New wood stove purchase

[WarHorse]

Hello, long time lurker here. Finally joined Hearth this Christmas morning. Santa apparently didn't get my list, as the new stove I wanted wasn't here. O well it was probably to heavy for the sleigh...I hear only 4 reindeer will be assisting Santa due to the economy lol.

Anyway.....I need a new wood burning stove.

I live in Kansas. Currently have a Vermont Casting's Defiant wood stove built in 1978. My home is an old DRAFTY 1 1/2 story farmhouse. Approximately 50'x40' with 9' ceiling's. Lath and plaster. Old windows. No insulation in the wall's. There is insulation in the attic. I have an 8" class A chimney approx. 24' long located in the central part on my home.

I burn seasoned hackberry in the first part of the winter, then switch to locust or hedge.

I have used the Vermont Casting stove for about 13 years. It can't keep up when it gets below 20 degrees, especially if the wind is blowing at 15 mph or more. I have to shovel coals out of the firebox in order to make room for more wood. I get about 7 to 8 hours burn time with the stove banked for the night or when I go to work.......but the house is chilled when I wake up or come home from work.

I have been cruising on the internet for quite sometime. Have decided on Cast Iron or steel. With at least a 3 cubic foot firebox. NON CAT. One stove that interest's me is the QuadraFire 5700. What other company's, and model's should I be looking at??????????

 

[begreen]

Welcome!

In cast iron I would look at the Quadrafire Isle Royale and Jotul F600. In steel you have a lot of choices. Even some of the low budget stoves are good like the Englander 30NC, Drolet HT2000 or Enviro Kodiak 2100. On the high-end 8" flue, catalytic stoves I would look at the Blaze King King, Kuma Sequoia and Buck 91. In 8" flue, non-cats I'd consider the Quad 5700, Buck 94NC, and Country (Lennox) ST310.

PS: I would also investigate having insulation blown in the walls and definitely start sealing up those leaks. That would be a very good investment that will keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Have an energy audit done on the house and see if there are any state programs and tax credits to help out.

 

[snowleopard]

Any chance you could start working your way through the house room by room, furring it out and putting in insulation and sheetrock over the beautiful old plaster and lath? You didn't mention what you have under the floor, but that can be a place to make a big difference, too. If you have single-pane windows, you just about might as well have holes in the sides of your house, so that would be something else to look at.

If the wind is an issue, as it sounds that it is, you could also consider some outdoor plantings to help with that. Some pine trees planted in a phalanx upwind could go a long way in helping shelter you. Obviously, that's going to take some time, but something to consider.

A house I know of has serious insulation problems, and a serious wood stove. You can stand right next to a roaring fire, and be hot on one side and cold on the other. All that heat just seems to dissipate as it's generated.

Sounds like you've ruled out soapstone, and that would be my next recommendation--I've lived w/myriad stoves, and this does the best for even heat. I have 2/3's the house you do, but for us 20 above zero is our idea of warm. At those temps, one fire a day usually keeps the house as warm as we like; that's the difference insulation and solar gain can make. If you don't go with stone, I recommend a high thermal-mass hearth, something that can hold the heat and radiate it out over a longer period of time.

If you don't want to do insulation upgrades, I'd recommend you consider more than one stove. When you're trying to heat 3000sf with poor insulation and prairie winds and nine-foot ceilings, you've got a tough heating situation.

Don't know what Santa was thinking there . . .

 

[jeff_t]

Somewhat limited by the 8". Buck 94nc is the only non-cat that comes to mind, but I'm sure there's more. Being tall and inside, you might be able to get away with a reducer for a 6" outlet. Look at anything big with your heat load. Maybe check out the Elm. Very unique, and he makes some monsters.

Think seriously about insulation and sealing up those drafts. Can never go wrong with that.

Also, don't be afraid of the cat. There are many cat/non-cat debates already, just saying that it shouldn't be a deal-breaker to get the right stove for you.

