Help me choose a Stove!

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The OP has clearly stated he is not interested in 24+ hour, smoldering burns. Therefore, the BK most certainly is not the best choice for him. Why does it always come to "the PH is a big fat whiff"? Someone needs to drink more beer and less whiskey.

The worst of both worlds comment is ridiculous. You will get 12+ hour burns with the PH whether you want low heat (half full) or tons of heat (fill her up). You most certianly cannot do that with any 3cf non-cat. Oh and you don't have to scrape the glass with a razor blade. Most people are not gone 24 hours a day, or they wouldn't have a home. I suspect many people don't mind putting wood in the stove twice a day, which the vast majority of Princess users have to do the vast majority of the winter.

I also think the PE would be a good choice based on the OP's requirements.
 
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You certainty can do 8-10hour burns with a bk and watch a fire ..you don't have to turn it down...just put less wood in it and turn up the t-stat till you see fire..a little flame won't roast you out of the room.
Still the bk is prolly to ugly for his wife..
 
FWIW, eclecticcottage reported on another thread that they got 12 hour burns from their Lopi 1750. That's probably uncommon, though. I haven't tested my Super 27 for that yet.

Another thing to consider when discussing burn times is wood species. We talking alder or oak? Big difference.
 
You certainty can do 8-10hour burns with a bk and watch a fire ..you don't have to turn it down...just put less wood in it and turn up the t-stat till you see fire..a little flame won't roast you out of the room.
Still the bk is prolly to ugly for his wife..

Sure you can, but if you're not interested in super long burn times why get a BK?
 
I burn ash mostly..but you're right!
I burnt some Honey locust yesterday and it was diff.
Actually was gassing off so slow I had to run the cat up twice..flamed out the first time.
It was 17% on my meter.
Really cool blue flames coming off the wood...I have about a face cord of it..wish I had more for those really cold nights!
I should not have burned it yesterday but I could not wait any longer..first time I ever burned some.
I like ash also..seasons fast,splits easy..gasses off good..not to fast like pine though.
 
Sure you can, but if you're not interested in super long burn times why get a BK?

Why not?
You may have a 300 hp car but rarely might you use it all..but it's there when you need it is my thought.
 
Why not?
You may have a 300 hp car but rarely might you use it all..but it's there when you need it is my thought.

Well, many reasons. Cost? Looks? Glass cleaning? Crappy dealer? Also, I would not own a 300 hp car, so there you go.
 
Closing this chat room. Somewhere in the mess is probably enough to make a decision. Or not.
 
Ok the story is, I'm a newbie to wood stoves. I'm removing a fireplace, and want to install a freestanding wood stove. This will be used to supplement my oil heating, as well as enjoy the ambiance of a nice fire and some radiant heat on those chilly New England days. The room is a great room and is about 1400 sq feet. It has cathedral ceilings, it's on the water on Long Island NY, and has lots of windows almost floor to ceiling, so I'm pretty sure it needs to be beefier than normally expected. The house is mostly contemporary. It's not ultra modern contemporary, but more of a modern’ish beach house type style. The house is 2 stories, but it is on stilts and the stove is going on the top floor, so it's just about 3 flights up. Weight and size could be an issue.

I'm still learning and changing my views on all this, and can certainly be persuaded but for now my goals are:
- 8 to 10 hour minimum real life burn time. I'd like to be able to get thru the night, and not have to re-start cold
- Be able to view a fire/flames most of the time
- Heat the great room, supplement oil heat
- Enjoy the ambiance of radiant heat and fire show
- Heat most of house with loss of power
- Cook on it, especially when there is no power
- TRY to match the décor somewhat. Most of the stoves are colonial looking. WHY??


My current "short" list, which keeps getting longer:
- Woodstock Progress Hybrid (great specs, cook top, VERY heavy, long delivery time)
- Jotul F 50 TL Rangeley (cooktop and “winter grill”, matches décor a bit, …)
- Hearthstone Mansfield (nice soap, large firebox)
- Lopi Cape Cod (good specs, front loading, a bit heavy 600#)
- Vermont Castings Defiant (great specs, front & top loading, some maintenance issues)
- Enerzone Destination 2.3 (matches décor, log storage, short burn time)
- Enerzone Solution 3.4 (simple looking, steel,100k btu, short burn time for size)
- Qaudrafire 5700 (similar to above, some neg feedback on cust service)
- PE Alderlea T6 and other PE’s (need to check these out)

So what should I get?? Why??
 
