Comparing stoves

[NDiedrich]

We will be purchasing our first wood stove for a new home in North Idaho. I have multiple family members that swear by a Blaze King. I have followed many conversations on this forum regarding what is the best for our home and I'm needing some direction to at least weight pro's and con's or narrow it down. Our home will be just under 2,400 sq ft, two story with open loft area that will be almost 20' tall ceiling height - that's where the wood stove will be located. I will have a large fan above that area to circulate air. We will also supplement with heat pump/electric furnace. The winters are long and can get into the -20's for extended periods of time. We will be burning mostly Pine but some Tamarack. I've been looking at the following stoves:
Blaze King Chinook 30.2
Kuma Cambridge LE
Regnecy F3500
Pacific Energy Neo 2.5
Osburn 2000, Matrix or 3300

I don't want to invest $10k in a stove and pipe if its not going to be the right stove for our home and area. Any help you are willing to offer is very much appreciated.

 

[begreen]

That's a good group of stoves to look choose from. However, I recommend the PE Summit if getting a PE stove for the house. It has a more flexible firebox for loading, the glass stays cleaner, and the extra capacity will be appreciated.

 

[NDiedrich]

That's a good group of stoves to look choose from. However, I recommend the PE Summit if getting a PE stove for the house. It has a more flexible firebox for loading, the glass stays cleaner, and the extra capacity will be appreciated.

Ok thank you. Is there one on my list you would eliminate or lean towards more and why?

 

[Dix]

Welcome to the Forums !

Also keep in mind that you can burn a smaller fire in a big firebox but not a larger fire in a smaller box.

Your temps can be extreme having more oomph when you need it is a good thing

 

[begreen]

Ok thank you. Is there one on my list you would eliminate or lean towards more and why?

They are all good stoves. It depends on how the stove will be run. Do you need very long periods of time between loadings because no one is home? Will only one person be running the stove or several family members? If the heat pump will be used on milder days, then the need for a catalytic stove is less. That is how we heat. When outdoor temps are above 40º the heat pump does the job well and is more cost-effective now that we are buying wood.

 

[NDiedrich]

They are all good stoves. It depends on how the stove will be run. Do you need very long periods of time between loadings because no one is home? Will only one person be running the stove or several family members? If the heat pump will be used on milder days, then the need for a catalytic stove is less. That is how we heat. When outdoor temps are above 40º the heat pump does the job well and is more cost-effective now that we are buying wood.

Our winters are November-May and very cold during most of that time so the wood stove will be used as primary source of heat with the heat pump as supplemental heat. It will be my husband and I running the stove and it will vary day to day how long the period of time in between loadings will be.

 

[NDiedrich]

Welcome to the Forums !

Also keep in mind that you can burn a smaller fire in a big firebox but not a larger fire in a smaller box.

Your temps can be extreme having more oomph when you need it is a good thing

Yes, this makes a lot of sense. All of the woodstoves I've listed above and considering are large from my understanding. I am so confused and need help narrowing it down. At the end of the day, if the specs are similar do I make a decision based on aesthetic? I know the Blaze King is the only Catalytic stove on my list and I'm not ready to remove it unless someone says its not necessary.

 

[begreen]

The Kuma Cascade is also a cat stove. The Regency 3500 is a catalytic hybrid. Cat stoves can provide low and slow heat like the heat pump when the outside temps are milder. When pushed for heat, they are pretty much like a non-cat stove for burn time and fuel consumption. My preference is for a simple and low-maintenance stove with lower operational costs over the life of the stove. I also like a clean glass and good fire view. Others prefer a long burn time between loadings. Aesthetics have a lot to do with choice too.

 

[BKVP]

OP...
Regardless of which stove you purchase, a couple of observations. Today's stoves are very efficient. Heat loss up the stack is minimal. Draft can be challenging due to cleaner burning, more efficient wood stoves.

The "large fan" you plan on installing above the stove, I might suggest you place a control/switch/rheostat controlling the fan, near the stove.

The fan could create difficulties when starting or refueling the stove. This includes inducing room spillage. (Smoke coming back into the room).

As well, today's stoves benefit from the use of black double wall pipe, helping to hold stack temperatures as they are necessary for good draft, resulting in optimal performance.

You mentioned supplementing with a heat pump. You also mentioned-20F. Heat pumps are of little benefit much below 30F. So the wood heater will be more relied upon on the coldest days. Purchase a large stove that holds sufficient volume of wood/Fuel so when operated at high burn rates provides you the longest possible burn times.

Given the species of planned fuels, which are both what I burn and prefer to burn (unless I burn NIELS) a full load will not contain the maximum number of BTU's per load. Incidentally, the factory for North Idaho Energy Logs may be near you in Moyie Springs.

Congratulations on the new home! Once your installation is complete post pictures here....these guys love pictures.

Speaking of which, I had a buddy with logs too big to process on his fully auto firewood processor. I gave him a place to drop them...my driveway! I'm going to buy a bigger bar and chains while in Fairbanks later today.

 

[begreen]

Heat pumps are of little benefit much below 30F

This is true of older heat pumps like we have, but not so for modern units from Daikon and Mitsubishi. Some are able to put out full heat at much lower temps, like down to 0º.

Good suggestion on the NIELs if good firewood is hard to locate this season.

 

[Jnclem]

We put in a Kuma Wood Classic last year. We have similar burn season and cold temps. It’s not a pure cat stove, but a hybrid. We couldn’t be happier with both the stove and the company. They are amazing.

 

[BKVP]

Is bigger better? My back says, nope!

 

[Ashful]

Is bigger better?

The novelty wears off quickly. For me, it's elbows and shoulders, always sore in the evening after levering big rounds onto the splitter.

A cant hook is a lifesaver, when you get into heavy rounds. Like a second hand, I use it for moving rounds onto the splitter and then for holding them at the desired angle while the wedge comes down.

To the OP, you've got a premium list of stoves, there. begreen's post #8 says a lot, read it twice. I like the thermostatic behavior of the BK's, it gives more constant heat output over the full burn cycle, and lets me do long burns to suit my schedule. But that's just one factor in choosing a stove, and maybe not as important if you're mostly running it hard.

 

[BKVP]

I've been at it 4 straight days. Sleeping good these past few evenings...

BKVP