 

[MarkinNC]

You might note that I don't have a CAT stove but I would be all over a BKK in your situation. Why the no CAT stipulation?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I also wonder why not a cat stove... Some folks have heard bad things about the cat stoves but those bad things are usually told by sellers who do not sell cat stoves. Ask people who own one and you get a much different opinion.

We too had our mind made up to not get a cat stove when we bought our last stove because of hearing some bad tales. Long story short, we now have a cat stove and love it. Love the long burn time, the clean chimney and the fact that we now burn only half the wood we used to.

 

[WarHorse]

Welcome!

In cast iron I would look at the Quadrafire Isle Royale and Jotul F600. In steel you have a lot of choices. Even some of the low budget stoves are good like the Englander 30NC, Drolet HT2000 or Enviro Kodiak 2100. On the high-end 8" flue, catalytic stoves I would look at the Blaze King King, Kuma Sequoia and Buck 91. In 8" flue, non-cats I'd consider the Quad 5700, Buck 94NC, and Country (Lennox) ST310.

PS: I would also investigate having insulation blown in the walls and definitely start sealing up those leaks. That would be a very good investment that will keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Have an energy audit done on the house and see if there are any state programs and tax credits to help out.

Thanks for the Welcome BeGreen!! Just arrived back at the house after spending Christmas with my family. I really shouldn't eat so much.

I have visited a few wood stove dealership's to look at as many stoves as possible. I have seen the Isle Royale. It's a nice stove, but I despise top loading stoves.

The Jotul was a nice stove. One thing I didn't like was the extra hardware that was used to mount the doors.................... K.I.S.S. Have no idea how big their firebox is because their brochure doesn't give a clue. If I remember right the side door was smaller then I would liked to have seen. Pretty stove though. I will keep it on my list... for now.

The Country ST310 from Lennox looks interesting. I'll have to find a dealer, and go check them out.

You mention Buck stoves, the one thing I can appreciate from the Buck Stove's I have looked at is how the door handle locking cam does not come into contact with the fire. That is a sweet idea! I like the Bay window design. Have read that the bay windows don't stay clean???? Reading reviews(opinions)on Buck stoves are a little bitter sweet. But as i become seasoned with life.....sometime's you just gotta stick your own toe's in the water.

Quadra Fire 5700, I like everything about this stove except for two things. First cosmetics.....the door trim. I would rather have a nickell door like Buck Stove offer's.
Second, I don't like the trapdoor for ash removal. It does have nice big door hinges, with big hinge pins. Much bigger firebox compared to my Vermont Casting Defiant. Not sure what purpose that little tab of metal was suppose to be located behind the door cam???

Does anyone know if Buck,and Quadrafire buy American steel to build there stoves????

Thank you for mentioning the energy audit. I will have to do this,as well as insulating the walls. This is something that will have to wait. I'm planning on remodeling the house in the future, and don't want to spend anymore money then I have to at this time.

 

[spacecowboyIV]

Any chance you could start working your way through the house room by room, furring it out and putting in insulation and sheetrock over the beautiful old plaster and lath? You didn't mention what you have under the floor, but that can be a place to make a big difference, too. If you have single-pane windows, you just about might as well have holes in the sides of your house, so that would be something else to look at.

If the wind is an issue, as it sounds that it is, you could also consider some outdoor plantings to help with that. Some pine trees planted in a phalanx upwind could go a long way in helping shelter you. Obviously, that's going to take some time, but something to consider.

A house I know of has serious insulation problems, and a serious wood stove. You can stand right next to a roaring fire, and be hot on one side and cold on the other. All that heat just seems to dissipate as it's generated.

Sounds like you've ruled out soapstone, and that would be my next recommendation--I've lived w/myriad stoves, and this does the best for even heat. I have 2/3's the house you do, but for us 20 above zero is our idea of warm. At those temps, one fire a day usually keeps the house as warm as we like; that's the difference insulation and solar gain can make. If you don't go with stone, I recommend a high thermal-mass hearth, something that can hold the heat and radiate it out over a longer period of time.

