Looking for new stove recommendations

[TheRogers]

Hi Hearth forums,

we are hoping-to-be new wood stove owners. We have been shopping for a wood stove for our 1500 sq ft. manufactured home in western Washington state. We would really appreciate it if we could get some of your experience on any of the following questions to help us out. Thanks a ton in advance.

1. Our house is 1500 sq ft. and has a large central great room/kitchen area. Some dealers have suggested stoves rated to 1500 sq ft. so we don't get heated out of our house. Others have suggested stove rated to 2000 sq ft. (for example, PE Vista vs. PE Super) so that we can have longer burn times or smaller fires but have the ability to get more heat instead of operating a smaller stove at max. We are not people who like having the house hot (have always set thermostat at 68) so this is a big part of the decision for us. What do you have in your house and what do you advise?
   
2. We went to a Lopi dealer who laughed at looking at Pacific Energy. Then we went to a Pacific Energy dealer who laughed at us looking at Lopi. Essentially comparing Lopi Answer to PE Vista and Lopi Evergreen to PE Super. Considering the first question, the biggest differences I see are:
   
   1. All PE are tax credit eligible, Lopi Evergreen is but not Lopi Answer
      
   2. PE seems about $1k less on stove price
      
   3. Lopi lists burn times but PE does not despite advertising “Extended Burn Time” tech on the Super
      
   4. What do you guys think I should make of all this?
      

1. I realize that Blaze King is a different type of stove being catalytic with their potential maintenance issues vs. the others being non-cat, but I love the idea of the long heating times. We would be looking at the Blaze King Sirocco 20. Thoughts?
   
2. Is there another stove we should consider purchasing?

I know this is a long post but I appreciate any responses. Thanks!

 

[stoveliker]

Others will comment on the other stoves. The advantage of a BK is the thermostat, this allows you to run the stove safely and stable on a low heat output. It extends the range of heat outputs to the lower end. It allows eg to use the stove easily in the shoulder season when heat demand is less.

I also note that the BK 20 boxes have about the same lower end of the heat output range as the 30 boxes, but because the fuel tank on the 30 box is larger, the burn times are larger.

Factors to consider: How tall is your chimney? Is it lined with an insulated liner? How well insulated is your home.?
How tall are the ceilings? Do you already have wood? Modern stoves need dry wood, and that is hard to find )even when advertised as seasoned it often is not dry enough.)

 

[EbS-P]

We are not people who like having the house hot (have always set thermostat at 68

Neither were we until we got a wood stove. 78-80 in the living room is common. Bedrooms are 65-68.

All PE are tax credit eligible,

Double check this. Last time I looked at the epa list PE was noticeably absent. It would be great if they made some changes and recertifications.

it’s not great time to be stove shopping supply I think is getting tight. Steel prices are up. Make a decision soon and if you don’t already have wood split and stacked consider a pallet of bio bricks/logs. Personally I like the looks of the PE T5. I have Jotul F400.

I get the appeal of a BK but I have never over heated the house with the wood stove. (Because I run the heatpump during those milder temps).

what is your current heat source? Do you have/want A/C. We have 3 ton heat pump I like the heatpump woodstove combination.

 

[stoveliker]

I agree (and have a minisplit-stove combo too).

I note that a 3 ton heat pump can (at max) deliver 36000 BTUs per hour. One can of course get less. A BK can deliver 11000-ish BTUs per hour (for 20 to 30 hrs, depending on the size firebox).

Also note that a manufactured home may be very tight, and you may need an outside air kit.

 

[begreen]

Welcome. I'm sorry that you are getting a fog of responses from dubious salespeople. Lopi and PE stove are good products. Whatever stove is chosen, make sure it works well on a shorter flue system unless a 15-16' height can be achieved. In addition to PE stoves, some Osburn, Drolet and Regency stoves will also work on a shorter flue system.

As described, the Super would be a better fit, but unfortunately, it misses the tax credit by 1% efficiency. The Super is a nicer design than the Vista and it has a square firebox for N/S or E/W loading. We have friends living in a 1600 sq ft manufactured home up in the Skagit Valley where temps in the teens are not uncommon in winter. Their home has 6" walls and excellent insulation. It has a 400 sq ft wing added and they have heated it almost exclusively with a PE Summit for the past 11 yrs.

One reason why we selected the PE stove for their place was that it operates well on a shorter chimney which is typical in manufactured homes. Their flue system is just at 13' but with a couple 90º turns, yet it burns properly when temps are below 50º. Their area sees frequent power outages so last year they added a propane stove as supplemental and for mild weather chill chasing.

 

[BCC_Burner]

PE stoves do not qualify for the 26% tax credit, no matter what the dealer tells you.

 

[begreen]

One thing to ask of any stove dealer this year is availability. Steel is up in price and inventory is low for some mfgs. this season.