Merging threads. This appears to have been asked and answered. Why is this thread any different from the current one where there are greater parameters described like it should be a contemporary design to match the decor? Time to narrow down that list based on what you like or don't like.

fwiw, the Quad 5700 is out of place in comparison to the other stoves. It's a big stove. Quad has better equivalents in the 3100 or 4300 lines.
 
Does the stove have to go on the top floor? It would heat the house more effectively and pull better draft (taller chimney) if it could be located on the bottom floor.

I'd narrow that list down to the Progress, Rangeley, and the Alderlea T-series stoves. But that's just me talkin' out my arse. ;) I will say that top-loading is not a make or break feature (at least for me) as I usually opt to load my Rangeley via the front door. One of the things I liked about the Rangeley was the clean, more modern (but not contemporary) look it had. I think something as ornate as a Woodstock Fireview or perhaps even an old VC stove would've looked out of place in my home.
 
. . .Time to narrow down that list based on what you like or don't like. . .
+1, we can give you options, but we can't choose your priorities. No single stove does everything. You seem to be grappling with the issue of wanting "Fire TV" without generating too much heat. Basically, you burn smaller loads to do this. A smaller stove is ideal for burning smaller loads, but when your furnace/power is out, you will be reloading more often to keep the house warm. A popular approach here is to go with a larger stove to have reserve capacity for the nor'easters etc, and burn smaller loads when appropriate.

My feeling is that you seem to have your wood operation well developed, and I would like to see you go with something closer to 3-cu-ft than 2-cu-ft capacity so that you will burn less oil/electricity, regardless of the $. . .but it's your $, your wood, your house, your choice. :)



MasterMech has a good point about heat rising in a house, but it's also frequently recommended that you put the stove where you will be spending most of your time. . .I assume this would be the great room.
 
Merging threads. This appears to have been asked and answered. Why is this thread any different from the current one where there are greater parameters described like it should be a contemporary design to match the decor? Time to narrow down that list based on what you like or don't like.

I started the new thread because believe it or not I have narrowed my goals and what I was looking for allot from when I first posted. Also, this thread was originally for only selecting and understanding the different materials used to make them (hence the original title "Soapstone, Cast or Steel". It turned into a brand/model choosing and burn time fight, so I understood why you locked it, that was fine. But now that I have a little bit of understanding of some of this, I think I have more reasonable goals. So I think the new thread (merged here to post #185), states more clearly (clear as mud!) what I am looking for.

Couple of answers to questions from above...:
1. Can't put it on lower floors. No space for it, and they are all small rooms anyway, (bedrooms, office, workout room....), no real spot for it, and we are never down there except to sleep. 2nd floor is main living area, kitchen, living room, den, TV, loft hangout area (we have bean bags, reading...). So it really needs to be here, and has the space, and chimney for it. The chimney will be about 20' long above the stove, and 16' of that will be inside/insulated. Only a few feet stick out the top of the roof.

2. As mentioned, I'm not concerned with the cost so much, they are all pretty similarly priced for the most part (within a grand or so). I really need to make the right choice the 1st time. It would be great to do the normal "try one", use it a year or two, then figure out how I really use it and what my likes are, and replace with a better suited unit. But this likely won't be an option. It will be difficult to wrestle a stove up the 3 flights of stairs, so once it's up, it will likely be there forever. This is the reason I'm trying to choose so carefully. Making this difficult is the fact I've never had a stove before, so I'm having a hard time picturing / judging how much heat I will be getting, and how I will really end using it. You guys are helping a great deal, even though it does not seem like it. Trust me... Another big issue I'm having, is VERY few of these units are in stock, and/or on display at the few (3) stove stores which are in my area. So I'm going off BS brochures and websites, with vague references to burn times and BTU's, and low res images of the units. So the real life owners on here is very helpful. As you should have figured already, I'm pretty particular so I like to see something in person before I buy it. I want to feel it, look at the box size, quality...

