new here and a question!

[Antoinem]

Hello eveyone!
New on the forum, but I've went trough a few posts as we are looking for a new stove.
Really nice forum with a good vibe!
Before I start, english is my second language, so if I'm not clear, tell me, I'll find a way to explain better!

We live in an old house (1803) in Québec (Canada). Cold weather has setteld in an we have decided to buy a new stove. We heat the house with wood only, fairly succesfully with a pre-epa stove. The main problem with our stove is wood consuption and short burn times (cold mornings).
The stove is located centrally on the first floor, semi-open plan, the second floor taken up by bedrooms.
The insulation is pretty low, but we are working on it. About 1600 square feet.
There is also a "summer kitchen" (do you say that in english?) a small house 20'X20' attched to the house that communicate to the main house by a single door. Eventually, we'd liked to insulate it well; kids are growing up, we'll need a refuge!! :D

So, we went to a couple of dealers and were pretty much decided to get a kodiack 1700. We ruled out cast iron, because of price even if we really like them(there was a fantastic Harman). The kodiack seemed like a very nice option and a promotion will put in a free fan with it for 1900$+tx. But then we saw a Pacific energy Summit. At 2200$ not a big difference but no fan included.
So we're not sure now.... Once the fan and taxes added, the Pacific is over our budget by a good margin, but not completely innaccessible. We heard exellent things about this model (the seller implied it was "more efficient"), and we are wondering witch one now...
One last thing, it might seem were going for a huge output in relation to the surface we have to heat, but we will want to heat the summer kitchen eventually. With fans in strategic locations could it be done?

Basically: is there that much of a quality difference between the two? Is a fan essential (That would bring the price down for the Pacific), to owners of one or the other, what to expect for overnight burns?

Thank's a lot for your input, sorry for the long post, but like most people, this is a big investment and we want to keep the stove for a long time.

Thank you!

 

[HotCoals]

I really don't have any knowledge about those stoves but I would like to say the investment is substantial,but remember to divide cost difference out over say 10 years.

 

[begreen]

I haven't read a bad word against the Enviro Kodiak. That sounds like the best deal for you. The Summit is a different design and a great stove, but to answer your question, they are both quality stoves. The primary difference is that at 3 cu ft. the Summit will have greater capacity.

 

[Oregon aloha]

Both stoves are good choices. If you are puttting in an insert you will want a fan. If it's free standing the fan would be optional and you may never use it. The thing you'll need to get is your wifes approval. She is the one that's most importand person in the decore of the house.

 

[BrotherBart]

Both are fantastic wood stoves. You will not be sorry if you install either of them. The Summit does have a .5 cubic foot, as calculated by the manufacturer, firebox capacity advantage which if true gives you a little more space for loading wood. But not true. They both advise loading to the top of the firebrick and those bricks are the same height in both stoves. The rest of that space is the combustion space above the load of wood.

Be confident in purchasing either stove.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

If I were looking to heat 1600 sq ft, and then 400 sq ft later on, I'd choose the larger stove.

I'd buy the stove you like better. Over time you'll forget the additional cost and never wonder if you should have bought the other one instead.

 

[Antoinem]

Thank's, I appreciate your advices.
We'll probably go with our first idea, the kodiack.
By the way, is Vistaflame and kodiack the exact same stove?

Oregon aloha, I see you went trough this already!

 

[jdp1152]

I'd focus on air sealing and insulation before pushing forward with a new stove. Both are relatively inexpensive depending on the direction you choose. Then pick a new stove. I'll refrain on my air sealing over insulation diatrabe on this forum, but suffice to say, one is more important than the other....from both the exterior and interior of the home.

 

[Oregon aloha]

By the way, is Vistaflame and kodiack the exact same stove?

When I did my investigation all I could come up with is the Vistaflame has no choices, you get the basics. With the Kodiak you can get options, like different door trims.

I almost bought the Kodiak myself at one point, but due to my custom install the dealer wouldn't sell me any stove. If you have a Kuma dealer in your area, then you can add their stoves to you list.