? for those that have used north/south loading

[Mark Richards]

I have really narrowed down my choices of stove too either the Drolet Escape 1800 or the Drolet Baltic. How much "better" is it too have the N/S loading you get with Baltic? If N/S loading is superior then I will go ahead and spring for the Baltic but I can get the 1800 for $924 at Menards and that appears to be a good deal on what I've read is a very good performing stove. I do like the bigger firebox of the Baltic though, 3.1 vs 2.3 for the 1800. What I percieve to be the biggest difference between the stoves besides firebox size is that one uses a Stainless Steel baffle and the other uses Vermiculite. Is Stainless superior, better longevity etc....

 

[ethanhudson]

I have a Drolet Austral (same firebox as the Baltic) and I like it. I find it much easier to load N/S with a front loading stove. Just stick the pieces in there no need to rotate a split. I used to have an E/W loading stove and I burned my forearm more than once rotating a split to place in the firebox. Regarding the stainless baffle, I like it because I'm not always the most gentle with my stove. I've crammed it to the baffle many times and I like knowing that I'm not going to damage the stainless baffle the way I could vermiculite or some other more fragile material.

 

[bag of hammers]

I've also broken the baffle boards on my Osburn - in this stove the thin vermiculite boards lay on top of a layer of baffle bricks, so I don't clobber them when loading, but when taking them out (cleaning) - that's when I found they're a bit fragile (my fault - klutz). I can't comment on stainless baffles other than to note (from reading here) that many stoves (certain PE models, for example) apparently use a stainless baffle and folks are pretty happy with them. Personally I like the ability to load either N/S or E/W just for the added ease / flexibility around how I want a burn to go at any given time, etc. My 2c - all (other) things being equal - I would lean towards a bit bigger firebox, and the ability to load any way you want - as long as that bigger stove isn't going to break the bank or cook you out of the room.

 

[Grisu]

I was not even aware of that distinction when I bought my PE Super but now have to say I really like that N/S-loading feature. This way I do not need to go all the way back in the firebox to drop a split. Just take them at the end and push it in. Plus, I rarely have a split rolling against the glass; something that seems to happen more often with an E/W-loading stove. The only caveat is never try to push a split in with the door. When you have glass against wood the wood will win every time.

 

[begreen]

I like the flexibility to load in either orientation. That is a definite plus of having a squarish firebox. If the wood is not perfectly seasoned, N/S loading helps the burn. It's also good for quick heat. For the longer burn I generally load E/W. I usually do my first load N/S, then switch to E/W on the reloads.

 

[Mark Richards]

This forum is really helping me make the best choice for my wood stove so much easier. I've had tons of questions and have had them all pretty much answered by searching the posts or asking a question. Thanks again people and the price difference btwn the two stoves will not break the bank so I'm 99% sure that I'll go with the bigger firebox because my home is very old and the wind is always blowing in Southeast MN in the winter. Cheers!

 

[Mark Richards]

If you don't mind, what kind of burn times are you experiencing with your Austral stove? How has your experience been with creosote produced by low burns using this stove. Does the glass stay clean pretty well? Any issues with the fan noise. I have a pellet stove now that has a very loud fan and am looking forward to not hearing an overly loud fan this winter.

 

[ethanhudson]

If you don't mind, what kind of burn times are you experiencing with your Austral stove? How has your experience been with creosote produced by low burns using this stove. Does the glass stay clean pretty well? Any issues with the fan noise. I have a pellet stove now that has a very loud fan and am looking forward to not hearing an overly loud fan this winter.

Between 8 and 14 hours depending what I burn and how hard I burn it 8-10 hours on low with a firebox full of ponderosa pine 12-14 hours with oak or ash. No creosote issues, stove burns hot and I have well seasoned wood. Glass stays pretty clean but stove doesn't have the best airwash (or any airwash at all.) If you burn on low the lower half of the glass will get brown, next time you burn, it all burns off and a film of ash remains. I don't use my fan often, but I haven't had too many issues with it. The first fan that was shipped with the unit was DOA, I called the manufacturer (SBI) and they sent me a replacement directly. It's not overly noisy...

 

[ethanhudson]

This forum is really helping me make the best choice for my wood stove so much easier. I've had tons of questions and have had them all pretty much answered by searching the posts or asking a question. Thanks again people and the price difference btwn the two stoves will not break the bank so I'm 99% sure that I'll go with the bigger firebox because my home is very old and the wind is always blowing in Southeast MN in the winter. Cheers!

