Finally narrowed it down!

[HatCityIAFF]

Alright guys, I think I have it narrowed down between two stoves. The first being the cheaper route, the Century CW2500, and the second being the Napoleon 1402. The stove would be going on the bottom level of my raised ranch. That family room, is about 300 sq ft, and total sq ft is around 1700. The furnace intake would be directly across the room from the stove, so my thoughts are I could turn the furnace fan on and that would distrubute some of the heat throughout the house, noting maybe a 10-15 degree heat loss as it travels upstairs. Note: my house is kept at 62 degrees, 65 sometimes when the wife gets cold.

I have done some research on the napoleon and have found nothing but good things about it. I have liked that it is bigger, 9 hr burn time, has dual fans (200cfm) which can auto start/stop. But my question is would it be too much for my set up?? I don't want the downstairs to be in the 80 degree + range.

The Century looks like a decent stove as well. All the reviews on it have been good. Not sure if the fan is auto on/off.

Can anyone pursuade me either way? Really just looking for a reason to spend $900 more on the napoleon over the Century. Thanks

-Greg

 

[KevinG]

Is the bottom level uninsulated block walls? If so, you'll lose lots of heat through those walls. Both stoves you listed are inserts so it's probably a finished basement, right?

Most people aren't successful at using the furance fan to successfully transfer heat from a wood stove throughout their house. Building a hood over the stove is dangerous (rapid CO and smoke distribution should something go wrong) and wouldn't be allowed in your building code. A small fan to help create "natural" air currents seem to work best. We have a small fan sitting on the floor blowing into the room containing our wood stove and it works well, moving heat into the family room and kitchen.

In general, bigger fireboxes are better, giving longer burn times. The Century manual seems to indicate the fan is manual operation only. If so, the Napoleon would definitely give even longer times between reloads. The Century fan will run even when the insert cools, drawing down the temps faster.

 

[HatCityIAFF]

The house was built in 1990 and the bottom level is completely finished. Sits on a concrete slab, and the concrete foundation goes up about 3 1/2 ft on the walls, which are finished with insulation/drywall.. The rest of that wall and all of the basement walls are framed/insulated/sheetrocked just like any interior. I suppose I could put a fan at the bottom of the stairs to get air moving upwards. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Joey]

I like my Napoleon,,and my Napoleon dealer. Its a sturdy built steel stove. If Napoleon made a even larger firebox stove,,,I would purchase it. The baffles are a bit flimsy, but other than that,,I would give it a thumbs up. I do get long overnight burns with a box full of Oak and Ash. The fan does distribute all very well, but it also cools down the insert. I'm not a big fan of a stove in the basement. It works for some, while others have major problems moving the heat. I hope ya have your woodsupply for next year drying already, this stove like dry wood. Do a search on here for Napoleon,,,you will find a ton of info,,,best of luck to ya...

 

[jeff_t]

I suppose I could put a fan at the bottom of the stairs to get air moving upwards.

Sounds kinda backwards, but put the fan at the top of the stairs blowing cool air down. Cool air is more dense and easier to move, and will be replaced by warm air.

 

[begreen]

I suppose I could put a fan at the bottom of the stairs to get air moving upwards.

Sounds kinda backwards, but put the fan at the top of the stairs blowing cool air down. Cool air is more dense and easier to move, and will be replaced by warm air.

+1. It's a lot easier to work assisting natural convection. Try it!

 

[kingquad]

The Century is a small stove. Get the Napoleon if you want decent burn times. Heating from the basement can be a PITA. Ask me how I know.

 

[HatCityIAFF]

thanks men....theres really no heat downstairs due to only having one vent for the entire room. Stays mid 50's down there, so i'm just looking to heat that room, and a little bit upstairs. If i can heat upstairs to low 60's without too much trouble, it'll deffinitly be a "+"!

 

[pen]

You say that now. Next year you'll want that stove to get the upstairs up to 70. I'd bet a beer on it!

These things are addicting.

pen