Help with new stove choices

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bholler

Chimney sweep
Staff member
Hearth Supporter
Jan 14, 2014
34,162
central pa
Hey guys my father is looking to replace his old quadrafire stove.

He wants a big non cat stove. He likes the Pacific energy stoves but was also interested in the osburn 3500

Any input on those stoves or other suggestions for a big noncat would be appreciated
 
Bholler, he could save some money on a Drolet HT3000. I think it compares well to the Osburn 3500.
 
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Bholler, he could save some money on a Drolet HT3000. I think it compares well to the Osburn 3500.
Thanks I will have him look at it. Anyone know the difference between the drolet and the osburn? Price really isn't an issue
 
I am a chimney guy. There are allot of guys on here with allot more knowledge of different stoves available than me.
 
You get the same treatment as everyone else; what's the layout? How many square feet (cathedral ceilings)? How insulated is the place?

Also honor all clearances and insulate the liner if needed. Start working on your wood supply. Did I forget anything?
 
About 2000 sq ft heated from the insulated basement.
 
The 2 stoves I'd be interested in the PE Summit or the Kuma ashwood, The pe summit seems to me to be a convective heater, which benefits the basement heater with warm air travel, also the 3 cu fire box is nice and large, the Kuma seems like a heavy duty built stove, we a decent convective design, the smaller 2.5 cu fire box is a slight turn off but craftsman ship from Kuma seems very good.
 
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The 2 stoves I'd be interested in the PE Summit or the Kuma ashwood, The pe summit seems to me to be a convective heater, which benefits the basement heater with warm air travel, also the 3 cu fire box is nice and large, the Kuma seems like a heavy duty built stove, we a decent convective design, the smaller 2.5 cu fire box is a slight turn off but craftsman ship from Kuma seems very good.
Yeah he wants 3 cu ft min
 
Thanks I will have him look at it. Anyone know the difference between the drolet and the osburn? Price really isn't an issue
I think it is just an aesthetic preference then. I think they would perform about the same.
 
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Got a buddy heating his similar sized ranch from the basement with the Drolet HT2000. Unfinished basement I might add. This stove is impressive for the money.
 
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Thanks I will have him look at it. Anyone know the difference between the drolet and the osburn? Price really isn't an issue
They are both SBI stoves. It's kind of like the difference between a Chevrolet and a Buick, both GM cars. Underneath the two often share components, even the firebox on some.
 
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They are both SBI stoves. It's kind of like the difference between a Chevrolet and a Buick, both GM cars. Underneath the two often share components, even the firebox on some.
He ended up with a pe.
 
I am a chimney guy. There are allot of guys on here with allot more knowledge of different stoves available than me.
As a chimney guy, have you ever had a customer that ran the stove pipe through a mass heater constructed out of clay bricks filled with cob? Most likely it would be vertical, rather than horizontal like the rocket stove mass heaters are usually. There must be some way to capture the heat radiating from the stove and stove pipe, so it slowly releases when the fire diminishes. Has anyone ever had such an idea?
 
As a chimney guy, have you ever had a customer that ran the stove pipe through a mass heater constructed out of clay bricks filled with cob? Most likely it would be vertical, rather than horizontal like the rocket stove mass heaters are usually. There must be some way to capture the heat radiating from the stove and stove pipe, so it slowly releases when the fire diminishes. Has anyone ever had such an idea?
You can't do that with a standard wood stove. They already run at low enough exhaust temp that extracting more heat from the exhaust would lead to massive amounts of creosote buildup. Masonry heaters burn at extremely high temperatures and dump that into the masonry mass. But the exhaust still needs to stay above the condensation point untill it exits the chimney.
 
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The pe summit seems to me to be a convective heater, which benefits the basement heater with warm air travel,
Please explain “convective heater.” Does the PE Summit have a unique feature that is different, than other stoves with blowers? I’m going from a Vapor Fire 200 to a large stove, in an insulated basement.
 
I have a 2400 sqft ranch home, no basement with an HT3000. Our Montana winter has been extremely mild this year, but the stove is performing quite nicely.
Since being mild, there maybe times when you load it up and adjust it for a low fire. On the average, how long can a low fire go with the HT 3000? A friend offered me a 3 year old Vogelzang Ponderosa for $500. From the reviews that say mostly that buying that stove, was a “big mistake”, I’ll go with the HT 3000 from Northern Tool. I wish Northern Tool sold the Osburn 3500. Since both are made in the same factory, perhaps they are built the same, just a different size?
 
I have owned both brands. I think the differences between the two is primarily cosmetic.
 
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