Not a new member with a Pacific Energy insert questions.

[Halligan]

This forum was a great tool to me when I was researching a wood stove for my previous house and I ended up with a Jotul Oslo. I visit here just about daily and post when I feel like I have valuable input. I moved this past July into another home that has a Breckwell P23 pellet insert. I've been using the pellet stove this season and while it provides decent heat I'm not a pellet fan. So, I started looking for a wood heater to replace it.

My new to me new house is a 12 year old colonial with 4 finished levels (basement, 1st floor, second floor, finished attic). Total square footage is close to 5,000sf. I realize I will only be heating the 1st floor which is around 1600sf. The stove is going into a side room off the main house and the room is 15X22 with a cathedral ceiling around 16' high. that room has a 6' wide by 7' high opening (8' away from fireplace)) that leads into the rest of the first floor that has a semi-open floor plan. I do have a ceiling fan in the stove room to circulate the air from the cathedral ceiling.

One stove I've looked at that I like is the Pacific Energy T5 insert. It has a deep firebox that you load north-south. I like the clearances this stove has especially the mantle clearance which will require no mantle shield that most other inserts will require.

Any thoughts on the PE T5 insert? I really like the black enamel but my dealer was unsure if PE still offered the black enamel and he's checking on Monday.

Fortunately I have close to 5 cords of wood that I kept when I sold my house so I'm in good shape with wood.

 

[jeff_t]

The PE Super Series, including the T5 and insert, Super 27 and insert, Spectrum, Fusion, etc, they all rock. However, that kind of space, especially with cathedral ceilings, will definitely challenge them, unless very well insulated. It is a 2 cu ft stove, after all.

Can you fit a Summit?

 

[begreen]

It's a beautiful insert, but I agree that the Summit or other 3 cu ft insert would be a better fit unless this stove's duty will mostly be nights and weekends.

 

[Halligan]

The home is newer so it is fairly well insulated. As for the summit my hearth would need to be modified. I prefer the look of the T5 over the summit. I have a Breckwell P23 insert and it heats the first level ok but I really can't decipher the btu rating between the breckwell and the T5 to see if the T5 will heat as good or better.

So it appears in you eyes PE makes a good product which I like to hear. A friend of mine just purchased the PE Vista and he's happy although his automatic blower control is not working properly so the dealer has ordered a new part for the stove.

 

[begreen]

PE makes good stoves. Was the Breckwell in the same room? It puts out about 34K BTUs. Which the T5 will match pretty well with good wood. Another stove to look at in this class would be the Enviro Boston or Venice 1700 insert. It's 25% larger at 2.5 cu ft and the Jotul C550 at 3 cu ft..

 

[jeff_t]

As long as your expectations are realistic, then you'll probably be satisfied with the T5. I totally understand not wanting to modify your hearth, and with 5000 sq ft to heat, you obviously know it will be supplemental at best.

The 1600 ft of the first floor may even be a challenge, but the room it is in will sure be cozy.

 

[Halligan]

PE makes good stoves. Was the Breckwell in the same room? It puts out about 34K BTUs. Which the T5 will match pretty well with good wood. Another stove to look at in this class would be the Enviro Boston or Venice 1700 insert. It's 25% larger at 2.5 cu ft and the Jotul C550 at 3 cu ft..

Yes I'm swapping the breckwell for the new insert. I had a Jotul Oslo before and was happy with the craftsmanship. I just checked the out the Jotul C550 on line and it would fit my fireplace fine although I would need to use a mantel shield. On the other hand the Summit requires me to use a hearth extender which the C550 Rockland does not require. So do I look at an ugly hearth extender or an ugly mantle shield?

Is the heat output with the 550 going to be that much more over the T5?

I'm realistic in the fact that this is supplemental heat and I know the best I will do is heat the first floor. I love burning wood,as well as cutting, splitting, and stacking so this pellet stove must go. I walked outside a bit ago and I could smell a nice wood fire burning nearby and I had this aching feeling that I'm being left out.

 

[Dave A.]

I realize Jotul does not publish firebox size for the 550 Rockland. I've seen estimates from owners at about 2.5 cf. 3 cf doesn't seem likely based on overall dimensions. I know if I thought it was as large as the Summit at the time, I wouldn't have ruled it out so quickly, since it is so nice looking. In fact I'm not aware of any cast iron front inserts in the 3 cf size.

It certainly would be easy for PE to turn the Summit into a cast iron clad insert. It already has the cast iron top and ash lip. All they'd need do is replace the door with a full overlay like on the T5 or T6 and change the blower covers on the sides to cast iron.

 

[begreen]

Is your hearth raised or floor level? Some extensions can be discrete and quite attractive.

The C550 will have longer burn times going for it will be burn times when it is very cold outside. The T5 will probably do fine with temps 15 or 20 and above. Below 15 or 10 you will need to stoke it more frequently. So say going from once every 10-12 hrs to once every 6-8 hrs. If that is ok, then you may be very happy with it as an area heater.

In a huge home like this I would expect to see 2 or even 3 stoves. If that is the plan then the load on the T5 is much less. Perhaps a stunning kitchen cook stove could be added or a freestanding stove at the other end of the house?

The main thing that is going to make a difference here will be the wood. If you don't have dry wood these stoves are not going to run well. With dry wood they are a joy. Fully seasoned wood at this time of year is as rare as hen's teeth. If you don't have several cords cut/split and drying for a couple years consider buying only kiln dried this year and get next years wood purchased and stacked now too.

 

[Halligan]

I've have seasoned wood already from my previous house. Yup, I took all my wood when I moved . There's no way I'll be putting more than one wood heater in the house. I just want to ease the pain from the propane man. Even using the pellet insert that's currently in the house on a daily basis I've used 260 gallons of propane so far this winter.

I determined to build a house in 3-5 years and I will be designing the floor plan around a centrally located wood heater that will heat the whole house.

 

[Halligan]

Decided on a Jotul 550 Rockland In Blue/Black enamel. My Oslo was Blue/Black and I loved the color. The price was right and cheaper than the PE. Unfortunately I have to wait until January for the install.

Thanks guy's. I'm looking forward to burning wood again.

 

[RSNovi]

I have an Oslo and a C350 insert. My parents have the 450 insert and a friend has a 550 insert. Everyone is happy with their Jotuls. It sounds like the 550 can throw some heat because my friend has a large home around 3k square feet and it heats the portion where they spend most of their time which includes bedrooms.