Help choosing my first wood stove

[Sg566]

Hey I’m hoping to get some opinions in choosing a wood stove. I’ve been doing lots of reading and price comparisons and I’ve landed down to these choices.

Here’s what I’m working with. Looking to heat a 2 storey home ~1280 square feet. Decent air circulation except for into the kitchen but it goes upstairs well. The chimney which already exists is in the living room and in the corner. The living room isn’t too big so I’m balancing size vs performance a bit.

The concerns are taking up the living space in the living room which is where we spend most of our time. Also I have a 7 year old which likes to run around the house so concerns over tripping into the stove exist so hoping to keep it back in the corner a bit. I also have a heat pump so I have a means of economical heat all the time but looking for wood heat for the colder days and for general comfort and enjoyment.


Right now I’m looking at these 4 stoves primarily. Napoleon s1, pe vista, Napoleon 1450 and the pe classic 27.

Remembering I’m not relying on wood heat alone but I’m still in a Nova Scotia Canadian climate what would you recommend? Will I not get enough heat from the s1 or vista ? Or will it be ok just no overnight burns (which may be a trade off for not losing too much of my living room but ok since I still have a heat pump).

Let me know tour thoughts. One local dealer is pushing the vista and the other the super to make things even more confusing. Then Ofcourse napoleon vs pe.

 

[begreen]

I'd go for the Super 27 for better range of performance and burn times. Will the chimney be getting a review by a WETT certified sweep to verify it is safe to connect to?

 

[Sg566]

I'd go for the Super 27 for better range of performance and burn times. Will the chimney be getting a review by a WETT certified sweep to verify it is safe to connect to?

Definitely. I’m getting a certified inspedtor to install it as well as inspect it.

The super 27 won’t cook me out of the room will it ? The living room is wher I spend most of my time.

 

[Sg566]

So I’m seeing lots of go bigger so I guess I’m down to the super and the 1450.

I’m looking at about 2150 for the super and 1860 for the 1450 taxes in and all. Could anyone give an opinion if the pe is worth the extra 300. They seem like very comparable stoves.

 

[Sprinter]

So I’m seeing lots of go bigger so I guess I’m down to the super and the 1450.

I’m looking at about 2150 for the super and 1860 for the 1450 taxes in and all. Could anyone give an opinion if the pe is worth the extra 300. They seem like very comparable stoves.

Well, the "go bigger" thing is popular around here, but it does have limits However, neither of these choices are too big for your situation (without knowing more about your home's insulation, your climate, etc.)

I have a PE Super 27 and my sister has a 1450. The 1450 is a perfectly good stove, but having seen both and burned with my 27 for 5 years now, I'd say yes, the PE is well worth the extra. Remember, this is a very long term investment. Get the best you can afford for your needs. It will pay off. If you really like the 1450, it's still a reputable stove though.

Without knowing more about your climate, it's hard to say how large a stove to recommend, but I've learned that with my Super 27, I can pretty easily make smaller fires when the weather is mild as it has been recently here, but still have as hot a fire as I need when its cold. What is important is that with any small fire in any stove except maybe the catalytic models, you need to make sure the firebox temperature is kept hot enough to keep the secondaries burning. That's where all the efficiency is. I think that would be my choice between the two and I researched the hell out of stoves when I was buying.

Dry wood is actually the single most important factor, though. Just about all modern stoves are "tuned" to be most effective with wood at about 20% moisture content. An inexpensive moisture meter will tell the tale there.

 

[Sg566]

Well, the "go bigger" thing is popular around here, but it does have limits However, neither of these choices are too big for your situation (without knowing more about your home's insulation, your climate, etc.)

I have a PE Super 27 and my sister has a 1450. The 1450 is a perfectly good stove, but having seen both and burned with my 27 for 5 years now, I'd say yes, the PE is well worth the extra. Remember, this is a very long term investment. Get the best you can afford for your needs. It will pay off. If you really like the 1450, it's still a reputable stove though.

Without knowing more about your climate, it's hard to say how large a stove to recommend, but I've learned that with my Super 27, I can pretty easily make smaller fires when the weather is mild as it has been recently here, but still have as hot a fire as I need when its cold. What is important is that with any small fire in any stove except maybe the catalytic models, you need to make sure the firebox temperature is kept hot enough to keep the secondaries burning. That's where all the efficiency is. I think that would be my choice between the two and I researched the hell out of stoves when I was buying.

