Buying new stove / Every dealer tells me their stove is the best on the market. Lol

[Dave K]

I've had some great winters with my old Fisher Grandma Bear but I'm ready to buy an efficient stove. I've been to 3 different dealers and all 3 have told me their product is the best on the market. Not one dealer asked me specifics about my home size, seasoned wood etc. It seems as if they just want to push the stove they sell and aren't really going to give me objective advice about which stove would be best for my needs. So I've done my own research and came up with 3 stoves to choose from.

The 3 stoves that I'm choosing between are the Hearthstone Green Mountain 60, the Lopi Rockport, or the Blaze King Ashford 30. I need burn times of at least 10 hours to be able to keep the stove running all the time. I'm sick of starting 2 new fires a day with my current smoke dragon. I also hate the fact that (with my current stove) the house is either 77dF or 66dF. Too much nagging about how its too hot or too cold in the house so I'd like the new stove to be able to maintain temps in the house. Just looking to get some of your opinions on the 3 stoves I mentioned. Thanks guys!

Worth noting that unfortunately I'm behind on my wood pile so I have to use oak that is approx EDIT: 19% on a moisture meter.

 

[showrguy]

I'm biased, so I can't comment...
BUT, whatever new stove you go with 30% wood aint gonna make you happy with any of em !!

Edit: you can get by with 30% in a/my cat stove, just run on hi burn a little longer, not ideal, but doable..

 

[jatoxico]

With wood at 30% I'd keep researching and install whatever you finally choose in the spring/summer. Get a better price then maybe anyway.

Why don't you post some details about the layout, existing chimney and hearth.

 

[begreen]

How large a space are you heating? How well insulated and how many floors? Open floorplan or closed off rooms? Anything else we should know like high ceilings or lots of glass?

 

[weatherguy]

We need more information as begreen has asked and you need drier wood to burn any of the stoves listed. Keep the stove you have until you have drier wood

 

[Woody Stover]

I've been to 3 different dealers and all 3 have told me their product is the best on the market....stoves that I'm choosing between are the Hearthstone Green Mountain 60, the Lopi Rockport, or the Blaze King Ashford 30.

No, none of those are the best.

 

[allan5oh]

30% is a problem on *any* modern stove.

 

[begreen]

30% is a problem on *any* modern stove.

It's actually a problem with older stoves too. They will burn 30% wood with some coaxing, but they do so putting out less heat and more crap up the chimney.

 

[kennyp2339]

I've had some great winters with my old Fisher Grandma Bear but I'm ready to buy an efficient stove. I've been to 3 different dealers and all 3 have told me their product is the best on the market. Not one dealer asked me specifics about my home size, seasoned wood etc. It seems as if they just want to push the stove they sell and aren't really going to give me objective advice about which stove would be best for my needs. So I've done my own research and came up with 3 stoves to choose from.

The 3 stoves that I'm choosing between are the Hearthstone Green Mountain 60, the Lopi Rockport, or the Blaze King Ashford 30. I need burn times of at least 10 hours to be able to keep the stove running all the time. I'm sick of starting 2 new fires a day with my current smoke dragon. I also hate the fact that (with my current stove) the house is either 77dF or 66dF. Too much nagging about how its too hot or too cold in the house so I'd like the new stove to be able to maintain temps in the house. Just looking to get some of your opinions on the 3 stoves I mentioned. Thanks guys!

Worth noting that unfortunately I'm behind on my wood pile so I have to use oak that is approx 30% on a moisture meter. That isn't a problem with my old stove because I burn very hot, but I'm wondering if 30% wet wood will be too hard to burn in a cat stove.

