the more room you can save, the better. The Regency S2400 has a 2.3 foot firebox with a 6" corner clearance to a non protected surface, the Enerzone 2.3 has the same size firebox and a 5" corner clearance. Theres two great stoves that will get you overnight burns with lifetime warrantys. Shop locally for something similar. You can even make a template of the stove and put it on your floor to the proper clearances and see how it will effect your living space.

 

[Lynch]

yeah those look nice , and good idea on the cut out template for getting an idea of space needed

im really leaning twards the hearthstone tribute right now or the avalon camano

 

[Lynch]

you dont think those might be alittle tobig. im only trying to heat less than 700 sq.ft.

 

[Todd]

A 2 cu ft stove will be too big imo. In order to get a decent overnight burn you will have to fill up the box and it will end up being too much for that small home. The only small 1.4cu ft stove I know of that will give you an easy 8-10 hour burn and not blast you out is the Woodstock smaller stoves. The combination of the cat and soapstone is a winner for a small house.

 

[southbalto]

I've decided the Woodstock Keystone is the right choice....go with that : )

 

[Lynch]

opions on the heartstone tribute?

 

[wendell]

Woodstock Keystone or Morso 3450.

 

[Renovation]

opions on the heartstone tribute?

Nice stove, but tiny firebox, and doesn't have the output flexibility of a cat stove.

I'd seriously consider one of the Woodstocks--you get the same soapstone advantages, along with the ability to burn slow and long, so you won't get cold overnight, or cook yourself out of the house, etc.

 

[nate379]

Where at in northern Maine? I grew up in Van Buren. Folks still live there, brother is in Hodgedon and sister in Ft. Kent.

 

[Intheswamp]

Disclaimer...I'm going to pick up my Jotul F3CB in the morning after agonizing over my stove decision for several months.

Having said that, with the information that you've given, I would go with the Keystone. Reason being, I'm not depending on the stove for 24/7 burning....loading every 3-4 hours will be ok with me, if I can get an overnight burn on the colder nights that'll be great but no biggie if I don't. I'm down in Alabama, where at the moment it's around 23-24F, which is COLD for us. We normally have nothing like the temps that ya'll see up there nor the length of those temps (this Thursday it's supposed to be up close to 70F here...welcome to south Alabama weather). Intermittent burning is what we will be doing rather than constant burning.

The two top stoves that ended up in my running was the Jotul F3CB and the Keystone. If I was going to be burning 24/7 in an area the size of what you are talking about, I would choose the Keystone. The Keystone will be kinder to you in regards to clearances and required floor protection, also.

Of course, what you like to look at weighs heavily in the decision...you'll be looking at it a LOT Pick your poison.

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[leeave96]

I think between the Jotul and the Woodstock, I'd choose the Woodstock Keystone or Palladian. Both Woodstocks are essentially the same stove with different dressing.

One thing to consider is to take all manufacturer's sq ft ratings with a grain of salt. Consider how well your house is insulated and also that your coldest temps are below zero - not 32 degrees. Who knows how all of that factors into the mfg's sq ft calculation. Also, there is a BIG difference between long burns that leave you with coals to rekindle the fire and long meaningful heat output burns. I feel that regardless of the stove size, if it is an EPA type stove, the wood will burn down over 3 to 5 hours and your heat output will fall-off - so a larger fire box does not necessarily mean longer meaningful burns.

We have the Keystone and find it a great stove. My house is small too. With the heat shield on the rear and side door loading, I was able to put the stove close to the wall and have my hearth 8 inches around the non-door sides. My hearth is also flush with the floor - so the stove and hearth do not intrude on the room.

The other advantage to the Keystone is that it is a cat type stove. This means you can turn the stove down and get a clean burn. Turning down a stove in a small house was a must for us and this feature works great. The next size up for the Woodstock is the Fireview (or Classic) and I think you could manage that stove like the Keystone with a smaller fire, but it is a rear (vs top) vent stove.

Lastly, don't forget the tax credit that is set to expire at the end of the year.

Good luck,
Bill

 

[Lynch]

Where at in northern Maine? I grew up in Van Buren. Folks still live there, brother is in Hodgedon and sister in Ft. Kent.

im in limestone

near caribou