What to do what to do?

[mattjm1017]

So earlier I was all set to go and buy a century wood stove insert from Northern tool but when I went to look at it I couldnt believe how small it is and walked away. Today the wife and I went to several stores looking at different stoves and inserts we decided we liked the functionality of a stove over an insert. Weve narrowed it down to a few: 1 Drolet Legend DIH 1005 2. Quadra-fire Yosemite 3. Dutchwest Extra Large 2464 If any of yall have any opinions on these it would be greatly appreciated I have already received a lot of help from here. I should say Im leaning towards the Drolet and the wife wants the Quad ( cause its pretty ).

 

[BrowningBAR]

How big of a space are you heating?
How long do you need the stove to burn?
What are your winters like in your area?
Will this be the main source of heat?
Do you have your wood already cut, split, and stacked?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Matt.

Your comment about the size reminds me of when we bought our Fireview. The first time I saw one I laughed and wondered how anyone would think I could heat our house with that little stove. Long story short, we bought one and are amazed because we are heating with that stove and getting more heat from it and using less wood than we ever did. The newer epa stoves are amazing.

In your area I would not expect that you should need a lot of heat but some. But you should answer the questions that BB posted above as it will help others to respond to your questions. Good luck.

 

[mattjm1017]

How big of a space are you heating?
How long do you need the stove to burn?
What are your winters like in your area?
Will this be the main source of heat?
Do you have your wood already cut, split, and stacked?

I would like to heat about 1800 SQ Ft winters are relativily mild here in North East NC mid 30s -40s at the worst
I plan on this being my main source of heat
No I have no wood at all i am going to purchase 2-3 cords of seasoned wood from someone locally

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I would like to heat about 1800 SQ Ft winters are relativily mild here in North East NC mid 30s -40s at the worst
I plan on this being my main source of heat
No I have no wood at all i am going to purchase 2-3 cords of seasoned wood from someone locally

Matt, here is the catch. We've found that it is extremely rare for anyone selling firewood to sell good dry firewood. Oh they will tell you it is "seasoned" and ready to burn but those words are meaningless. Ask some questions. First, what kind of wood is it? There are big differences in types of wood and if it is oak, be aware that oak takes 2-3 years to be dry enough to burn. And those years are counted only after the wood has been split and stacked. Sellers are not going to do this. Almost all will split just before delivery. No good. You will have big problems.

Do yourself a favor and buy some wood....before you buy the stove. You may have to buy wood now and wait another year before you attempt to burn it. Otherwise you might have some big problems that you don't want.

 

[jjs777_fzr]

NothernTool now sells two Century wood stove inserts - a smaller one and a larger one.
I think you'd be surprised how much heat even the small one puts out. If you intention is to buy 2-3 cords wood now - they may say seasoned - but thats a stretch. I'd advise buying 1-2 cords of 'seasoned' wood and also buy 1 ton of some sort of wood bricks. BioBricks, Canawick - lots of choices. Using a few bricks along with a few splits should yield very good results.

 

[mattjm1017]

I should say Im not in a big hurry Im taking my time and doing lots of research. I didnt realize it takes so long for wood to season ill have to do some more local research on that. As far as size of the stove i guess Ive always thought bigger is better. When I saw that little tiny firebox on the century I thought theres no way Ill be able to burn over night in that and after spending the day talking to dealers I think I like the freestanding stoves better. But maybe I dont need such a big one? Would something smaller like the Drolet Celtic be good? As I said I thought bigger = better but Im not familiar with these new fancy stoves with all their fancy sendondary burning and such.

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

From the firebox dimensions listed from this model:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200577754_200577754

The firebox is 1.8 cft at 430lbs and that is just with the door opening as the height. So not bad, mine is a Buckstoves model 74 at 2.6 cft but measure 2.1 or something at 460 lbs. It is an insert and does really well when burning 24/7. Still pretty well when starting a new fire daily.
Just something to consider....

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Matt, I honestly will defer that question to others as I am not familiar with those stoves. I can tell you we have a Fireview and we heat 100% with that stove. The firebox is about 2 cu ft and the stove is rated at 55,000 btu. This stove heats our house well here in Michigan and for sure further south it would heat a lot larger home. We have heard of some folks heating 2,000 sq ft and I think the most is 2200 sq ft. So you could use the sizes as somewhat of a judge.

I'll also like to invite you to the Wood Shed. It is one of the forums here on hearth.com and there is much, much knowledge there about wood. From types of wood and seasoning or drying time to how to stack properly, etc.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

From the firebox dimensions listed from this model:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200577754_200577754

The firebox is 1.8 cft at 430lbs and that is just with the door opening as the height. So not bad, mine is a Buckstoves model 74 at 2.6 cft but measure 2.1 or something at 460 lbs. It is an insert and does really well when burning 24/7. Still pretty well when starting a new fire daily.
Just something to consider....

We must have been typing at the same time.

For comparison, our stove weighs in around 500 pounds. Looks like the firebox is a bit smaller in the one listed above.

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

They don't give the height dimension except for the door opening so that's what i used. I guess it would be bigger from my guess...I been wrong before!;-)

 

[mattjm1017]

Thanks for that link Plays with Fire Ill have to check it out. I was looking for something around 2cft or bigger but that might not be bad. Backwoods Savage thanks for the invite Ill head over there and check out the wood shed. What would yall say would be the pros and cons of freestanding vs insert?