3. Style/Contemporary: I know I've been a bit back and forth on this issue. Stating I want it contemporary, yet putting other units on the short list. The reason is two fold, obviously there is not much out there that looks contemporary in "high end" packages (long burn times, high btu's, hybrid, features like cooktop...). Secondly, I also like the idea of high end looking and operating stuff, so for example I like the idea and look of the Soapstone stoves. Although they don't look contemporary, they do look "high end" (and usually are). Then there are stoves like the Lopi Cape Cod, which is in the middle of the road style wise, but has some nice features...

Right now I'm leaning toward the Progress Hybrid, I love the way it seems to burn (YouTube vids....), the look while not contemporary, does not look so colonial, and it does have a nice "high end" look. It meets my burn times, and heating output just fine. The only issues are the weight, and I would have to wait a month or so to get it here. Not the end of world, I have to remove fireplace and lay down a hearth and stone the walls anyway.

Here is something that is needed on here, MORE VIDEO's of everyone’s stoves burning. Just a 2 or 3 minute video of a medium burn. Not when the fire starts, and not at the end of a burn cycle, just a few minutes of the fire at medium burn after it gets going. The best video I've seen like this is of the Progress on youtube. Looks like they had an open house or something and filmed a fire for a few minutes.

Thanks for everyone’s help, keep it coming!
 
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I think you are definitely making progress and figuring out what's important to you. I don't know about many of the stoves on your list, but I would strongly recommend that whatever stove you get can give you a easy overnight burn and keep in mind, many (not all) of the manufacturers advertised burn times are a bit bogus. Plus, you may find yourself burning more than you think once you get going (many do) and coming home to a warm stove is very nice.
 
Reviewing this thread it seems like there is enough information to start digesting. Great places to see how stoves burn are the local stove shops. If the Progress still comes out on top, then order one. Woodstock is a good company to work with and they have a great return policy that is rarely matched by dealers.
 
Reviewing this thread it seems like there is enough information to start digesting. Great places to see how stoves burn are the local stove shops. If the Progress still comes out on top, then order one. Woodstock is a good company to work with and they have a great return policy that is rarely matched by dealers.

You sound tired of me already?? Wait until I start buring one!!!! ;)
 
Here is something that is needed on here, MORE VIDEO's of everyone’s stoves burning. Just a 2 or 3 minute video of a medium burn. Not when the fire starts, and not at the end of a burn cycle, just a few minutes of the fire at medium burn after it gets going. The best video I've seen like this is of the Progress on youtube. Looks like they had an open house or something and filmed a fire for a few minutes.

Videos abound. Start a Show Me Your Burn Video thread, and you will get plenty. :)
 
"Might" have a way to get a heavy (the PH!) where I need it. I have a small outside deck opposite where the fireplace is (behind the glass doors on the right side in the pictures I posted). The deck is not a freestanding deck with a few posts down to the ground. It is actually above the 1st floor, so it is fully supported. If I take off the railings, I could use a straight sciscor type lift to hoist it straight up to the deck. Then it would only be a matter of rolling it on a hand truck off of the lift, onto the deck and into the sliding glass door. Done! Now we are getting somewhere!! I might actually really order a stove after all!!

Did begreen just crack a smile??? ;lol
 
We rented one of those motorized, stair-climbing hand trucks to move my dad's Progress up a couple flights of twisting stairs. I wouldn't call it a good time (I've had way more fun with fat chicks), but we got it done.

Pre-edit, edit. It's the personality that matters. ;hm
 
While you plan everything and get prepared, you could hold your place in Woodstock's line with a $250 deposit. . .fully refundable if you decide not to buy. They're good like that.

;)
 
Just ordered a stove!! It's a miracle!! ;)

Going with the Woodstock Progress. Thanks for the help folks!! Now off to pick some stone, find a decent chimney installer...
 
Congrats! Reading your recent re-summary of your wants, namely contemporary looks, high end, and three flights of stairs, I'd have figured a BK Chinook was the winner. I'm sure you'll be thrilled with the PH, though. Their owners are... umm, fanatical.
 
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