Hey Dave, I also live in Sussex, all (3) of your stove choices look great, very pretty stoves, I going to be honest here, I'm not a fan of the hybrid tech, it just seems as though hybrid stoves burn hot but also eat cats, a cat will start to de-grade when internal temps reach 1500deg f. Look at the btu outputs per hour, the Hearthstone reports 60,000 btu's, Lopi 67,700 and the BK Ashford 38,507, to me that tells me that the rate of burn on high is much higher and faster, higher fire box temps can be a huge maintenance issue for the cats
During cold snaps when more btu's are needed it seems to me that it would be easier to fry a cat when secondary manifold air (un-adjustable) starts to really pump through, flame impingement can be a real pain.
The hearthstone is the smallest of the 3 stoves, 2.0cu ft firebox, burn times over 10hrs are possible but not probable when arctic air hits our area. The Lopi has a little bit bigger fire box @ 2.5cuft but again I'm not sold on the hybrid tech.
The BK ashford 3.0 has the largest firebox, it also has the proven ability to be turned way down and burn for up to 30hrs per stove load. The t-stat control gives the user the best control so you wont have wild temp swings, remember the old commercial - set it and forget it, yeah that also applies to this stove.
All three choices also need a good chimney, at least a 15ft minimum run height @ 6" diameter. The BK has the lowest temp flue gasses so the black pipe portion needs to be double wall pipe, the chimney can either be class a double wall insulated, or a 6" insulated liner down an existing masonry chimney. (the chimney is key to good function, it is the engine that drives the stove.
To your wood supply, none of these stoves will function properly with your current wood supply, if anything you will create issues that may be hard to trouble shoot down the road, if your hell bent on changing the stove this season, go to tractor supply and pick up 2 tons of red-stone compressed bricks, its the only way to burn properly with these stove choices, they all like wood with moisture in the teens or lower.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Dave
Regarding your stove dealer. You will fined the buying experience like purchasing a car. They will not tell you what brand of oil or what brand of gas to put in your vehicle. Maintenance and how you run it is up to you. You will also fined that you know your home and heating needs the best and how you will run it. Purchasing a stove is tough, no doubt about it. You need to do a ton of research.

For us to help you you need to give us some info on your homes layout how well its insulated ect so we can help you out.

You have a big head start on alot of others. You have some experience burning. You know your going to make this move to a different stove. Right now you need to set up your wood storage for this new stove to get the wood to sub 20%mc if you already havent. You need to get ahead on your wood supply at least a couple years. Im in nj but south of you. Its been wet.. tarping wood sucks.. if you dont have a wood shed, now is the time to build one. It will make your life easier. Im a firm believer in , you need the wood first. Because after all your stove is pretty much useless with out it and your going to be disappointed with any stove you get because none of them will run correctly.

 

[Rearscreen]

I'm not a fan of the hybrid tech, it just seems as though hybrid stoves burn hot but also eat cats,

Really weird. I didn't know that. I'll have to explain that to my Progress running on it's 5th year with the original cat.

 

[kennyp2339]

Really weird. I didn't know that. I'll have to explain that to my Progress running on it's 5th year with the original cat.

True, Woodstock stoves seem to have the right cat placement, but it seems to me and again I'm a skeptic that the other companies that are coming out with hybrids don't have the attention to detail as Woodstock stove company.

 

[Dave K]

Thanks everyone so far. The moisture reading i got of 31% was done on the day I had the wood delivered. I just went and split a piece of firewood to retest the moisture and now I’m at 19%. I knew it was a mistake to write 30% when I haven’t tested it in months and I knew that would be the part of my post everyone concentrated on.

I’m heating 1600 square feet. Raised ranch. 22 foot masonry chimney with 8inch clay tiles. Had a camera run through the chimney and was told it looked great and I didn’t need a liner (although I may install one anyway at your suggestions).

Here is the layout of my home. Built in 1958 and not insulated very well. As you can see the stove is in the family room in the basement. All of the heat comes up the stairs next to the stove. My biggest problem with my Grandma Bear is getting bedroom 1 up to temp (it’s furthest from the stove and above the cold garage).

 

[jatoxico]

I knew it was a mistake to write 30% when I haven’t tested it in months and I knew that would be the part of my post everyone concentrated on.

Well rightly so. If you retested a room temperature fresh split and got a legit 19% that would be ready to burn.

 

[jatoxico]

Is that a fireplace in the upstairs living room?

 

[kennyp2339]

A convective stove will give you the best bang for the money, cold air returns will help establish a convective loop.
I have been paying attention to cold air returns recently, 20"x20" seems to be the minimum size, hole gets cut through the floor and a box type framing goes into the basement allowing the cold air to fall through, warm air then replaces the cold air, a fusable grate is needed for fire code.

 

[Dave K]

Is that a fireplace in the upstairs living room?

yes, it is a fireplace. I've also thought about putting an insert there to take care of the upstairs but I think I want a new stove for the basement.

 

[Dave K]

A convective stove will give you the best bang for the money, cold air returns will help establish a convective loop.
I have been paying attention to cold air returns recently, 20"x20" seems to be the minimum size, hole gets cut through the floor and a box type framing goes into the basement allowing the cold air to fall through, warm air then replaces the cold air, a fusable grate is needed for fire code.