If you don't want to do insulation upgrades, I'd recommend you consider more than one stove. When you're trying to heat 3000sf with poor insulation and prairie winds and nine-foot ceilings, you've got a tough heating situation.

Don't know what Santa was thinking there . . .

I'm going to have to agree with snowleopard here, a better use of your money is to forget the wood stove and get some insulation in the walls and upgrade those windows. Even after upgrading you're going to have a hard time heating your home with only one stove, houses the age of yours are usually broken into smaller rooms making it difficult to move heat around. As others have mentioned to long/low heat cat stoves would probably work best in your application.

 

[WarHorse]

Any chance you could start working your way through the house room by room, furring it out and putting in insulation and sheetrock over the beautiful old plaster and lath? You didn't mention what you have under the floor, but that can be a place to make a big difference, too. If you have single-pane windows, you just about might as well have holes in the sides of your house, so that would be something else to look at.

If the wind is an issue, as it sounds that it is, you could also consider some outdoor plantings to help with that. Some pine trees planted in a phalanx upwind could go a long way in helping shelter you. Obviously, that's going to take some time, but something to consider.

A house I know of has serious insulation problems, and a serious wood stove. You can stand right next to a roaring fire, and be hot on one side and cold on the other. All that heat just seems to dissipate as it's generated.

Sounds like you've ruled out soapstone, and that would be my next recommendation--I've lived w/myriad stoves, and this does the best for even heat. I have 2/3's the house you do, but for us 20 above zero is our idea of warm. At those temps, one fire a day usually keeps the house as warm as we like; that's the difference insulation and solar gain can make. If you don't go with stone, I recommend a high thermal-mass hearth, something that can hold the heat and radiate it out over a longer period of time.

If you don't want to do insulation upgrades, I'd recommend you consider more than one stove. When you're trying to heat 3000sf with poor insulation and prairie winds and nine-foot ceilings, you've got a tough heating situation.

Don't know what Santa was thinking there . . .

That house that "you know of" and my house sound like one of the same. To keep the wind from blowing cold air in through the windows I use sheet plastic window kits bought from the local hardware store. That has helped. Instaling new windows would be the ultimate, but the day that happens is not going to be anytime soon.

I have wood floors. Underneath the wood floors is dirt.

Maybe I should open my mind up and consider Soapstone. I will ponder the thought. I remember a stove called the Mansfield in my internet journey's. A model that I think Hearthstone made. Any way I will think about it more. Thank you.

 

[WarHorse]

Somewhat limited by the 8". Buck 94nc is the only non-cat that comes to mind, but I'm sure there's more. Being tall and inside, you might be able to get away with a reducer for a 6" outlet. Look at anything big with your heat load. Maybe check out the Elm. Very unique, and he makes some monsters.

Think seriously about insulation and sealing up those drafts. Can never go wrong with that.

Also, don't be afraid of the cat. There are many cat/non-cat debates already, just saying that it shouldn't be a deal-breaker to get the right stove for you.

I checked out the Elm stove. That is nice stuff, but I don't think it fit's my taste. If it was an upright..........things might be different. Thanks for clueing me in on the Elm stove. I found it very interesting. Even found a video on youtube.

Oh yes, the drafts. Its an on going battle to seal up the drafts in an old house. The other day I crawled underneath the house with a couple cans of foam, and a flashlite. Not fun.

 

[NH_Wood]

Well, you did bring up the Mansfield, so..........

This is my second year with the Mansfield - I'm very happy and able to keep my 3000sqft NH home heating with only the Manny, using about 5 cord/year. Has a hard time keeping up when weather turns brutally cold - e.g. pushing hard with 4 full loads/day to keep the downstairs about 70* and upstairs in the upper 50's. But otherwise, keeps this place nice and warm with 3 full loads per day. Will load the stove at about 10:30 or 11:00 pm and wake up to a nice bed of coals at 7:30 or so in the morning. I like the look of the soapstone as well and the large window gives a beautiful view of the fire. Only con is $. Damn thing ain't cheap. I think the dealer was at about $3300 for the stove when I bought it in early 2010 (I lucked out with the tax credit that year, making it a little less painful!). Cheers and good luck!

