New to the forum

[Pineridge2000]

Hi all, new to the forum. but been reading threads for a couple years now.
the reason im finally posting a thread is because im looking to upgrade my stove. currently i have a avalon 990 and its a nice little stove but its just not enough on the real cold days. my house is 1800 sq feet which is about max of what the stove is rated for and im just looking for something a bit bigger. any suggestions are appreciated
i have been looking at getting a lopi liberty used from a guy about 2 and a half hours away for 1600, but some people i have been talking to said this stove will probably end up cooking me out of my house. any insight is apprecitated

 

[jetsam]

"You can build a small fire in a big stove, but you can't build a big fire in a small stove."

That said, if you heat primarily with wood, you might want to shop for a big stove that has good turn-down and can also do low burns.

I'd be real cautious about spending $1600 and a 5 hour drive on any stove, especially one that retails for $2500ish.

 

[Pineridge2000]

thanks for,your response. And It is alot of money, I priced out a new liberty and the salesman told me a price of 3000 for just the new stove. This used one comes with pipe but its also 10 years old.
Talking to my boss about it, he said he woild possibly be getting a new stove. Telling me hed sell me his dutchwest but I'm not to familiar with that type stove and I havent heard the best of reviews

 

[Highbeam]

At best, the lopi is worth half of the new price. Lopi is a good brand but their stoves are known to be hot runners.

 

[begreen]

The Liberty would work fine as long as the heat is not trapped in a smaller room or area. You don't need to run it with a full load. There may be more suitable stoves depending on the clearance requirements and wood loading needs. At 10 yrs old the stove may only be worth a third of new and that is if it is in great condition. If it has been pushed hard for heating 24/7 then it may need some replacement parts. Examine very closely for cracks in the secondary manifold at the corners, at the top, rear center and near the tubes.

The Liberty is primarily an E/W loader. For the price you are looking at I would recommend a new 3 cu ft Drolet (HT2000 or Baltic II) or an Englander 30NC instead. That will provide you with a square firebox that you can load N/S or E/W and you will save about $500.

 

[Pineridge2000]

My house is an open floor plan from the dinning room kitchen and into the living room where my hearth is located. e\w doesnt bother me so much, thats how i fill the rainier 990 now.
ill research on here about these other stove but being a "offbrand" or not name brand will these stoves last. yes i know it all depends on how its ran or taken care of.

 

[moresnow]

Drolet or Englander brands are very well represented here. As are the models suggested. If you are interested in details of the HT2000, PM me anytime. I am also familiar with the Liberty. A 10 year old unit at that. It needs work now. Inspect the secondary burn sys. Closely. As well as the bypass plate. Both are compromised on the Liberty I am around. My 2 cents worth.

 

[byQ]

Also, Woodstock is not to far from where you are. They start having sales around this time of year. This company appears to take pride in the performance and looks of their stoves.

 

[begreen]

My house is an open floor plan from the dinning room kitchen and into the living room where my hearth is located. e\w doesnt bother me so much, thats how i fill the rainier 990 now.
ill research on here about these other stove but being a "offbrand" or not name brand will these stoves last. yes i know it all depends on how its ran or taken care of.

E/W loading works, but one can no load the firebox as full. If you are buying a larger stove for greater capacity it's nice to be able to use all that capacity. Loading NS means one can pack the stove without concern of a log rolling forward against the glass.

The Drolet and Englander stoves are not off-brand. They are time-proven and respected names. Drolet has been around for a long time. It's the value line for SBI which also makes Century, Enerzone, and Osburn stoves. They know what they are doing. Moderator BrotherBart here has been heating with the same Englander 30NC since around 2006. The Englander is also sold under the Summer's Heat brand. It is more basic than the Drolet with a ninsulation board baffle, but a good heater.

 

[georgepds]

Also, Woodstock is not to far from where you are. They start having sales around this time of year. This company appears to take pride in the performance and looks of their stoves.

Don't underestimate the look. It's not something I normally care about, for me it's performance first. But, after several years of people commenting on how nice the PH looks, one starts to notice

That, and the staff at Woodstock are great. You get someone from the NH factory on the phone when you call, and if they don't know the answer to your question, they will find someone who does

I can't remember the formal turndown numbers (range of BTU/Hr).. but I build fires with anything from three splits to stuffed to the gills. The low end helps on those days you don't want to overheat.

 

[Pineridge2000]

So after weeks of looking I was destined to buy the drolet Austria ll. I liked the looks of the stove and the option of the by pass. But after drinking a cup,of coffee earlier yesterday morning I found a very nice and we'll taken care of hearth stone mansfield for $500 not to far from my house. The second owner had it inspected and cleaned 2 years ago and said he had barely used it because he wasnt home enough to keep constantly reloading it. Well I hope I made a good purchase and now I gotta sit and look at a stove till I can fire it when the weather turns cold

 

[ratsrepus]

thanks for,your response. And It is alot of money, I priced out a new liberty and the salesman told me a price of 3000 for just the new stove. This used one comes with pipe but its also 10 years old.
Talking to my boss about it, he said he woild possibly be getting a new stove. Telling me hed sell me his dutchwest but I'm not to familiar with that type stove and I havent heard the best of reviews

I had the down draft type dutchwest, I got 10 years out of it before it totally fell apart inside. Id stay away from that type stove.