Help me pick my stove!

[Hunter8282]

Will be supplemental to propane furnace but would like to limit its use as much as possible and burn wood.

~1500 sq ft main floor going into an ~23'x27' great room which includes kitchen and dining area.

New construction. I'd like to buy it direct myself and have my builder install it at the appropriate times during construction. (Does that rule out IronStrike or any other brand?)

Which wood you pick and why? Other similar stoves I should definitely consider? I honestly don't know much about catalytic vs. non catalytic but I would like as low maintenance of a stove as possible.

• Drolet Escape 1800
• PE Super 27HD
• IronStrike GrandView 230
• Quadra-Fire 4300 Millennium
• Regency F2500
• Blaze King Sirocco 30.2

 

[Hunter8282]

No one?

 

[stoveliker]

brands 1, 2, 5, 6 are surely good. 3 and 4 may be - others know better.
It depends a lot on your need for heat - so have a heat load calculation done.
New construction can be tight; install the stove where an outside air connection can be made.
Ensure the chimney meets specs for the stove.

I am partial to catalytic stoves, because they have a larger range of outputs (they can go very low in heat output too, in addition to burning "normally" at higher output). I have a BK and are unlikely to get something else. The thermostat and long burn times (when it's not too cold) are fantastic. Folks in AK run them wide open mid-winter, so no long burn time then. But in March, it's nice.
I can run 8 hr loads full blast, and I can run (have run) 36 hrs on one load as well when I needed less heat.

Yet, one has to replace the cat every 12000 hrs or so. That's easy (for a BK), though. It is maintenance though.

Tube stoves are likely to need less frequent maintenance. All stoves will need gaskets replaced after some (a long?) time.
They would also pair well with heat pumps: when it's warm enough use the heat pump. When it's cold (and a higher output is needed), use the stove.

Finally, you're buying something you (or the significant other) will be looking at for 20 years or so (if you treat the stove well). So what likes your eye best?

Heat spreading ease determines BTU output you want; can you post a schematic? Small doorways limit heat transfer to the next room.
High ceilings tend to pool heat - have a ceiling fan.


- some thoughts to start with.

 

[Hunter8282]

Heat spreading ease determines BTU output you want; can you post a schematic? Small doorways limit heat transfer to the next room.
High ceilings tend to pool heat - have a ceiling fan.

Awesome, thank you! Here's the floor plan. Red box is wood stove. We've moved the side window a bit closer to the kitchen and replaced the slider with a single entry door to provide more room in the corner.

Roughly 1500 sq ft.

9ft ceilings and planning to install a 60" ceiling fan in the middle of that great room to move air around.

 

[Eman85]

Have you ever burned a wood stove as a primary heat source before? You say low maintenance, the maintenance of the stove is nothing compared to the other work of burning a stove. Keep in mind the storing of the wood inside or do you want to have to go out every time you want wood? How far from the door is the stove, you have to carry the wood in and carry the ashes out. How much dirt are you willing to put up with?, burning is dirty work as you bring the wood in and empty the ashes.
I can't comment on any other stove than what I own and old smoke dragons that I've owned in the past. As far as wood goes If I was picking I'd stick with red oak, it heats good and is easier to split. I usually don't pick my wood as I cut off of my property and just cut what needs cutting or has died. You'll need wood now to burn 2-3 years from now so outdoor wood storage area is needed also.

 

[stoveliker]

I think the stoves you have listed are too large for this place, as it's essentially going to heat that great room and a little that one bedroom.
ANd especially if it's well-insulated and air sealed as new construction should be.

The bedroom next to the porch won't get much heat, and neither will the two bathrooms. So if your central heat is one zone, those will be cold. For the bedroom that might not be an issue, but the bathrooms might need some electric floor or infrared heating if you run the stove (and thus the thermostat will not switch on the central heat).

 

[Hunter8282]

Have you ever burned a wood stove as a primary heat source before? You say low maintenance, the maintenance of the stove is nothing compared to the other work of burning a stove. Keep in mind the storing of the wood inside or do you want to have to go out every time you want wood? How far from the door is the stove, you have to carry the wood in and carry the ashes out. How much dirt are you willing to put up with?, burning is dirty work as you bring the wood in and empty the ashes.
I can't comment on any other stove than what I own and old smoke dragons that I've owned in the past. As far as wood goes If I was picking I'd stick with red oak, it heats good and is easier to split. I usually don't pick my wood as I cut off of my property and just cut what needs cutting or has died. You'll need wood now to burn 2-3 years from now so outdoor wood storage area is needed also.

