Contemplating upgrading from my ESW. I've seen some stoves on craigslist lately, and the recent bonus at work has got me looking. I'll probably be upgrading my woodstove as well but if I can get a good deal on a used quality stove I could swing both.
If I am going to upgrade I want to get something good though. Something that doesn't need a complete shut down every couple days to clean it out, and deep cleanings every couple/few weeks. And a decent sized hopper. One reason I got my PAH is it holds 120 lbs and I was thinking it could go for a long weekend if I was out of town. But at the minimum I need it to last a shift at work, 12hrs +2hrs drive time +1hr for stop at grocery store or a late turnover, etc. So ~15hrs (minimum). On the coldest few weeks my stove did see max output a lot (even with the woodstove also going) so figure 4lb per hour... 15hrs x 4lbs/hr = 60 lb minimum hopper. I'd really like more cushion though, especially if the stove can run higher than 4lb/hr.
What I'd really want looks-wise is a cast iron gothic looking stove (not sure if gothic is the appropriate term but best I could think of). I'm only aware of a few of these, and some are not big enough anyway. It would match my decor much better than my current black metal box. Here is the original woodburner I really thought looked nice in the room, currently sitting on the floor beside the hearth since my ugly ESW is attempting to heat that side of the house.
For hopper size and cast iron looks I'm only coming up with Harman XXV and Quad Mt Vernon. I REALLY like the looks of the Mt V especially with the warming racks and some of the porcelain finishes available. But I've heard a lot of issues with the older units and the new issues with the E2. Multi fuel would be nice but I'd have to re-vent (just have duravent pelletvent now). But being new to the pellet scene I'm not sure if there are more units out there that would fit these couple criteria. I'm all ears!
If I am going to upgrade I want to get something good though. Something that doesn't need a complete shut down every couple days to clean it out, and deep cleanings every couple/few weeks. And a decent sized hopper. One reason I got my PAH is it holds 120 lbs and I was thinking it could go for a long weekend if I was out of town. But at the minimum I need it to last a shift at work, 12hrs +2hrs drive time +1hr for stop at grocery store or a late turnover, etc. So ~15hrs (minimum). On the coldest few weeks my stove did see max output a lot (even with the woodstove also going) so figure 4lb per hour... 15hrs x 4lbs/hr = 60 lb minimum hopper. I'd really like more cushion though, especially if the stove can run higher than 4lb/hr.
What I'd really want looks-wise is a cast iron gothic looking stove (not sure if gothic is the appropriate term but best I could think of). I'm only aware of a few of these, and some are not big enough anyway. It would match my decor much better than my current black metal box. Here is the original woodburner I really thought looked nice in the room, currently sitting on the floor beside the hearth since my ugly ESW is attempting to heat that side of the house.
For hopper size and cast iron looks I'm only coming up with Harman XXV and Quad Mt Vernon. I REALLY like the looks of the Mt V especially with the warming racks and some of the porcelain finishes available. But I've heard a lot of issues with the older units and the new issues with the E2. Multi fuel would be nice but I'd have to re-vent (just have duravent pelletvent now). But being new to the pellet scene I'm not sure if there are more units out there that would fit these couple criteria. I'm all ears!