New Install in "Perpetual Shoulder Season"

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beulahv

New Member
Hearth Supporter
Mar 29, 2009
13
Central Coast, Or.
First off, Great Site! For what its worth, I am impressed with the reception of opinions without flamming and bickering. Moreover the knowlege and experience shared for the sake of helping others. I almost feel guilty for what I've learned lurking here the past two years (almost).
Ok, the reason for my topic. At the top of my list is the Keystone and the Alderlea. T4 or T5?
We live on the North Central Oregon Coast. The climate here is very predictable. Always cool. Fall, winter, and spring temps average about 45. Summer temps 57 with cold north wind. More detailed temps here. http://www.ocs.orst.edu/county_climate/Tillamook_files/Tillamook.html Our home is only 920sf with 8' ceilings. More than average window (dbl pane) and fair inso and tightness. It seems the T4 will be plenty of heat but require to much attention that our busy lifestyle won't afford. On the other hand, would we be underpowering the T5 to maintain clean steady low heat? Thanks and happy weekend to all.
 
I would suggest the T5 and if it is not too cold, you just burn 1 split at a time with a bit more air. In a moderate climate, I might add a second row of firebrick on the sides to keep the firebox hotter and add thermal mass. The T5 accepts substantially longer splits than the T4, and can be loaded "straight in" as opposed to cross wise, so it is a much easier stove to live with. You just have to adapt your wood cutting to take full advantage and not simply cut 16" long splits. Furthermore, I suspect you will be burning primarily softwood ? If this is true, you want a big firebox, although a CAT stove may be the better bet. Non cat stoves would tend to want to run away on a big load of pine, where a blaze king can stretch it out forever (almost).
 
Welcome, beulahv! Unless I miss my guess, you should have pretty good access to such woods as Oak & Madrone. Excellent firewoods. We, over here on the "dry side" almost never see it. I was recently able to pay a premium price for a generous 2-cord load of mixed Oak & Madrone from a guy who brought it over the Cascades from the Eugene area. If that's the kind of fuel you're talking about, then I'd think you don't need the T5 for 920 ft². In fact, even if you're burning softwoods, or a mix, the T5 is probably more stove than you really need. I think either the T4 or the Keystone would be a good fit. Lots more thoughts will be coming, I'm sure. Again, welcome to the forums. Rick
 
Perfect application for the Keystone. Fire it twice a day and let the residual heat keep ya warm.
 
An adjustable firebox in a non-cat stove! Thats exactly what our climate needs. The one way loading is one of my issues with the smaller box. I think I get the concept of one split at a time but wouldn't that create more oppurtunity for tending the fire? Or am I over thinking this?

Thanks for the welcome fossil! Sorry to say its all softwood. Fir, Alder, Spruce Some vine Maple if you think its worth the time. Well technically Alder which I can get plenty of for just the work out is a hardwood. That Oak and Madrone is over in the valley.Theres the Coast range between us and them. The Keystone does have some excellent advantages in our setting but the boys (my two sons) favor the looks of the Alderlea.
Thanks for the input guys.
 
Nothin' wrong with softwoods, it's about all we ever burn over here. Mostly Lodgepole, some Larch and Fir and Juniper. That's the lot of many of us PNW burners. We get by just fine. Burn a lot, but it's easier to process & handle. My wife & I burn in two stoves, of significantly different sized fireboxes. The big Lopi in the house could take 24" splits, but the little Century in my shop has trouble with anything over 17". I just cut everything to between 16" & 17", and don't bother with keeping my wood storage in two different lengths. Anything gnarly or overlength or otherwise uncooperative that I don't want to mess with ends up burning in the big stove. I generally load both stoves E-W (left to right). The Lopi has a blower kit on it, which we really like very much. The shop stove's in a much smaller space and gets along just fine without a blower kit. Ceiling fans are to be found everywhere, and we swear by them...even a little hugger fan on an 8' ceiling can do wonders for evening out the vertical temperature stratification that will otherwise establish itself. Rick
 
I agree with BB, go with the Keystone, it would be perfect fit for your sized home and climate.
 
The idea is that if it is not too cold, one basically "cycles" the stove. Put in a load, burn and re-light when it gets chilly again, or when you get back home. The more mass in the stove and in the room (plastered concrete floor and walls for example), the smaller will be the swings in temperature. If you will be out all day, you light the fire in the morning, load up some splits and depart for work. By the time you get home, the house will probably still be comfortable. If it is colder = more splits. Warmer, less splits. If you are home, drop on a split every 3 hours if it is mild.

But since you confirmed that you burn softwood, I suggest strongly looking at a catalytic stove. Woodstock and Blaze king are highly recommended and very different stoves. If your wife is after the styling of the T4/5 then the woodstock may be the ticket.

beulahv said:
An adjustable firebox in a non-cat stove! Thats exactly what our climate needs. The one way loading is one of my issues with the smaller box. I think I get the concept of one split at a time but wouldn't that create more oppurtunity for tending the fire? Or am I over thinking this?

Thanks for the welcome fossil! Sorry to say its all softwood. Fir, Alder, Spruce Some vine Maple if you think its worth the time. Well technically Alder which I can get plenty of for just the work out is a hardwood. That Oak and Madrone is over in the valley.Theres the Coast range between us and them. The Keystone does have some excellent advantages in our setting but the boys (my two sons) favor the looks of the Alderlea.
Thanks for the input guys.
Click to expand...
 
I suppose you're right about the softwoods Fossil. I've heated with wood in the past with only softwood, but in older or homemade non EPA steel stoves. There seems to be so much emphasis on performance, specificly burn times, with hard woods for these EPA stoves that I'm a bit gun shy for fear of being dissatisfied with my purchase. I would rather live with my second choice, the Keystone, than want to remove such an appealing stove as the Alderlea because I have to get up in the night to stoke it. If wanted to do that I would then be in "Perpetual Elk Camp".
I've no experience with soapstone stoves, but if the Keystone can do as BrotherBart says, or near it, with softwood, this becomes a no brainer. Or does it? I just realized Woodstocks are not on the list for the Oregon tax credit. Decisions, decisions.
 
Thanks for clarifying that KeithO. Alittle practice and being proactive to the coming temps would go a long way with that.
No wife in the house. Just the boys and I. Styling issues go through them. They're the hip ones and have girlfriends to be impressed.
 
Don't wait too long on the keystone. There sale ends at the end of the month. I have one on the way.
 
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