Cumberland Gap vs 3100 Millennium

[Wilbursan]

I have a couple of questions regarding the manufacturer's listed BTUs on these two stoves. First, the CG has a low rating of 4,000 and the low for the 3100M is 11,800. Is this possible given they are roughly the same size (the CG is actually bigger) and use the same burn technology? Seems like a typo to me.

Second, I live in upper AL and we're not exactly known for brutal winters. We had 5 days in single digits this year and that's very unusual. So I'm not too concerned about being able to heat the house, I'm more concerned about being able to "turn it down" so I can use it more than just 3-4 times a year. At the same time I don't want one so small it won't last half the night on those cold days (we get a lot of 20's and 30's here). I think I've picked a couple that fit the bill but would like your opinion. The general advice here seems to be you can burn a small fire in a bigger stove so my question is "how small?" I'm a little concerned about not being able to turn down a non-cat stove enough.

The house will be well insulated, brand new construction, 2,600 sq ft downstairs (9' ceilings) with a 460 sq ft bonus room. The stove will be located in the living room which is open to a large kitchen and breakfast area. I'd say about 1/2 the total footage is easily heated by the stove and half not so easily (need to turn corners). There will be a large ceiling fan in the living room. This is not primary heat so I'm OK with it not being too even. My question is will I be able run either of these stoves during what I'm guessing most of you consider "shoulder weather" or will I be consigned to waiting for really cold days? I'd like to be able to run it whenever it gets below 40 degrees - is this realistic?

 

[pfettig77]

I like my Cumberland Gap. I live where it regularly gets down to -20 (at least this winter) and I use it as my main heat, but in the spring and fall when it's in the 30's-50's, which is closer to what you may experience, it works very well.
Last night it was in the 20's and I woke up to logs burning and it was 63 degrees in the room with the stove. I just broke it up and raked it out and threw some new logs on.

 

[Wilbursan]

Thanks pfettig77, that sounds great. I was looking at the rest of the Quadra-Fire lineup. Is there something about cast iron that makes stoves burn wood more efficiently? It seems odd that stoves by the same company with the same size firebox have such different burn times and btu ratings seemingly depending only on whether they are steel or cast iron.

 

[northwinds]

It's not hard to run a small fire in a big stove. We hit 40 degrees here today in Wisconsin. Around 3:30 pm, I put 3 smaller splits in the Isle Royale (the Cumberland Gap's big brother), ran the stove up to 500 and turned it down. The fire will be much shorter than with a full firebox but will still run efficiently without overheating the house.

 

[pfettig77]

You guys hit 40 down there? No fair. I actually wish I had bough the Isle Royale for those particularly cold days around here - I don't think hearth.com was around in those days for advice though.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Is there something about cast iron that makes stoves burn wood more efficiently?

No

 

[JA600L]

My Quadra Fire dealer recommended steel stoves for the best burn times. It sounds to me like a cat stove may work better for you.

 

[Wilbursan]

Yes, I think a cat stove would be best, but the sub-contractor my builder uses for stoves does not have any cat stoves. In practice I'm not sure it will make much difference. Since this isn't my primary heat I'll probably only burn 3 months out of the year anyway, mainly on nights and weekends when I'm home. The main area being heated is over 900 sq ft with 9' ceilings so it will probably be hard to overheat, and natural gas is cheap here so long burn times aren't strictly necessary. This is my first serious wood heating appliance so I'm considering it a learning experience. I'm more concerned about my willingness to haul and split wood. I've done very little of that since I finished cleaning up after Katrina and I was a little younger then.

 

[begreen]

The Cumberland Gap like the Yosemite is a cast iron jacketed, steel stove. It's not a true cast stove. It was one of the originals that now have been followed by PE, Jotul, BK, etc.. Personally I love this design. It gives one the best of both worlds, the ruggedness of welded steel and the beauty and mass of cast iron. The mass of the cast iron jacket smooths out heat swings and gently releases warmth after the coals are dying down. The soft heat from this stove lets you put a bit bigger stove in without being overwhelmed by intense radiant heat.

 

[JA600L]

Your lack of wanting to process wood is even more reason to consider efficiency. The right stove and the right set up means fewer trips to the wood pile.

 

[Wilbursan]

The Cumberland Gap like the Yosemite is a cast iron jacketed, steel stove. It's not a true cast stove. It was one of the originals that now have been followed by PE, Jotul, BK, etc.. Personally I love this design. It gives one the best of both worlds, the ruggedness of welded steel and the beauty and mass of cast iron. The mass of the cast iron jacket smooths out heat swings and gently releases warmth after the coals are dying down. The soft heat from this stove lets you put a bit bigger stove in without being overwhelmed by intense radiant heat.

I've asked the builder to quote me a price for the Cumberland Gap already. Still waiting to hear back from him. I haven't seen this one in person but I did see one of the cast iron Quadra-Fire pellet stoves in their store front and it was very nice looking (dark red enamel). According to the website there isn't much difference in price so I'm tempted. My only concern is if it would look right with the slate tile I have picked out for the steel stove. I might have to upgrade to the stacked stone which I'm sure will be expensive. I'm waiting on a quote for that too.