BK Ashford or Sirroco 30.2

[JesseLongNorth]

I’ve been trying for a couple months now to decide what woodstove to install in our basement to replace our 40 year-old uncertified wood stove with something that heats better and more efficiently while using less wood. I’ve narrowed it down to Hearthstone Green Mountain 60, Blaze King Ashford 30.2 or Sirocco 30.2

Based on most reviews that I’ve read, I feel that I’m leaning towards blaze King, but I’m having trouble to decide which of these two models I should go for if anyone has any experience with either of these models please feel free to share some advice with me and possibly a recommendation.

I have no previous experience with a catalytic stove, but I understand it and how it operates. Is it fine if my installer uses 316 stainless steel liner or should they use something different? This liner will be installed within an existing Masonary chimney with an 8 inch round clay tile liner. Because it’s in the basement and exit the wall here will be two 90° bends before about a 25’ chimney.

Thanks in advance.

 

[stoveliker]

The BKs are the same other than the aesthetics on the outside. Choose whatever you fancy best.

I don't know about the liner steel.
A flue with two 90s is not ideal, but given that you have 25' above that, I think it'll work fine - if the horizontal run is not long, that is. (I have the same; basement, two 90s, but 27' above that, and my horizontal run is rather long.)

The thimble should be at least 2 ft above the top of the stove (i.e. have a 2 ft vertical rise before the first 90).

Is the basement insulated?
Otherwise you'll loose a lot of heat to the outside (as in 30%). BK does note in their manual that it is not advised to install in an uninsulated basement (but that turns out to be due to folks leaving the door open to get more heat).

Basements can have some negative pressure issues, and the BK will likely be more draft sensitive than your old stove. So the fact that your old stove worked (no smoke roll out - did it?) may not guarantee the new one will.

 

[JesseLongNorth]

The basement is fully finished and fully insulated. Although I may only have 16 to 18 inches of vertical run above the stove before the first 90. The horizontal section from the 90s out the wall to the tee is about 2-2.5ft. From the hearth to my ceiling I only have 79 inches to work with and I don’t want to put a steel plate on the ceiling so I’m really limited with secondary combustion stoves steering me to the direction of a catalytic stove due to the minimal 37 inch clearance above the surface of the stove.

I haven’t had problem with smoke rollout or draft in the past. I also know that a lot of heat was going up that stack. And I’m aware the temperature post catalytic won’t be too high. I just wish I knew it could work before spending a ton of money to swap the stoves.

 

[Tron]

here will be two 90° bends before about a 25’ chimney.

As @stoveliker already said, not ideal.
Maybe you can replace at least one of them with two 45's?
Do you have a picture of your current install, ideally with approximate measurements?

 

[stoveliker]

If you have it already installed, run it and see what happens before buying two 45s.

I have to say my vertical rise is 22", so not entirely 24" either. My horizontal run is longer than yours (from stove to snout of the liner). I think you'll be okay. But the proof is in the (non-smoky) pudding.

If you do get smoke roll out, get 45s and see if you can move the stove farther to the back wall. I presume that's drywall? The clearance distance from the back of the "air chase" (rectangular vertical channel in the middle of the back) to the first combustible (drywall, or, if durock and tile on studs, then it is the distance to the stud) is only 6".

 

[JesseLongNorth]

It’s not installed yet. I just got the quote and I was about to move forward, I just wanna be sure that this is going to work for buying everything. The back wall is actually all stone on an exterior block wall.

 

[JesseLongNorth]

From hearth to ceiling is 79 inches high, 69 inches wide and 44 inches deep. The surface of that stove top from the hearth is about 29 inches.

 

[stoveliker]

Nice set up.
I would get two 45s then.

I think no one can guarantee it is going to work.
But given my situation, it is likely to work imo.

Unless you have a much lower basement pressure than I have. Who knows. This depends on the air sealing at higher floors, and especially towards the attic and at doors and windows. Leakage up there makes the home function like a chimney: air escapes at the top and gets suck up from the bottom. That makes a basement have negative pressure, which can compete with the draft.

 

[Highbeam]

Be warned, there is/was a minimum distance from stove top to ceiling in my princess manual.

