Looking for a medium sized stove with a decent firebox

[Bub381]

This house was built in 1800,we just had the test done where they checked the temp of the house and scanned for the cold spots. Well i have taken some chair rail off and found no insulation in the walls. The house has been vinyl sided and supposedly insulated underneath. Gonna take siding and clapboard off and insulate when we can afford it.The down stairs is all we wanna heat whereas the upstairs draws from the downstairs but we don't wanna sleep in an 80 degree room which is upstairs. It has between 700 and 800 sq ft downstairs and around 400 sq ft upstairs which can be closed off, or partially and small rooms though we know how to move the air.We have a Vigilant wood stove and i'm thinking too big. Not being insulated i realize this is hard to answer but i'm thinking something that heats from 800 to 1400 sq ft. I live in Maine.Any ideas guys? I have looked at everything under the sun and i prefer a cast iron with that Resolute,Leyden,Shelburne look.Also you can decide which on the cat or no cat.Thanks all.

 

[certified106]

This house was built in 1800,we just had the test done where they checked the temp of the house and scanned for the cold spots. Well i have taken some chair rail off and found no insulation in the walls. The house has been vinyl sided and supposedly insulated underneath. Gonna take siding and clapboard off and insulate when we can afford it.The down stairs is all we wanna heat whereas the upstairs draws from the downstairs but we don't wanna sleep in an 80 degree room which is upstairs. It has between 700 and 800 sq ft downstairs and around 400 sq ft upstairs which can be closed off, or partially and small rooms though we know how to move the air.We have a Vigilant wood stove and i'm thinking too big. Not being insulated i realize this is hard to answer but i'm thinking something that heats from 800 to 1400 sq ft. I live in Maine.Any ideas guys? I have looked at everything under the sun and i prefer a cast iron with that Resolute,Leyden,Shelburne look.Also you can decide which on the cat or no cat.Thanks all.

Ohhh boy here we go again with this one.......
I wonder what came first the chicken or the egg?
My recomendations are to insulate the house first so you aren't heating the outside but if you don't want to do it that way I would recomend a large Vermont Castings Dutchwest (very affordable and dependable cat stove) or a Pacific Energy Spectrum Classic (non cat stove)

 

[Bub381]

I understand, why heat the outside! Can only fix what i can afford at the time. Thanks for your reply, muchly appreciated. Stove this yr insulate next yr.

 

[Mt Ski Bum]

This house was built in 1800,we just had the test done where they checked the temp of the house and scanned for the cold spots. Well i have taken some chair rail off and found no insulation in the walls. The house has been vinyl sided and supposedly insulated underneath. Gonna take siding and clapboard off and insulate when we can afford it.The down stairs is all we wanna heat whereas the upstairs draws from the downstairs but we don't wanna sleep in an 80 degree room which is upstairs. It has between 700 and 800 sq ft downstairs and around 400 sq ft upstairs which can be closed off, or partially and small rooms though we know how to move the air.We have a Vigilant wood stove and i'm thinking too big. Not being insulated i realize this is hard to answer but i'm thinking something that heats from 800 to 1400 sq ft. I live in Maine.Any ideas guys? I have looked at everything under the sun and i prefer a cast iron with that Resolute,Leyden,Shelburne look.Also you can decide which on the cat or no cat.Thanks all.

I'd go with the Leyden- Great looks, decent sized firebox, plus Lopi is known for making good quality stoves. You might also want to check out its cousin, the Avalon Arbor. Same stove, slightly different decoration. Also, if you are lucky enough to find one for sale, get a Lopi Sheffield (which Lopi doesn't make anymore)- the predecessor stove to the Leyden. I [personally] like its looks & design a bit better than the Leyden- single door instead of double door, lack of a top-loading door (not really into the whole top-loading thing), & optional stone inserts for the sides & top. Hearthstone's Shelburne isn't a bad looking stove either. The Leyden has a 2.3 cf firebox & accepts 21" logs, & the Shelburne has a 2.0 cf firebox & accepts 19" logs. Both stoves would be great choices.

As for the age-old catalytic vs. secondary burn debate, both have their advantages & disadvantages. An addition plus of most secondary-burn models is that you get cool-looking gas jet flames coming out of the secondary burn tubes as a result of the gases being re-burned. It's pretty much a matter of personal preference. My personal opinion is non-cat


btw- here's a pic. of Lopi's Sheffield:
God I wish they still made this stove... it just looks sooo awesome

http://www.geneseefireplace.com/_derived/stoves.htm_txt_Lopi_Wood_sheffield.gif

 

[Bub381]

I'll look into these, thanks for your opinion.

