New stove info

[retiredff]

Hello,
I have been lurking for a while and have decided on installing a Jotul 500 Oslo in late spring. I have read the specs on this stove but would still like more opinions. This is what I will try and heat during really cold weather (below 25deg).

2100 sq. foot 100 yr. old farm house that has been insulated with newer windows and 10' ceilings. I spent $1510 for LP last year (total). The 1st floor is near 1500 sq. feet and where we spend 90% of our time. The stove will be installed in the dining room that has an old interior chimney that will be relined with 25' of flex and insulated. The dining room and living room have pass thru vents to the 2nd floor. The stairs is located in the dining room and we have ceiling fan in EVERY room except the bath and laundry. The stairway has a ceiling fan that can be used to either push or pull air. If the 2nd floor is not as warm as the 1st floor that is fine. I do want a long burn for overnight and will probably not buy a stove with a built-in fan because of other info I have read on http://www.woodheat.org/

Will this stove do what I need? Is it to big/small?

Thanks

TonyB

 

[begreen]

I think you'll love the stove. It's a beauty.

 

[swestall]

600 is a bit bigger and might do better in that application. Look at the PE Aldera T5 or 6 also; they HEAT...

 

[retiredff]

Thanks for the replys. I like the left side door on the 500 as compared to the 600. I will look at PE line also.

I saw a few posts that some folks have bought Lowes englander stoves. Are these a viable option as compared to the more expensive Jotul?

Thanks

TonyB

 

[crazy_dan]

Thanks for the replys. I like the left side door on the 500 as compared to the 600. I will look at PE line also.

I saw a few posts that some folks have bought Lowes englander stoves. Are these a viable option as compared to the more expensive Jotul?

Thanks

TonyB

I do not have an Englander stove but their are several people on here who have them and are happy with them, so I would say that an Englander is a viable option if you can find one local Lowe's is supposed to have them on clearance right now so you might pick one up for even less than retail.

 

[kjklosek]

I have an Oslo and it is quite a powerful heater.

However I am heating about 1400 sqft. But mostly aroud 1200 since I close off one of the rooms in the back of the house.

My house is poorly insulated with some newer windows and a huge single pane picture window in the room where the stove is located.

The set-up works well, keeps the family toasty and looks good doing it.

However, you may want to consider the 600 or another brand of large stove given your requirements. I think you may be pushing the Oslo hard when the temperatures drop below 25.

Although it really depends on how open your floor plan is and how tight of a house you really have.

You will get overnight burns with it though.

J.P.

 

[retiredff]

Thanks SmokinJoe for the reply. My home has been insulated, the stove will be centrally located on the 1st floor and I have plenty of ceiling fans. I would say this house is above average as tightness goes. I spent $1510 last year for the heating season (Oct-May) with a 90% LP Trane furnace. The 1st floor is about 1500 sq'. I like the Oslo because of the left side door. This would fit perfectly with the location. I would like more info on the Lowes Englander stoves. In the fall these stoves list at around $900. How do these stoves compare in quality and heat output to the Jotul or any stove costing twice as much? I don't care about glitz, I want to stay warm and use the least amount of wood and have a clean burn.

Thanks

TonyB

 

[kjklosek]

Tony,

There are quite a few folks here who have the englander stoves from Lowes, and love them. I have never used one of their stoves, just the Jotul 100 and 500.

If you do not care about the looks, then the englander is hard to beat for the money.

Also, the Jotuls usually go on sale in February, My dealer has them at 15% off for the whole month. However you may need to jump on the Lowes stove, since they generally don't last too long once on clearance.

I am not a fan of the looks of a steel stove so I would go for the Jotul. I really enjoy mine. It sits in the middle of the living room so it is kind of hard to miss. Looks good even when it is not burning. Of course I am completley biased. But I don't think you could really go wrong with either.

J.P.

 

[retiredff]

Thanks J.P.

I also like the looks of the Jotul Oslo and the left side loading door works great for the location I have in mind. I will probably look at both and then make my decision. If I take the wife, her vote is for the Jotul!

 

[swestall]

Left Door stoves I know of are: Jotul, Hearthstone Heritage, Hearthstone Equinox (big monster).
I too thought I needed a left door stove. I had been using VC top loading stoves for a while and decided to go to another brand. If I couldn't top load, then I thought a side door would be good. In the end, I went with a Hearthstone that only loads from the front. My wife and I both wondered how it would work out. In fact, it is as if we never had done anything else; no problem. The ash cleaning system is probably more important than the side door for us.
If you really like the Jotul you can't make a mistake there.

 

[retiredff]

I have looked at top loaders. However they use a different technology in that the smoke is pulled thru the smoke and the coals at the bottom. These are also called downdraft stoves. I have read where these stove can be at times a pain to get a proper burn. That is why I have decided to go with a top re-burn for good emissions. I am sure there are others, but this reason is why I decided NOT to buy corn/pellet burners. None are plug & play, and most all require fine tuning constantly. I don't like to tinker and would rather drink my beer while it is still cold!

