This is no doubt a question you've seen before and I didn't initially post it because I'm new here and there's an instruction to read up before posting which stove to buy. But several regulars have suggested I post a new thread so here's my question.
I've got a 2650 square foot 2-story home that was built in 2006. It's well made but does have numerous windows and skylights. It's located in the Pacific Northwest, though my particular location sometimes gets a bit colder than most of the region. Right now, there's snow on the ground (though this is unusual for this time of year). It's typically in the 40s during the day and raining; maybe a bit cooler at night. We'll typically get snow a few times in January and February, though a couple of years ago temps got down to 15 degrees for a few days.
Right now the house is heated with radiant but it's powered by propane and this is costing us a fortune. I'd like to find a stove that can entirely heat the home and then we'd just use propane for hot water, cooking and a mostly decorative fireplace in the living room (that we almost never run). We do not currently have a wood stove.
The lower floor has a horseshoe shape and an open floor plan. Only the bathroom, laundry room and an office are separated from the living areas with doors. The front entry opens into the living room then the home bends 45 degrees into a dining room and then another 45 degrees to the kitchen and breakfast area and then to the family room which, itself turns 90 degrees to the bathroom, laundry room and garage.
The upstairs has a master bedroom and bath plus two other bedrooms and a hall bath. The staircase runs up from the entry way of the home. So we're considering placing the stove either at the other end of the horseshoe, in the family room, so the heat can run across the house before getting sucked up the stairs, or right in the middle of the first floor (in the dining room) and blowing it forward. Given the 45 degree angle toward both wings, some of the air should move toward the family room and some should move toward the living room and then run upstairs.
The dining room installation would be more aesthetically pleasing, placing the stove right in the middle of everything, but it would require running the pipe up over a window and then bending 90 degrees to go out through a wall and then bending 90 degrees again to run straight up the side of the house. It would also cause the pipe to run right in front of the main window in the master bedroom. Placing it in the family room would allow the pipe to run straight up through the roof. However, I'd have to rip out a built in entertainment center on the other side of the room because my wife insists on not having two focal points.
The biggest issue we're wrestling with is choice of stoves. We saw and really like the Lopi Cape Cod in the brown enamel finish. Gorgeous stove that's supposed to be really efficient. However, some of the folks who post here have had problems with warped baffles and andirons and one regular member had a cracked firebox. Also, given that we're often out for 12 or more hours at a time, the stove would go out at times.
It has a push button start feature so maybe that's not a big deal. We're hoping that our home, being modern and well built, would hold in the heat that was emitted during the day.
Another stove we're considering, based on the positive recommendations here, is the Blaze King Ashford -- which looks similar to the Cape Cod (though probably not as nice) and can burn for a really long time. This stove is rated for fewer square feet (2400 vs the Cod's 3000 -- according to the brochures). We could consider Blaze King's largest stove (the King), but we find it really ugly and it would probably be overkill 90% or more of the time. According to one very experienced member who has used both stoves, the Ashford would burn less wood and that's important to us. My sense is it wouldn't be as pretty to look at when it is burning, given that it's a cat stove designed to run most efficiently at lower settings.
It's hard to figure out what the best choice is. We're not necessarily limited to these two stoves, though I would have no idea how to move forward if we went with a stove not sold by a local dealer.
One last issue is price. The Lopi dealer will charge us $8,000 to $9,000 for the Cape Cod -- installed (depending on which location). Some have suggested this seems high. However, keep in mind that's with the enamel finish, quick start button and the fan.
Our lowest cost option so far is a dealer who would install an Osborn 2400 (rated for 2700 square feet according to the brochure), with the fan, for $4500 to $5000. We don't much like the look of that stove, but I'm wondering if it's a good choice. Another dealer swore by the Lennox stoves. Again, they're nothing much to look at.
We're open to considering stoves we've not seen yet, assuming we can find it and get it installed. I'm not qualified to do the installation myself. My wife and I know essentially nothing about wood stoves so the opinions of those more experienced are greatly appreciated. So far, we're leaning away from the Lopi due to concerns others have expressed about defects and the fact that, according to one person who used both, it goes through way more wood than the Ashford. But I'd be curious if anyone else has used this stove and what their experience has been. Thanks.
