Is the PE Alderlea T5 Appropriate?

[cferreira12]

Hi Everyone- New to the site here, but finding tons of useful and helpful information. I figured I would post and see what people have to say for my situation.

We live in Vermont where the winters usually linger in the teens. Our house is about 1700 sq ft and is a raised ranch style house. Our bottom floor is basically a finished basement, and we are rarely down there. We are looking to put in a wood stove on our top floor, so really the square footage is closer to 900. However, we have cathedral ceilings which are probably around 15ft. We would like to heat the house predominately with the stove, and use our propane furnace as a backup when necessary. (the bills are just too high!) Obviously having the stove on the upper floor isn't going to do much for the lower floor, but as I mentioned, we don't spend much time down there and can open/shut the vents to heat the downstairs with propane as needed.

After doing a lot of reading and research, we have all but settled on the PE Alderlea T5, and wanted to get opinions on whether or not this is an appropriate stove for our situation. Being new to burning wood (on our own), we feel like we should stay away from any downdraft technology in fear of not being able to 'figure it out'. The T5 seems to be a highly rated and quality stove that puts out good heat. As a matter of fact, I can't find anything online that says anything negative about this stove. So with that in mind, we are now basically looking for affirmation that this is a good stove for us. We'd also like other recommendations if people feel this isn't really a good fit for our house!

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

Craig

 

[BrowningBAR]

You should be fine. Everyone here that has a T-series stove from PE loves them. At this point, though, I hope you already have a nice stack of split wood. Wet wood will make any new stove a pain to operate.

 

[begreen]

It should be fine. You may still need to supplement it's heat when it gets in the single digits, but should do well for most of the winter. If the intent is to burn 24/7 all winter, consider going up to the T6.

 

[madison]

If you have the hearth space. I would suggest up sizing to the T6 with a blower for a cpl reasons stated below. It will add a few hundred bucks to the overall cost but will add significant flexibility.

The larger firebox will extend the effective burn time for overnight heating as well as max btu output. It also allows for loading the stove n/s and e/w with the same size firewood. The blower will help with modulation of temperature and with the increase volume you are heating with the cathedral ceilings the blower will help with circulation.

And living in VT, you may need the extra BTU's depending on how the cathedral ceilings and the rest of the home are insulated.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Odd. Usually I am the one stressing to oversize. I thought the T5 would be plenty for 900 sq ft? Am I wrong? Do the ceilings make that much of a difference in this case?

 

[begreen]

The high ceilings almost doubles the heated cubic footage, but it depends on how well insulated the house is and how much glass area there is. Often high ceilings are accompanied by large glass expanses which are real heat losers. The T5 would certainly work, with a ceiling fan and an occasional cycling of the central heat when it is very cold. If that prevents pipes freezing, then all the better.

 

[PerryBurton]

I agree with you Craig. I looked and found very positive reviews of the T5 and I ended up buying one based on that. I've only fired mine a couple of times since its been installed (early this past summer) And I've kept the loads fairly small. But I got some impressive heat output from it and was more impressed with its directional heat output. Ex. The rear of the stove had minimal heat coming from stove. The sides were similar with a general warmth coming from the very warm cast iron sides. The front however was hot! if your standing 6ft away you still have significant heat hitting you. This is with no blower attachment on it. The tight clearances was nice as well, letting one put the stove nearer to a surface and still be in code. The looks are just a bonus. It is a solid stove and the fire bricks are basic and available from most of my local stores.
Personally I think you'll be happy with a T5. Another very similar stove is the Jotul F500 Oslo. I only decided against that one due to the local pricing.
There are many in here who own one that will add to the positive comments of a T5.

Perry
Newfoundland, Canada

 

[begreen]

Hey Craig, forgot to say howdy and welcome to the forums!

 

[madison]

OP wishes to use the wood stove for primary heat.

15 ft ceilings, and lives in VT -- I'ld opt for the larger unit. For the extra ~ 4" in width (and cpl hundred bucks) and wishing to use the unit for primary heat I would not hesitate. You can easily modulate the heat output with the load size and blower.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

OP wishes to use the wood stove for primary heat.

15 ft ceilings, and lives in VT -- I'ld opt for the larger unit. For the extra ~ 4" in width (and cpl hundred bucks) and wishing to use the unit for primary heat I would not hesitate. You can easily modulate the heat output with the load size and blower.

+1 - Go bigger.
Take a stove that is rated for your house, and go one step up...longer burn times....overnight burns, etc...

 

[raybonz]

Welcome to the forum Craig! I have a new T-5 so I have no experience with how well it will heat my 1632 sq. ft. home.. I would think you may be OK with a T-5 providing you run ceiling fans blowing downward.. There is really no way to be sure..

Ray

 

[hemlock]

Hello,
I have a Super 27 (T5 firebox), with a slightly over 2000 sq ft house. It heats it quite well on all but the coldest, windiest days. Granted, our house is very well insulated, and gets lots of passive solar, the super does a great job. The layout of your home will be a big factor. We have recently installed an Enviro on the upper level to lend a hand on the days where the PE has trouble keeping up.