Napoleon 1100 vs 1400 - Need Advice!

[BurnIt13]

We are getting ready to pull the trigger on a woodstove. The only question is how big should I get? I've always believed in the bigger is better philisophy but the room the stove is going into is on the small side. The room is open to the rest of the floor on two sides but the stove can only be installed in one corner. The larger it is, the more space it takes from the dining area. I could use your advice.

We have a 1500 square foot, two-story colonial with a fairly open first floor. The stove will be installed in the corner of the dining room on the outside wall. The dining room is in the middle of the first floor. Due to the layout of the house a corner installation with close clearances is required. The house is old (1900) but is not drafty and had insulation blown into the walls and attic 30 years ago.

We are debating between the Napoleon 1100 pedastal which has a 1.7 cu.ft firebox capacity and the Napoleon 1400 pedastal which has a 2.25 cu.ft capacity. I like the dimensions of the smaller unit because it takes up less space in the room but am I going to get sick of a small firebox and 16" logs?

Is the jump to the 1400 worth it? Is it that drastic of a difference? Although I have some experience with wood stoves I've never owned one before so I'm having a hard time guessing. Thanks!

 

[BurnIt13]

I should also add that we are in Central MA so it does get pretty chilly and we are looking to have this stove serve somewhere in between a primary heat source and a supplemental heat source.

 

[begreen]

I'd go for the 1400, especially for 24/7 burning. The longer burntimes and square firebox will be appreciated.

 

[ControlFreak]

I agree with Green. Go with the 1400. You can always put less wood in a larger stove, but you'll never get the longer burn time with the smaller stove.

With these stoves, you load the wood front to back (also referred to as north/south), so the endgrain is facing the door. The 1400 is larger only in the depth of the stove, so you'll be able to use 16" splits which is more common. The 1100 will take short 12" splits.

Seeing that you're talking about the possibility of a primary heat source, the 1100 is out. You'll have to do 4 loads a day to keep it going continuously due to the shorter burn time, whereas the 1400 would be 3 loads/day. More hassle, more babysitting with the 1100.

 

[BrotherBart]

Definitely the 1400. Being able to load straight in is priceless.

 

[KB007]

Deinitely the 1400 (maybe look at the 1450 which is a 1400 with less frills). The 1100 may be rated at 1.7 cu ft but it doesn't allow you to use as much of that as you'd really want. The 1400 with the square firebox - you jam fill it full with very little wasted space. As always, you can always build a smaller fire in a larger firebox...

 

[cmonSTART]

If you haven't gotten the picture yet, get the 1400! :cheese:

 

[n3pro]

As a 1100 owner, I echo everyone else's comment. 1400. Nice thing with the smaller firebox is it takes a very short time to get up to temp and have a nice clean burn, my two frustrations are burn time and wood size. As other said 16 is ideal e/w, 11 -12 inch n/s on 1100. Other then that I have been satisfied with the napoleon stoves.