Napoleon 1100 or 1400 opinions....

[MGC67]

Hello everybody, after a tumultuous year my wife and I are back in the wood stove market. Last year
we had planned on a Hearthstone Shelburne; the hearth pad is still in place. Job losses have eliminated
that purchase. Although we still love the look of that stove, our economic situation has eliminated that
purchase. We have looked at and like the Napoleon brand of stoves, from the reviews here, every one
seems decidedly positive. I am debating about the size as Napoleon offers a 1.7 and 2.3 cu ft firebox. My
home is a two story, 95 year old farm house around 1200 sq ft. My down stairs has 9 foot ceilings;
the living area is 11 x 15. Upstairs has only 7 foot ceilings with blown in insulation in the attic. The
windows are all original minus 3 that I replaced in the upstairs kids rooms. Down stairs has 10 windows
averaging 33x54 inches in size. I am leaning towards the larger firebox, any opinions would be greatly
appreciated. You guys gave us wonderful advise last year regarding the Shelburne that really influenced
some of our decision making. Thanks again, cant wait to start burning.

Mike

 

[drhiii]

I have a Napoleon 1400 freestanding. Does well for the area I live in. Front range of Colorado where it can get cold, but does not stay that way. So the stove is suited for this area. I also burn a mix of pine (mediocre), pinion, cedar, juniper (all excellent), and it produces well. I've learned how to manage how I build a fire based on the temp and sustainability for longer burns. So overall, for the cost, am pleased. A blower is a good idea to maximize heat distribution.

Oh, go for the 1400. We have 1850 sq ft in a 1907 Victorian. You'll be happy with the 1400 for your digs.

 

[SolarAndWood]

My vote is for the larger firebox.

 

[MGC67]

thanks guys...

another question that I have is wether or not to order the louvre for the stove. Are they strictly ornamental or do they provide a functional prupose?

-mike

 

[ControlFreak]

Another vote for the larger firebox. You can always load it up with smaller loads and get the same performance of the smaller stove, but you'll never get the burn time of the large box if you have the small stove. Given that you're in NW Ohio, you'll see some pretty cold weather, and you'll want to be sure to have the larger capacity for those bitter cold nights.

 

[MGC67]

2.3 fire box it is......

thanks

 

[Joey]

MG...another vote for the larger firebox. I have a 1402 insert that has been burning everyday the last two weeks. Very happy with my local dealer. My poor local natural gas company is gonna wonder why I'm not using any of their product anymore. They will probably send somebody to my house to check my meter. Wood is the way to go.