some general questions about choosing a stove.

[mike in ct]

first off i did read the stickey above. sooooooo, i am in the process of chosing a stove. my house is roughly 2700 sq ft of living space. about 1500sq ft on the upper level and 1200sq ft on lower level. i will be installing stove in the lower level. some main concerns for me are -
long burn times and using less wood so i'm thinking a newer cat stove. only thing is i've read that they are a bit trickey at first, cant hold up well to overburns ect.

i also want something with an ash pan built in. if i'm gonna burn 24/7 thats a must for me. would appreciate your 2 cents on the subject

 

[madison]

IMHO, don't let the ash pan sway your final decision. Clearances, family approval (looks), firebox volume should be given priority. If there is an existing hearth and chimney, that will influence potential choices.

If you are lucky enough to be starting from a "clean slate", research 3 cu ft or larger fire boxes if you are looking for 24/7 burning in a larger home.

Floorplan will drawing and pictures will help get some better advice.

 

[weatherguy]

The BK King sounds like a candidate for your house, maybe the big buck too. Im heating over 2700 with the BK princess because I needed an insert, it doesnt quite handle the whole house when its really cold but the King would.
This is my first stove and there was nothing tricky about the cat, it was about as easy to learn as could be and is easy to run on a daily basis.

 

[cmonSTART]

Personally the ash pan would be the last thing to worry about on my list. I find them to be more of a pain than they're worth, even with 24/7 burning.

 

[mike in ct]

well here is a couple pics. i can put most anything i want there. i have a hole outside that accepts an 8" pipe. the desk and rocker will move. the floor is tile. not worried about clearance to combustibles. i have burned here before. i used a hearthstone soapstone stone. i loved the ease of the ashpan. i had a stove without and the bucket and cleaning shovel sucked. not for me. makes toooo much dust in house. i have eyeballed those cheetah ash vacs... i imagine those might work well. but never had the oppertunity to use one.
well i cant seem to post pics tonight ? ...never had a problem before. anyway its a stone raised heathh about 6ft wide by 2 ft deep, floor to ceiling

 

[grommal]

first off i did read the stickey above. sooooooo, i am in the process of chosing a stove. my house is roughly 2700 sq ft of living space. about 1500sq ft on the upper level and 1200sq ft on lower level. i will be installing stove in the lower level. some main concerns for me are -
long burn times and using less wood so i'm thinking a newer cat stove. only thing is i've read that they are a bit trickey at first, cant hold up well to overburns ect.

i also want something with an ash pan built in. if i'm gonna burn 24/7 thats a must for me. would appreciate your 2 cents on the subject

Jotul F500 Oslo or its larger brother the F600 Firelight. Our Oslo is just fantastic. Super-easy to use, long burn times, beautiful (if you like the cast iron look), almost nothing to break.

And, by the way, they have a fabulously useful large ash pan. Most folks who say an ash pan is more pain than it's worth have never had a stove with a good one. I burn 24/7, do almost zero raking, and empty the pan once every 5-8 days. What could be easier than that?

 

[gdk84]

I agree a 3+ cubic foot firebox would be in order as others have stated. There are many good stove makers and you can always do a search on this site for reviews. Also about the ash pan, I wouldnt get too excited about it. They are a pain and many 24/7 burners get away just fine without them, including myself. Its one less place for air leakage if you get a stove without one. Check out your local dealers and see what they have to offer.

 

[Fsappo]

Look at the Equinox if you want a big non cat. Overnight burns are very easy. It will win in a beauty contest. Only issue is it is a radiant heater which wouldnt be my first choice for a downstairs/upstairs deal.

 

[mike in ct]

anyone have any opinions on some older stoves like a big moe allnighter, or a fisher double door fireplace model ? reason i mention them is i see a few for sale on local craigslist. one guy boasted his big moe went all weekend once......just curious

and to the folks who dont have an ashpan......do you just shovel it out, or do you use a hotvac? just curious if those are popular or not.

i read here alot of folks are pretty pleased with the home depot englander stoves. what kind of burn times do those have ?

 

[jotul8e2]

If you want an ash pan, you want an ash pan. I did. My Oslo has one, and I would hate to be without it. Other people have different priorities, there is nothing wrong with that.

I would not agree with the poster above who suggested an Oslo for your house and your climate. Maybe the larger F600, as was also mentioned. You do need something in the 3.0 cu. ft. size range.

While the modern cat stoves do have some advantages - and no, they are not difficult to use - I am not sure you are going to find a lot of difference in operation burning 24/7, heating that large a space in that cold a climate. I think (note the personal opinion here) I would concentrate more on size and other features rather than cat or non-cat. Several good suggestions have been made - BK, Hearthstone Equinox, Jotul F600, and I would add the PE Summit. Buck has a new monster stove - Model 94NC - but I know nothing about it.

