Looking to upgrade my old stoves

[Millerburg]

I currently have a quadra-fire 3100 millennium and a pacific energy super 27. My home is 3400sq feet its a strange layout just a big L with one fireplace at each end in the basement. I am looking for longer burn times I can barely make it overnight on low with douglas fir or birch. These stoves are 13 years old around 2 cu ft fireboxes and I am getting 6 hour burn times. I have 2 because it gets to -30c in winter.

I dont care what they look like as they are in the basement, I am only concerned with long burn times and a cheap price. Here is what I have found so far:

Vozelgang tr007 ponderosa for $1500
Drolet ht2000 for $1600
Englander 30nc for $1137

I am in Canada which one or something different would you all recommend?

Thanks all

 

[begreen]

They would all do the job. I'm surprised the Drolet HT2000 price is so high. It's made in Canada. Drolet also sells the cheaper Austral II which has a 3.4 cu ft firebox if clearances are not an issue. If they are there is the Drolet Baltic II which is the same but with side shields.
(broken link removed to https://www.drolet.ca/en/products/stoves/austral-2015/)

 

[jatoxico]

I don't know the answer but I'd also want to know which of these is easiest to clean as in baffle removal etc. Might help make up your mind.

Edit for not reading carefully enough

 

[begreen]

The Drolets have a little edge there with a tougher c-cast baffle.

Are the basement walls fully insulated?

 

[jatoxico]

Not trying to derail but I did not think of this when I was looking so I was very lucky that my stove has sections of baffle that are easily removed. I'm in a walk out basement and often have to establish draft and it helps tremendously that I can access the flue directly. If the baffle was difficult to remove this would have been a much bigger problem day to day. Don't know if OP has same issue with his basement but being able to easily remove when sweeping would be a big plus even if he/she doesn't have the same problem.

 

[Ludlow]

Would a HeatPro be an option? Doesnt seem like the ambiance matters to you, just the heat.

 

[Millerburg]

The Drolets have a little edge there with a tougher c-cast baffle.

Are the basement walls fully insulated?

No its just concrete.

 

[Millerburg]

Would a HeatPro be an option? Doesnt seem like the ambiance matters to you, just the heat.

View attachment 236838

Thats a sexy unit, unfortunately in my old house there is no ducting.

 

[begreen]

Not trying to derail but I did not think of this when I was looking so I was very lucky that my stove has sections of baffle that are easily removed. I'm in a walk out basement and often have to establish draft and it helps tremendously that I can access the flue directly. If the baffle was difficult to remove this would have been a much bigger problem day to day. Don't know if OP has same issue with his basement but being able to easily remove when sweeping would be a big plus even if he/she doesn't have the same problem.

It's a reasonable point. The baffle in their current Super 27 and other PE stoves is easy to remove. There are no tubes in the way. It just lifts out as one assembly. The baffles in the big Austral (Baltic, Myriad) II Drolets are multi-piece and multi-layered. The tubes need to be removed to get the baffle out. The HT2000 is two piece. I haven't cleaned one but it looks like one might be able to slide the baffles forward, then temporarily move the back baffle on top of the front one. There is an insulation blanket on top so doing this would need room enough to reach over and move the rear blanket weight. That's the theory at least. If someone owns one they can probably explain the cleaning procedure better.

 

[Millerburg]

Are looks a consideration?

I don't know the answer but I'd also want to know which of these is easiest to clean as in baffle removal etc. Might help make up your mind.

looks are not a consideration, I don't care what she looks like just that it gets longer than 6 hour burn times. I want something that will burn all night, as in I load it at 10pm and dont have to load it again until like 8am.

 

[begreen]

No its just concrete.

That's a huge problem. About a third of the heat is getting sucked out the walls. Put in other words, one cord out of three is heating the ground. Insulating the basement would make a very big difference in comfort and it might even make it so that the two stoves can keep up with the heating load. The Super 27 is easily capable of a 10hr burn time.

 

[jatoxico]

looks are not a consideration, I don't care what she looks like just that it gets longer than 6 hour burn times. I want something that will burn all night, as in I load it at 10pm and dont have to load it again until like 8am.

I didn't read your post carefully enough but upon reread I see you mentioned looks don't matter.

You said that you have fireplaces at each end, what kind of chimneys do the current units vent into?

 

[Millerburg]

That's a huge problem. About a third of the heat is getting sucked out the walls. Put in other words, one cord out of three is heating the ground. Insulating the basement would make a very big difference in comfort and it might even make it so that the two stoves can keep up with the heating load. The Super 27 is easily capable of a 10hr burn time.

Keeping up with heating the house isnt a problem, just the burn times as I don't want to get up at 4am to fill it. The super 27 will be down to nothing but a couple of coals on low overnight seems to me because the firebox is so small I can't fit much wood in.

