ZC Comparisons and Suggestions on Brands/Models

[SephYuyX]

Hello again all,
Been awhile, almost a year, but I think this year we are going to move forward with a new ZC. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...idea-where-to-start-halp.144368/#post-1947734

We've had one company come out to give us some options, and have a couple more lined up. After doing some more research, and thanks in part to Grisu's and others suggestions in my old thread, and Mminor's spreadsheet in this thread https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/choosing-zero-clearance-high-eff-wood-fireplace.153465/ I decided to do something similiar.

Side note on his list, that EPA I regulations are now max 4.5, so anything higher than that isnt certified. EPA II is now sub 2.5 https://www.epa.gov/burnwise/choosing-right-wood-stove so the Montecito Estate is not EPA certified (they are in the middle of recertifying however) Full EPA listing: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2013-08/documents/certifiedwood.pdf

The main reason I made this thread is to see if I glossed over anything, and for general input about these brands/models. My main focus is keeping the cold out of the house (we get a lot of wind, so a really tight ZC is desired), and give the heat pump/furnace a little breathing room.



One company solely does RSF (hence the many comparisons), but it would probably come down to the Onyx or Opel (the non-cat version). Does anyone have input on which RSF is prefered? I'd like to lean towards the Onyx, but stat wise the Opel seems better (assuming the non-cat version is still available)

I like to think I selected the best ZCs that are available in my area, but I may have missed some; does anyone have any recommendations? Does anyone have any more idea for comparators? Does real/fake firebrick make a difference? It seems like most are fans of non-cat, so i'll probably go that way. Does an inch of size in the chimney make a huge difference (aside from cost)?

It seems like everyone has their favorites, and most say pretty nice things about most brands/models, but does any of the ones in this list get a automatic no when compared to another? Again, assuming cost isn't an issue, it seems like the Qudra-Fire 7100 is amazing, is there any reason why I shouldn't just go with that?

The FP30 looks nice, but only a 6" chimney? The EX90/R90 seems like a really good fireplace, but for some reason it just seems like it contradicts itself a little in terms of cu/ft and chimney size. The Supreme Galaxy seems like an odd ball, i'm not finding any real solid stats for that guy; all websites are different. The estate seems like a beast, but isn't available until it recerts.

Did I miss anything? Recommendations? Anything I should immediately avoid? Anything that should be an resounding yes?

Thank you.

 

[begreen]

The FP30 is based on the time proven PE Summit firebox, thus the 6" flue. The Kozy Z42 and the Heatilator Constitution are also worth considering.

 

[ElmBurner]

I have the Onyx from RSF. I hadn't been a wood burner before I bought this stove , so I came into it without any practical experience. I chose the Onyx because I like the look and it had a bigger firebox than the other options at the time. Didn't want to mess with a cat, I'm not one for recurring maintenance and I also need a lot of heat out of this thing, so throttling it way back to burn just smoke doesn't work for me.

I use it to heat a two story house with an open floor plan (roughly 2600 sq ft). It runs continuously from late October until early March. So far, I have mostly been burning elm, cherry, hackberry, and basswood. Packing the stove full in E/W arrangement gives you a good bed of coals after 8 hours, if you dig them out of the ashes. Easily enough to light the next load off without messing around with twigs and stuff. I expect to get longer burn times when my oak finally dries out (or when I can get some locust), but that's for next year. It helps if you leave a good bed of ashes in the stove too.

When the secondaries are going, this thing puts out some serious heat. It becomes uncomfortable to be closer than a couple feet away and even without a blower going, the natural convection through the vents is like standing in front of open oven door.

I got the whole house fan option, which gives you a thermostatically controlled blower to get air down to your regular furnace duct. Not sure if I would go for that again. With an open floor plan, the heat distributes pretty well on it's own. I put my furnace fan into "circulate" mode (runs for 20 minutes every hour) and that gets the heat around plenty. They also offer a "heat dump" option, which just routes the blower output to a different room with an 8' duct. If I had that, I'd just run it to the basement (where I want the extra heat anyway).

I also modified the air intake lever so that it becomes less "sensitive". Installed as it came, there was only about 45 deg of swing between full open and full closed. I drilled another hole closer to the bolt for the chain to slip through, so that fully open is all the way left and fully closed is all the way right, with the full range in between.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[iron]

i recall, when looking for my new ZC fireplace, that some said the quadrafire 7100 had a bad air inflow issue. like they couldn't stop cold air from coming in the house. not sure if that is true of all 7100 users.

the fireplaceX ones definitely seemed to take well with a lot of people on this forum a few years ago. i do recall, however, that many said it's a wood eater.

for the heat distribution, i agree that with an open area, the heat distributes fine enough, and pretty damned good with a cracked open window.

we had the heat zone kit installed and ducted to the basement. i would not do this again had i known. it's fine enough, but takes awhile to get the warmth down there. i think cycling on the HVAC system's recirc option works great.

