Help deciding among three stoves for small home

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IsaBoo

New Member
Sep 7, 2022
7
Oregon
Hello everyone. I am new to this forum but not new to wood burning. I'm replacing my old Regency with a new stove for a 1000 sq. foot house. I'm deciding among Hearthstone GM40 or Craftsbury, or a Lopi Answer. Anyone have experience or feedback with these? One of my biggest deciders will be whether I can stuff the stove at night, turn it low and have coals in the morning. Thanks!
 
It depends on how long you sleep. Getting more than 6 hrs out of this sized stove is possible, but not easy, especially if burning NW softwoods. In colder weather you would most likely be refilling it every 4 hrs. Maybe consider going up to a Lopi Evergreen or Endeavor?
 
It depends on how long you sleep. Getting more than 6 hrs out of this sized stove is possible, but not easy, especially if burning NW softwoods. In colder weather you would most likely be refilling it every 4 hrs. Maybe consider going up to a Lopi Evergreen or Endeavor?
Thank you for responding! I usually burn fir when I'm awake and then stuff with a hardwood at night. I bought wood late this year so have maple. Hopefully that will help it go longer...I initially was looking at Hearthstone Castelton or VC Dauntless, but the stove folks told me I'd burn myself out w/ a stove that size.
 
Welcome to the Forums!!!

I agree with Begreen. Go for a bigger fire box. You can build a smaller fire in a bigger box, but not a bigger fire in a smaller box.

Love my 13, but should have gone for the bigger firebox. Lesson learned.
 
Tell us a bit about the house insulation and floor plan. What model was the old Regency and how did it do at heating?
 
Welcome to the Forums!!!

I agree with Begreen. Go for a bigger fire box. You can build a smaller fire in a bigger box, but not a bigger fire in a smaller box.

Love my 13, but should have gone for the bigger firebox. Lesson learned.
Yes, I was thinking a PE Super or TN20 would do the job too.
 
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Tell us a bit about the house insulation and floor plan. What model was the old Regency and how did it do at heating?
It was an old Regency RA7 from 1990 (ish). Heated the house great. Sometimes the living room got too hot, but I like it warm anyway. My attic insulation is bad. I'm planning on improving that this year. I put new floor insulation in 7 years ago. House was built in '49 so I'm not confident it has insulation in the walls. Living room (where the stove is) is long and thin, about 10x20. It's divided from the kitchen/dining area by a load-bearing wall. Two bedrooms are off the living room/dining area.
 
The RA7 was a medium-sized stove. Based on that I think you'd be ok with a 2 cu ft stove. The Dauntless would be fine, but a little small in comparison. It has thermostatic for temp control so overheating is unlikely. The Regency 2450 would work. It's close to the same size as the RA7. If there is a PE dealer in the area, check out the Alderlea T5 or the Super. They have a deeper firebox for easy N/S loading.

FWIW the salesperson at the local stove shop refused to sell me the Alderlea T6. He said the same thing and was worried I'd be after him to take the stove back. Fortunately, Tom Oyen had a lot more experience and sold me a floor model T6 even if I had to drive 95 miles to get it. No regrets.
 
The RA7 was a medium-sized stove. Based on that I think you'd be ok with a 2 cu ft stove. The Dauntless would be fine, but a little small in comparison but it's thermostatic for temp control. The Regency 2450 would work. It'c close to the same as the RA7. If there is a PE dealer in the area, check out the Alderlea T5 or the Super. They have a deeper firebox for easy N/S loading.

FWIW the salesperson at the local stove shop refused to sell me the Alderlea T6. He said the same thing and was worried I'd be after him to take the stove back. Fortunately, Tom Oyen had a lot more experience and sold me a floor model T6 even if I had to drive 95 miles to get it. No regrets.
Thank you so much! Any thoughts on Castelton btw?
 
We don't have a lot of data on the new Hearthstones yet. In general I am concerned about stones cracking based on what we hear from the field. I'd sooner recommend a Woodstock stove if soapstone is preferred. They have a good track record.
 
We don't have a lot of data on the new Hearthstones yet. In general I am concerned about stones cracking based on what we hear from the field. I'd sooner recommend a Woodstock stove if soapstone is preferred. They have a good track record.
Thank you for all this input!
 
Welcome to the Forums!!!

I agree with Begreen. Go for a bigger fire box. You can build a smaller fire in a bigger box, but not a bigger fire in a smaller box.

Love my 13, but should have gone for the bigger firebox. Lesson learned.
Thank you and thank you!
 
Welcome to the Forums!!!

I agree with Begreen. Go for a bigger fire box. You can build a smaller fire in a bigger box, but not a bigger fire in a smaller box.

Love my 13, but should have gone for the bigger firebox. Lesson learned.
I'll add that wood is my main heat source, so I do burn 24/7 through the damp Oregon winters. Makes sense to do the bigger firebox for convenience I think.
 
I'm at 3000 ft in the Trinity Alps (NorCal) in a 1200 sq ft 1800's house with insulated attic and under the floors. Got the big BK 30.2 vs smaller 20.2 and glad I did because of the extended burns. Load 2X daily with fir and pine. Could easily stretch the burn times. Have not experienced overheating do to the thermostat.
 
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I'd suggest you check out the Heartstone Castleton 2 - great stove that can heat plenty (check the BTU rating). Season the stove with a couple small fires each season and you won't have a trouble. Don't overfire the stove the stones will last longer than you will!