 

[Millerburg]

I didn't read your post carefully enough but upon reread I see you mentioned looks don't matter.

You said that you have fireplaces at each end, what kind of chimneys do the current units vent into?

Brick... there is no stainless liner like my old house had to have installed and it was recently wett certified not really educated on chimney types.

 

[freddy]

No its just concrete.

Fix the source of the problem. Would the cost of insulating be difficult or cost more than a new stove(s)?

Seems like short burn times even with doug fir/birch for that size of box?

 

[Millerburg]

Fix the source of the problem. Would the cost of insulating be difficult or cost more than a new stove(s)?

Seems like short burn times even with doug fir/birch for that size of box?

yes way more than 3000. That is on the list but we have some framing and reno's to do down there before we finish the walls. I guess I should add that the 12 year old stoves need some extensive work, all new brick, some of the sides have been heat damaged, the baffles are all bent and in poor shape. We bought this place 9 months ago and rather than spending the time/money on repairing I am looking to replace. Just looking if the stoves I had listed would be a burn time upgrade than my current stoves... Also probably just do 1 this year and 1 next year.

 

[freddy]

With the advise of others on here, you should have no problem finding something with longer burn times. Longer burn times may not keep the house that much warmer though in your situation...especially at -30c. Hopefully someone with a setup similar to yours can share their experience and help you out.

 

[jetsam]

I'd be doing both. With the heat load going way down due to insulated floor and walls, the new stoves will need to do less work and you should be using a ton less wood.

It's not just that the exposed concrete is chilly- it's that it is in direct contact with earth, and is an infinite heatsink for your purposes. All radiant heat that hits it is just gone, and steel stoves are all about radiant heat.

Slab and wall insulation is easy to do yourself and fairly cheap. I'd do all the exterior walls this year, plus the floor in the room that the new stove is in. Do the floor on the other side next year when you do the other stove.

You'll be amazed at the difference that even a little insulation makes, and this will allow you to turn those fancy new stoves down lower even in cold weather. Less reloads, less wood, more sleep.

Insulating basement walls costs 2x4s and R13. Floors are a bit more expensive, often using plastic sheeting, 2x3 sleepers, foamboard, and plywood.

Ditch the quote for thousands and do it yourself for a few hundred.

 

[Jazzberry]

It's a reasonable point. The baffle in their current Super 27 and other PE stoves is easy to remove. There are no tubes in the way. It just lifts out as one assembly. The baffles in the big Austral (Baltic, Myriad) II Drolets are multi-piece and multi-layered. The tubes need to be removed to get the baffle out. The HT2000 is two piece. I haven't cleaned one but it looks like one might be able to slide the baffles forward, then temporarily move the back baffle on top of the front one. There is an insulation blanket on top so doing this would need room enough to reach over and move the rear blanket weight. That's the theory at least. If someone owns one they can probably explain the cleaning procedure better.

The NC30 requires the first tube to be removed. Super easy one screw and less than 30 seconds to remove. Two baffles then slide out.

 

[bholler]

The NC30 requires the first tube to be removed. Super easy one screw and less than 30 seconds to remove. Two baffles then slide out.

Untill that cheap screw breaks off and you need to drill and tap for a proper bolt.

 

[bholler]

I'd be doing both. With the heat load going way down due to insulated floor and walls, the new stoves will need to do less work and you should be using a ton less wood.

It's not just that the exposed concrete is chilly- it's that it is in direct contact with earth, and is an infinite heatsink for your purposes. All radiant heat that hits it is just gone, and steel stoves are all about radiant heat.

Slab and wall insulation is easy to do yourself and fairly cheap. I'd do all the exterior walls this year, plus the floor in the room that the new stove is in. Do the floor on the other side next year when you do the other stove.

You'll be amazed at the difference that even a little insulation makes, and this will allow you to turn those fancy new stoves down lower even in cold weather. Less reloads, less wood, more sleep.

Insulating basement walls costs 2x4s and R13. Floors are a bit more expensive, often using plastic sheeting, 2x3 sleepers, foamboard, and plywood.

Ditch the quote for thousands and do it yourself for a few hundred.

It costs way more than a few hundred to insulate an entire basement. Beleive me i just did it.

 

[Jazzberry]

Untill that cheap screw breaks off and you need to drill and tap for a proper bolt.

LOL Sounds like you have a dummy with an impact driver on your crew.

 

[bholler]

LOL Sounds like you have a dummy with an impact driver on your crew.

Nope i have never used an impact driver on one always a hand driver and they break off all the time. Honestly more often than they come out.

 

[bholler]

On any stoves that use just sheet metal screws that I install I always take them out and tape for real bolts. It is much easier to lay them on their side and do it ahead of time.

 

[Millerburg]

Thank you all for the advice. Now before I go and buy the Ponderosa any reason why I should buy something different?