I've got a 2650 square foot 2-story home that was built in 2006. It's well made but does have numerous windows and skylights. It's located in the Pacific Northwest, though my particular location sometimes gets a bit colder than most of the region. Right now, there's snow on the ground (though this is unusual for this time of year). It's typically in the 40s during the day and raining; maybe a bit cooler at night. We'll typically get snow a few times in January and February, though a couple of years ago temps got down to 15 degrees for a few days.
Right now the house is heated with radiant but it's powered by propane and this is costing us a fortune. I'd like to find a stove that can entirely heat the home and then we'd just use propane for hot water, cooking and a mostly decorative fireplace in the living room (that we almost never run). We do not currently have a wood stove.
The lower floor has a horseshoe shape and an open floor plan. Only the bathroom, laundry room and an office are separated from the living areas with doors. The front entry opens into the living room then the home bends 45 degrees into a dining room and then another 45 degrees to the kitchen and breakfast area and then to the family room which, itself turns 90 degrees to the bathroom, laundry room and garage.
The upstairs has a master bedroom and bath plus two other bedrooms and a hall bath. The staircase runs up from the entry way of the home. So we're considering placing the stove either at the other end of the horseshoe, in the family room, so the heat can run across the house before getting sucked up the stairs, or right in the middle of the first floor (in the dining room) and blowing it forward. Given the 45 degree angle toward both wings, some of the air should move toward the family room and some should move toward the living room and then run upstairs.
The dining room installation would be more aesthetically pleasing, placing the stove right in the middle of everything, but it would require running the pipe up over a window and then bending 90 degrees to go out through a wall and then bending 90 degrees again to run straight up the side of the house. It would also cause the pipe to run right in front of the main window in the master bedroom. Placing it in the family room would allow the pipe to run straight up through the roof. However, I'd have to rip out a built in entertainment center on the other side of the room because my wife insists on not having two focal points.
The biggest issue we're wrestling with is choice of stoves. We saw and really like the Lopi Cape Cod in the brown enamel finish. Gorgeous stove that's supposed to be really efficient. However, some of the folks who post here have had problems with warped baffles and andirons and one regular member had a cracked firebox. Also, given that we're often out for 12 or more hours at a time, the stove would go out at times.
It has a push button start feature so maybe that's not a big deal. We're hoping that our home, being modern and well built, would hold in the heat that was emitted during the day.
Another stove we're considering, based on the positive recommendations here, is the Blaze King Ashford -- which looks similar to the Cape Cod (though probably not as nice) and can burn for a really long time. This stove is rated for fewer square feet (2400 vs the Cod's 3000 -- according to the brochures). We could consider Blaze King's largest stove (the King), but we find it really ugly and it would probably be overkill 90% or more of the time. According to one very experienced member who has used both stoves, the Ashford would burn less wood and that's important to us. My sense is it wouldn't be as pretty to look at when it is burning, given that it's a cat stove designed to run most efficiently at lower settings.
It's hard to figure out what the best choice is. We're not necessarily limited to these two stoves, though I would have no idea how to move forward if we went with a stove not sold by a local dealer.
One last issue is price. The Lopi dealer will charge us $8,000 to $9,000 for the Cape Cod -- installed (depending on which location). Some have suggested this seems high. However, keep in mind that's with the enamel finish, quick start button and the fan.
Our lowest cost option so far is a dealer who would install an Osborn 2400 (rated for 2700 square feet according to the brochure), with the fan, for $4500 to $5000. We don't much like the look of that stove, but I'm wondering if it's a good choice. Another dealer swore by the Lennox stoves. Again, they're nothing much to look at.
We're open to considering stoves we've not seen yet, assuming we can find it and get it installed. I'm not qualified to do the installation myself. My wife and I know essentially nothing about wood stoves so the opinions of those more experienced are greatly appreciated. So far, we're leaning away from the Lopi due to concerns others have expressed about defects and the fact that, according to one person who used both, it goes through way more wood than the Ashford. But I'd be curious if anyone else has used this stove and what their experience has been. Thanks.
