Hello everyone! I truly appreciate the wealth of information found in this forum. I am new to wood burning and have been reading this forum and gathering what knowledge I can for some time now. I have come to the point where I need to ask for guidance relevant to my particular situation. Thank you in advance for your input!
My home is an old farmhouse on 160 acres in the beautiful hills of rural West Virginia. I recently lost access to (free)natural gas which had been the sole source of heat. I am going to be caretaking a neighbor’s house this winter while I install all new appliances in the farmhouse. I plan on utilizing the federal rebates which go into effect in January. Unfortunately I am on a limited income and can not claim any tax credits. Although I plan on installing a couple of mini-splits, I would like a wood burning stove to be my primary source of heat. I have an endless supply of free wood and would rather not pay for more electricity than I need. I am trying to decide on the appropriate stove for my situation. The farmhouse is about 1,300 sq ft, single level, 7 foot ceilings. It was built in the late 1920’s with some later additions and renovations. The walls and ceilings are insulated but the floors are not. There are still a few single pane windows. It is drafty and does not hold heat well. The wood stove will take the place of a single large Warm Morning gas space heater. Fans will be used to transfer heat to adjacent rooms. The flue/chimney will rise directly vertical.
Here are a few options I am considering:
Drolet Escape 1800
I like the price and the immediate availability. It would be nice to have some heat as I work on the house over the winter. I am concerned however that a non-catalytic stove may not be the best fit for me. WV has generally mild winters with brief extremes and I imagine most of my heating needs will be shoulder season temperatures. Since the house does not hold heat long it seems like a constant source of low level heat would be preferable. Which brings me to catalytic stoves.
Woodstock Absolute Steel/Ideal Steel
Production time 10 weeks. I much prefer the price and looks of the IS. Woodstock however thought it would be too large and recommended the AS or Fireview. One thing I don’t quite understand is the stated BTU range. The IS has a lower BTU range than the AS even though it’s a larger stove.
AS: 10,000 to 48,000
IS: 9,323 to 43,263
If the IS can output a lower BTU, why would it be too large? I couldn’t quite understand Woodstock’s explanation. I hear BK owners saying that that the size of the firebox is like a gas tank. Does this not apply to Woodstock’s hybrids?
Blaze King Princess
This is the stove I’d really like but the price and/or production time really hurts. The closest dealer to me quoted a price of $4,100 for the Princess Ultra and a wait time of 18 weeks. Another dealer 3 hours away has one in stock for $4,433. Both are really out of my budget but if I’m convinced it’s the right decision I would be willing to finance. Why should I choose a BK over a WS for $1,000 more? It really hurts that I can’t claim the tax credit which goes up to 30% in January. I co-own the farmhouse with 2 sisters. Perhaps one of them could purchase the stove for me and claim the credit?
I welcome your input! Let me know if you have questions I haven’t covered. I will add that a generous wood burning neighbor has offered to supply me with well seasoned wood for this winter.
My home is an old farmhouse on 160 acres in the beautiful hills of rural West Virginia. I recently lost access to (free)natural gas which had been the sole source of heat. I am going to be caretaking a neighbor’s house this winter while I install all new appliances in the farmhouse. I plan on utilizing the federal rebates which go into effect in January. Unfortunately I am on a limited income and can not claim any tax credits. Although I plan on installing a couple of mini-splits, I would like a wood burning stove to be my primary source of heat. I have an endless supply of free wood and would rather not pay for more electricity than I need. I am trying to decide on the appropriate stove for my situation. The farmhouse is about 1,300 sq ft, single level, 7 foot ceilings. It was built in the late 1920’s with some later additions and renovations. The walls and ceilings are insulated but the floors are not. There are still a few single pane windows. It is drafty and does not hold heat well. The wood stove will take the place of a single large Warm Morning gas space heater. Fans will be used to transfer heat to adjacent rooms. The flue/chimney will rise directly vertical.
Here are a few options I am considering:
Drolet Escape 1800
I like the price and the immediate availability. It would be nice to have some heat as I work on the house over the winter. I am concerned however that a non-catalytic stove may not be the best fit for me. WV has generally mild winters with brief extremes and I imagine most of my heating needs will be shoulder season temperatures. Since the house does not hold heat long it seems like a constant source of low level heat would be preferable. Which brings me to catalytic stoves.
Woodstock Absolute Steel/Ideal Steel
Production time 10 weeks. I much prefer the price and looks of the IS. Woodstock however thought it would be too large and recommended the AS or Fireview. One thing I don’t quite understand is the stated BTU range. The IS has a lower BTU range than the AS even though it’s a larger stove.
AS: 10,000 to 48,000
IS: 9,323 to 43,263
If the IS can output a lower BTU, why would it be too large? I couldn’t quite understand Woodstock’s explanation. I hear BK owners saying that that the size of the firebox is like a gas tank. Does this not apply to Woodstock’s hybrids?
Blaze King Princess
This is the stove I’d really like but the price and/or production time really hurts. The closest dealer to me quoted a price of $4,100 for the Princess Ultra and a wait time of 18 weeks. Another dealer 3 hours away has one in stock for $4,433. Both are really out of my budget but if I’m convinced it’s the right decision I would be willing to finance. Why should I choose a BK over a WS for $1,000 more? It really hurts that I can’t claim the tax credit which goes up to 30% in January. I co-own the farmhouse with 2 sisters. Perhaps one of them could purchase the stove for me and claim the credit?
I welcome your input! Let me know if you have questions I haven’t covered. I will add that a generous wood burning neighbor has offered to supply me with well seasoned wood for this winter.