 

[BrotherBart]

You should look at the local guys too, Jotul. Assembled in Portland, Maine. The F400 or F500 should handle the job in that house.

 

[begreen]

Medium sized stove would put you in the ~2 cu ft range. If the budget is tight, I'd look at getting a simple steel stove or if not, perhaps a hybrid. Is there a Napoleon dealer in the area? They make some steel stoves with a cast iron shell that should pass the aesthetics dept. but still be affordable. I also like Jotul a lot and would look at BB's recommendations in cast iron. And there is another alternative made a little south of you from Woodstock. It sounds like their Keystone stove might fit here as well.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

BeGreen, I'm thinking the Fireview would be a bit better for him.

 

[Bub381]

Yes there is a Napolean dealer close by. A hybrid meaning you can switch from cast and non cast like some of the vermont Castings? I am gonna make a trip to look at the Woodstocks.

 

[begreen]

No, I meant a hybrid in the sense of a cast iron jacketed steel stove like the Jotul Rangeley, Pacific Energy Alderlea, Quadrafire Cumberland Gap and Napoleon 1400C stoves.

 

[SmokeyCity]

go with a BK Elvis

"the few, the proud, the blaze kings"

 

[Mt Ski Bum]

go with a BK Elvis

"the few, the proud, the barf kings"

I don't think that BK's fit the looks that the OP is looking for...

 

[Bub381]

No it doesn't but i've heard alot about the stoves on here.

 

[Todd]

BeGreen, I'm thinking the Fireview would be a bit better for him.

Either one would be fine, I have not found much difference in heat output between the two, the Fireview just burns a little longer but not much.

 

[SmokeyCity]

"the few, the proud, the barf kings"

BLASPHEMY

 

[Mt Ski Bum]

"the few, the proud, the barf kings"

BLASPHEMY

BK performance= A+; BK looks: F-

Now, if BK is willing to dress that King up to look more like a normal woodstove, then I'd be alot more attracted to it.

 

[SmokeyCity]

you are forgiven (this time)

"the few, the proud, the barf kings"

BLASPHEMY

BK performance= A+; BK looks: F-

Now, if BK is willing to dress that King up to look more like a normal woodstove, then I'd be alot more attracted to it.

 

[firefighterjake]

Honestly . . . and I know you mentioned it . . . I would work on the insulation first. $1,500-$2,500 for a cast iron stove in the size you are looking for would make a fair dent on the insulation. It's not as sexy or as "fun" as a woodstove but here's my reasoning.

1) Without insulation you're losing a whole lot of heat to the outside which is better for Al Gore and his dire predictions, but not so good when you're trying to retain the heat you generate. Perhaps just as important is that without insulation you lose the heat and then need to generate more heat to keep the house to temp . . . and this means you invariably use more wood.

2) Recommending a woodstove at this point is difficult. If we suggest going with a larger woodstove to offset the lack of insulation it may work OK now (you will still chow through more wood and will have a harder time evening out the temps inside), but once you insulate this much larger woodstove could be too much of a good thing and you'll be walking around half naked all winter long. On the other hand if we recommend a woodstove sized for your home (or even one larger) based on the fact you are hoping to insulate the house in a year or two, you may be close to freezing to death this winter or in future winters if your economic situation changes and you can't get to the insulating right away.

That said . . . I still understand having to purchase one item or the other . . . and I can certainly understand wanting to get a woodstove sooner than later due to the cost of heating oil . . . and truthfully . . . only you can decide what is right for you and your family. I will say in my case I made the choice to insulate first . . . the good news is I had some money built up so I was able to do both the insulation and woodstove and the insulating I had to do was fairly minimal.

Brands . . . all good ones that you mentioned . . . as also mentioned the Jotuls with the North American headquarters right here in Maine are also wicked good woodstoves if you're set on cast iron. If you're looking for good economical woodstoves there are Englanders, Napoleons and Regencys -- although these are steel, not cast iron.

Cat or no cat . . . at one time this would have played a big part in my decision on a woodstove. Now . . . I wouldn't sweat it too much either way. There are a few pros and cons to cats and the secondary burners . . . but nothing that would sway me to one side or the other . . . of course you could always go with some of the new stoves coming out that have both a cat and a secondary burner . . . still new tech though and limited to only a couple of brands.