For what it's worth, I spent about $300 less for my Austral than the $924 you stated for the 1800. Granted the stove was on sale but something to keep in mind. Menards always puts all their hearth appliances on sale in September or so. I'm sure if you wait another 6-8 weeks you will save a couple hundred dollars.

 

[Mark Richards]

For what it's worth, I spent about $300 less for my Austral than the $924 you stated for the 1800. Granted the stove was on sale but something to keep in mind. Menards always puts all their hearth appliances on sale in September or so. I'm sure if you wait another 6-8 weeks you will save a couple hundred dollars.

Thanks, thats good to know! One last question about your Myriad stove. I didnt see chimney cleaning instructions in the manual for that stove. Do you need to remove the baffle? Is it difficult (I am handy so most things I am capable of)? What would you say is the best thing about the stove and what would you say is the worst thing about the stove.

 

[Knots]

My last stove, had E-W loading. When I'd load it up and the bottom logs would burn, the top log would crash down into the door. So, I just bought a Jotul F55, and the N-S loading was one of the selling points for me. I just don't like loading up the stove and then leaving the house with an E-W arrangement...

 

[Dix]

I agree with the flexibility of loading the stove N/S.

Both the PE & the 13 cruise right along, BUT it takes extra work to cut the firewood to burn N/S in the smaller fire box of the 13.

 

[Woody Stover]

My last stove, had E-W loading. When I'd load it up and the bottom logs would burn, the top log would crash down into the door.

The Woodstocks are side-loaders and have andirons to keep splits from rolling into the window. Obviously, that's not an option with a front loader.

 

[rideau]

Woody, I actually was talking with Woodstock last week about that issue with the new Union. Wondered whether they would be designing andirons into the door to prevent logs rolling out when loading E/W with the Union. Had a discussion, don't have an answer.....

Begreen, More work cutting the wood shorter, but I'd think with less than perfectly seasoned wood being burned N/S for better burn, that one would be better off with shorter wood, which would season significantly faster, thus perhaps minimalizing the need for a squarer box (admittedly a convenient feature) for this purpose? One who chronically cannot have perfectly seasoned wood (perhaps because of storage space limitations) might be better off just cutting a lot of wood to 12 - 13 inch length and burning N/S regardless of firebox depth. Somewhat harder to stack in a stable manner, and a bit more room per cord to store if lots of air is allowed around the wood, but faster drying in my experience.

I've found that my sugar maple uglies that are large (up to 11 inches or so) in diameter, ( unsplit because of knots, wierd shapes, crotches, etc.), dry quite quickly when approximately 6 inches long. These are decent size/weight chunks of wood. I can fit two back to back N/S in my firebox, and they burn for a long time because relatively lower surface area than long, smaller splits placed E/W (the other alternative for quicker drying).

 

[Woody Stover]

Woody, I actually was talking with Woodstock last week about that issue with the new Union. Wondered whether they would be designing andirons into the door to prevent logs rolling out when loading E/W with the Union. Had a discussion, don't have an answer.....

That sounds like a good idea. Are there any stoves out there that have that feature?

 

[rideau]

I don't know, but it seemed like an obvious solution to a common problem to me. We had a discussion that was going to be pursued.

 

[dafattkidd]

I have really narrowed down my choices of stove too either the Drolet Escape 1800 or the Drolet Baltic. How much "better" is it too have the N/S loading you get with Baltic? If N/S loading is superior then I will go ahead and spring for the Baltic but I can get the 1800 for $924 at Menards and that appears to be a good deal on what I've read is a very good performing stove. I do like the bigger firebox of the Baltic though, 3.1 vs 2.3 for the 1800. What I percieve to be the biggest difference between the stoves besides firebox size is that one uses a Stainless Steel baffle and the other uses Vermiculite. Is Stainless superior, better longevity etc....

Hey Mark,
Two things that may apply here:
1. The firebox size is the most consistent predictor of heat output and burn times. You can load more fuel so you'll get more heat and longer times between loads. Forgive me if I missed this, but what is the square footage of the space you are trying to heat? You mentioned your home is drafty. You may want the extra firepower for the cold Minnesota nights. Firebox size is the more important feature and should weigh heavily in your decision.
2. NS loading in a smaller firebox works great, but as previously stated is a bit more work. Rideau mentioned faster drying times for shorter splits. I found this to be the case as well. I used to have a 1.7 cf firebox insert with 13" max on NS burns. Increasing to a 3.2 cf firebox with 20" NS loading and 22" EW loading has been a huge upgrade. I scrounge and buy my wood so I'm rarely the one cutting my splits to size. Having the ability to burn such long lengths makes things much easier. NS loading is a huge plus in any stove.

