Better heat producer Jotul Rockland 550 or BK ashford 25?

pittpizza · Mar 21, 2018

Hey gang!

I posted a few weeks ago about some Stove inserts I was looking at and I think I have it narrowed down to these two. The Rockland 550 and the Blaze King Ashford 25.

Which do you think would produce more heat? The Blaze King has a 2.3 cubic inch fire box where they Jotul is 2.08 but claims similar square footage heating ability. In terms of stoves they are quite different as the Ashford is catalytic but I think from a style perspective I prefer the Jotul and since I am new to burning wood I think that having a stove without a cat may be preferable for me. I'm happy to answer questions in would enjoy your thoughts as to which would put out more heat or what you think I may prefer for other reasons?

My house is 1950s two-story Colonial with an open floor plan and decent insulation, new windows new roof and 1450 square feet.

Edit: The installer from the shop that is much cheaper (1000$ labor vs. $2000) is telling me that he has a length of 5.5 inch liner that would work just fine for the jotul and I'm wondering what your thoughts are. It calls for a 6 inch liner but the installer assured me that there would be no problems using 5.5 since I have a 25 foot chimney, and it will be insulated anyway.

BKVP · Mar 21, 2018

Duck....incoming!

jetsam · Mar 21, 2018

We're already doing one of these threads!

I suspect Jotul vs. BK will generate less tears than Woodstock vs. BK though....

Sailrmike · Mar 21, 2018

The BK is going to make more heat over the burn cycle than the Jotul. If you do go with the Jotul, demand a 6" liner- most building codes require it, and you may have some smoke spillage when reloading on the 5.5"

illini81 · Mar 22, 2018

Very different stoves. Plenty of info on the forums about both of them though. Personally, I would go with the BK, because:

1. I would stay away from flush mount inserts, unless you are 110% sure you want one. They just don't put out the same heat as an insert that protrudes into the room.

2. I almost got the rockland. From the research I did, it sounded like many people had trouble getting it to burn through the night. It is possible - people do it, but it's not easy peasy. If you are wanting to burn overnight and have coals in the morning, I wouldn't get the rockland.

3. The Ashford 25 is probably in the top 3 in terms of most popular stoves on hearth.com. So if you want to get a stove without doing a bunch more research, you probably are going to be happy with this one. If you want to do a whole bunch more research, there's probably still a pretty good chance you end up with this one.

Toomb · Mar 22, 2018

illini81 said:
Very different stoves. Plenty of info on the forums about both of them though. Personally, I would go with the BK, because:

1. I would stay away from flush mount inserts, unless you are 110% sure you want one. They just don't put out the same heat as an insert that protrudes into the room.

2. I almost got the rockland. From the research I did, it sounded like many people had trouble getting it to burn through the night. It is possible - people do it, but it's not easy peasy. If you are wanting to burn overnight and have coals in the morning, I wouldn't get the rockland.

3. The Ashford 25 is probably in the top 3 in terms of most popular stoves on hearth.com. So if you want to get a stove without doing a bunch more research, you probably are going to be happy with this one. If you want to do a whole bunch more research, there's probably still a pretty good chance you end up with this one.

I agree that flush inserts don't heat as well as those that pertrude. Inserts also don't heat as well as freestanding stoves. But my 550 will easily burn over night and leave me with coals to restart with in morning. Rarely do I need kindling to restart in the morning.........

illini81 · Mar 22, 2018

Toomb said:
I agree that flush inserts don't heat as well as those that pertrude. Inserts also don't heat as well as freestanding stoves. But my 550 will easily burn over night and leave me with coals to restart with in morning. Rarely do I need kindling to restart in the morning.........

That's good to hear! When I was reading up on the 550, it seemed like 8 hr burns were possible with the right wood, but that it can be tough to stretch a burn much longer than that, without needing kindling. But that was just my general conclusion from reading some threads/reviews. Definitely could be incorrect.

pittpizza · Mar 22, 2018

Great info and good insights. I guess I ought to go for the cat stove.

