2800 sq ft home

[cakymo]

This is my first post here, I hope that I am posting this in the correct forum.

For the past 15 years, we have been heating our Mid-Missouri home with an 1970’s model Lopi Liberty stove that we bought used. The stove heats our 2800 sq ft home, but we go through quite a bit of wood each season (4+ cords).

We want to purchase a new efficient stove for this upcoming season. We have been reading the reviews here on the Drolet HT2000, the Englander 30NC , and the US Stove 2500. The woodstove’s location will be in the basement and we will be depending on some good output to heat our living area upstairs. The stairwell leading to the main part of the house is behind the stove.

We would prefer either the Drolet or the Englander, but our concerned that the stoves are only rated up to 2400 sq ft.

Do you think that either the Drolet HT2000, or the Englander 30NC would heat our 2800 square feet home? Are there any other stoves that we should consider? We are trying to stay in the $1,500 or less price range.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can offer!

 

[begreen]

I think the Liberty model line is much newer than the 1970s. The early units all had number model names (M520, M380) and the Lopi ine started in the early 1980s. Does this Lopi have secondary tubes in it? I just want to be sure which stove is currently there before suggesting a new one. The Drolet should do the job, but 4 cords of wood for 2800 sq ft heating is not unusual. We go through 2.5 to 3 cords heating an old 2000 sq ft house.

 

[cakymo]

It may be a bit newer, I am not sure. There are not any secondary tubes. There is a shelf of fire bricks inside the stove in addition to the firebricks around the interior walls.

 

[jetsam]

Is the new stove going in the same place that the old stove was?

I ask because a better stove might do a worse job if the stove's location is being changed from the first floor to the basement.

If you are moving it, remember that venting the stove is going to be expensive.

 

[begreen]

Yes, if the stove is in the basement, is the basement well sealed and insulated?

 

[begreen]

It may be a bit newer, I am not sure. There are not any secondary tubes. There is a shelf of fire bricks inside the stove in addition to the firebricks around the interior walls.

That's sounding like a Liberty predecessor. The Liberty has secondary tubes. Maybe the M520? The M520 had 5 bricks on the baffle and the M380 had 4. In that case the Drolet HT2000 or Englander NC-30 would be more efficient.

 

[cakymo]

Is the new stove going in the same place that the old stove was?

I ask because a better stove might do a worse job if the stove's location is being changed from the first floor to the basement.

If you are moving it, remember that venting the stove is going to be expensive.

Yes, the new stove will be going in the exact same location.

 

[cakymo]

Yes, if the stove is in the basement, is the basement well sealed and insulated?

The basement is pretty well sealed. I am hoping that a newer, more efficient stove would heat as well as our old stove.

 

[jotul8e2]

If you have been pleased with the performance of the old stove, then look for a stove of similar firebox size. The only real differences you should see with a modern stove is less fuel used and a cleaner flue.

All other factors being equal, if you have been using four cords a new higher efficiency stove might use only three.

I am one of those who tend to favor the newer cat stoves for the more even heat over the burn period. However, in a basement application all heat delivered by the stove is going to take considerable time to diffuse through the house no matter the burn rate. I'd be strongly tempted to get an Englander NC 30. They are not elegant, but as efficient and effective as pretty much any stove out there. And if for any reason you change your mind they have terrific resale value making your financial risk pretty small.

 

[cakymo]

Well, we have read the good reviews on this site for the NC 30 and think that it might be what we settle on.

 

[cakymo]

Does the NC 30 operate well without the fan install, or is it necessary to use the fan?

 

[jotul8e2]

It would depend entirely upon your installation. My Englander is in a very well insulated and entirely open two story shop building of 2000 sq. ft. It too is located next to the stairwell. It throws heat in every direction without a fan, even though located at the far end of the building. I get very even heating, even upstairs, but I attribute that to the high degree of insulation and the amount of thermal mass in the concrete floor.

 

[OhioBurner©]

Is 2800 sqft including the basement (since you said you were putting it in basement)? My house is 2770, but not insulated very well. With an older large stove I burned around 4-5 cords plus $1500-2000 in propane a year. I switched to modern stoves - one insert on one side, and one medium sized stove on the other. Honestly not much difference, the newer but smaller stove used less wood but didn't heat nearly as well. And using two stoves we were easily still in the 4-5 cord range. Propane went down a little, but still going through about a 500 gal tank a winter and having to refile right at the tail end. Then I pulled both those and got a large modern stove which works much better, and a pellet stove on the other side. The last couple winters I've burned around 2 cords or so in the stove and 3-4 tons of pellets. So I guess I went from 4-5 cords a year plus $1500+ in propane (and a couple space heater running often too), to ~2 cords a year and $800 in pellets (no propane at all last year nor space heaters). Though the last couple years have also benefited from some insulation I am adding to roof on the old side of house. I'm not figuring in any of my basement footage and I don't heat that either.

 

[cakymo]

We went out and looked at an Englander 30 this evening. My wife’s first response was “it looks kind of small”. We measured the inside diameter of the firebox and it was approx 20” x 20” x 13” (3 cubic feet). I think that we are concerned that it is going to be too small for our needs.

So perhaps the HT2000. We might also consider the Pacific Energy Summit or maybe even another Lopi stove.