New stove ideas/ thoughts

[jackofalltrades]

I will try to keep this post as short as possible but still have a lot of information to get into it. I have a new Morso 2110 and dearly love it, but the firebox is too small to give me the burn times I want. I can get 8 -9 hours out of it and still start from coals although the heat is basically gone some time before that. I have a man that is going to buy it for just a little less than I gave for it which will really help me to get out of it without any real lose. The heater does keep the house warm, just the time is an issue for me.

I am looking at any other heater that will fit my present situation without any major work on the flue or hearth or any of that stuff. My present flue is 23.5 " high going out the outside wall so that is what I am going to be working with. Right now I know the fireview will work because it is 22.75" flue opening.

What I am looking for from you all is other heaters that might work in this situation and some discussion about cat vers non cat. I have read lots of post already about problems with cats and ofcourse mine is non cat and I like it, because the less maintance on something the more I like it.

I do want a stove that I can get up 30 minutes before I leave for work put wood in it get it up to temp turn it down and leave and not have to worry about it for 10 -12 hours. That may mean I have to go with a cat I dont know? I do not want to have to get up from my warm seat and adjust things on the heater every 15 or 20 minutes til it gets going good and then check the wood every two or three hours. I grew up with an old King heater and we put wood in a couple times a day and never touched it. I know they call them wasteful now but it did make life easy from a woodheating standpoint. I want something like that in a new modern stove. I want as little time and effort spent keeping it going so life is basically normal compared to central heating unit owners with all t he cost savings of wood.

 

[begreen]

I was discussing the same issue with friends that have the 2110 in their yurt. It's a great little heater, but the firebox is small. Same issue with the Jotul F3CB. It needs to be fed every 3-4 hrs. The Fireview may work out nicely for you, or so might the smaller Woodstock Palladian or Keystone. How large a space are you heating?

 

[jackofalltrades]

I have 1600 sq ft but 720 of that in the heater room is a 15' vaulted ceiling and the rest of the house is spray foam insulation on the roof deck, so I am actually heating the attic space in the other parts of the house somewhat as well. I think from an air volume standpoint; my heater will need to be much larger than the standard sq ft rating given on most of them.

 

[begreen]

You are correct that sq ftg ratings need to be taken with a grain of salt. 15 ft ceilings are not too bad. You're on the cusp with a milder climate, but with a bit higher cubic footage volume space to heat. BTU output and firebox size are better guides. Sounds like the Fireview will work out ok, just burn smaller fires when the temps are mild and maybe let the stove go out and the retained warmth of the soapstone carry the day.

 

[jackofalltrades]

I want to burn 24/7, not a big fan of starting fires daily. What other stoves can I look at that might would work in that short flue height? I am real interested in the new stove they are going to come out with also. Right now I don't know what the flue height is going to be on it though and I aint a big fan of unproven design either. It would really have to impress me to buy one untested like that.

 

[begreen]

I think that would be overkill. It's a 3 cu ft stove. You get to a point where have a stove at dead idle all the time is not efficient. The flue is too cold, creosote starts forming and the glass gets black. With double the firebox size + the catalyst, the Fireview will be a huge leap in burntimes over the Morso, a day and night difference. But when it's 40F outside, if you want to burn 24/7, it may be with the windows open. For a wider range of temperature operation a pellet or gas stove would be better.

 

[jackofalltrades]

Well I just saw that the Vermont Encore would line up no problems with what I have right now. Some of you folks might can give me your thoughts or experiences with those stoves. Either the cat or non cat model would work in my situation.

 

[begreen]

I think you will find based on previous experience that the Woodstock's approval rating is way above VC. VC is under new management now and they have the new 2 in 1 models. But with less than a year on them it's too early to have a track record established. The older cat VC stoves were ok, though a bit maintenance intensive for hard burners. The NC models did not have a good reputation. Under the best of conditions they were draft sensitive and often needing an expensive refractory rebuild in 3-5 years. There are some exceptions, of course, but we have seen many complaints on some models here if you search the threads. The court is still standing by to see how VC turns things around. I hope they have some winners with the new stoves. Time will tell.