Also why not a princess? Looks kinda like a sirroco but with a nice ash belly. The ashford looks sharp though too.

 

[JesseLongNorth]

Be warned, there is/was a minimum distance from stove top to ceiling in my princess manual.

Also why not a princess? Looks kinda like a sirroco but with a nice ash belly. The ashford looks sharp though too.

Yes, I checked that out in the manuals. The princess is about 44 inches from top to ceiling and the Ashford is 37 inches from top of the ceiling.

Honestly, I like the look of the princess and the Ashford. I do like the idea of the cast-iron jacket and I think I prefer the aesthetic for our home as we’re in the country in a farm style home.

It will also be in a finished walkout basement I just think it might look better. I’d also like to see a bit more flame with a slightly larger window when I’ve got it dialled up.

I think their performance is almost comparable?

 

[Highbeam]

Yes, I checked that out in the manuals. The princess is about 44 inches from top to ceiling and the Ashford is 37 inches from top of the ceiling.

Honestly, I like the look of the princess and the Ashford. I do like the idea of the cast-iron jacket and I think I prefer the aesthetic for our home as we’re in the country in a farm style home.

It will also be in a finished walkout basement I just think it might look better. I’d also like to see a bit more flame with a slightly larger window when I’ve got it dialled up.

I think their performance is almost comparable?

They all (30 series and princess) perform pretty much the same. That deep ash belly is unique to the princess though.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I have a Sirocco 30.2 and have been very pleased with it.

I've never run an Ashford, so I can't really make a comparison between the two except in appearance. I think the Ashford is a great looking stove, and I hear good reports on it. The only significant difference that I can think of between the two would be that in a power outage, you wouldn't be able to boil water on top of the Ashford easily, but you could on top of the steel Sirocco. I wouldn't let that drive my decision making, however.

I've also never run a Princess so I don't know what I'm missing with the deep ash belly. I use the ash pan on the Sirocco every so often, and it's not onerous. The wood burns down quite well, and even when I'm burning an ashier species like poplar, I can still go a couple of weeks without cleaning it, I'd say.

I prefer the straighter lines on the Sirocco over the Princess, and I understand that there's less buildup on the glass usually. We still get dark sides and corners because we burn on low pretty often in our well insulated house. I think the air wash and glass are the same in the Sirocco and the Ashford. The decision between those two largely boils down to aesthetics, I think, though the cast iron jacket on the Ashford may soften the heat off the top some in terms of feel.

 

[BKVP]

Nice set up.
I would get two 45s then.

I think no one can guarantee it is going to work.
But given my situation, it is likely to work imo.

Unless you have a much lower basement pressure than I have. Who knows. This depends on the air sealing at higher floors, and especially towards the attic and at doors and windows. Leakage up there makes the home function like a chimney: air escapes at the top and gets suck up from the bottom. That makes a basement have negative pressure, which can compete with the draft.

Nice looking..agree to two 45's. But, it appears you have single wall black pipe. You need to consider dbl. wall black pipe.

BKVP

 

[BKVP]

They all (30 series and princess) perform pretty much the same. That deep ash belly is unique to the princess though.

And King! But for 6" systems, you are correct.

BKVP

 

[JesseLongNorth]

Nice looking..agree to two 45's. But, it appears you have single wall black pipe. You need to consider dbl. wall black pipe.

BKVP

I will be switching all inside pipe to double wall and will ask installers use two 45s rather than a single 90.

Is a 6” 25 foot 316 stainless steel flex liner inside an 8” clay pipe wrapped in brick masonry on the exterior of my home sufficient for draft with the low exhaust temps or should something different be used?

Installers have said 316 SS flex should be good enough.

 

[stoveliker]

The type of steel won't affect the draft.
The fact that it seems not insulated, and in an external chimney, and in a cold (relative to us...) place may be an issue.

Liners generally should be insulated because of safety (code) - in the US for external chimneys, there can be no combustibles within 1" of the outside of the brick chimney (and 2" for internal brick chimneys). Generally that's not the case. An insulated liner makes it okay for the brick to touch combustibles.

And for BKs, with low temp exhaust gases (when running low), the insulation is needed to prevent condensation in the pipe near the upper end.