Are these stoves too BIG

[aussieblake]

I have been lurking for a while, and this really is a great place for information and experience.

My house is 2000 sqft, well insulated, built in 1997, very open floor plan, located on a hill with no wind block (it sees very high winds), and is pretty energy efficient. However with price of propane getting close to $3.00 a gallon, we are looking at other options to heat the entire house. Our choices so far, are the Osburn and Napoleon (we are not set on these brands but for the price they seem hard to beat), Osburn 2300 (2300 sqft), Osburn 2400 (2700 sqft), Napoleon 1400 (2000+ sqft), , and Napoleon 1900 (3500 sqft), . My first thoughts are buy the one with the largest fire box. but and following that logic the Napoleon 1900, Osburn 2300, and the Osburn 2400 all have comparable sized fire boxes, not sure why the Osburn 2300 and Osburn 2400 are rated for less square footage than the Napoleon 1900 since they have larger fire boxes. But with the larger fire boxes our hopes are to get longer burns.

One concern would be that the larger stoves (Osburn 2400 and Napoleon 1900) would run us out of the house even on low, or since it is running on low not burn efficiently. So would the 1400 and the Osburn 2300 but enough stove to heat the house to 70 F with outside temp down to 5 F? Typically the weathe is not that low and many times the outside temp is between 32 f to 50 F. Is there an advantage or disadvantage to buying a larger stove and running it at low setting to get long burns? Or would one of the smaller two stoves (Osburn 2300 and the Napoleon 1400) meet our needs and give us long burn times (overnight) and still effectively heat the house.

I know there are lots of opinions out there and really would like to hear all that are willing to share. We would like this to be a good experience with no regrets. Locally I do have access to Quadra Fire, PE, Hearthstone (nice but expensive), Lopi, Dutchwest, Buck, Canyon, and Kuma. I have looked at most of them, and for the price the the Osburn's and Napoleon's offer the most stove for the money. Maybe Dutchwest is less expensive but not really something we looking at.

Rear clearance is some what of a concern, we definitely can deal with the 6", and are willing to deal with the 12" clearance of the larger two stoves it really just depends on the pros vs cons.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and respond.

aussieblake

 

[begreen]

welcome ab, you have some good choices. To start with, ignore the manufacturer's claims, go by firebox size. You can see some cold temps in winter, and you have a high wind load on the house, so if you want coverage for the coldest temps, go with a 3 cu ft stove, especially if your intent is to be burning 24/7 during the dead of winter. That means the bigger Quad, Napoleon, Osburn, or PE stove.

But being so far south, your temps don't hang out in the single digits for long, so you could get away with a 2 cu ft stove and be pretty happy. It will still cover 80%+ of your heating needs, but will likely mean that the furnace will come on when it gets down below 10 degrees.

As far as clearances, is this an issue? If yes, Quadrafire and PE have some models with very close clearances.

 

[drhiii]

We have a drafty 1908 Victorian house in Colorado. Right along the front range so temps are fairly moderate, hanging around the 20s-30s. We have our periods of time where temps go to below 0. 4 days ago it was 75. Right now is 18.

I have found the Napoleon 1400 to work well in moderate temps like we have. If you were running sustained temps below the 20s, would not recommend the Napoleon 1400. But for your area, your size of house, and your projected average temps, methinks the Nap 1400 or similar firebox size in the other stoves would work well. Just make sure you have properly seasoned wood. It makes all the diff.

welcome ab, you have some good choices. To start with, ignore the manufacturer's claims, go by firebox size. You can see some cold temps in winter, and you have a high wind load on the house, so if you want coverage for the coldest temps, go with a 3 cu ft stove, especially if your intent is to be burning 24/7 during the dead of winter. That means the bigger Quad, Napoleon, Osburn, or PE stove.

But being so far south, your temps don't hang out in the single digits for long, so you could get away with a 2 cu ft stove and be pretty happy. It will still cover 80%+ of your heating needs, but will likely mean that the furnace will come on when it gets down below 10 degrees.

As far as clearances, is this an issue? If yes, Quadrafire and PE have some models with very close clearances.

 

[aussieblake]

I really aapreciate the responses. We are leaning towards the larger fireboxes (hoping the equates to longer burn time capability), with that said the osburn 2300 has a 3.1 firebox (similar to the Napoleon 1900 and the Osburn 2400), so why is the square footage rating for thes stove so much less than the Napoleon1900? Our intent is to heat with wood as much as possible. Yes it rarely gets to the single digits here, but can a few times each year. The rest of the time the weather is all over the place, 65-70 one week and 20 during the weekend. Is it possible to buy to large of a stove for a house, that can not be dialed down and still operate efficiently?

aussieblake

 

[savageactor7]

Good morning aussieblake you don't say where the chimney is located but if it's in the center of your house you just may get by with the Osburn 2300. The rule of thumb is bigger is better as you can always have a small roaring efficient fire in a bigger box. If the stove is off to one side of the house absolutely get the bigger stove.

Check around your neighborhood and see if anyone has a pellet stove...that might work for you to.

 

[aussieblake]

The chimney will be located in the middle of the house. My concern about a pellet stove is availability of fuel and potential fuel prices to increase. Wood is available, and if prices get to high, we can cut our own.

aussieblake

 

[savageactor7]

^you have your own wood supply? that's living large my friend. I do too and am thinking of selling enough wood...maybe 10 cords just to pay for my back up propane stove and generator. I'm going to charge a fortune like $60 a FC cause I don't want to make a business out of it. Cutting for myself is a fun thing I just love going out into the woods...just got back in as a matter of fact.

btw chimney in the center of the house is a wonderful thing but I would still consider getting a stove that's the next size bigger...if you can swing it. these new epa stoves burn the smoke, there incredible. I started 30 years ago with a Franklin with the isenglass...it put out heat but was a log hog. things are so much better today.

God bless America!

 

[begreen]

ab, How high are the ceilings?

If the floorplan is very open I don't think the 3 cu ft stove will drive you out of the house when the temps are below freezing. For above freezing temps, it will help to have a big stove that runs on low cleanly and consistently. The PE Summit has a good reputation for long, low burns in a big stove.

Regardless of stove choice, if you are burning at 50 outside, you may be opening a window or two.

 

[Henz]

let me tell you something, you have a decent sized house with an open floor plan on a not so perfect location for heat retention..There aint a stovve out there that would be "too big".

 

[aussieblake]

The ceilings are 8 ft. I have been looking at the PE summit because of the rear clearance, but it costs quite a bit more and is closer to the price of a hearthstone Mansfield (a really nice looking unit).

ab, How high are the ceilings?

If the floorplan is very open I don't think the 3 cu ft stove will drive you out of the house when the temps are below freezing. For above freezing temps, it will help to have a big stove that runs on low cleanly and consistently. The PE Summit has a good reputation for long, low burns in a big stove.

Regardless of stove choice, if you are burning at 50 outside, you may be opening a window or two.

 

[Henz]

Try Travis Industries Avalon Olympic..Now thats a stove!