There is a return cut into the floor outside the 1st bedroom door at the end of that hallway (its probably 12"x12"). I have a fan there pointed in the direction of the basement to suck down even more cold air. That seemed to be the only thing that worked to get the bedroom a little warmer than usual. I'm wondering if a cat stove will be able to keep that bedroom a consistent temperature. Normally the living room has to be 74 for the bedroom to be 70

 

[kennyp2339]

yes, it is a fireplace. I've also thought about putting an insert there to take care of the upstairs but I think I want a new stove for the basement.

Do both, a nice insert and then a free stander, you can flip between the two depending on the weather. A friend of mine has a similar house layout and originally just had an Osborn insert in the basement, he would heat the whole house by running the insert hard, but when it got into the teens he would have to turn on the electric heat in the bedrooms. He bought a cheaper insert for the upstairs fireplace and ran it to supplement, he said it was one of the best things because now he doesn't run the downstairs insert nearly as hard which keeps them comfortable when watching tv downstairs and the upstairs doesn't need the electric heat anymore.

 

[Dave K]

Hey Dave, I also live in Sussex, all (3) of your stove choices look great, very pretty stoves, I going to be honest here, I'm not a fan of the hybrid tech, it just seems as though hybrid stoves burn hot but also eat cats, a cat will start to de-grade when internal temps reach 1500deg f. Look at the btu outputs per hour, the Hearthstone reports 60,000 btu's, Lopi 67,700 and the BK Ashford 38,507, to me that tells me that the rate of burn on high is much higher and faster, higher fire box temps can be a huge maintenance issue for the cats
During cold snaps when more btu's are needed it seems to me that it would be easier to fry a cat when secondary manifold air (un-adjustable) starts to really pump through, flame impingement can be a real pain.
The hearthstone is the smallest of the 3 stoves, 2.0cu ft firebox, burn times over 10hrs are possible but not probable when arctic air hits our area. The Lopi has a little bit bigger fire box @ 2.5cuft but again I'm not sold on the hybrid tech.
The BK ashford 3.0 has the largest firebox, it also has the proven ability to be turned way down and burn for up to 30hrs per stove load. The t-stat control gives the user the best control so you wont have wild temp swings, remember the old commercial - set it and forget it, yeah that also applies to this stove.
All three choices also need a good chimney, at least a 15ft minimum run height @ 6" diameter. The BK has the lowest temp flue gasses so the black pipe portion needs to be double wall pipe, the chimney can either be class a double wall insulated, or a 6" insulated liner down an existing masonry chimney. (the chimney is key to good function, it is the engine that drives the stove.
To your wood supply, none of these stoves will function properly with your current wood supply, if anything you will create issues that may be hard to trouble shoot down the road, if your hell bent on changing the stove this season, go to tractor supply and pick up 2 tons of red-stone compressed bricks, its the only way to burn properly with these stove choices, they all like wood with moisture in the teens or lower.

I'm used to burning very hot in my current stove. It will definitely be a learning curve if I decide to go with a cat stove but I like the idea of being able to turn the stove down and maintain temps. I'm getting sick of the giant temp swings that I currently get and I'm sure my wife will be happier with a stove that can be turned down before the house is 78dF!

ps- I'm right down the road from you, in Stockholm

 

[jatoxico]

If heat distribution is a major issue than an insert in the fireplace would help but based on what you said it really doesn't sound too bad. That just leaves burn times and temp swings. In that case a cat stove or at least a soapstone stove that radiates heat foe a longer period of time sounds like the answer. Woodstock?

 

[kennyp2339]

I'm getting sick of the giant temp swings that I currently get

Yea I used to call that chasing the dragon, I had a us stove 2500 in my living room upstairs, I think it was the Nemo blizzard we had a party at my place, I had to keep the windows open, the beers were left on the wood stack next to the windows, we would just reach through to grab a beer, pull your arm in and have an inch of snow on it lol. My buds at the fd still talk about that party.

 

[bholler]

True, Woodstock stoves seem to have the right cat placement, but it seems to me and again I'm a skeptic that the other companies that are coming out with hybrids don't have the attention to detail as Woodstock stove company.

Regencies are doing just fine as well.

 

[kennyp2339]

Regencies are doing just fine as well.

not at first

 

[Dave K]

If heat distribution is a major issue than an insert in the fireplace would help but based on what you said it really doesn't sound too bad. That just leaves burn times and temp swings. In that case a cat stove or at least a soapstone stove that radiates heat foe a longer period of time sounds like the answer. Woodstock?

Woodstock will be the next on my list to check out, thanks,