Trying to figure out what size Avalon. Rainier or Olympic insert?

[Raiden]

Hey, just looking for some advise. I have a house roughly 2,000 sf and want to get a Avalon fireplace insert. The area my fireplace is in is about 700 sf. The house is a split ranch so the bedrooms are about 5 steps up and that area is 800sf. Right next to those stairs is a set that goes down to the den which is about 500 sf. So I guess what I'm getting at is the house isn't quite wide open. The Olympic says it heats up to 2,000 sf
and the Rainier say's 1800sf. I was moving toward the Olympic but I'm scared it might get to hot in the living room were the fireplace is. I'm also worried the Rainer might not heat the house enough. My goal is to heat as much of the house as possible to lower my oil cost. What do you think is best for my setup, Thanks in advance.

 

[tickbitty]

I hope some owners of these stoves weigh in, but I would guess that the Ranier might be a little small, since the firebox is 1.8'. I would think you want to get something a little over 2, but again, maybe do a search for those stoves on here and you can get some ideas from folks who have those particular stoves.

 

[Raiden]

I hope some owners of these stoves weigh in, but I would guess that the Ranier might be a little small, since the firebox is 1.8'. I would think you want to get something a little over 2, but again, maybe do a search for those stoves on here and you can get some ideas from folks who have those particular stoves.

Thanks, I did some searches but didn't find quite the answer I was looking for. I was looking at the Lopi Republic and Revere but which have a 2.2 fire box but I was hoping for more than 18" log size

 

[Raiden]

Hey Tickbitty how do you like the Lopi Republic? Would you recomend it for a set up like mine?

 

[begreen]

Where is the stove going to be located, it sounds like it is the middle floor? If yes, ignore the den, heat is not going to want to go down. What's the square footage of the middle and upper levels?

 

[Raiden]

Where is the stove going to be located, it sounds like it is the middle floor? If yes, ignore the den, heat is not going to want to go down. What's the square footage of the middle and upper levels?

Yes, the stove would be on the middle floor on the wall farthest from the stairs. I would say the house minus the den is about 1500 to 1600 sf.

 

[begreen]

The Rainier should do the job. It might need more frequent feeding in very cold weather depending on the house insulation. The Olympic may need to be run with smaller loads and fires that are allowed to burn out instead of steady burning until the temps get cold.

I like the Lopi Republic 1750 or their Revere inserts. At 2.2 cu ft they would be just about right.

 

[tickbitty]

Hey Tickbitty how do you like the Lopi Republic? Would you recomend it for a set up like mine?

I like it a lot, my house is an older brick ranch, built solid but not that well insulated. It's only a little over 1400 sq feet and not an open plan, but it does a nice job and (so far last year) didn't cook us out of that part of the house. I went for that size insert because I figured I wanted my square footage to be in the middle of the stove's expected range. Although your house is bigger I guess it all depends on the layout and etc.

The stove is great though. I would have liked to see the Ranier, but none of the dealers I saw/talked to seemed to have Avalon's in stock, I'm not sure whether they pick one kind of travis stove to carry or what.

 

[Raiden]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to go to a dealer Saturday and most likely get either the Revere or the Olympic. I'll take some pics when I finish my hearth and install my stove.

 

[gpcollen1]

My house is about the same as yours. I initially installed my Olympic in the same location. I needed to keep the fires small in the shoulder months and keep the blower off for the most part. That worked well. If it got too hot, I shed some clothes. In the winter, that location was just fine with plenty of heat heading up stairs to the bedrooms. It will just take a while to get the hang of it.

I moved the Olympic down stairs and installed the Jotul in that spot. Down stairs is still carpet on slab and the original construction and framing so it craves the heat of the Olympic in the winter.

 

[Raiden]

My house is about the same as yours. I initially installed my Olympic in the same location. I needed to keep the fires small in the shoulder months and keep the blower off for the most part. That worked well. If it got too hot, I shed some clothes. In the winter, that location was just fine with plenty of heat heading up stairs to the bedrooms. It will just take a while to get the hang of it.

I moved the Olympic down stairs and installed the Jotul in that spot. Down stairs is still carpet on slab and the original construction and framing so it craves the heat of the Olympic in the winter.

Thanks CTwoodburner for your input. I really like the Olympic,looks wise and the fact that I can fit longer logs.