Englander V-17 or VC Aspen for small cabin?

[konza]

Hi everyone, I'm asking for advice before we start building a small cabin in mountains of northeast New Mexico. Cabin will be about 400 sq' total; basically one open room (16' x 24', with stove about midway along the eastern 16' wall). Looking at the Englander V-17 or the Vermont Castings Aspen. This forum seems pretty fond of the Englander, so I'm leaning that way -- my only concern is that for a cabin this small we may be over-heated? (We plan to insulate the cabin well during the building process -- local building codes say R30 for floor and walls; R38 for ceiling). If the V-17 will overheat us, the Aspen seems only stove I have found that is made for small spaces but doesn't require teensy pieces of wood (we don't want to spend our lives chopping wood).

I should add that the $650 pricetag for the Englander (current at Home Depot) is much more in our price range than what I can find for the Aspen (almost double that). Also, the cabin is off-grid, so gas stoves aren't an option; and it's surrounded by wood, so we want wood-burning, not pellet.

Thanks for any advice this group can offer as we compare these two -- or if there is a better alternative, please let me know! -- been reading past threads and they have really helped us narrow down the search!

 

[homebrewz]

This recent thread might give you some ideas.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/tiny-house-stove.149115/

 

[MaintenanceMan]

My previous research on the Aspen concluded that it was a very finicky stove. The 17 is a great little stove in my experience. In a small space that well insulated using wood for a primary heat source is going to be a challenge. Will this be the only source of heat?

 

[begreen]

I would get the Jotul F602CB or the Morso 2B instead of an Aspen. The 17VL is a fine small stove too.

 

[konza]

This recent thread might give you some ideas.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/tiny-house-stove.149115/

Thanks!

 

[konza]

I would get the Jotul F602CB or the Morso 2B instead of an Aspen. The 17VL is a fine small stove too.

Thanks -- I think those may be out of our price range. Appreciate the suggestions!

 

[konza]

My previous research on the Aspen concluded that it was a very finicky stove. The 17 is a great little stove in my experience. In a small space that well insulated using wood for a primary heat source is going to be a challenge. Will this be the only source of heat?

Thanks for the feedback on these 2 stoves. Yes, I think we are likely to be quite warm with a wood stove, but we are seriously off grid, so yes, this will be only heat source. We aren't living there full time, though, so we won't have to manage this constantly, just when we are there.

 

[revdocjim]

The cigar style stoves like the Aspen, Jotul F602 and Morso 2B are great for small spaces but while I don't have first hand experience I've heard many users talk about the inherent trickiness of getting them to burn evenly compared to a box style like the Englander 17. But given your small space, the smaller stoves may prove to be a better match. Of the three mentioned, I have also observed a general consensus in favor of the Morso. Are the prices really that different between the three?

 

[MaintenanceMan]

I've no doubt the 17 will win when it comes to price. My concern would be with overnight burns. You will be faced with tending a stove in the middle of the night. I was able to get great coals left over to start a fire overnight, consistantly, but no real heat. 4hr burn times are best in all practicality. The 17 is a great stove and will throw out a lot of heat. But you just need to understand the limitations of any stove this size. You'll be tending a fire every 2-4 hours.

Another thing you may want to consider in this situation is if you want to cook on the stove. The stove top on the 17 doesn't really get hot enough for cooking. The Morso or Jotul might serve better if that is something your wanting to take advantage of.