 

[WarHorse]

You might note that I don't have a CAT stove but I would be all over a BKK in your situation. Why the no CAT stipulation?

Hi MarkinNC. I would like to see what's available NON CAT first. Then I might consider a Cat stove like the Blaze King or the Buck 91. The reason I am reluctant to buy a CAT stove is because, I know hardly anything about them.

Can a CAT stove still operate during a power outage???
Does a CAT stove require electricity???
I have heard a CAT stove is more finicky then a NON CAT with firewood you feed into it?? My firewood is atleast 2 years old. Stacked outside, and underneath a tarp. During a windy snow some of my wood is bound to get a little wet.

No one at any of the dealerships I have visited have pushed me to buy CAT stove. I do know that during my visits to stove dealerships I have noticed 3 people buying replacement combustors for there stoves. That has to be aggravating. 20 years from now when I need a replacement combustor, who knows if the company will still be in buisness. If I buy a NON CAT stove I won't have this particular problem.

Thanks for your post Mark.

I like things that are functionalI like simplicity I like things that are built to last!! Things that are built Heavy! and things that have style!

 

[WarHorse]

I also wonder why not a cat stove... Some folks have heard bad things about the cat stoves but those bad things are usually told by sellers who do not sell cat stoves. Ask people who own one and you get a much different opinion.

We too had our mind made up to not get a cat stove when we bought our last stove because of hearing some bad tales. Long story short, we now have a cat stove and love it. Love the long burn time, the clean chimney and the fact that we now burn only half the wood we used to.

Hello Dennis, how many Square feet are you heating with your wood stove????

Will a CAT stove operate with out the combuster installed?????

 

[WarHorse]

Any chance you could start working your way through the house room by room, furring it out and putting in insulation and sheetrock over the beautiful old plaster and lath? You didn't mention what you have under the floor, but that can be a place to make a big difference, too. If you have single-pane windows, you just about might as well have holes in the sides of your house, so that would be something else to look at.

If the wind is an issue, as it sounds that it is, you could also consider some outdoor plantings to help with that. Some pine trees planted in a phalanx upwind could go a long way in helping shelter you. Obviously, that's going to take some time, but something to consider.

A house I know of has serious insulation problems, and a serious wood stove. You can stand right next to a roaring fire, and be hot on one side and cold on the other. All that heat just seems to dissipate as it's generated.

Sounds like you've ruled out soapstone, and that would be my next recommendation--I've lived w/myriad stoves, and this does the best for even heat. I have 2/3's the house you do, but for us 20 above zero is our idea of warm. At those temps, one fire a day usually keeps the house as warm as we like; that's the difference insulation and solar gain can make. If you don't go with stone, I recommend a high thermal-mass hearth, something that can hold the heat and radiate it out over a longer period of time.

If you don't want to do insulation upgrades, I'd recommend you consider more than one stove. When you're trying to heat 3000sf with poor insulation and prairie winds and nine-foot ceilings, you've got a tough heating situation.

Don't know what Santa was thinking there . . .

I'm going to have to agree with snowleopard here, a better use of your money is to forget the wood stove and get some insulation in the walls and upgrade those windows. Even after upgrading you're going to have a hard time heating your home with only one stove, houses the age of yours are usually broken into smaller rooms making it difficult to move heat around. As others have mentioned to long/low heat cat stoves would probably work best in your application.

I read the wisdom in your words, but I'll add some more information that I haven't given up until now below. Hope this helps you understand my situation better.
I really need to replace my Vermont Casting Defiant. It's in need of repair. The casting on the front of the stove, connecting the front door hinge,and pin is cracked with a chip out of it. The Damper rod is not functioning correctly anymore(it feels like its bent on the inside) Sometimes it rotates from the closed positon to the open position by itself because of this. I would rather just buy a new wood stove, and get it over with.

