PE Alderlea T4 or 5 vs. Morso 2110 or 7110 vs. Jotul F50TL or F400

[anim57]

Hello All -

I recently posted an inquiry here and got a ton of great advice on an appropriate wood stove for a modular cabin we're building (The right stove for a very energy efficient modular cabin). To reiterate a bit: we're building an extremely "tight" (energy efficient) cabin of approx. 1,300 sq.ft. near Mt. Hood in Oregon. We'll have a heat pump as the primary heat source, but would like to get as much of our needs met as possible with the stove. It rarely gets bitter cold here - - almost never lower than about 15 degrees.

Based on the advice I got I've now narrowed my options down to the above six wood stoves.

Does anyone have a strong opinion as to which one I should go for, or which I ought to stay away from?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Todd]

If it was my only choices i think I'd go with the PE T-5 but you would be better off with a smaller cat stove like Woodstock IMHO

 

[begreen]

I'm wondering how much heavy lifting the stove will have to do. Will someone be living in the cabin year round or will it be occupied on weekends and vacations?

Note, the two Morsos are almost identical in capacity and smaller than the other stoves. Where as the Jotuls mentioned and the PEs are not. If the heatpump is an exceptionally efficient minisplit like a Mitsubishi, then a smaller stove will do the trick. The heat pump may come on overnight, but no big deal.

 

[anim57]

begreen, a ductless minisplit is exactly what we're putting in. The cabin will be a year-round weekend and vacation place, and we may rent it out some as well, but it won't be lived in full time at this point. Could happen in the future though.

I'm leaning toward a smaller unit - - the Alderlea T4 or the Morso 2110. Perhaps I should be thinking about the Jotul F3 CB for an apples to apples comparison. I like all of these stoves and I'm not sure one can differentiate on quality - - guess it may come down to which one we think looks the best.

 

[begreen]

The Alderlea T4 has a 1.4 cu ft firebox vs 1.1 for the 2110. It's the smallest I would go, especially if you are frequently going to be bring the place up from 50F to 70F. For the minisplit, I'd put in something super efficient like this: http://tinyurl.com/7n2gc9s

 

[anim57]

begreen, that's exactly the type of heat pump unit we'll be installing. Re: stoves, I guess that narrows it to the Alderlea T4 or the Jotul F400 Castine. I assume both are really good stoves?

 

[begreen]

Yes, different shaped fireboxes, but both good stoves. If the flue is on the shorter side I would be biased toward the Alderlea.

 

[anim57]

begreen, one last question and then I'll stop bugging you: if you were doing this, would you opt for a T5 rather than a T4? If you might, would the possible downside be the need to crack a window fairly frequently and the upside be longer burn time?

Or is the T4 definitely preferable here, given the size/tightness of the cabin?

You've been incredibly helpful, and I really appreciate it!

 

[begreen]

That is essentially correct. I would be biased toward the T5 if you were seeking to heat the place 24/7 without the heat pump. A properly sized HP unit will handle most if not all of the needs, but the stove will move temps faster. The T4 should fill the bill, particularly for part time usage.