Experiences with Morso convection stoves

[psmitchell]

I'm getting rid of a VC intrepid, because I don't have clearance for it in its new location. So, I've been looking for stoves which don't have as conservative clearances as VC specs. One stove which had intrigued me, is one of the small Morso convection units like the 3440 for example which has very relaxed clearances. What do folks think about these stoves (the convection ones in particular)?
thanks,
Paul

 

[Rob From Wisconsin]

Good quality stoves.....
But, if you are looking for quality & clearances,
check into the Napolean line. Some of their units only
require 2" clearances from corners when using double-walled
stove pipe.

 

[Corie]

The 3440 series of Morso stoves, convection and otherwise are some well built, really nice units IMO. I don't have real world experience, but everyone here who owns a morso is VERY happy with it. I saw the stoves at the HPBA show this year and had the chance to open them up and really fiddle with them. I thought the build quality and cast iron quality was really top notch and I think you'd be very happy with one.

 

[psmitchell]

what about the difference between convection and radiant radiant as far as heating? I've never experienced a convection stove as a heat source.

 

[Rob From Wisconsin]

what about the difference between convection and radiant radiant as far as heating? I've never experienced a convection stove as a heat source.

I believe Morso uses their "legs" as the convection media (metal mass).
As with any unit, the "mass" will take some time to reach heat, but also it
will put out heat after the fire has disappated. I believe the "convection" units
made by Morso also allow for tighter clearances to combustables.
They also make a unit w/ soapstone legs, instead of cast-iron.
I'm not sure if it is available in the US yet....

Rob

 

[titan]

If I was interested in a cast iron convection stove,I'd take a good look @ the Morso 3640.I find the nicest thing about a convective unit is the fact I can come within 2" of its' sides without being burnt.The radiant is mostly limited to the front via the glass and that sweet convection just rolls of the top of the stove.

 

[Bill]

I was at a dealer that had the soapstone sided stove it's a 3450.

 

[Shane]

Convection is referring to the shell with an airspace around the actual firebox. The air is heated and naturally moves out of the stove or in some cases can be moved with blower. This is in contrast to many cast iron stoves that have single wall sides and front (sometimes protected by firebrick/refractory sometimes not) at any rate no extra wall with an airspace thus the higher clearance requirement. Convective heat does not have the penetrating effect of radiant heat but tends to provide slightly more even heat over larger areas.

 

[Angus]

Maybe I m too late to inform you as to the Morso 3440?
I owned one and my view on it is :
Excellant built quality.
Not really much of a convector.
There is , I think a small design problem, that is the air intake has a long flow path, from the back of the stove over the top and down the glass window. This ofcourse super heats the air which will ignite unburnt gases.
It is therefore a very clean burning stove.
However, this causes a problem, it has the effect like a person trying to breathe air thru a straw, so causing the fire to burn very aggressively or not at all, it is difficult to get a balance between the 2 and so the appliance needs a lot attention.
We sold the 3440, and put a Jotul 602 in its place, this is far superior, simpler to use, longer burn time (overnites are not a problem).
Having had experiances with many stoves, I found that generally I will only stick with 2 manufacturers, Jotul and Morso, however, I think that the Jotul 602 and 118 are the best functional stoves available worldwide, depending on what you want out of a stove, for me I want a long burn time, function and a bit of character.
Hope I got my experiance in before you purchased,
regards,
Angus

 

[precaud]

Angus, I disagree with your analysis and I think maybe you threw out the 3440 too quickly. The cause of the difficult-to-control burn rate is not the long primary air path, but the front-fire air inlet, which is too big. The Morso 2110 which I had until a couple weeks ago was the same way. Reducing the hole size by 50% made the stove completely controllable. Ditto for the Quad 2100.

One thing I don't like about the Morso primary air routing is that it lowers the transfer efficiency of the top plate (hence the whole stove) and gives the impression of a heater that is slow to warm up. The 7110's system seems better thought out.

 

[CraigL]

I am sure you have purchased you stove by now. I had a Morso 3440 installed before this winter into a 600 sq ft room with 16+ ceiling. I had to cut down the legs 4 inches so that it was not too tall for the fireplace where it was being installed. It is on a bluestone slab in front of the fireplace. I used a combination of seasoned hard woods and biobricks in the stove. I was satisfied with the stove. You need to burn it hot and get the temps up before closing the damper. Once it is up to temp it burns very nicely and will burn overnight 8 hours if loaded full. It heat the room and warms the adjacent kitchen.

I really like how it performs with the biobricks but they are $220 a pallet, one cord equivelant. A partially seasoned cord that is should be ready to burn next year goes for about $100. That is why I burn a combination of the two. The only compalint is taking the 18 inch wood and cutting it down for the stove. I pretty much just cut them in half and load the stove.