 

[begreen]

For sure get the stove replaced, but don't forgo the insulation suggestions. It's an investment that will continue to pay back, year after year, for the life of the house.

 

[WoodpileOCD]

Hi MarkinNC. I would like to see what's available NON CAT first. Then I might consider a Cat stove like the Blaze King or the Buck 91. The reason I am reluctant to buy a CAT stove is because, I know hardly anything about them.

Can a CAT stove still operate during a power outage???
Does a CAT stove require electricity???
I have heard a CAT stove is more finicky then a NON CAT with firewood you feed into it?? My firewood is atleast 2 years old. Stacked outside, and underneath a tarp. During a windy snow some of my wood is bound to get a little wet.

No one at any of the dealerships I have visited have pushed me to buy CAT stove. I do know that during my visits to stove dealerships I have noticed 3 people buying replacement combustors for there stoves. That has to be aggravating. 20 years from now when I need a replacement combustor, who knows if the company will still be in buisness. If I buy a NON CAT stove I won't have this particular problem.

Thanks for your post Mark.

I like things that are functionalI like simplicity I like things that are built to last!! Things that are built Heavy! and things that have style!

Hi Warhorse and welcome to the hearth.

Since the subject of CAT stoves has come up here and you seem to be in the same situation I was last year, I'll try to respond to your questions and reservations about CAT stoves in general. I was on the hunt last fall for something more efficient than the Black Bart circa 1970 that I had used for the last 20 years. It did the job but boy did it go through the wood and did I ever get tired of loading it and hauling ashes. I didn't do the research you seemed to because I wasn't looking at new stoves at all. I was just looking for the best stove I could find on CL that was EPA approved. I hadn't ruled out CAT stoves but it was a second choice because of some preconceived notions I had and also the two dealers I talked to both nudged me away, one not so gently because he didn't sell any CAT's that I could tell.

Here is my experience and hopefully some answers to your questions. The questions first.

A CAT stove will operate just fine in a power outage and requires no electricity. The only electricity needed is for the blower which is true of cats and non cats alike.
I can't really speak for the non cats as far as wood goes but I don't think there is any difference in how 'finicky' they are about the wood. They both require good dry cordwood which doesn't sound like it is a problem with you as you have 2 year old wood now. They are simple to operate once you understand the principles at work in the engagement of the cat and why you need to wait a certain amount of time before you engage it. One of those things that you do a couple times and it is then second nature.
You can operate a cat stove without the combustor but you now have a stove that is probably less efficient that the old smoke dragons that you and I had/have and will pollute more than the one you have now. I wanted to know the same thing before I got one but now I would never even consider it because the heat and operation of the stove comes from the combustor and it is useless to even think about trying to use the stove without it.

I have a Buck 91 and the only reason I have one is because I fell into a really sweet deal on CL and jumped on it. My stove has 3 combustors in it and will probably cost me about $250 - $300 to replace but that's really a non issue for me because of the way it heats my house and the burn times I get because of the cats. What I have read is that you can expect to get 5-8 years out of them but I recently read something about recent research showing that they actually are lasting much longer than that. As far as being able to buy them in the future, nothing is assured but I believe you have to replace the secondary burn tubes in some of the afterburners stoves as well. (someone correct me if that isn't true) and there you are dependent on the stove manufacturer being in business while you can get the cats from several companies.

