need a second stove or insert

[stircrazy]

well my osburn upstairs is doing a great job, some days too good, but I am starting to get the hang of it.

anyways the problem I have now is that when I run the insert up stairs the furnace doesn't run and downstairs gets freezing.
so now the wife wants to remove the gas insert we have down stairs and put a wood insert down there also.

I am thinking of 3 different stoves, the PE summit insert, the Hearthstone heritage (as a hearth mount) or the BK princess insert.
what I want out of what ever I put in is to only have to load it every 12 hours. It doesn't necessarily have to burn for 12 hours but it would be nice if there was still some heat coming off the stove. Oh I burn pine and fir mostly with the odd fruit wood.

I was leaning towards the BK, but I was told at the fireplace center I may have issues with a outside masonry chimney and a cat stove in a basement install.

So my first question is for people with these stoves, how long do they actually burn and how long to they give usable heat.

and next is there better ways to move heat out of a room and into other rooms in the basement.

Steve

 

[rwhite]

Have the exact insert and the exact issue. We have no bedrooms downstairs anly the TV, laundry, and computer rooms. Right now I have one of those dimplex electric inserts in the basement fireplace and it heats that room fairly well. Other than that the basement stays around 60 and we only need heat if we are watching TV. I also used 2" foam to block the windows (old single panes) down there. I usually run the furnace for a few cycles in the morning as well until the wood stove catches up. I have been thinking of just installing some base boards since I have an open circuit from an unused electric stove. I have to follow this thread as I have been curious if I installed a insert if it would over heat the rooms. The stair well is at the far end and makes a 90 to get to the kitchen. I think i'd have a tough time getting heat upstairs. Another option I have considered is a pellet insert set on a thermostat.

 

[Dix]

I think that if the wife wants a second stove, the wife gets a second stove

 

[Loco Gringo]

so now the wife wants to remove the gas insert we have down stairs and put a wood insert down there also.


Steve

Youre a lucky man.

 

[stircrazy]

so now the wife wants to remove the gas insert we have down stairs and put a wood insert down there also.


Steve

Youre a lucky man.

oh ya real lucky, twice the wood to find and cut, haul in ect..

Steve

 

[stircrazy]

Have the exact insert and the exact issue. We have no bedrooms downstairs anly the TV, laundry, and computer rooms. Right now I have one of those dimplex electric inserts in the basement fireplace and it heats that room fairly well. Other than that the basement stays around 60 and we only need heat if we are watching TV. I also used 2" foam to block the windows (old single panes) down there. I usually run the furnace for a few cycles in the morning as well until the wood stove catches up. I have been thinking of just installing some base boards since I have an open circuit from an unused electric stove. I have to follow this thread as I have been curious if I installed a insert if it would over heat the rooms. The stair well is at the far end and makes a 90 to get to the kitchen. I think i'd have a tough time getting heat upstairs. Another option I have considered is a pellet insert set on a thermostat.

ya I have my oldest daughters room down stairs and it gets pretty cold. I was thinking a pellet also, but if I can get a deicent burn out of wood I'll go that way.

Steve

 

[tcassavaugh]

so now the wife wants to remove the gas insert we have down stairs and put a wood insert down there also.


Steve

Youre a lucky man.

my thoughts exactly.....i have a pe summit pedistal downstairs in my basement rec room and a jotul F 3cb upstairs. i've barely run the summit this year because its been so warm. the summit runs about 10-12 hrs with a good bed of coals still in it so you can start another fire. i ran it lately for a week and heated the whole house with just it. although it wasn't too cold getting to mid 20's during the night and mid 30s during the day, it heated the floors and the house to a comforatble 75 degrees. last year, it was almost only the summit using the jotul only when it got real cold. we don't use the downstairs much so unless it gets down to 55 or so down there, i don't even start it up and use the jotul exclusively this year, trying something different.....saves a bunch of wood for me.

cass

 

[stircrazy]

so now the wife wants to remove the gas insert we have down stairs and put a wood insert down there also.


Steve

Youre a lucky man.

my thoughts exactly.....i have a pe summit pedistal downstairs in my basement rec room and a jotul F 3cb upstairs. i've barely run the summit this year because its been so warm. the summit runs about 10-12 hrs with a good bed of coals still in it so you can start another fire.

cass

how much and what kind of wood are you loading in it for thoes burns?

