PE Summit LE -vs- Hearthstone Mansfield, not as simple as it seems...

[ProGun007]

First time poster, 3-month lurker. There's so much information on here, " 🎶but I still haven't found what I'm looking for🎶"

I've found myself in a bit of a pickle. I used to just burn through 6-7 cords in this old Huntsman without batting an eye. Wood's cheap, I have two boys to split it. Don't care, just pile it in there. Now, the situation has changed. For numerous reasons, I need to conserve wood and I need a stove with a long (as reasonably possible) burn time.

My two best options are:

1) The closest dealer with great customer service (Mennonites) has a PE Summit LE, with ash pan and tax for $4039. No EPA tax rebate.

2) Dealer 45 minutes away with Hearthstone Mansfield with ash pan and tax for $5109 - 30% rebate = $3576

I could use the tax rebate and would like to get the higher end Hearthstone stove and save almost $500. However, I'm a little concerned with how finicky it might be given my setup. Single wall stove pipe going into almost 25' of 6" clay, exterior chimney. If I needed to make adjustments to get the stove to work, I'm certain the PE dealer would help fix the problem.

Also, with the stove being in the basement, I have about 2500 sq/ft of old farm house to heat and I really don't know which one would do a better job.

Looking for 3rd party, objective input.

 

[ProGun007]

I suppose I could go with a BK Princess, as the dealer with the Hearthstone has those as well, but I'm not sure it'd be big enough. If I could run an 8" flue, the BK King would be my choice!

 

[begreen]

If it were me, I'd put my money into insulating the basement walls first. That will pay off regardless of stove choice. Right now about a third of the wood being burned is going to heat the earth around the basement walls. That's one cord out of three to heat Mother Nature. Then, consider getting a large Drolet (Myriad III or Legend III) or Englander 32-NC stove. It will qualify for the tax credit and will be under $2000.

 

[ProGun007]

If it were me, I'd put my money into insulating the basement walls first. That will pay off regardless of stove choice. Right now about a third of the wood being burned is going to heat the earth around the basement walls. That's one cord out of three to heat Mother Nature. Then, consider getting a large Drolet (Myriad III or Legend III) or Englander 32-NC stove. It will qualify for the tax credit and will be under $2000.

Insulating the walls is a great idea. I hadn't thought of that.

I don't think there's any local support for those stoves.

 

[begreen]

Drolet can be bought factory direct. They are value stoves, but well made. There are many happy owners here. It's hard to beat them for price/performance. If you are looking for an upgrade, the Osburn 3500 has better trim and a c-cast baffle instead of fiberboard.
The venerable Englander 32-NC is the newer version of the 30-NC. It is a humble workhorse and a strong heater with several owners here.
The PE Summit is a strong and simple stove. We are burning the Alderlea T6 which is the cast iron clad version with the Summit firebox.