 

[mike in ct]

opinions are what i want. i will choose based on whats important to me. i understand the idea that the ashpan door can leak and cause a quicker burn than desired, less control. i am open to a stove without it, but i dont see it happening without an ash vac , thus my questions on them..... thats why i asked about the older stoves. but with the summer season coming, the next few months is the time to get a good deal, so i'm researching now . oilman just came yesterday . $3.60 a gallon. i said enough is enough. wood is alot of work, so when oil is cheap, it's not as appealing, but with the potential for my oil bill to be $5,000 per season based on real potential oil prices, i just have to do it. then there's the whole idea of the middle east falling apart and fuel supplies being intterupted, i just feel now is the time to heat with wood more than ever.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

My stove has an ash pan, but I don't use it because it takes longer to get the ashes out then using a (metal) bucket and shovel method. It's not the ash pan door that can leak, it's the plug at the bottom of the box that is the culprit. First of all, you have to clear all the ashes away from the plug to find it then remove it, then it takes time to rake all the ashes down that little hole. Then when you got the ashes out you have to replace the plug and make real sure it fits tight so it's not letting air through. Now you open the ash pan drawer and remove the ash pan, hopefully you haven't over filled it because if you did you'll have to clean out the ash pan compartment before replacing the ash pan after emptying it.
By comparison when using the bucket I just hold the bucket up to the stove door and shovel ashes off the floor of the stove bottom and into the bucket. Since it's not really necessary to remove all the ashes, only the bulk of them, this process is very quick and can be done in less than a minute. No plugs to remove and replace or worry about leaking, and I never have to clean the ash pan compartment because it never gets ashes in there.
The only thing you have to be careful about with the bucket method is holding the bucket up next to the stove drawer so that any ash dust gets sucked into the stove. If you set the bucket down in front of the stove and scoop up the ashes from the stove box and dump them into bucket you'll have to go very slowly to avoid getting a lot of dust flying around the room, that's why I hold the bucket up next to the open stove, the natural draw (vacuum) of the stove sucks any ash dust into the stove.

As for the stove selection, my like my Regency F2400, but it's not big enough to heat your whole house, so I can't really help you except to repeat what others have said and to make sure you get one big enough to heat the area you want to try and heat. When you think you have decided on a stove model post on this forum and ask others, who own that particular model, about it.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I have a harman that fits those req. Large ash pan holds up to 2 weeks of ashes before emptying. Super long burn times, i got 27 hours already with still enough hot coals for a quick reload, typical overnight burn for me is 15 hours, but at 15 hours your dont have a 400 degree stovetop anymore. 3.0 CF firebox you can load tight cuz its a top loader your can pack it right up to the lid . Also a roaster is available for inside the stove cooking,and a fireplace screen for open burning like a fireplace if you so desire. Its a downdraft EPA certified with as little as .8 Grams emissions, very very low.Keeps your flue very clean.
Harman rates the stove at 1500-3000 SF and 75000 BTUs.

 

[mike in ct]

to carbon liberator, i did it your way before , nothing but dust in the house. had to listen to the other half about "the dust, the dust" as far as being quicker, i believe i'm beginning to see why some like it and some dont. my hearthstone heritage also could burn coal and had a grate in the bottom. emptying the ash pan could'nt have been easier. every 2-3 days i opened the door and pulled it out, walked outside to dump it and slide it back in. i did'nt fool with anything. i'm getting the impression some stoves have an "ash dump" like a masonary fireplace and you have to push the ashes down the hole first. if so, then yes, that sucks and i could see why you would be against it. i have that now in my fireplace upstairs .

long burn times, cleaner burns= less wood , probably most important to me. better for enviorment, better for my chimney, less work. thats a win, win , win with me. i liked my heritage, but one thing that was a minus was you could damage stove pretty easily if she got too hot, so thats a concern, and all i really got out of it was 6-8 hours for a burn. so that was something i would like to improve on with my next stove.

theres so many out there to choose from......

 

[firefighterjake]

2,700 square feet of space.
Wants a long burn.
Wants to burn less wood.
Wants an ash pan.
Has had a Hearthstone in the past.

I love my Jotul . . . don't get me wrong . . . but I think there are two clear contenders here . . . and one winner . . . and it would not be a Jotul.

Don't get me wrong . . . I love my Jotul Oslo . . . and I also understand loving a useful ash pan which it has . . . but with 2,700 square feet of space you need a big heater . . . and unless you go with a wood furnace or wood boiler your choices may be limited.

The Blaze King fits many of your needs -- big heater, long burn due to the cat, less wood burned . . . but as they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder . . . and this can be one ugly looking stove in my opinion. As for your concern over the fragility of the cat with overfiring . . . I wouldn't worry too much . . . if you overfire a secondary burner a few too many times you can ruin these stoves just as easily.