Here is my routine right now in moderate weather with my Buck so you can see how simple they are to operate. From a cold start I let the cat get up to 400-500*'s (there is a thermometer probe that is just above the cat) with the air controls fully open. Once it gets there I push in the damper which closes the opening in the rear of the stove and forces the smoke up through the cat. I then wait about 5 minutes and close the draft to about 50% and wait another 5 minutes and then shut it down pretty much all the way which still lets in a little air as you can't shut these EPA stoves down all the way. This whole process takes about 45 minutes from a cold start. From a coal bed which is all the time once I'm heating 24/7 it takes about 10 minutes. At about 5-6 hours I sometimes will need to pull the splits from the sides of the stove toward the middle as they don't seem to get much air on the sides. Let it go for another 5-6 hours and reload. This is with a mixture of pine/poplar/sweetgum right now so I don't know what kind of burn times I'm going to get with my oak once I start mixing that in.

All in all I'm pleased as punch with my stove and really have to say that if I needed to replace it I wouldn't really consider anything but another cat stove.

I have an old drafty house as well (not like your it doesn't sound like but not the best) and once I put a liner in my chimney and insulated the smoke chamber and put in a block off plate, my stove became probably twice as efficient as it was last year. I realized that all my house heat was getting sucked right up my chimney with the exhaust of the stove.

I know this has been long winded but I hope it answered some of your questions.

 

[MarkinNC]

Thanks Wood[pileOCD!

To the OP: I know the BK King guys are getting some superb burn times out of their stoves because of the big fireboxes. I too like overbuilt and you would like the way the Lopi Liberties are built I suspect. I had some preconceived notions about CAT stoves. I was 100% against them but a year hanging around a wood burning forum has opened my mind. I suspect it is worth considering.

I can tell you are savvy in your criteria so good luck to you on your purchase!

 

[clemsonfor]

No you dont need power except to run the blower to blow heat out, which is just like a non cat blower. The cats are not made by the stove manufacturer but a 3rd party, and many sell adn rebrand them i think there are really only a few compaies that actually make them. Firecat i think is the main company. I can load mine with oak wood and get easy 12 hour burn times out of it. I have a high valley 2500 insert.

 

[WoodpileOCD]

One other piece of advice you'll see posted over and over here. "Go bigger than you think you need." Kind of what they used to say about hard drives. Figure out what you think you need space wise and then double it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I also wonder why not a cat stove... Some folks have heard bad things about the cat stoves but those bad things are usually told by sellers who do not sell cat stoves. Ask people who own one and you get a much different opinion.

We too had our mind made up to not get a cat stove when we bought our last stove because of hearing some bad tales. Long story short, we now have a cat stove and love it. Love the long burn time, the clean chimney and the fact that we now burn only half the wood we used to.

Hello Dennis, how many Square feet are you heating with your wood stove????

Will a CAT stove operate with out the combuster installed?????

Our house is nowhere near the size of yours (less than 1200) and it was the typical old and very drafty. We did help that out a lot over the summer. Yes, a cat stove can operate without the combuster installed but I have no idea why anyone would want to do that. The cat makes the wood burn so much cleaner and you get so much more heat by using the cat. We did basically run without the cat the last couple months last spring as our cat was crumbling and we did get smoke from the chimney. We installed the new SS cat in October this fall and about all I can say is Wow! It is so much better than the ceramic cat. As to life of this cat, it remains to be seen how long it will last but reports seem to indicate it will last much longer than the ceramic.

 

[ohlongarm]

Just my 2 cents worth stay away from the new model Quad 5700,I had one for 1 week before I chitcanned it.It struggled to burn 6 hours in 10 degree weather. Also the 94nc you'll need a chit load of wood to feed it and get ANY appreciable heat it's burn times were pitiful as well ,I chitcanned it in 2 weeks,and got A BK in March of 2011 so far it's been fun we'll see.Now this is only what I've experienced and not meant to slam anyone who has the above mentioned stoves.I've had 5 stoves since 2004,2 Quad 5700 first Quad was a great stove but burned up and cracked?a Morso largest one made great stove.

 

[leeave96]

I too have a very drafty house, sounds like we have the same construction, windows, etc.

First thing with these new EPA stoves is good seasoned wood. No cutting the stuff and a couple of months later burning it. That technique gives many a bad taste of their new vs old stoves. If you have good wood - next step is pick a new stove.