Dry wood is actually the single most important factor, though. Just about all modern stoves are "tuned" to be most effective with wood at about 20% moisture content. An inexpensive moisture meter will tell the tale there.

Thanks for the insight. Very good to have someone who’s seen both. I’m happy spending the extra money on the pe if it’s worth it. The WETT technician is pushing the 1450 a bit but he says great things about the pe as well. Just I think gets a better deal on the Napoleon so he pushes it a bit. (Direct from the distributor as opposed to going to the local store)

The biggest thing for me was the clearances but they seem to be about the same between the super and the 1450. The living room isn’t that big so just the amount of “living space” it takes up.

The house is well insulated and fairly tight but still nearly 20 years old. I added some insulation to the attic this year and brought it to r50 or a little better.

Now the next real tough decision is if I’m going to cut my wood floors and put in a flat tile or if I’m going to do a raised hearth. Just thinking about toe kickers in that corner for the little one and her friends running around the house... feels very permanent and much more pricey but seems to make practical sense.

Oh the decisions... anyways thanks for the feedback on the stoves. I’ll maybe try to haggle with the pe dealer a bit see if I can get the price down closer to the Napoleon

(Then next is getting a good supply of dry wood but that’s not something that should be too tough around here. Nova Scotia still has lots of wood around!)

 

[Sprinter]

Oh the decisions...

Yup. And they won't stop there.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Thanks for the insight. Very good to have someone who’s seen both. I’m happy spending the extra money on the pe if it’s worth it. The WETT technician is pushing the 1450 a bit but he says great things about the pe as well. Just I think gets a better deal on the Napoleon so he pushes it a bit. (Direct from the distributor as opposed to going to the local store)

The biggest thing for me was the clearances but they seem to be about the same between the super and the 1450. The living room isn’t that big so just the amount of “living space” it takes up.

The house is well insulated and fairly tight but still nearly 20 years old. I added some insulation to the attic this year and brought it to r50 or a little better.

Now the next real tough decision is if I’m going to cut my wood floors and put in a flat tile or if I’m going to do a raised hearth. Just thinking about toe kickers in that corner for the little one and her friends running around the house... feels very permanent and much more pricey but seems to make practical sense.

Oh the decisions... anyways thanks for the feedback on the stoves. I’ll maybe try to haggle with the pe dealer a bit see if I can get the price down closer to the Napoleon

(Then next is getting a good supply of dry wood but that’s not something that should be too tough around here. Nova Scotia still has lots of wood around!)

A flush floor is so much nicer, even with the added work. The stove is a permanent upgrade to a Nova Scotia home, so go all in.

Your toes will thank you...

 

[Sprinter]

A flush floor is so much nicer, even with the added work. The stove is a permanent upgrade to a Nova Scotia home, so go all in.

Your toes will thank you...

I do sometimes wish I'd done the raised thing, mostly when i'm on my knees loading, or when I'd like to have a little better view of the fire, but overall, I'm glad I went with a flush tile. And it ended up much easier for me anyway. All I had to do was cut out carpet and lay tiles on top of appropriate cement board and it came out flush (no floor insulation needed). But so much depends on the particular situation, it's hard to recommend to someone else.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I do sometimes wish I'd done the raised thing, mostly when i'm on my knees loading, or when I'd like to have a little better view of the fire, but overall, I'm glad I went with a flush tile. And it ended up much easier for me anyway. All I had to do was cut out carpet and lay tiles on top of appropriate cement board and it came out flush (no floor insulation needed). But so much depends on the particular situation, it's hard to recommend to someone else.

Good points, Sprinter. My experience includes one freestanding stove on a raised hearth (top loading), and the current stove insert, sitting on the floor-flush hearth. The top loading feature of the stove made the level of the stove mainly irrelevant.

I hated the deep kneeling required to load and clean the insert in year one. Year two, I only strongly disliked it. Now in year three, we've settled into an uneasy detente.

And, yes, a higher mount would give a better view.

If I had the option, the insert would be about 18" off the floor, and the hearth would be a bench hearth. But if I really had options, I'd have a freestander on a flush hearth. And since I engaging in fantasy now, that freestander would have long legs and top loading.