 

[Bub381]

We burnt 960 gals of fuel last yr with the boiler.$250 a month yr round.This is what we pay they say we need to pay this and it keeps our heads above water yr round. Maritime Energy it is.We have $1000 credit and they send bills.Not getting into that any further! Will be cheaper with a woodstove if the place had 1 wall kicked out lol.Only have 2 walls to fix, 1 wall 23' long and the other about the same. Prob just gonna get this 1 wall done this yr and the woodstove because this heating bill would be cheaper with a stove and the poor insulation. I can split my own wood and save. I sure see your point and i agree with the insulation but i think this compromise will have to do. I may even get both walls done.Need to remove siding, take old clapboards off,insulate and plywood back up. I sure appreciate your thoughts, thanks.

 

[leeave96]

Were I you, I'd buy one of the Englander 30-NCH stoves at Home Depot on clearance (do a search on how folks found them online) for $649 and free shipping.

3ish cu-ft firebox - reliable stove.

I bought one - hard deal to pass-up.

If I want a more purty stove later, I ought to be able to ge most of my $$$'s out of it.

Haven't hooked mine up yet, but from what I read, it is a heating monster.

Good luck,
Bill

 

[begreen]

We burnt 960 gals of fuel last yr with the boiler.$250 a month yr round.This is what we pay they say we need to pay this and it keeps our heads above water yr round. Maritime Energy it is.We have $1000 credit and they send bills.Not getting into that any further! Will be cheaper with a woodstove if the place had 1 wall kicked out lol.Only have 2 walls to fix, 1 wall 23' long and the other about the same. Prob just gonna get this 1 wall done this yr and the woodstove because this heating bill would be cheaper with a stove and the poor insulation. I can split my own wood and save. I sure see your point and i agree with the insulation but i think this compromise will have to do. I may even get both walls done.Need to remove siding, take old clapboards off,insulate and plywood back up. I sure appreciate your thoughts, thanks.

Are you opposed to blown in insulation or foam? That goes a lot faster and with a whole lot less work on your part.

 

[Bub381]

The way this house is built it has cross memebers in the corners to hold the uprights so blown in wont reach the areas. The scans showed the areas missed. Just have to take the walls apart to see just how this place was built. Supposedly it had the blown in insulation done but i believe it has settled. It was done 20 something yrs ago.Who knows

 

[begreen]

When we had our last blown in insulation they checked every stud cavity by dropping down a weight on a string in the 3/4" hole to check for cross members or firestops. If they hit one. They would drop below the height indicated by string length and drill a new hole. Measure again and fill.

 

[firefighterjake]

We burnt 960 gals of fuel last yr with the boiler.$250 a month yr round.This is what we pay they say we need to pay this and it keeps our heads above water yr round. Maritime Energy it is.We have $1000 credit and they send bills.Not getting into that any further! Will be cheaper with a woodstove if the place had 1 wall kicked out lol.Only have 2 walls to fix, 1 wall 23' long and the other about the same. Prob just gonna get this 1 wall done this yr and the woodstove because this heating bill would be cheaper with a stove and the poor insulation. I can split my own wood and save. I sure see your point and i agree with the insulation but i think this compromise will have to do. I may even get both walls done.Need to remove siding, take old clapboards off,insulate and plywood back up. I sure appreciate your thoughts, thanks.

I think your plan with the compromise of insulating some or all of the house and getting a woodstove is sound . . . I was going through 580 gallons of fuel oil each winter . . . haven't topped my oil tank now in two years and that is with me still using the oil as a back up heat source when I'm away on vacation or away from the house for too long.

I still stand by my opinion though that insulating is important . . . even when wood is free . . . time is not always so easily available for many folks . . . and that's one thing about heating with wood that you need . . . time . . . time to cut the wood, buck up the wood, split the wood, stack the wood and let the wood season. Again . . . I think the compromise at getting at least a start on the insulation would be beneficial.

 

[Bub381]

I have only been here less than a month and this was done yrs ago.They did the pressure test on the house and ran the infrared or whatever and it was pretty bad.They figure the insulation was done b 4 the did the packing of the insulation that they do now. We just had the roof and upstairs done so wer're gaining. The roof of the knee walls that is and the upstairs has been done earlier.