Hope that's helpful. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Mark Richards]

Hey Mark,
Two things that may apply here:
1. The firebox size is the most consistent predictor of heat output and burn times. You can load more fuel so you'll get more heat and longer times between loads. Forgive me if I missed this, but what is the square footage of the space you are trying to heat? You mentioned your home is drafty. You may want the extra firepower for the cold Minnesota nights. Firebox size is the more important feature and should weigh heavily in your decision.
2. NS loading in a smaller firebox works great, but as previously stated is a bit more work. Rideau mentioned faster drying times for shorter splits. I found this to be the case as well. I used to have a 1.7 cf firebox insert with 13" max on NS burns. Increasing to a 3.2 cf firebox with 20" NS loading and 22" EW loading has been a huge upgrade. I scrounge and buy my wood so I'm rarely the one cutting my splits to size. Having the ability to burn such long lengths makes things much easier. NS loading is a huge plus in any stove.

Hope that's helpful. Good luck in your decision.

Hi, everybody's experience is welcome and helpful The sq ft of the house is a little under 1700 with a pretty open lower floor with all the bedrooms upstairs. We like it chilly in our bedrooms for sleeping so I'm mostly concerned with keeping the downstairs warm where we spend 80% of our time. Do N/S loads burn longer or do E/W loads burn longer in your experience?
The Drolet 1800 handles a 21" log when loaded E/W and a 16.5" N/S. Most of my wood is cut 18" or shorter so I should have pretty good flexibility with loading. The Drolet is a 2.3L firebox.

 

[clemsonfor]

I love NS in my stove. I can get more wood in than EW and they don't roll into the windows

 

[Dix]

E/W burns longer in the PE, scientifically loaded that is

The 13 is a challenge (1.3 CF firebox) ... with 10" or so, N/S works really well.

But put a few 16" splits in there, and things can get interesting before the 13 settles down

 

[dafattkidd]

In my stove EW gets a slower burn, but NS is generally easier to load. Sometimes a NS load over a large coal bed can get super hot and burn a little faster than I like. I really like having the ability to choose NS or EW based on the situation. When I had a smaller firebox NS significantly increased the amount of wood I could cram in there.

 

[ethanhudson]

Thanks, thats good to know! One last question about your Myriad stove. I didnt see chimney cleaning instructions in the manual for that stove. Do you need to remove the baffle? Is it difficult (I am handy so most things I am capable of)? What would you say is the best thing about the stove and what would you say is the worst thing about the stove.

I don't think you can remove the baffle. I clean my stove top down. Best thing, serious heat, good value, flat top, good clearance requirements, ember protection only (at least it was when I bought mine). Worst thing, not as sensitive of air control as I would like.

 

[velvetfoot]

I'm loving the N/S in mine as well.

 

[Huntindog1]

My stove is a East/West load stove as its 20" wide inside the firebox but only 14.5" deep.

Its really no issue to load East/West never had much problems with splits falling againt the window. You just have to get the hang of it. I dont load round logs that will roll , I dont load them towards the front . I dont usually load much up next to the front door as I leave that last row space on a E/W load open for a few pieces of small kindling that will burn hot fast and quick on the hot coals to get the heat up in the stove very quickly to fire off the secondary flames up in the top of the stove, so I then can quickly get the stove input air dialed back down before I burn up too much of my main load in the back of the stove.

Loading E/W gets a longer burn time. Rake your coals forward works good with a E/W load. Rake your coals forward in addition to loading E/W also gets you an even longer burn time.

North/South loading gets you better air flow for better burn but on hot coals and good dry wood its not really needed to get a better burn as your most likely closing the air down anyways to slow down the rate of burn.

You should also use dryer wood to get longer burns , sounds odd but its true , as more moisture in your wood makes start up last longer , your trying to get the heat up in the stove to get the secondary flames going so you can cut the air back on the stove. So the longer your burning wide open to get the heat built up at startup , you unable to quickly get the heat up with your new load of wood in the stove as alot of the BTU's are wasted boiling the water out of your wood. Plus once you do get the heat built up with not so good wood and its time to cut the air back to a setting for longest burn time over night, your not going to be able to dial back that air as low as the higher moisture wood is going to need a little higher setting. So now you got less wood left from the longer startup time and you can not dial the air back as much for the all night burn to keep the secondary flames going.

Saying all that I still would like to have the option to burn North South.

 

[USMC80]

I'm loving the N/S in mine as well.

I just got the Hampton. Do you see a difference in burn times with n/s as opposed to e/w?