Steve

 

[dafattkidd]

Stircrazy, what is the square footage of the downstairs and the upstairs?

 

[stircrazy]

Stircrazy, what is the square footage of the downstairs and the upstairs?

downstairs is 1000 sqft upstairs is the same. its your basic 1970's bi-level so the door is in the middle of the house and when you come into the front entry you either go up a set of stair to the upstairs or you go down to the basement.

heres a quick picture

so the red is the fireplace, the stairs in the middle (left side goes to upstairs, right side goes to down stairs from front entry)
upstairs is same layout but broken into a couple bedrooms bathroom kitchen ect.. I didn't put it in on the drawing but there is a bathroom laundry room and back entry in the top right space.

Steve

 

[webby3650]

If you want 12 hour burns, the B king is your only hope. My insert might be good for 8, and it's a pretty big stove. Pellets, really? Have you burned pellets before? I bet your gas unit is cheaper to operate, especially if you don't service it yourself.

 

[daleeper]

I was leaning towards the BK, but I was told at the fireplace center I may have issues with a outside masonry chimney and a cat stove in a basement install.

So my first question is for people with these stoves, how long do they actually burn and how long to they give usable heat.

and next is there better ways to move heat out of a room and into other rooms in the basement.

Steve

Does the fireplace center sell BK or cat stoves? If they do, then it might warrant a listen, otherwise they are just trying to sell you what they have. I would guess there are plenty of folks on here that can address the concern of a cat stove into an outside masonry chimney. Unless you already know that that particular chimney has an issue with draft, I would think it would be fine.

My vote would be the Blaze king, as they are well known for long burn times.

As far as moving air around in that basement to get heat in other rooms, you will have to discover what the natural air flow is with a smoke stick, then work with fans to improve or modify it. Just warming up that concrete will make a big difference down there, will be my guess.

Good luck.

 

[raybonz]

If you want 12 hour burns, the B king is your only hope. My insert might be good for 8, and it's a pretty big stove. Pellets, really? Have you burned pellets before? I bet your gas unit is cheaper to operate, especially if you don't service it yourself.

I disagree there are many stoves that will give you a 12 hour burn time.. The NC-30 and T-6 come to mind and there are others from Woodstock etc. that will give you 12 hrs.. My T-5 will go 10 hrs. easily..

Ray

 

[madison]

there are some really high BTU output, good looking gas stoves/inserts, thermostat controlled that I would consider for a number of reasons:
1. Lugging wood and maintaining wood stove down steps is a major hassle
2. Maintaining a second burn and keeping the two stoves on the same loading schedule will be difficult
3. Maintaining a wood supply for two stoves, OMG!
4. Much quicker warmups with the gas
5. Cost of nat gas looks to remain low for a long time
6. Changing out the existing gas flue $

If you work out of the house, or "She" or the kids loads and controls the wood stoves during the day, maybe a second wood stove...

 

[certified106]

If you want 12 hour burns, the B king is your only hope. My insert might be good for 8, and it's a pretty big stove. Pellets, really? Have you burned pellets before? I bet your gas unit is cheaper to operate, especially if you don't service it yourself.

Gotta disagree on the BK being the only stove to get a 12 hour burn as my T6 routinely does12-14 hours with coals to restart with no problems. I will agree though that if you go with the princess you could most likely go more like 20 hours between reloadss making the stove loading schedule a little easier

 

[tcassavaugh]

so now the wife wants to remove the gas insert we have down stairs and put a wood insert down there also.


Steve

Youre a lucky man.

my thoughts exactly.....i have a pe summit pedistal downstairs in my basement rec room and a jotul F 3cb upstairs. i've barely run the summit this year because its been so warm. the summit runs about 10-12 hrs with a good bed of coals still in it so you can start another fire.

cass

how much and what kind of wood are you loading in it for thoes burns?

Steve

sorry steve, didn't see the post. I run a mix. some oak, some maple even some of the southern maryland poplar and black walnut. i normally top out a load before i go to bed at night, cut back the draft...set the damper a little and the blower is still going in the morning throwing heat. One reason i got it is that my CDW just didn't have the burn time...i'd come home from work and the fire would be stone cold.....as mentioned, its got a pretty good wood box, and rated for 3000 sq ft. i can use it to heat the whole house but the jotul uses a lot less wood and as long as the downstairs doesn't get too cool, no need to start it up. exercise equipment is down there and the cooler temps make it much more enjoyable than having the stove going.

me...if i had it to do over, i would probably get one with a cat...and a thermostat......look at the bk princess, but there are others.