I run a cat and a non-cat stove. My opinion is if you can get a cat stove, do it. Nothing wrong with a non-cat stove, you just get more temperature output range with the cat stove. Cat stoves need no power to operate and there is never a reason to run them without the cat. Bottom line with a cat stove is they are simple to operate and maintain - to the point that IMHO if you can't run a cat stove, you shouldn't be burning wood in the first place, they are that easy to operate.

Some very nice/decorative non-cat stoves with large fireboxes that come to mind are the Pacific Energy Alderlea T6 and the Hearthstone Mansfield or Equinox. The Equinox will have an 8 inch flue.

For the cat stoves, Blaze King stove have an excellent reputation. Woodstock (woodstove.com) has a new stove, the Progressive Hybrid. It utilizes both a cat and secondary combustion. They have GREAT pricing going right now. I also like the new Vermont Castings Defiant 2in1 stove. You can burn it as either cat or non-cat stove. But be warned, VC has had some black days in the recent past, but indications are that these new VC stoves may be OK.

For raw heat, a steel plate stove like the Englander 30 will get the job done.

Good luck,
Bill

 

[WarHorse]

Well, you did bring up the Mansfield, so..........

This is my second year with the Mansfield - I'm very happy and able to keep my 3000sqft NH home heating with only the Manny, using about 5 cord/year. Has a hard time keeping up when weather turns brutally cold - e.g. pushing hard with 4 full loads/day to keep the downstairs about 70* and upstairs in the upper 50's. But otherwise, keeps this place nice and warm with 3 full loads per day. Will load the stove at about 10:30 or 11:00 pm and wake up to a nice bed of coals at 7:30 or so in the morning. I like the look of the soapstone as well and the large window gives a beautiful view of the fire. Only con is $. Damn thing ain't cheap. I think the dealer was at about $3300 for the stove when I bought it in early 2010 (I lucked out with the tax credit that year, making it a little less painful!). Cheers and good luck!

I visited a dealer today that had Mansfield on display. Nice looking stove!! 6" flue, so I would need a reducer. Door latch was nice, but not robust. Behind door no 1 was a roomy firebox that looked like it "wood" be easy to load, and I will tell you that is something I can appreciate. Paying attention to the lower end of the stove I noticed the Ash pan door handle. Had to get down pretty low to get a good hold of it. Longer legs on this stove would be nice. After opening it I pulled the ash tray out. One thing I noticed was when pulling the tray out it didn't sound like a high school girl dragging her fingernails across the chalk board like I've encountered with other stoves. That was nice. Closing the door yielded a skinned knuckle on my big fat finger. I was a little dark in their store, and while It did shave a little skin, it did get me to notice what looked like a air control lever that was located very close to the ash pan access handle. That is what my knuckle hit. I stood up and looked the whole thing over, and cosmetically I don't think I have ever seen a nicer looking stove built in my recent wandering's. I can see what the rave is about, and would bet you get a lot of compliment's on your stove. If I go with a soap stone stove I will have to consider the Mansfield.

 

[WarHorse]

For sure get the stove replaced, but don't forgo the insulation suggestions. It's an investment that will continue to pay back, year after year, for the life of the house.

10-4

 

[WarHorse]

Just my 2 cents worth stay away from the new model Quad 5700,I had one for 1 week before I chitcanned it.It struggled to burn 6 hours in 10 degree weather. Also the 94nc you'll need a chit load of wood to feed it and get ANY appreciable heat it's burn times were pitiful as well ,I chitcanned it in 2 weeks,and got A BK in March of 2011 so far it's been fun we'll see.Now this is only what I've experienced and not meant to slam anyone who has the above mentioned stoves.I've had 5 stoves since 2004,2 Quad 5700 first Quad was a great stove but burned up and cracked?a Morso largest one made great stove.

What were your burn times with the Buck 94???? You really replaced it after 2 weeks??