Green Mountain 80 vs BK king 40 vs F5200 regency

[Teachme]

details on the space to be heated,
sq.ft, roughly as much of a 2800 sq feet as I can
layout, 2 story Most of the area is in 1st Stove is on 1stIn a great room 1/2 the walls are glass French doors or windows with high 16 or so foot celling Rest of the house has 7 .6 heights
insulation level 2x4 walls built about 20 years ago
Looking at but open to ideas
Green Mountain 80 vs BK king 40 vs F5200 regency The local stove places is pushing the green mountain as thats what they have but i see alot of post about ash build up with them in cat and a few other probs.

 

[stoveliker]

Regardless, that's a tough place to heat (insulation mwah, high ceiling, lotsa windows).

You'll get better advice if you post a sketch of the layout (otherwise you might get "biggest stove possible" and if the heat can't leave the stove room you'll be too hot there).

 

[Highbeam]

Based on reputation I would drop hearthstone. That’s a new stove and has not developed the strong history of performance that the other two have.

 

[bholler]

The bk will give you longer more even temp but at a lower BTU. The regency will give you more BTUs but it won't last as long or be as consistent over the burn. So between those 2 it comes down to your needs. I know nothing about the hearthstone

 

[Jones93]

Don’t be scared of the hearthstone we heat high 2000 sq ft with our gm 80. Aside from cleaning the cats after 2.5 months of burning we really have no complaints. Good output and solid burn times

 

[Teachme]

sketch

 

[Teachme]

View attachment 290496

The top and right side of yellow room is almost all glass Also has sky lights. I am I the North east ( Ma ) Also have 1977 VC atm that dose a ok job at the down stairs but has to be feed ever few hrs.

 

[snobuilder]

All the heat will end up at the 16' ceiling line. See if there is a practical way to vent that heat into whatever rooms are adjacent to the high ceiling in your second floor area.

 

[bholler]

All the heat will end up at the 16' ceiling line. See if there is a practical way to vent that heat into whatever rooms are adjacent to the high ceiling in your second floor area.

Yes ceiling fans help allot as well

 

[stoveliker]

If that is essentially one space of 1400 sq ft, with 16 ft ceilings, I do think it's hard to keep the heat where the people are (on the floor).
You can blast a big stove there, but I think it's more useful to try to keep the heat down. E.g. carefully think about air flow and ceiling fans (not too much flow because it feels colder, and where does the flow come down depending on the rotation of the ceiling fan).

I have no experience with heating a big open space.like that...

 

[snobuilder]

Yes ceiling fans help allot as well

Agree but ceiling fans can feel like a draft in heating season.

 

[Teachme]

Based on reputation I would drop hearthstone. That’s a new stove and has not developed the strong history of performance that the other two have.

I was kind of thinking the same thing I see a lot of posts on here with people not 100% happy with them. Are you having to leave the door open to get it started and smoke issues along with catalyst nit lasting long. I think the dealers just pushing it because that’s what they sale. Closest BK dealer is about a hr away

 

[Teachme]

All the heat will end up at the 16' ceiling line. See if there is a practical way to vent that heat into whatever rooms are adjacent to the high ceiling in your second floor area.

I was thinking the same thing as the high ceiling part of it lines up with a bathroom on the second floor. There is a ceiling fan and as of now the heating is gone well in the terms of circulation. I also a second large fan that blows the heat out of the room. In any case looking more for what stove would be best.
I don’t want to go from an old stove that has its own quirky problems to a new one with the same. Also really want longer burns 12 hrs would be nice.

 

[stoveliker]

Given that the yellow part is high ceiling and the rest less so, a fan on the ground pushing cold air to the yellow room is best to get heat in the other room. The air removed will have to be replaced by warm air from the yellow room.

It'll be hard to move warm air by itself because it'll pool at the ceiling.

 

[bholler]

Agree but ceiling fans can feel like a draft in heating season.

They can but if run on low it usually isn't a major factor

 

[stoveliker]

I was thinking the same thing as the high ceiling part of it lines up with a bathroom on the second floor. There is a ceiling fan and as of now the heating is gone well in the terms of circulation. I also a second large fan that blows the heat out of the room. In any case looking more for what stove would be best.
I don’t want to go from an old stove that has its own quirky problems to a new one with the same. Also really want longer burns 12 hrs would be nice.

you say that heating goes well not in terms of circulation. But where is the heating source located for this working situation?
A stove is a space heater; it provides heat at one point. Circulation is then much more important than e.g. using distributed baseboard or ducted heating.

If you buy a big stove, it's imperative to move the heat otherwise you may cook yourself out of the stove room. For that an "air circuit" (so the air can flow in a circuit) is best. Given that that is not possible here, from what we see, the best is to create a "hot-cold" circuit. Move the cold air along the floor to the stove, which will automatically be replaced by colder air flowing the opposite direction higher up. In the grey room that'll then mix down because you are taking away air from the floor.

 

[neverstop]

while the VC eats a lot of wood it also throws a lot of heat. I heat my 2000 sq ft 2-story house last year with one. It was also locating in a great room with vaulted ceilings, however the upstairs rooms adjacent to the stove room have wall vent (fans) in them. I never turned the fans in the vents on and the furthest corners of the house were easily above 72 degrees in single digit temperatures.

I wish I had bought a stove that allowed me to load N/S; I'm not sure if the GM80 allows you to do that.

Is the VC rear or top vented?

 

[Highbeam]

When looking at a very large space and wanting less effort (longer burn times) remember that the stove doesn’t need to provide 100% of the heat. It is okay to supplement with the furnace when the stove can’t keep up. The two steel stoves can easily work with a 12 hour burn cycle at lower output levels that may not provide enough heat to prevent your furnace from helping out at times.