 

[stircrazy]

I was leaning towards the BK, but I was told at the fireplace center I may have issues with a outside masonry chimney and a cat stove in a basement install.

So my first question is for people with these stoves, how long do they actually burn and how long to they give usable heat.

and next is there better ways to move heat out of a room and into other rooms in the basement.

Steve

Does the fireplace center sell BK or cat stoves? If they do, then it might warrant a listen, otherwise they are just trying to sell you what they have. I would guess there are plenty of folks on here that can address the concern of a cat stove into an outside masonry chimney. Unless you already know that that particular chimney has an issue with draft, I would think it would be fine.

Good luck.

ya, they sell BK, PE, Hearthstone, enviro, jotul, and a couple others. I have no draft issue with my other flue, and for some reason they were saying the princess insert would draft better than the stove.

Steve

 

[Backwoods Savage]

well my osburn upstairs is doing a great job, some days too good, but I am starting to get the hang of it.

anyways the problem I have now is that when I run the insert up stairs the furnace doesn't run and downstairs gets freezing.
so now the wife wants to remove the gas insert we have down stairs and put a wood insert down there also.

I am thinking of 3 different stoves, the PE summit insert, the Hearthstone heritage (as a hearth mount) or the BK princess insert.
what I want out of what ever I put in is to only have to load it every 12 hours. It doesn't necessarily have to burn for 12 hours but it would be nice if there was still some heat coming off the stove. Oh I burn pine and fir mostly with the odd fruit wood.

I was leaning towards the BK, but I was told at the fireplace center I may have issues with a outside masonry chimney and a cat stove in a basement install.

So my first question is for people with these stoves, how long do they actually burn and how long to they give usable heat.

and next is there better ways to move heat out of a room and into other rooms in the basement.

Steve

Steve, with the stoves you've mentioned, I am surprised that you did not include a Woodstock Fireview, Keystone or Progress in your list. We came close to buying a Heritage before we bought the Fireview and we are extremely happy that we did not get the Heritage. It has been a decent stove for some but lots of problems have been mentioned. Also, with the Woodstock 6 month guarantee and top-notch customer service, it is difficult to go wrong and right now there is a huge sale on them.

 

[stircrazy]

well my osburn upstairs is doing a great job, some days too good, but I am starting to get the hang of it.

anyways the problem I have now is that when I run the insert up stairs the furnace doesn't run and downstairs gets freezing.
so now the wife wants to remove the gas insert we have down stairs and put a wood insert down there also.

I am thinking of 3 different stoves, the PE summit insert, the Hearthstone heritage (as a hearth mount) or the BK princess insert.
what I want out of what ever I put in is to only have to load it every 12 hours. It doesn't necessarily have to burn for 12 hours but it would be nice if there was still some heat coming off the stove. Oh I burn pine and fir mostly with the odd fruit wood.

I was leaning towards the BK, but I was told at the fireplace center I may have issues with a outside masonry chimney and a cat stove in a basement install.

So my first question is for people with these stoves, how long do they actually burn and how long to they give usable heat.

and next is there better ways to move heat out of a room and into other rooms in the basement.

Steve

Steve, with the stoves you've mentioned, I am surprised that you did not include a Woodstock Fireview, Keystone or Progress in your list. We came close to buying a Heritage before we bought the Fireview and we are extremely happy that we did not get the Heritage. It has been a decent stove for some but lots of problems have been mentioned. Also, with the Woodstock 6 month guarantee and top-notch customer service, it is difficult to go wrong and right now there is a huge sale on them.

didn't mention any of thoes as they are not available up here. I had the PE on my list as I know a few people with them who are happy with them, I have the BK on the list because anyone who seams to have one loves them, and I have the hearthstone on my list because it is a beautiful stove and I like the idea of stone.

what are some of the problems with the hearthstone?