TonyB

 

[kjklosek]

Thanks J.P.

I also like the looks of the Jotul Oslo and the left side loading door works great for the location I have in mind. I will probably look at both and then make my decision. If I take the wife, her vote is for the Jotul!

Let us know which one you go with.

Also, don't forget to ask the dealer about the Jotul sale, if you decide to get the Oslo.

I am fairly ceratin that the sale is in February, although I think some dealers give between 10 and 15% off, you may be able to get an old stock stove for even less.

They also have a blower that can be attached to the larger Jotuls. You need the rear heatshield for it to work. I think it runs about $300-350 for the set up.

I have not heard it run, so I do not know how loud it is. I was considering it, but I have ceiling fans already and they seem to do the job.

If your wife likes the Jotul, then it sounds like a done deal!

J.P.

 

[retiredff]

J.P.
I also have ceiling fans to move the air and I will try and dicker with any dealer within driving distance. I will keep everyone posted.

TonyB

 

[retiredff]

I took the advise here and looked at the PE T5/6 and the summit. I looks as though both have the same interior firebox design, the outsides are different. How does the T5 or summit compare to the Jotul oslo? I like the straight line load of the PE's, nice feature. The main difference between the T5/6 is a 2" bigger log. I doubt if I will load logs that are EXACTLY 18 or 20". How critical is the wood length for overnight burns? I also found a dealer near me, he said it would be best for him to see the house and verify the room sizes, insulation of the home and location, so he could recommend the proper size of stove.

TonyB

 

[Gunner]

Olso is a tad small for your application IMO.

I think you would be better suited in the 3cuft firebox range.

I would get the englander over the jotul based soley on the fact that I hate stoves that can only load E/W.

 

[swestall]

Sounds like a good idea to have the dealer look at the house. Also, you might be surprised at the length of log you can actually get in there. Bring one with you to the dealer and see for yourself. I think the T5/6 is the same stove as the Summit, just with the cast iron covers, etc. Very nice though.

 

[Gunner]

T6=Summit -Large
T5=Spectrum -medium
T4=Vista -small

 

[begreen]

I've been thinking about this one for awhile. Normally I would agree that in Indiana in an old house the F600 might be a better heater, but the LP bill indicates that this house is not too bad for heating. Had it been $3000, then I would have only suggested the bigger stove. Congratulations Tony for getting the old farmhouse tightened up.

Your dilemma is the same as ours, a house that is on the cusp. Our houses are similar size and age. Either size (2 or 3 cu ft) stove will work for our houses, but will cover different heating ranges. The big difference between your situation and ours is that you have the potential to see much colder temps, but our house is probably losing more heat. So the question is whether you want a stove to cover 80-90% of your heating needs or if you want a reserve power stove that will cover the coldest conditions the house will see. My recommendation is to get the bigger stove. The bigger stove will mean shorter, smaller fires when the temps are above freezing. However, fuel is only going to get more expensive. If supply ever got spotty, the bigger stove will cover your needs 100%. If there is an extended power outage and it's in the middle of a raging blizzard, the bigger stove will give you peace of mind. The lessons of Oklahoma and the past ice storm are worth thinking about.

The difference between the PE Classic (Alderlea T5) and the Summit (Alderlea T6) is firebox size. T5=2 cu ft, T6=3cu ft. Some other stoves that will cover the house well are the Jotul F600 (3 cu ft cast), Quadrafire Isle Royale (3 cu ft cast), Hearthstone - Bennington (2.5 cu ft cast) or Mansfield (3.2 cu ft soapstone), Morso 3610 (3 cu ft cast) and the VC Defiant Encore (3.2 cu ft cast catalytic). All of these stoves will give good overnight burning.

 

[jbrown56]

Retired, I have been using my new stove for almost three months now after using a steel box stove for 26 years and am extremely happy with it. I heat 2100 sq. ft., 24/7, stove is centrally located, open concept with cathedral ceilings and four skylights on the second floor. On the coldest nights which were below zero, the thermometer on a windowsill 35' from the stove was 62*. The rest of the house runs 66* - 70* in the morning. We load at 10p and at 7a there are plenty of coals to get the fire going again. We started burning mid Oct. this year, the first three weeks with the old stove and so far we have burned about 2 cord so far. The ash pan works real well and is emptied every four days. We installed a 6" stainless liner after the first month and it greatly improved the draft and performance of the stove. More heat with less wood and the secondary burn is spectacular. Hope this helps.

Jim

 

[retiredff]

Thanks for the reply's. I think you guys have given me enough info and I will go for the bigger firebox.

BeGreen,
Thanks for your time in breaking this down. You made some good points. I can remember not that many years ago where -10 to -15 below zero were not uncommon. We have been spared the last 10 years or so, but it can happen.

The LP prices here are strange. I live 60 miles SE of Indianapolis, and I pay $1.79 per. gal. I have friends that live on Indy's west side and pay $3.50! Go figure. I think some dealers are just greedy.

Thanks again

TonyB

 

[begreen]

Best of luck Tony. Keep us posted with your progress.