So while the Blaze King may be a consideration I would think if you had a good experience with Hearthstones in the past and want to heat 2,700 square feet of space you might look at the Equinox . . . it doesn't have a cat which means you may not get the fantastically slow and low burn times, but honestly I think you would get plenty of heat and long enough burns so you could sleep all night long without having to get up to reload the stove. While a secondary burner may or may not result in slightly more wood being burned vs. a cat stove, I would guess it would do much, much better than the older pre-EPA stoves you mentioned in terms of the Fishers and Moes . . . and . . . as an added bonus . . . the Equinox does come with an ash pan . . . and looks mighty pretty too.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

i'm getting the impression some stoves have an "ash dump" like a masonary fireplace and you have to push the ashes down the hole first. if so, then yes, that sucks and i could see why you would be against it.

Yes that is the case, with mine and the stoves I have seen. Small hole and a plug you have to remove and replace.
Ive seen grates above ash drawers on older non EPA stoves, but never on EPA stoves. You'd have to have a very tight closing ash drawer door I imagine?

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Mike I didn't see the pictures of your hearth first time I looked at this thread. It looks great!, and I like the idea of a raised hearth, but because it is so high and your ceiling is low you might have some clearance issues between the ceiling and the top of the stove with some stoves, make sure you check that out before you purchase your stove.

 

[madison]

Picture maybe misleading, but I doubt an Equinox would fit on that raised hearth. And depending on what is under the slate, you will need to check up on the appropriate R value for an Equinox.

 

[leeave96]

You might want to see the new stove by Woodstock.

Bill

 

[grommal]

i'm getting the impression some stoves have an "ash dump" like a masonary fireplace and you have to push the ashes down the hole first. if so, then yes, that sucks and i could see why you would be against it.

Yes that is the case, with mine and the stoves I have seen. Small hole and a plug you have to remove and replace.
Ive seen grates above ash drawers on older non EPA stoves, but never on EPA stoves. You'd have to have a very tight closing ash drawer door I imagine?

Some brand new EPA stoves have the grate over the ash drawer. Jotuls fall into this category, as well as some other brands. If the OP is trying to heat the whole house with the one wood stove, it needs to be a very large capacity stove, though, and that may trump the desire for a well-functioning ash pan.

 

[mike in ct]

yeah , had trouble posting from photobucket at first. switched folders and was good to go.

the door for the ashpan on the heritage was built just like the loading door. had a rope gasket and was just as tight.

as far as combustibles goes, the floor is concrete, capped with tile... the hearth was roughed in with cement block and faced with faux stone and the cap stones are native flagging stone. not worried about any of that catching fire. it is 6ft wide x 2ft deep and the top of raised hearth is 19" high. cieling is 84" high , so 65" from top of hearth to ceiling. not sure what the top height is on some of these stoves but even if we're talking 30"-35" ,.....that still leaves me 30"-35" to ceiling . not sure what the newer stoves require for clearances to combustibles.....i'm sure it depends on btu output. i know my heritage was 18" to combustibles. it was also probably close to 1/2 the btu output of some of these stoves you all mentioned

also, not to get off the subject, but the old oil heater in hearth photo....i'm trying to find out about it. it says "the eagle 10" on it , that's it, nothing else anywhere. if anyone knows anything about the history of this heater i would love to hear from you...

 

[djblech]

I would stay with a newer epa rated stove if you are buying. They are safer to burn than the older smoke dragons. I just cleaned my chimney and only got 1 cup of ash, no creosote. Burning dry wood is the best defense for creosote. I like my Lopi Liberty. Large firebox, lots of heat. I think Summit had a large stove with a ash pan. I had a VC Dutchwest that had an ash pan and it was nice. The Blaze King stoves are great heaters and would probably heat your whole house. I would stick with around a 3.0 cu ft fire box and just find a stove with all the bells and whistles you want.
Doug

 

[Bill]

For me I would not want a stove without an ash-pan, allot cleaner, and easy to empty while the stove is hot. I have had both and would never think of going back. My ash-pan is under the grate and you remove it by opening the front doors, with gaskets, and it doesn't leak at all.

Seeing the size of your home and the fact you want good overnight burns, I would suggest a 4 cubic foot stove. Long hot burns need lots of wood.

 

[madison]

[quote author="mike in ct" date="1301069921"]still leaves me 30"-35" to ceiling . not sure what the newer stoves require for clearances to combustibles.....i'm sure it depends on btu output. i know my heritage was 18" to combustibles. it was also probably close to 1/2 the btu output of some of these stoves you all mentioned

Not that you are considering it, but, the PE Alderlea's have ~55~" model dependant stove top to ceiling clearance. Read closely any specs when you narrow down your choices.

Also BTU output and clearances are not related, stove design generally dictates clearances

 

[mike in ct]

55" ....wow guess that would be an issue