Steve

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Steve, you can do some searching on this forum to find some. I've also talked to others who have had problems. In fact, I also recall when we were looking, running into a fellow who suggested we look elsewhere as he had bought the stove and had multiple problems. My memory is not as good as it once was but I recall the worst problem was with the doors and baffles. I also thing cracked stone was a problem but the biggest problem was that even though it was under warranty, the company or dealer would do nothing to help. In other words, no customer service after the sale. I've talked to 2 others who had problems with the door and one also had cracked stone to the point he could not run the stove until the stone was replaced. He also got no customer service.

This customer service after the sale seems to come up really often. We just had another one with a Harman stove that a fellow purchased new within the last two months. Has a problem with the stove and neither dealer nor company will help him. It seems that he paid around $3000 for the stove so this was not a small sale and you'd think at least the dealer would help out but they aren't. Customer service is also one of the best points about Woodstock. They are fantastic with working with people to fix any problems.

 

[stircrazy]

This customer service after the sale seems to come up really often. We just had another one with a Harman stove that a fellow purchased new within the last two months. Has a problem with the stove and neither dealer nor company will help him. It seems that he paid around $3000 for the stove so this was not a small sale and you'd think at least the dealer would help out but they aren't.

is that harman or hearthstone?

the hearthstone heritage is a 3900 buck stove up here (plus tax and liner and install) so I am starting to rule that one out.

the summit is 3200 but that includes the liner, and the BK is 3200 plus the liner. so the summit is the cheepest, 400 bucks difference. I am leaning towards the princess but I am a little concerned about the extra work and cost of running a cat stove.

Steve

 

[Backwoods Savage]

One I wrote about, the recent on that Pete has is a Harmon. The others I referenced to were Hearthstone Heritage stoves. The cost, because you are in Canada will certainly be a big factor in your decision. It is the same for the folks in Alaska. It is difficult with this problem but we have to live with it.

As for the extra work with a cat stove, I have no idea what you are referencing to. If it is the cat maintenance factor, I do not put much into that. The reason is that we clean our cat one time in mid-winter (and it usually really does not need cleaning then) and then again during the annual summer cleaning. In mid winter, it takes less than 5 minutes to remove the cat and clean it. I can actually do it in about 2 minutes with ease. There will be extra cost down the line when the cat needs replacing but there is extra cost with non-cat stoves as well and one I do not feel is any more expensive than the other. We have one member I think of who has a BK stove with a cat and I think his cat is over 10 years old and he has no problem. He lives in the Yukon.

As for running a cat stove, it is easy. We too were concerned about a cat stove because we had heard some nightmare tales so we had ruled them out. Long story short, we got a cat stove and have been very happy with it. Running it is very easy. There are 2 levers on our stove. One is, naturally, the draft. Then there is the cat bypass lever. That lever is either up or down. Simple. When we reload the stove, we open the bypass (have the lever down). Usually by the time we need to turn the draft down we can also move that little lever up to engage the cat. No more is needed done with the cat until you reload the stove. With the good dry wood we have, many times we engage the cat in 5 minutes and have done it in less. Book says generally 10-15 minutes to engage the cat.

Good luck to you on this project.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Steve, the fellow I referenced to with the Harmon stove goes by the name Pete1983 in case you would like to look up his posts.

 

[webby3650]

If you want 12 hour burns, the B king is your only hope. My insert might be good for 8, and it's a pretty big stove. Pellets, really? Have you burned pellets before? I bet your gas unit is cheaper to operate, especially if you don't service it yourself.

I disagree there are many stoves that will give you a 12 hour burn time.. The NC-30 and T-6 come to mind and there are others from Woodstock etc. that will give you 12 hrs.. My T-5 will go 10 hrs. easily..

Ray

I completly agree with you, but we are talking about inserts here.

 

[webby3650]

If you want 12 hour burns, the B king is your only hope. My insert might be good for 8, and it's a pretty big stove. Pellets, really? Have you burned pellets before? I bet your gas unit is cheaper to operate, especially if you don't service it yourself.

Gotta disagree on the BK being the only stove to get a 12 hour burn as my T6 routinely does12-14 hours with coals to restart with no problems. I will agree though that if you go with the princess you could most likely go more like 20 hours between reloadss making the stove loading schedule a little easier

I am very aware that the B King isn't the only stove that gets long burns. Unless I missed something, the OP was looking for an insert, and he burns pine. Gonna be hard to get 12 hours with most inserts.