Which stove is right for me?

[Lucien beam]

Hi all. I need to ask the question many others have asked before me. I have a 3000 sq. ft. Two story house with a fireplace located smack in the middle of it. We have a fairly open floor plan, with the center of the house being open to the upstairs. My former set up was an old buck model 2700 as a freestanding stove in the fireplace (fireplace opening is large, 40 inches wide and 50 inches tall at the center of the arched top. I had the flu stubbed into the clay tile but decided to do things better and bought an 8 inch liner kit only to discover the stove has a large crack inside the firebox (bought it second hand middle of last winter). That being said. I've got my new 8 inch liner sitting in the garage with no stove to hook to it. I have been to a few stove shops but I don't think they had my best interest in mind. So my question to the people of hearth.com is can anyone suggest a good quality stove that would fit our needs.

-My budget limit is $3k
-I want to stick with a free standing stove sitting in the firebox
-I want a blower
-the longer the burn the better
-I shy away from cat stoves because I know nothing of them but I am not completely opposed
-and most important, it has to be pretty so that my wife can justify the cost


A few stoves I think are interesting would be the PE summit classic and ardelea, hearthstone eq, and buck 94nc

 

[BrowningBAR]

Does $3k include installation?

 

[Lucien beam]

I would install it myself.

 

[Machria]

I posted this a few days ago in another thread:

Regarding CAT stoves. I'm 2 weeks into my first stove, ever (read: I didn't know the first thing about how to operate a stove). If you have read this thread, you know as much as you need to know about how to run a CAT stove. You light the fire, 10 to 15 minutes later the pipe reaches 250 - 300 degree's. Shut the air down to your liking (ussually almost all the way down), and close the bypass. Now wave bye bye to the stove and say see ya tomorow, cause that is the next time you'll need to adjust it most of the time.

Before I bought this stove, I was a bit concerned about operating it as well. After 30 minutes into my first seasoning fire, I laughed and said "are you kidding me, THAT IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT?". To me, operations of a CAT stove should not even be considered or discussed when selecting a stove. You should look at heat output, burn times, cosmetics(does it match your decor), and clearances (whether it will fit in your space or not...). If it meets those characteristics, whether it has a CAT or not is a mute point if you ask me.​

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[jeff_t]

If you're sticking with the 8" liner, that certainly narrows your choices. I'm pretty sure the Equinox exceeds your $3k budget. Look at Buck and Kuma. Blaze King King classic would be interesting in a fireplace, though the bypass handle might be an issue.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I would install it myself.

What about the cost of the liner and installation materials? Is that included in your $3k budget?

 

[Waulie]

How tall is your chimney? You might be OK running an 6" outlet stove on an 8" liner. I'm running a 6" outlet into a 7X7 clay liner which is about the same area as an 8" round liner, but I have a pretty tall chimney. It works great.

I believe most stoves give you a maximum area for the flue.

If you stick with 8" outlet stoves, that will narrow your options but still give you some good ones.

 

[begreen]

If the chimney is tall enough, say 2 story, then the Jotul F600, Hearthstone Mansfield or perhaps the new Hearthstone Manchester could work. Also consider the Jotul F55, PE Alderlea T6, Morso 3610.

 

[Lucien beam]

First, thank you for your replies.
Installation wise I already have everything that I THINK I need; ss liner top plate/cap chase cover etc.
As far as going to a 6 inch stove goes. My chimney is 23 feet from top tile to smoke shelf. If the 6 would draft using the liner I bought that would be great.

 

[BrotherBart]

I wanna see a big ole Buck 94NC in that fireplace. 4.4 cubic feet of big honkin steel stove firepower.

 

[NE WOOD BURNER]

I would call all your dealers with that specific question. narrow your choices possibly.

 

[Lucien beam]

A stove shop close does have a 94nc buck on the showroom floor. I'm planning on visiting another shop that has the little brother 74? hooked up and burning.

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

My 74 heats well but not 3k sqft!

 

[ddddddden]

If you're not in a hurry, you might be able to sell the 8" and get 6" for not much of a loss, since 6" pipe is cheaper. 6" would be a bit easier to snake down the chimney, leave more room to insulate the liner, if desired, and require less demolition at the damper area.

-the longer the burn the better
-I shy away from cat stoves because I know nothing of them but I am not completely opposed

If you want a longer burn, cozy on up to the kitty. Nothing to be afraid of. Same technology found in car exhausts and industrial smokestacks.

few stoves I think are interesting would be the PE summit classic and ardelea, hearthstone eq, and buck 94nc

I'd add the Buck 91(94 with a cat) and Lopi Cape Cod.

and most important, it has to be pretty so that my wife can justify the cost

Well, if it really has to be pretty, then it has to be a Woodstock
. . .but the side loading might not work for you, depending on how far back in the fireplace the stove must sit.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think some Blaze King stoves use eight inch flues. You can't beat them for burn times. You can beat them for looks.

 

[mfglickman]

Where are you? I've seen Mansfields and I think an Equinox on new England area craigslists in the past week. Used puts it in your budget and IMO (I am a wife lol) Hearthstone makes a beautiful stove.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Where are you? I've seen Mansfields and I think an Equinox on new England area craigslists in the past week. Used puts it in your budget and IMO (I am a wife lol) Hearthstone makes a beautiful stove.

I still hate the fact that I missed out on a Mansfield on TWO separate occasions. I still think that would have been a fun stove to run.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

Buck 91 cat will take your 8" comes with ash pan and blower will heat up to 3600 sq ft which means more like 3000 sq ft.

 

[lumbering on]

I was afraid of a CAT stove as well. Turned out to be a baseless fear. Should have bought one, will buy one next time.