Harman Oakwood or Lopi Leyden in little house

[potter]

Posted earlier today looking for advice on a stove for a 1000 sq. ft. house. I like the top loading and longer burn of these stoves- so was hoping to find some feedback on using them in a smaller space. Harman Oakwood, Lopi Leyden or Avalon equivilent.
Have learned alot fromm earlier posts and appreciate everyones knowledge and help.

Matt
50 cu. ft. wood/oil heater (kiln)

 

[begreen]

A bit redundant. At least put a link to the other thread so the same questions aren't asked all over again.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/21129/

 

[STOVEGUY11]

Not sure about the Lopi, but the Oakwood is rated to heat like double that. Maybe look at some smaller models so you dont cook yourself out.

 

[Todd]

I really think either of those two stoves would be overkill for 1000 sq ft. Look into the VC Intrepid II, it's a smaller top loader that will give you a decent burn time for a small firebox. Side loaders aren't bad either, look at the Woodstock Keystone.

 

[R&D Guy]

I'd buy whichever one you think will look better in your home. I had a similar size wood stove as the Leyden in a 700 sq ft house and like any wood stove you learn to build smaller fires on the days you don't need all the heat. If you build too big of a fire, choke down the air and crack a window, air conditioning is free in the winter. Great thing about a stove that size is the long overnight burns.

 

[begreen]

Agreed, the Oakwood is oversized. The Leyden is closer. A ~ 2 cu ft soapstone or hybrid cast like the Alderlea T5 might be a better fit.

 

[potter]

Apologies to the moderator for starting another thread. Bit of a luddite and not use to these forums ( for instance how do you link to the earlier thread?)!
Took my wife to the airport this morning in Rochester NY and stopped into several dealers. In a shift of gears I was really impressed with the Jotul Castine I saw. Seems appopriately sized, cast iron, ash pan- seemed to adress many of the issues I had with the Avalon Ranier that I started this conversation with. (This would be the appropriate time to link, I think.) Best of all it's on sale for several hundred dollars less than any of the stoves I've considered. It promises 8 hour burn time which would be adequate if true. Didn't write the check yet as I wanted to look at archives and reviews here and elsewhere. The drawback is that the dealer is too far away to install. Could do it myself , but worry about insurance issues, don't know how that works. (No permits required here) It has cement floor under and large stone wall behind, so I think it's just a matter of black pipe to chimney. Or I'll find a local chimney sweep. It's a beautiful stove- would appreciate opinions on its' appropriateness to space described. (link)This is great site- forum and reviews- the closest thing to a consumer reports for woodstoves I could find.

Matt
western ny
50 cubic foot oil/wood stove (kiln)

 

[begreen]

The Castine is a beauty and I burned in one for the past 2 years. Very easy to operate and run. It is 1.5 cu ft in capacity, so smaller than what you have been looking at. Expect more like 6 hrs burns in it. If you want longer burns in that size stove consider the Woodstock Keystone or Palladian. They are sold direct to the customer and are catalytic stoves. Here's a link to their website.

http://www.woodstove.com/pages/wood_stoves.html

 

[potter]

Thanks . I'll look at those.
From what I've read in the reviews 6 hrs. sounds about right. I'm thinking I may have to get used to starting a fire each morning rather than just tossing wood on top of glowing coals. My wife and I don't mind sleeping cold, or waking up to a cool house. We moved here from Minnesota and the warmer winters are a relief. I wonder, very roughly what the heat loss in a 72 degree house would be in the 2-3 hours after a stove like the castine lost it's burn? I know it would vary greatly depending on heat loss- insulation, windows etc.

 

[begreen]

For the F400, softwood ~ 4hr burns (time of meaningful heat), hardwood ~6 hrs. There are too many factors to tell how well the house will hold the heat. It will depend on how cold it is outside and how hard the wind is blowing. If the house is tight and the weather is in the 20s it might only lose 2-3 degrees an hour.

 

[potter]

Thanks.
I looked at the woodstock site and they do look like a possibility. I'll call for prices on Monday- also to see whether I could get something before heating season. I have a panel van and I guess I could take a road trip!
Burning hardwood by the way- 50.00 a face cord here. I use edgings to fire my kiln, mixture of hard and soft. Unfortunately with the lumber business slowing down and the advent of shredders they're getting hard to find.

 

[Todd]

I don't think you could go wrong with Woodstock. I really think soapstone would be a great choice for you.

 

[potter]

I read on another post about the castine being fussy about draw from the chimney. Mine is a 6" opening into a 7" x 7" square tile (inside field stone) and 18-19 ft. high. In terms of my decision making do you think I'd have any problem?

 

[begreen]

I don't think you could go wrong with Woodstock. I really think soapstone would be a great choice for you.

A smaller Woodstock would probably be my first choice. I like the longer burn in a smaller form factor stove. And they are really nice to look at year round. Potter, this is a catalytic stove, so it is slightly more complex to operate and you must not burn anything that would contaminate the cat converter. But other than that, the cat will allow you to do lower, longer burns which will extend the burn time and not drive you out of the place.

Is the chimney interior or exterior? If the Castine is top vented it should be ok. I'd also add an outside air kit (OAK) to it.

