Need help understanding btu's

[tidepops1]

I am looking at the Lopi freedom and the Buck 94, the Buck is rated to heat up to 3200 sq ft and up to 51,200 btu/hr with a 4.4 cubic ft firebox the Lopi is rated to heat up 2250 sq ft and up to 73,300 btu/hr with a 2.9 cubic ft firebox, being a newbie to all this and trying to do my homework before I buy, I figured you would want more btu's am I wrong about that and why would a bigger stove put out quiet a bit less btu's. My home is 2300 sq ft ranch. Thanks for any answers or suggestions

 

[mol1jb]

Btu's are a number that is somewhat fudged by the manufactor. Firebox dimensions is a better indicator. For example if you load both stoves full with the same quality oak wood, the buck with the larger fire box will give you longer burn times. Btu output is based on the quality of wood and how you run the stove. Only other thing that seperates that is stove type, catalatic vs non catalatic. Hope this helps

 

[begreen]

Another difference is the stove pipe size. The Buck will need an 8" flue which is more costly than the common 6" flue size that the Lopi requires. Make sure your chimney can accomodate an 8" liner first.

 

[DougA]

My guess is that one is stating the maximum BTU it is capable of and the other is stating the usable BTU. I prefer to take the max. the mfg. states and cut it in half to get something realistic.

 

[TradEddie]

I've got the Lopi Freedom, and co-incidentally my propane furnace is rated for ~73000BTU/hr too. That rating for the Lopi seems reasonable, even conservative to me, at full output that insert will heat a cold house faster than the central air. OTOH, you can't really get full output for more than a few hours at a time.

Heat distribution is a different matter, unless you've got a very open floorplan, that 73,300 BTUs is going to put your stove room well above 80, but the other end of a large ranch will be much colder.

TE

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I am looking at the Lopi freedom and the Buck 94, the Buck is rated to heat up to 3200 sq ft and up to 51,200 btu/hr with a 4.4 cubic ft firebox the Lopi is rated to heat up 2250 sq ft and up to 73,300 btu/hr with a 2.9 cubic ft firebox, being a newbie to all this and trying to do my homework before I buy, I figured you would want more btu's am I wrong about that and why would a bigger stove put out quiet a bit less btu's. My home is 2300 sq ft ranch. Thanks for any answers or suggestions

Others have explained well but I'd like to add that in order to heat a 3200 sq ft home, you would certainly need more than 51,200 btu of heat. That is a lot of space to heat for sure. Our stove is rated at 55,000 and it has only about a 2 cu ft firebox. As much as I love this stove, there is no way I would recommend it for that size home.

 

[madison]

Others have explained well but I'd like to add that in order to heat a 3200 sq ft home, you would certainly need more than 51,200 btu of heat. That is a lot of space to heat for sure. Our stove is rated at 55,000 and it has only about a 2 cu ft firebox. As much as I love this stove, there is no way I would recommend it for that size home.

Agree, except that the OP lives in Nashville, TN where the average low temperature probably barely gets below freezing

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Yup. Not much heat needed there.

 

[Dave A.]

And the OP stated his house size at 2300 sf not 3200 sf (3200 sf was the rating of the Buck 94).

 

[Backwoods Savage]

And that is why I quoted the 3200 sq ft.