Big old stove vs newer small stove

[rhetoric]

I have a 1979 steel plate National Stove Works woodstove (Thermoplace w/ the little "thermo control"). It seems to heat the home well enough, but I feel like I'm ripping through the wood. The stove doesn't say anything about BTUs or sq ft heating size. I have a chance to buy a 2006 Napoleon cast iron and I'm wondering if I should. I haven't gotten a model number from the seller yet, but I think it might be a 1100C. I'm hoping he's wrong and it's a 1400!

In any case, I'm just wondering if the switch to a more modern stove, even if it is a bit smaller, might be an improvement. I'd love to go to the store and pick out the perfect stove for umpteenbillion dollars, but I can get this one for 3-400.

It would also be nice, of course, to see the fire through the glass doors, etc. Thanks for the help!

 

[pearsall]

Last year I went from a late 1970's Jotul to a new Englander 13NC. My plans for today are to go stove shopping!
What did I learn in the transition?

New stoves are great and the flame is beautiful to look at.
They are very efficient and clean burning - far more than a 30 year old stove. I was amazed at how little creosote was in my chimney after the winter.
I wasn't as warm as I was with the old cast iron model.

I would never go back to an old stove, but am still interestd in being warm. My experience tells me that an old stove can keep you very warm, but at a price. If you get a new one make sure you get one that is big enough to heat your space!

Good luck.

BTW I am looking at a Lopi Republic 1750, although I'm not sure if that is a big enough increase for me. Also a Englander 30NC, but I am not thrilled about the looks and it is kind of large!

 

[Harley]

I have a 1979 steel plate National Stove Works woodstove (Thermoplace w/ the little "thermo control"). It seems to heat the home well enough, but I feel like I'm ripping through the wood. The stove doesn't say anything about BTUs or sq ft heating size. I have a chance to buy a 2006 Napoleon cast iron and I'm wondering if I should. I haven't gotten a model number from the seller yet, but I think it might be a 1100C. I'm hoping he's wrong and it's a 1400!

In any case, I'm just wondering if the switch to a more modern stove, even if it is a bit smaller, might be an improvement. I'd love to go to the store and pick out the perfect stove for umpteenbillion dollars, but I can get this one for 3-400.

It would also be nice, of course, to see the fire through the glass doors, etc. Thanks for the help!

What's the size of the house and the general layout? With that info - I'm sure some one will be able to figure out whether the replacement stove will meet your needs.

 

[senorFrog]

Go for a quality new stove. You won't regret it. I was in exactly the same positon last summer trying to figure out if the expense of a new stove was worth it. It's not hype. Do some searches for all the benefits.

 

[jjbaer]

Go for a quality new stove. You won't regret it. I was in exactly the same positon last summer trying to figure out if the expense of a new stove was worth it. It's not hype. Do some searches for all the benefits.

I was too. Gave up a "Med-sized Old Buck Stove (think model 26,000 or something like that)" insert that gobbled wood but threw a lot of heat for a Jotul C450. The C450 uses far less wood, burns a LOT longer and is MUCH cleaner. Also, with the new stove it gave me the chance to install a full SS liner AND insulation, neither of which the Old Buck stove had (the Buck was "slammed" into the hearth.....no liner, no extension to get it to the 1st tile, etc...). With an older stove and no liner and no insulation, I never felt like even attempting overnight burns. Not so with the new EPA approved stove with liner and insulation........go for the new!

 

[begreen]

The heat loss in the house is going to be the same. Unless that is addressed, you'll need approximately the same sized stove. I suspect the Napoleon might not work out well, but need to know more info. The good news is that you should be burning less wood.

What is the interior size of the firebox on the old stove? What is the size and age of the house?

 

[Rob From Wisconsin]

I would recommend going w/ the Napoleon 1400 steel model.
Burns clean, tight clearances & you can pack them better w/ wood
to get potentially longer burns. Not as fancy looking as the cast-iron
model, but effective.

Rob

 

[rhetoric]

Thanks for the great feedback!

The house is a wonderful mess. It's a 1984 Split level w/ a large great room/sun room/ dining room addition (1994) knocked onto the main/single section of the old house (imagine a bird's eye view and the house is a big "L," the two story on the top of the L, the addition as the bottom of the ""L. House has nice doublepane Andersons everywhere and the addition is 2x6 walls, nice insulation. But it's leaky in other places. LOTS of windows and 8 doors (counting two in the basement!), so there is a lot of thermal loss there, and though we are in Rochester NY, not known for being the sunniest place in the winter, we do have a nice southern exposure and we get a lot of passive solar gain on sunny days. I'm going to guess we have 2600 square feet (that makes it sound nicer than it is -- but it is nice and big!).

The stove is on the far wall of the addition. A ceiling fan pulls the heat off of the cathedral ceiling and pulls the heat into the old part of the house.

The current stove interior is roughly 24 inches wide (w/ a big chunk of that eaten up by the air intake device), about 15 inches deep, and about 15 inches high). Above 20 degrees, it heats the entire addition, the main floor of the old house, and the upstairs bedrooms -- quite nicely. The lower level of the split, of course, suffers (but it's just the office, laundry, and my son's bedroom and we want to toughen him up). We will try to remedy that problem this year with a ceiling fan just over the stair case. Below 20 degrees the bedrooms get pretty cold and the stove toasts the wood too quickly to give us a long burn. By 7am (after a midnight stoking) I have enough coals to restart the fire, but the main house temp is down to the low 60s.

Last year was our first winter in the home with the stove. I kinda like the uneven house heat. The cliches of the hearth are true cliches. The uneven temps pull everyone into the great room where we read, talk, play games, etc.

 

[begreen]

That's a fairly small firebox, estimating about 1.75 cu. ft. I'd go for a stove with a 2.5 - 3cu ft firebox. You'll get longer burns and the power to heat below 20 degrees outside. At 2.25 cuf ft. the 1400 would be the smallest stove I would consider. If it's an 1100, pass.

You might check with Carpneils to see if he ever sold his Jotul F400. He's a bit south of you, but not that far.

 

[North of 60]

Come and take mine. Its in the Garage. If you are getting the stove for free take it. they have a nice flame. Burn times max 6 hours with birch. 4hrs on soft woods. If your planing on heating your home with it ,hope you have mild winters. If you are spending money invest it some where eles. Iam being sincere.