 

[Teachme]

while the VC eats a lot of wood it also throws a lot of heat. I heat my 2000 sq ft 2-story house last year with one. It was also locating in a great room with vaulted ceilings, however the upstairs rooms adjacent to the stove room have wall vent (fans) in them. I never turned the fans in the vents on and the furthest corners of the house were easily above 72 degrees in single digit temperatures.

I wish I had bought a stove that allowed me to load N/S; I'm not sure if the GM80 allows you to do that.

Is the VC rear or top vented?

The Vc is Rear vented 8" I will have to do some work to get a vert in but don't have much choice. Do you know the btu max output on that vc? I found a old mfg manual and it says 50,000 btu Max.

 

[neverstop]

The Vc is Rear vented 8" I will have to do some work to get a vert in but don't have much choice. Do you know the btu max output on that vc? I found a old mfg manual and it says 50,000 btu Max.

That's what the manual says. I don't know what procedure was used compared to today's testing of stoves.

 

[BKVP]

I was kind of thinking the same thing I see a lot of posts on here with people not 100% happy with them. Are you having to leave the door open to get it started and smoke issues along with catalyst nit lasting long. I think the dealers just pushing it because that’s what they sale. Closest BK dealer is about a hr away

Teachme...

Not every person that purchases brand "x" stove is happy with their install. Sometimes expectations are different based upon comments made by others and sometimes the installation requirements are not ideal for a particular stove. I know Hearthstone is a great company with great products. Keep in mind this website is a speck of the total number of people that purchase and operate wood stoves.

Often, the folks that have negative experiences seek out a place to get support or just to complain. Most (90%) want their stove to work. I suspect this site (by my own admission of having done so) focuses that ultra small group of dissatisfied owners here. It is here they can get support and feedback.

Regardless, no manufacturer will assure you that a stove will work in every single application. That is why, when working with a competent dealer, they often will do a site check first. Doing so will allow them to make recommendations.

And of course, there are those that feel they don't need a dealer. When we get tech calls, we require a complete set of images of the the installation. We also inquire as to who completed the install.

You would not believe the images I have seen.....

As for the stove, ask the dealer if he has any issues. Ask him if he does site visits. Ask him if they install it and there are any significant issues, how will he help you to resolve them. Then, go forward with the confidence you have explored the topic fully.

BKVP

 

[Teachme]

That's what the manual says. I don't know what procedure was used compared to today's testing of stoves.

My current does well when

Teachme...

Not every person that purchases brand "x" stove is happy with their install. Sometimes expectations are different based upon comments made by others and sometimes the installation requirements are not ideal for a particular stove. I know Hearthstone is a great company with great products. Keep in mind this website is a speck of the total number of people that purchase and operate wood stoves.

Often, the folks that have negative experiences seek out a place to get support or just to complain. Most (90%) want their stove to work. I suspect this site (by my own admission of having done so) focuses that ultra small group of dissatisfied owners here. It is here they can get support and feedback.

Regardless, no manufacturer will assure you that a stove will work in every single application. That is why, when working with a competent dealer, they often will do a site check first. Doing so will allow them to make recommendations.

And of course, there are those that feel they don't need a dealer. When we get tech calls, we require a complete set of images of the the installation. We also inquire as to who completed the install.

You would not believe the images I have seen.....

As for the stove, ask the dealer if he has any issues. Ask him if he does site visits. Ask him if they install it and there are any significant issues, how will he help you to resolve them. Then, go forward with the confidence you have explored the topic fully.

BKVP

i’ve tried to get one company out here but does come out as of yet just emails. So i went in talked to a different person they seem like they knew alot but just looked at pics. It would be nice if some people that had these stoves could give me an idea how long they usually get a burn on medium setings. I know the air flow of the house as i have been burning a few years hear. I appreciate all the good advice!

 

[Teachme]

My current does well when

i’ve tried to get one company out here but does come out as of yet just emails. So i went in talked to a different person they seem like they knew alot but just looked at pics. It would be nice if some people that had these stoves could give me an idea how long they usually get a burn on medium setings. I know the air flow of the house as i have been burning a few years hear. I appreciate all the good advice!

That* not but

 

[BKVP]

My current does well when

i’ve tried to get one company out here but does come out as of yet just emails. So i went in talked to a different person they seem like they knew alot but just looked at pics. It would be nice if some people that had these stoves could give me an idea how long they usually get a burn on medium setings. I know the air flow of the house as i have been burning a few years hear. I appreciate all the good advice!

Burn Times!!

Let me write your inquiry for you:😄

I am interested in comparable burn time data for "x" model of stove when burning 16" length pieces of oak seasoned and properly measured to a m.c. range of 15-20%, with a fuel loading density of 80%, comprised on a minimum of 5 pieces of oak with cross sectional measurement of 20" each, with no more than 8 pieces to achieve 80% density, burned at a kg/h burn rate of a 1.23 with a chimney system with a total length of 15' and ONLY operated consistently by the same experienced stove operator.

Seriously, far too many variables to get an apples to apples comparison. Don't make me drag out the old numbers versus swoosh discussion.

 

[stoveliker]

I disagree; if 10 people here give their experience of what a normal burn is, it's pretty clear what a normal burn is. A few will be too short a few will be unexplainably long, but the rest is right on.

My stove (a different one than the OP is asking about), I mostly get 18 hr burns when it's 30 outside (i.e. my heat needs are ...). I can go up to 26-27 without trying too hard (but I don't use it when I need that type of heat, see minisplit+solar). When it's 20 outside, I get 12-14 hr burns. I've never ran the system such that I only get 8 hr burns.

Real life experience will always result in a distribution of numbers, due to the many variables you touch upon. However, that distribution is informative to a prospective user.