I know I'm sort of asking to compare apples and oranges here. One of my concerns is not being able to sufficiently heat my home with the stove I get, and the Jotul claims higher btu's.

illini81 · Mar 22, 2018

pittpizza said:
I know I'm sort of asking to compare apples and oranges

Very true!!

pittpizza said:
One of my concerns is not being able to sufficiently heat my home with the stove I get, and the Jotul claims higher btu's.

Firebox size is probably a better indicator than rated BTUs of whether one stove will be able to heat a space better than another stove. One of the more seasoned hearth.com members will probably be able to give you a better feel for this, but I'm going to guess that the 2.3 cuft Blaze King is probably pretty well sized for your 1450 sqft Colonial.

begreen · Mar 22, 2018

illini81 said:
3. The Ashford 25 is probably in the top 3 in terms of most popular stoves on hearth.com. So if you want to get a stove without doing a bunch more research, you probably are going to be happy with this one. If you want to do a whole bunch more research, there's probably still a pretty good chance you end up with this one.

I agree with all but this statement. There are a lot of Rockland owners here. It's been out for many years. The Ashford 25 is new, we have no long term data on it, but certainly there are less owners.

That said, I concur with the BK suggestion. It should provide longer burn times and better heating than a flush insert, especially with the blower off. It also is a bit more efficient so longer steady heat over a period of time.

begreen · Mar 22, 2018

pittpizza said:
Great info and good insights. I guess I ought to go for the cat stove.

I know I'm sort of asking to compare apples and oranges here. One of my concerns is not being able to sufficiently heat my home with the stove I get, and the Jotul claims higher btu's.

That can be due to different testing methods providing different results.

illini81 · Mar 22, 2018

begreen said:
I agree with all but this statement. There are a lot of Rockland owners here. It's been out for many years. The Ashford 25 is new, we have no long term data on it, but certainly there are less owners.

That said, I concur with the BK suggestion. It should provide longer burn times and better heating than a flush insert, especially with the blower off. It also is a bit more efficient so longer steady heat over a period of time.

My bad. Good point! I guess I was thinking more in terms of recent popularity than in terms of overall number of owners.

sutphenj · Mar 22, 2018

BK vs. any other stove rarely wins on this site unless it's an install restriction with the BK. (I.e. hearth size or something).

begreen · Mar 22, 2018

sutphenj said:
BK vs. any other stove rarely wins on this site unless it's an install restriction with the BK. (I.e. hearth size or something).

It really depends what one wants from the stove and how it is used. For many people a good looking fire is more important than long shoulder season burn times. Not everyone needs very long burn times. It seems the majority of people are checking in to find a stove that is a reliable low cost heater. That's why so many Englanders and Drolets are sold. Cost is a big reason for these sales.

The preponderance of postings by a vocal few loyal BK owners does not reflect the market as a whole. Go back five years and for a while a few Woodstock owners tried to dominate the forums. Does that make it the main market choice? Not even close. There are many reasons and all sorts of homes, users and requirements out there. Many people are looking for a good value heater and for stoves are on the opposite side of the spectrum from premium stoves. Many people want a stove with minimum maintenance. For these reasons and others Travis, Jotul, SBI, Quadrafire, Englander dominate the market by a large margin.

jetsam · Mar 23, 2018

I don't see a lot of threads where someone says "I want a good cheap stove" and is answered by a flood of posts telling them to go get a BK. Usually they get told to buy an NC30 or such, which doesn't lead to arguments and hand-wringing.

I do have to concede that a "BK vs..." thread is doomed from the start, though.

pittpizza · Mar 23, 2018

Ok I have made up my mind and am putting a $500 deposit in the mail now. I have been on these forums for about 2 months now researching and comparing. At the end of the day I am choosing function over form. I do like the style better of the Rockland or Lopi Flush wood Plus, but I am going with the BK Ashford 25.

No matter what I get I know I will be happy with it. A decision needs to be made.

Right now I've got a crappy original masonry fireplace that is unusable due to a cracked terra cotta liner. Having Allstate Insurance pay for $4000 of the $5500 total cost has helped me make the call to go for the top-of-the-line BK.

I like the look of it. I like that it sticks out 3". I'm sold, I like the 10 year warranty on the cat, slightly larger 2.3 cu" firebox, not bad styling.

Here is a breakdown of the prices, let me know what you think. It's Chip's Stove Shop in Apollo PA.