Yes, I am familiar with all the work and actually looking forward to it.
There will be an exterior door to the outside right next to the stove. I plan to have a small wood shed there as well as a small indoor wood storage. I also plan to have a large wood shed elsewhere on the property for drying and mass storage/processing of firewood.

 

[Hunter8282]

I think the stoves you have listed are too large for this place, as it's essentially going to heat that great room and a little that one bedroom.
ANd especially if it's well-insulated and air sealed as new construction should be.

The bedroom next to the porch won't get much heat, and neither will the two bathrooms. So if your central heat is one zone, those will be cold. For the bedroom that might not be an issue, but the bathrooms might need some electric floor or infrared heating if you run the stove (and thus the thermostat will not switch on the central heat).

OK. That is certainly a concern. If I heat my wife out of the house, I'll end up in the dog house.

Would a Drolet Escape 1500 be a better choice or wood you even go down to an Escape 1200?

 

[stoveliker]

Some folks on here are aiming to heat enough so that articles of clothing may be taken off...

On the other hand, you can always do short, small (but hot, clean) fires rather than burn continuously, in a larger stove.
But a stove that's too large may not work well. One can only burn small fires in a large stove "to a degree". (But one indeed can't burn larger fires in a stove that's too small.) This does result in temperature swings in the home, though: burn, heat up, let it slowly cool down, burn another small load, heat up, ... etc. "pulse and glide".
That is (for my personal taste) not desirable, both because of temperature swings and many restarts.. Some do it though.

I hope @begreen will help advise about the stove size.

 

[jjam]

Will be supplemental to propane furnace but would like to limit its use as much as possible and burn wood.

~1500 sq ft main floor going into an ~23'x27' great room which includes kitchen and dining area.

New construction. I'd like to buy it direct myself and have my builder install it at the appropriate times during construction. (Does that rule out IronStrike or any other brand?)

Which wood you pick and why? Other similar stoves I should definitely consider? I honestly don't know much about catalytic vs. non catalytic but I would like as low maintenance of a stove as possible.

• Drolet Escape 1800
• PE Super 27HD
• IronStrike GrandView 230
• Quadra-Fire 4300 Millennium
• Regency F2500
• Blaze King Sirocco 30.2

• Regency F2500

 

[Hunter8282]

So, I sent a message to a local BK supplier mainly asking about the 20.2 vs 30.2 size stoves along with our floor plan and the desire to have nice even heat without making the great room a billion degrees.

His response was as follows:

After reviewing your goals and the print, I believe the Sirocco 20.2 or the Chinook 20.2 would suit your space and meet your needs. As with all wood stoves, you'll get a "feel" for how it burns and will be able to maximize its potential over time. The catalyst systems maximize burn times and efficiency, so any stove you choose will be great for meeting your goals. Of course, with our expertise on the stoves we sell, we'll give you great tips to get the most out of your stove right out of the gate.

Here are a few reasons I suggest the Sirocco 20.2 and Chinook 20.2. 1) Getting a bigger stove would undoubtedly give you more heat but could potentially "sweat" you out of the great room, and then you'd adapt to that by burning less wood to compensate. Essentially you'd have too much stove for your needs. 2) The efficiency and stated burn times of the Sirocco and Chinook are fantastic and fall well into the range of the other larger BK stoves.

It seems to very much in line with what you were saying @stoveliker !

 

[stoveliker]

Do look as thoroughly into other stoves as well.

I know most stoves list their maximum output, and I think here that may be less relevant. Not many mfgs list their minimum output (BK does).
One can still compare different stoves to a degree by (assuming their efficiency is the same, which it is for modern stoves for all practical purposes) looking at their firebox and their maximum burn time. I.e. stoves with the same burn time, the one claiming a longer burn time than the other may have a lower output per hour than the other. The caveat is that burn times are not well-defined, and some mfgs exaggerate. So better to look for user input there.
(Personally I know BKs burn time advertisement claims are spot on.)