New Stove

[Pallet Pete]

I have been heating with wood for about 4 years and am considering a new stove. My current stove is a Vogelzang Durango. The situation is my wife and I are gone 13 to 14 hours a day and the current stove doesn't cut it anymore. We where looking at a Couple of brands and debating Pellet vs Wood however the advantages and draw backs to both are making it a tough decision. Our house is 1500 square ft 500 of which is upstairs and we have no insulation in our home due to the house age of 118 years. Here is the list we have narrowed it down to.

http://www.harmanstoves.com/en/Products/Oakwood-Wood-Stove.aspx

http://www.blazeking.com/EN/wood-princess.html

http://www.harmanstoves.com/Products/P38-Plus-Pellet-Stove.aspx



I would appreciate any advice and even any stoves to look at.

Thanks everyone!
Pete

 

[fredarm]

I won't get into the pellet vs. wood analysis except to say that if you go with a pellet stove you're committing to buy all your fuel. If you currently buy all your wood, it's not such an issue, but if you have access to free wood or can scrounge it, it's a consideration. I don't know much about the Harmans either, but a lot of people here like the Blaze King stoves for long burn times and "set and forget" operation, which sounds like it might address your being gone 13 to 14 hours a day.

 

[Pallet Pete]

I have been considering Blaze King seriously however I am not sure what to think about the 20 hr burn time claim. I really don't want to throw away money is what my hesitation amounts to. As for the wood I do usually cut and split what we need & I don't like the Idea of purchasing pellets only.

 

[begreen]

Welcome Pete. You are looking at some good stoves, but I would consider looking at the Woodstock Fireview instead of the Oakwood for longer burn times. It's also on sale and will cost much less than the other options.

www.woodstove.com

It's never too late to insulate. There are options for older homes. This may be the best investment you can make in your home. It will pay back 365 days a year. Check to see what financial incentives there are in your state for this. There's also a federal tax credit.

 

[AppalachianStan]

You need to get insulation in your home that will help you to heat it better.

 

[mrfjsf]

I won't get into the pellet vs. wood analysis except to say that if you go with a pellet stove you're committing to buy all your fuel. If you currently buy all your wood, it's not such an issue, but if you have access to free wood or can scrounge it, it's a consideration. I don't know much about the Harmans either, but a lot of people here like the Blaze King stoves for long burn times and "set and forget" operation, which sounds like it might address your being gone 13 to 14 hours a day.

Very well said on all accounts. Before I purchased my woodstove, I HIGHLY considered pellet. Either central or space. I cannot speak of the brands of stoves you are looking at so I will lend my personal opinions on the two styles.

The deciding factors for me were:

1. I didnt want to HAVE to buy my fuel. Sure it is easier to buy wood already C/S and let it season, but the point of it was with pellet, you have no choice, you must buy your own fuel. Is it cheaper than gas, oil, electric, you bet! But its still not as cheap as wood.

2. I wanted something that would heat my home on its own feet in the event of a power outage. Unless you have a generator, pellet is worthless without power.

Sure, there are plenty of days, I wish I had pellet simply because im too lazy to either go cut the wood, split it, stack it, let it season for months/years on end, etc. If I could have the best of both worlds, id ditch the oil furnace for a Harman PF100 to use as my main heat, but I cant so....

The Cat stoves, will offer you a greater deal of "set it and forget it" and much longer burn times than non-cat. Perhaps you should look into them, I wish I would have because im not home nearly as much as I need to be to tend to my stove.

My stove basically serves as a "nights and weekends" heat.

You may also, want to consider a central wood furnace as well, ducted into your existing ductwork if you are looking for a more central heat. You can heat a whole house with a stove, but it takes some tweaking and properly spaced fans to get the job done.

These are just some thoughts to consider before making a big purchase. Good luck to you.

 

[Pallet Pete]

What is the advantages to soapstone wood stoves I don't think I have ever seen them before? I really want to insulate our house I wasn't aware that it could be done on such an old house. Thanks for the tip I am going to look into that.

 

[begreen]

The Woodstock Fireview is a catalytic stove, like the Blaze King. But soapstone has a unique and high heat retention ability which softens out the temperature swings. The stones will be warm and releasing heat for hours after the fire has died down.

 

[Pallet Pete]

Thanks BeGreen That sounds like a winner!

 

[begreen]

You're welcome. There are lots of happy Fireview owners here. Woodstock is a good company.

For questions and answers on insulating an old home, start a new thread in the Green Room forum on this site. Hopefully some Michigan residents will add some information on local programs.

 

[ohlongarm]

I too was in your dilemma back in March of this year,having gone through 4 woodstoves since 2004,2 in Feb,and March of 2011.I read all the hype about Blaze Kings,not knowing what or what not to believe.Twenty hour burn times? How's that possible,well I took the plunge Blaze King Ultra,haven't been able to put it to the real test yet,but I think it's a winner,I've gotten 20 and 24 hour burn times on 3/4 of a load ash,and cherry mostly. I haven't gotten into the heavy duty wood yet,oak,hickory,locust,beech and osage orange,but I will.The 20 and 24 hour burn times were still keeping the house at a constant temperature that never fluctuated more than 4 degrees in those time frames.So I'd go with a King,I for one am not one to fiddle fuzz with a woodstove,you can most definitely set,and forget.Good Luck

 

[Pallet Pete]

Can you tell how much wood your blaze king uses ohlongarm? Is it more or less than before, space is problem for me I use roughly six full cord a winter right now and would like to keep it in the ballpark still.
Thanks for your Blaze King advice.

 

[firefighterjake]

If I needed a really long burn time I would be looking at a cat stove . . . Blaze King and Woodstock have lots of fans . . . me . . . I would take a long, hard look at the Woodstocks . . . simply because I think they look prettier.

 

[begreen]

I'd look at the current price, shipping costs and size of the house too.

 

[Pallet Pete]

Thanks firefighterjake, BeGreen, oilongarm and mrfjsf for all the help and words of wisdom here. I have decided to look into the Blaze King Princess with an outside air kit. I went to a well renown stove supplier who doesn't stock Blaze King but can order them and the sales Rep for Lennox happened to be there. He was a very nice gentlemen and talked me out of pellets right away even though he sells pellet stoves. He said it will be all but impossible to buy pellets in a couple of years because we live in Michigan. For your understanding in my area of Michigan we have literally no pellets available unless you buy way in advance, I noticed that last year there where three suppliers with pellets this year only TSC had any. I have to go a long way to find a store other than TSC that has any, So due to supply problems for pellets thats out. Then the rep told me he would recommend a Blaze King cat stove because they are so nice then he proceeded to tell me more about the blaze king than even the dealer did. I have to admit just his helpfulness almost sold me a Lennox stove ;-)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Pete, check your PM's.