BK Ashford 25: $3,700
25' Insulated Liner ( 6" 316ti .006 thick): $1,300
-500 discount "sale" $4,500 stove and liner
$700 Installation =5,200+tax = 5512 Out the door. Seems not bad for what I'm getting, right?

begreen · Mar 23, 2018

jetsam said:
I don't see a lot of threads where someone says "I want a good cheap stove" and is answered by a flood of posts telling them to go get a BK. Usually they get told to buy an NC30 or such, which doesn't lead to arguments and hand-wringing.

I do have to concede that a "BK vs..." thread is doomed from the start, though.

Yeah, best way to ruin a forum is to let it turn into a pissing contest where someone is trying to win. I've seen this many times in car forums etc.. It is not about one brand "winning" over another. The best stove is the one that best fits one's needs. These needs vary as much as do the homes that stoves are put into. The rest is frequently just opinon, and everyone's opinion is that their stove is the "best".

begreen · Mar 23, 2018

pittpizza said:
Ok I have made up my mind and am putting a $500 deposit in the mail now. I have been on these forums for about 2 months now researching and comparing. At the end of the day I am choosing function over form. I do like the style better of the Rockland or Lopi Flush wood Plus, but I am going with the BK Ashford 25.

No matter what I get I know I will be happy with it. A decision needs to be made.

Right now I've got a crappy original masonry fireplace that is unusable due to a cracked terra cotta liner. Having Allstate Insurance pay for $4000 of the $5500 total cost has helped me make the call to go for the top-of-the-line BK.

I like the look of it. I like that it sticks out 3". I'm sold, I like the 10 year warranty on the cat, slightly larger 2.3 cu" firebox, not bad styling.

Here is a breakdown of the prices, let me know what you think. It's Chip's Stove Shop in Apollo PA.

BK Ashford 25: $3,700
25' Insulated Liner ( 6" 316ti .006 thick): $1,300
-500 discount "sale" $4,500 stove and liner
$700 Installation =5,200+tax = 5512 Out the door. Seems not bad for what I'm getting, right?

Congratulations. That should do the job well. Is this an interior or exterior chimney?

jetsam · Mar 23, 2018

begreen said:
Yeah, best way to ruin a forum is to let it turn into a pissing contest where someone is trying to win. I've seen this many times in car forums etc.. It is not about one brand "winning" over another. The best stove is the one that best fits one's needs. These needs vary as much as do the homes that stoves are put into. The rest is frequently just opinon, and everyone's opinion is that their stove is the "best".

Confirmation bias permeates every aspect of human behavior. Once you start watching for it, you can't stop seeing it.

pittpizza · Mar 23, 2018

Exterior chimney. I agree about the Blaze King being sufficient for the space. I'm afraid that if I went with any of the lopi stoves or the jotul (all 2.2 firebox sizes or less) that if it doesn't quite get the job done I would regret the decision.

begreen · Mar 23, 2018

If this is an exterior chimney then I would ask for them to add a damper-area sealing block-off plate. That will improve the heat output from the insert. I expect this will add about $250 to the estimate, but it will be worth it.

pittpizza · Mar 23, 2018

How would they insulate above the block off plate? I would think that installing the plate would make accessing the area above it impossible.

Would fitting insulation into the area be sufficient? If not, why?

begreen · Mar 23, 2018

They stuff kaowool or roxul around the liner before installing the block-off plate. Insulation is breathable, it allows warm air to escape up the chimney. The block-off plate keeps it around the convective envelope of the insert.

Maine_girl · Oct 26, 2018

Toomb said:
I agree that flush inserts don't heat as well as those that pertrude. Inserts also don't heat as well as freestanding stoves. But my 550 will easily burn over night and leave me with coals to restart with in morning. Rarely do I need kindling to restart in the morning.........

I agree with Toomb. I had a fire last night in my 550. Went to bed around 11pm and just raked some coals together now (2pm) but some dry kindling on the coals and it caught right away. HOWEVER, in hindsight I wish I hadn't gone with a flush insert. I would prefer the additional heat from one that protrudes.

Better heat producer Jotul Rockland 550 or BK ashford 25?

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