Grisu, your Florida joke was funny, but I'd like to know why you think that? The dealer I had spoke to here in CT said it would be a great stove for my home. Are the specs on the Enviro just not true and the dealer isn't sharing that with me? Or do you just feel the stoves you listed are better brands? Thanks!
JA600L pretty much answered your question already and my comment was certainly no knock on the Boston. By all accounts here it seems to be a great stove/insert. However, there are only that many BTU in a cu ft of wood. Thus, the bigger the firebox that larger the potential heating ability of a stove. In this chart you can see how firebox size correlates with average BTU per hour in heat output:
https://chimneysweeponline.com/wscomp8.htm If you are confident in the energy efficiency of your home you can try the Boston. But be prepared that maybe during real cold spells it will proof insufficient and you may need to run your furnace/boiler to supplement. Some people want to never turn on their alternative heating system, start to push the stove too hard and overfire it on a regular basis. If you will be mindful of the eventual limitations of the Boston it will certainly be a good heater most of the time. You could also look at the fuel consumption of the previous owners (if you have those numbers) and calculate from there what is the heating load of your home.
The 3200 sq ft is all on one floor. The dimensions of the fireplace opening is 461/2 inches (towards the front), 21in deep (to the front of the stone), 32 1/2 inches high. The hearth is 2 feet wide.
2 ft wide means deep? Then a rear-vented stove in that fireplace will be possible and some top vents will fit, too. You could forego the installation of an oversized surround then that you will need for most inserts and expand your selection. Plus, you could probably skip the blower. Just a few large stove models: Jotul F55 (rear-vent and possibly also top vent, frontloader), Jotul F600 (ditto but better as side-loader), Hearthstone Manchester (as F600), Hearthstone Mansfield (top vent, frontloader), Woodstock Progress Hybrid (top or rear vent, dedicated sideloader), Woodstock Ideal Steel (top or rear vent, frontloader), Pacific Energy T6 (top vent, frontloader), Quadrafire Explorer 3 (front or
top loading, rear vent, maybe top vent, will be close)
A frontloader could be pushed back as far as possible into the fireplace while with a sideloader you want to make sure that you still have access to the loading door. I concentrated on cast iron and soapstone stoves since you seem to like the design of the Boston. The Woodstock stoves are catalytic which means a slightly more efficient burn, longer burn times (on low), and more consistent and regulated heat output. They only sell factory direct but are located in Lebanon, NH, not too far from you. For all models the mantel height will be critical. You will probably need to check the manual and inquire with the company if with a heat shield over those stoves you could reduce the clearance to the mantel.
Make sure to also have a block-off plate installed, preferably with some Roxul insulation on top:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/make-a-damper-sealing-block-off-plate/ Otherwise, you will be wasting a lot of heat up the chimney.
I'm aware of getting seasoned wood. The wood I've been buying the past few seasons has been seasoned for a couple years.
Sorry if I jumped to early conclusions. It is very unusual that someone has found a firewood dealer that sells truly dry wood. Most of the time wood is advertised as "seasoned" because it has been sitting in logs for a few years but was split only a few weeks before delivery. However, the drying process only really starts once the wood is split. Did you ever split a few pieces in half and tested the center of the fresh surface with a moisture meter? That it seems to burn fine in a fire pit is not really any indication whether it is dry enough for a stove.