 

[BrowningBAR]

Thanks for that link Plays with Fire Ill have to check it out. I was looking for something around 2cft or bigger but that might not be bad. Backwoods Savage thanks for the invite Ill head over there and check out the wood shed. What would yall say would be the pros and cons of freestanding vs insert?

Free standing offers more radiant heat and doesn't rely on a blower nearly as much, which comes in handy for power outages. Most lean towards free standing when at all possible. But, an insert is still a very capable heating device.

 

[rdust]

Warm climate equals a cat stove in my opinion. Check out Woodstock, Buck, <gulp> VC, BlazeKing or DutchWest to name a few.

One of the smaller BK stoves will go 24 hours between loads all season long in your climate.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Couldn't agree more with rdust. give Woodstock a call and look at their web site.

www.woodtove.com or 800-866-4344

Our stove is the Fireview. Also I will add that no company can give better customer service than Woodstock and in addition, they give you a 6 month guarantee.

 

[rideau]

I'll just add that the 6 month guarantee is a 100% money back no questions asked if you are dissatisfied with your purchase for any reason. Additionally, Woodstock stands behind their stoves forever. They are great to deal with.

 

[Todd 2]

Matt 1017, A good investment, to buy the driest wood possible is a Moisture Meter. Not very expensive and sure aids in keeping the wood seller honest.

 

[mattjm1017]

Thanks for all the feedback and input I dont know if things are getting clearer or foggier but Im sorting through and taking my time. Im definatly getting a moisture meter going to Lowes tomorrow to look at theirs. The Fireviews are nice but a bit out of my price range. rdust mentioned Dutchwest anyone have some reviews of them thats one of the ones Im looking at. Im not finding much on this site the one thing I really like about it is its a rear exit for the flue which is what I need for my set up into the existing chimney.

 

[rideau]

You have an advantage because you are not in a big hurry. I'd recommend looking carefully and choosing the top two or three stoves that you like most/would be best for you, without regard to price, and then also choosing the top one or two that you would purchase because of your budget limitations. Then keep a close eye on all the Craig's List ads within driving distance. You might get lucky and get a really good buy on a used stove. A used stove in good condition could last you a lifetime, and you are going to spend a lot of time looking at your stove. Be great if you could get exactly what you want. IF you like the Woodstocks, you could also give Woodstock a call and ask them what they charge for their various used, rebuilt stoves. If the price is good for you, you could likely order one ...I think they are mostly available late Spring, early Summer.

Sometimes there are really great prices on used premium stoves in various ads. So, if you see one of your top chioces, check it out. If it's in good shape,buy. If you don't see what you want by early summer, then buy new within your budget, when the stoves are on sale. This will allow you to get more stove for your money. For instance, a recent post indicated that a $1000 stove has been available online at Home Depot the last several years at a summer sale price of $500

You could also watch this site. People often post when they are thinking about buying a new stove, and it is frequently the case that someone is moving, or needs a bigger stove, or smaller stove, or just likes to try different stoves every few years. If you see a post like that and the poster's present stove is one you are interested in, then you could send a private message to the poster and see if their current stove is for sale.

All this is a bit of work, but if you have the time, you might get a great deal.

 

[Sprinter]

Matt 1017, A good investment, to buy the driest wood possible is a Moisture Meter. Not very expensive and sure aids in keeping the wood seller honest.

+1
"Is it seasoned?" It doesn't have to be a mystery with a $20 moisture meter. Just split a piece open and measure. Guesswork over. 20% is seasoned. Period. The problem is that there is no "official" definition of what "seasoned" means like there is for a cord, but it's the single most important factor in using any of epa stoves. It's kind of a meaningless term, so you just have to check it.

Just an example: http://www.amazon.com/DUSIEC-Handheld-Digital-Moisture-Content/dp/B004KWAQAI/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1351913924&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=moisture meter

 

[Woody Stover]

BAR asked in post #2 what square footage you want to heat. That, along with the layout (open floor plan?) will help you nail down the size stove you need. Manufacturers' BTU ratings and sq. footage heated ratings should be taken with a grain of salt. Most folks here think that firebox size is a better indicator of heating potential.
I'll also add that to do it right and run a stainless chimney liner to the top of your masonry chimney will probably cost as much as the stove will...

 

[nola mike]

I can put in my $0.02 about the Century, esp since my climate is similar. I use it at a vacation house; it has a real hard time getting the place up to temp (the temp will be 42' on arrival, and it will take about 7 hours to get it to around 70 with outside air temps about 25'). The place is drafty and poorly insulated, 1500 sq ft. Once heated, it can keep up without too much drama. Only problem is overnight--the effective burn time is maybe 4 hours, and my house will cool down quickly. It will keep your house warm, but will take some effort. If you can get a bigger firebox, do it.

 

[mattjm1017]

Thanks again folks I have decided Ill go with at least a 2cft firebox but Ive come to be a little bit more of a hurry as our gas heater crapped out on us last night. I was all set to get a Drolet legend but with the way the pipe comes out the top I wont be able to install that in my chimney so Im looking closely at a Dutchwest 2461 I think as it is vented out the back. nola mike thanks for your .02 on the century thats what I was thinking about it myself. Woody stover Im def getting a full liner already have it picked out probably going to order it this week.

 

[jotul8e2]

I own the very first model Dutchwest catalytic and use it in my shop - many badly needed design improvements have been made since then. However, the stove is now nearly 20 years old and appears to be set to go another 20 at least. I would agree that your climate does argue for a cat stove. I have a larger house and my Oslo (a non cat stove) will sit idle until daily highs dip below 45. It simply cannot be throttled back as much as a cat stove can.