 

[potter]

Chimney is interior.

 

[begreen]

Top vented, interior chimney, the Castine should be pretty happy with this setup, or most any other stove you chose.

 

[potter]

Thanks for all the info, BeGreen. Your advice and other postings have lead me to rethink the catalytic stoves. I have a years worth of good clean cordwood stacked in the barn that's a year old and 12 face cords coming, so clean dry fuel isn't a problem. I read all the reviews on Woodstocks all favorable, so will wait till they open on Monday for price and logistics to see if it's possible. All the stove companies seem overwhelmed by demand.. hearing that from every dealership I talk to.
Would an Oslo be too big? Any advantages? I see lots of people deciding between the two. I'm sure from what i've read the Castine would heat this space, more about burn time. Really like how the jotul looks......and they are on sale at this dealership.

 

[gpcollen1]

Just to chime in on the heat aspect of something like the Castine. You may only get XX hours of 'meaningful heat' out of it with good wood for an overnight burn but you should have some coals left to quickly coax a ripping fire to life in the AM.

My Olympic calls for 12 hour burns and I get that and then some. Granted a much bigger firebox but I think you get the point. With good wood and a bit of smaller splits/chips [make your own in the garage], that fire is ripping in 1/2 an hour. Who cares if it the temp dips a bit in the wee hours of the AM.

All that said, just make sure that the Castine can heat your space. I am just about to pick up a used one for a second stove. I am pretty sure the overnight burn and morning start ups will be fine - it is the long day at work that will hurt heat output and I will have to work a bit to get her going again when I get home - unless the wife steps up...

 

[begreen]

The problem with heating any small space is that one has to strike a balance between not overheating the space and getting the maximum burn time or live with frequent feeds. A small stove just doesn't have the fuel capacity for long burns, otherwise there are several small stoves that could heat the small 1000 sq ft house. The Castine at 1.5 cu ft is a good compromise size for a cast iron stove.

Soapstone stoves can be a bit more oversized as they are more gentle radiators. The stone absorbs and evens out the peak heat, long burn, dying down cycle. A cat soapstone is even better for this application.

I'm also thinking that a Pacific Energy Alderlea T5 might work in this situation. It has exceptionally long burn times, especially for a non-cat. It works well with a wide range of wood loads and the thick cast iron jacket is excellent for evening out the heat cycle and dolling out that warmth as the fire dies down.

 

[potter]

I currently heat the house with a 35000 btu gravity heater, while it is uneven (colder parts of house), it heats the house to comfortable and never gets above 3/4 on the very coldest days, or when we're reheating from having it turned down. The wood stove will be more centrally located, in the basement, while this heater was on one end of the house. If I knew how to link to my earlier description of the house, I would (only other thread by me)..... the Castine says 55,000 btus and 1600 sq. ft.. Sounds adequate in theory, many reviews with homes that sound larger seem happy. The original dealer who checked out my chimney and saw the house space wanted to sell me an Avalon Ranier (up to 1800 sq. ft.) He seemed very competent, I just felt uncomfortable with the stove. The Castine is more than 300.00 less.
I would spend more for something that seemed right (longer burn times that originally caused my concern with the Ranier). That's why I'm willing to look at the Woodstock, but shipping these days is pricey too and will see about availability, I don't want to end up in December waiting on a stove.
As I said earlier in the post since starting the conversation and researching I feel less concerned about a mild temperature fall off in the early morning.....especially if as you say there might still be coals.

 

[potter]

BeGreen-
We apparently posted at the same time, so the last post was not a response to your comments.
The closest Pacific Energy was out of business, and he was an hour and a half..... but since I'm already moving away from a local dealer, it might be worth making some calls.

 

[begreen]

To add a link, just copy the URL address and paste it in your reply.

You are correct, the Castine will have no problem heating the place and it is a beautiful stove to look at. From the description the smaller F3CB would also handle the house, but would need more frequent feeding. Regardless of the stove choice, during fall and spring, you will likely be burning smaller fires and letting them burn out. From the current description of the heating load, you may not be burning a full load of wood and getting overnight fires until it gets in the 20s. As long as you have a good supply of dry wood and kindling, this is not that big a deal. It's often the way we have to run a stove until winter sets in.

How close are you to East Syracuse? There is a dealer there that handles both Jotul and PE. Might be worth a visit, or are you closer to Buffalo?
http://www.hearth-homesyracuse.com/

 

[potter]

Syracuse is 2 1/2 hours away- Buffalo about 1 3/4 west and Rochester about 1 1/2 hours north, so as you can see we're not near anywhere. I used to live in Montana and it's alot like that population density wise, but with trees. It's a pretty area though- and as I said after living in Minnesota for 15 years I'm enjoying winters that don't include -30 to -40 temps. Would move back to Montana in a heartbeat though.

 

[potter]

Just to be clear on the Jotul front... the Oslo wood be too big, right? Even though it has that nice side door....

 

[begreen]

Great stove, but probably a bit too large. Even the Alderlea T5 is pushing it, a T4 would probably suffice.

Is this PE dealer still open?

D & R Woodworking & Fireplace
4103 West Main Street
Batavia, New York
USA 14020
phone: 585-343-1924