 

[mminor]

Hello,

The Quadrafire 7100 is a big unit and I've seen many, many positive reviews and happy owners on hearth.com. I'm sure you're aware, but the 7100 is just a larger version / model of the Heat and Glo Northstar, which Iron (previous poster) has. And I believe Iron is rather happy with his Northstar and the heat it produces. Also, he did an absolute gorgeous installation!

Personally, I think the QF 7100 is a beautiful looking unit due to its arched top, but this is a very traditional look and certainly not for everyone. The 7100 would be on my short-list, but for my application it would be too large for the room - blah! I also like the PE FP30, but unfort its just too modern-looking (single door, squared-off look, etc) of the misses....so its off our personal list.

Good Luck and let us know which unit you choose.

Matt
(mminor)

 

[begreen]

The FP30 is available in flat or arched door configuration.

If you are looking for a smaller arched fireplace consider the 2 cu ft Astria Montecito

http://astria.us.com/products/t/wood-burning-fireplaces

 

[SephYuyX]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Regency models, the seem like a solid choice. And it seems everyone has been fairly happy with their 7100/Northstar baring a few tweeks. Thanks again for the informations.

The FP30 is based on the time proven PE Summit firebox, thus the 6" flue. The Kozy Z42 and the Heatilator Constitution are also worth considering.

Assuming chimney sizes are correct for the fireplace it's used on, do you think size matters? Is 6" looked down upon, while 7" should be minimum, and 8" would be desired?

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks for the insight, Elm, it seems our house is similar, and I too was wondering about doing a gravity or whole house hook up. I'm wavering on the side of letting the furnace fan just circulate the air within the house. Are you happy with the Onyx? Given the choice of switching to something else, would you?

Northstar

Your posts were quite information when I went through them, and awesome job on the install! Good to hear another vote for letting the furnace fan just do the circulation. Did the Northstar do the job nicely for you through it's first season? Would you switch to something else given the choice? Any obstacles you ran into?

Matt
(mminor)

I went through some of your posts too, and noticed the talk about the soot circles, that is unfortunate.. but i'm not sure if it would turn me off or not. Have you decided on a unit yet?

 

[begreen]

Assuming chimney sizes are correct for the fireplace it's used on, do you think size matters? Is 6" looked down upon, while 7" should be minimum, and 8" would be desired?

No, the chimney is sized correctly.

 

[iron]

Did the Northstar do the job nicely for you through it's first season? Would you switch to something else given the choice? Any obstacles you ran into?

we've had no real operational issues aside from black spots on the glass where there are rivets that block the airwash system. poor design there. i'm trying to work with customer service, but they are bad in getting back to me.

otherwise, it heats great. last year we didn't even have seasoned wood, so i can only imagine how warm things will be this next winter!

 

[mminor]

I went through some of your posts too, and noticed the talk about the soot circles, that is unfortunate.. but i'm not sure if it would turn me off or not. Have you decided on a unit yet?

I have decided on the Northstar. The soot circles are a real bummer, but I will have to deal. Like others, I contacted the company about the circles. They are aware of the problem, they tried a couple of fixes, but to no avail. They will address this issue in the next model which has to be recertified for new EPA standards (years away I believe).

For me, the Northstar hits all the marks:

- it's battle tested, been on the mkt for many years
- it's a medium size unit (perfect for our room)
- it has real firebricks (not refractory panels)
- it weighs 650 pounds which is a good sign according to me (more closely resembles a real wood burning stove)
- doesn't use positive pressure technology (I'm not sold on this technology)
- Daksy has installed at least a dozen of these units and has praise for them - says he would personally choose this unit if ever in the mkt for a ZC FP
- looks like a traditional masonry fireplace (not modern / sleek looking)
- not to be overlooked, many people own the Northstar, so when I have questions I'm hoping members will lend their advice / experience

Except for the medium size, all the above characteristics can also be applied to the QF 7100 I believe.

I hope this helps.
Matt

 

[SephYuyX]

Thanks guys.

I doubt Northstar will have those rivets fixed any time soon (or come out with a new model) since they don't need to adhere to the new EPA standards until 2020.

 

[mminor]

Thanks guys.

I doubt Northstar will have those rivets fixed any time soon (or come out with a new model) since they don't need to adhere to the new EPA standards until 2020.

I totally agree and the Northstar (HHT) mgmt told me the same over the phone. This may be a deal killer for some, but I will still go forward purchasing and installing the Northstar since the benefits (for me) listed in above post outweigh this one negative.

FYI - HHT mgmt confirmed the rivets problem also holds true for their QF 7100 and Heatilator Constitution (same units, different face plates and size).

Let us know what you decide.
Matt