Okay here goes, lemme have it!

[Dan Johnson]

Been reading this forum for a couple years.
I have a 25 year old ZC fireplace in the center of the lower level of bi-level house, about 800 sq feet each level.
I have decided to pull out the fireplace, brick front and drywall face in a corner installation next to a bedroom wall in a 450 sq foot rec room very near the doorway that leads upstairs.
I'm going to finish the corner space and ceiling with drywall and some type of tile to conform to the combustible clearance requirements of most all stoves.
I plan to put a ceiling/floor through vent above the stove that happens to be in the corner of the master bedroom.
The upstairs is an open floor plan so the heat should rise up the stairs and thought the floor vent which I plan to wire for a fan if necessary.
Originally we were looking at new ZC units but the wife thought the stoves at the show room were "cute" and said we should get one of those. Half the battle done!
Now to the request for advice, I would like something that has long burn times and will heat the house and she wants something that looks good. I'm form follows function, she is form or forget it.
I'd like to go with 6 inch class A and a non cat efficient unit.
Here is a hint: the blaze king princess is ugly and the hearthstone heritage is nice.
What would you guys do? (Sorry, I'm keeping the wife).
Oh yeah, funds are somewhat limited would like to spend no more the $2500 on the stove.
20 acres of red and white oak plus some honey locus.
Thanks experts,
Dan

 

[johnstra]

I know you say you don't want a cat stove, but Blaze King has some new stoves that are much nicer looking than the Princess and King. I don't find the fiddle-factor any higher with cat stoves than re-burn stoves. The cat stoves provide much more even heat and the burn times are unmatched.

 

[begreen]

I think stoves with more mass provide more even heat. Everyone seems to be claiming this is because of soapstone or because of the cat (or both) but I too noticed this with a secondary burn stove when I went to a bigger stove with more mass. Our house doesn't vary in temp more than a few degrees throughout the day regardless of where we are in the burn cycle. It was one of the first things we noticed when we started burning in the T6 after the Castine.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Wow, the T6 is big. Can a smaller load be put in to temper the output?
The BK units are interesting due to the so called ease of operation with the settable thermostat.
Are the side loaders better at reducing smoke back into the room?
I really don't want a finicky unit that my wife finds difficult to add wood to.
Thanks for the input.
My dealer has an Oslo in his house.

 

[Dan Johnson]

I don't see anything "attractive" on the BK website as new. Is your Ultra a newer unit?

 

[begreen]

The T6 is no bigger than other 3 cu ft stoves, but it does have a bit more mass than some. How large a total area are you trying to heat? Have you looked at a Hearthstone Mansfield? In BK stoves look at the Chinook or the Ashford 30.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Thanks be green, trying to heat about 1700 square feet in south central WI.
I have an LP furnace and I'm not expecting to heat without help from gas but it would be great if I could.
Our schedules would allow for 24/7 burning.
I'm looking for something that is easy to control and fear the reviews that say the draft is unpredictable or fire gets away and can't be shut down.
I've heated the house with the ZC unit feeding 3 or 4 nice oak splits every hour or so.
Obviously I want to spend less time bringing wood in.

 

[Dan Johnson]

From what I can see the Ashford looks like an option. Very limited info on the web.
I'll have to find a dealer near Madison.

 

[begreen]

The ashford is the chinook in a cast iron tuxedo. From the description the t6 would work here too.

 

[aansorge]

The blaze king ashford will have very similar burn times, emissions, etc to the chinook 30. It will surely be more expensive though as it has a cast iron exterior. Probably in the 3600 dollar range in the Madison area.

 

[aansorge]

If you are in the Madison, WI area here ia a beautiful Woodstock stove used...closeby...

(broken link removed to http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/hsh/4069917680.html)

 

[aansorge]

Did they build these with secondary burn technology or is it a cat stove?

 

[ddddddden]

Did they build these with secondary burn technology or is it a cat stove?

The Fireview originally had no secondary combustion system, then it became a cat stove, model 201. The second/current version of the cat stove, model 205, has a heated airwash for the front glass that also directs air back toward the cat. . .promotes a good bit of secondary combustion in the firebox as well. I think the stove in the CL ad is a 205.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/woodstock-fireview-on-low-burn.103739/

 

[Dan Johnson]

Aansorge, thanks for the tip. They say they have heated 2K sq.ft with it.
I'll call to see if it has secondary burn tubes and why they are selling.

 

[DAKSY]

I'm thinkin you may wanna take a look at one of the big Jotuls, say an F500 Oslo or the F600 Firelight. Very nice looking stoves. Built like tanks, & they have good long burn times. Your idea of heat rising thru that corner vent may disappoint you. More than likely, it's gonna act as a cold air return since it sounds like it's near an outside wall. It will still draw heated air up the stairs & into the bedroom via convection, but it will have cooled a bit before it gets there. Your vent may also be in violation of the local firecodes, but if you don't get an inspector involved, that point is moot...

 

[ddddddden]

Aansorge, thanks for the tip. They say they have heated 2K sq.ft with it.
I'll call to see if it has secondary burn tubes and why they are selling.

No version of the Fireview has secondary burn tubes. If that stove supports secondary combustion, it has a cat. That said, the current model Fireview does support nice secondary flames in the firebox, before the smoke gets to the cat.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/woodstock-fireview-on-low-burn.103739/

The Fireview is a very nice stove, but if you want to turn your furnace off for the season, it may be a lil' small, depending on how insulated your house is and how warm you like it.

 

[Woody Stover]

Aansorge, thanks for the tip. They say they have heated 2K sq.ft with it.
I'll call to see if it has secondary burn tubes and why they are selling.

It's a cat stove but is super easy to operate. Get the stove top to 250, close bypass, cut air, done for 12+ hrs. Nice country up where that stove is, too....
If it's fairly new and hasn't been overfired, that's a decent deal.
Maybe he is a stove ho' like a lot of us.

 

[northwinds]

You have lots of choices. I wasn't impressed with the dealer who sells the Pacific Energy and Blaze King Stoves in Madison, but maybe things
have changed. Jotuls are great stoves, and you can check them out at Top Hat in Baraboo or Verona (they also carry Hearthstone). You can check out the Quadrafires at
Fireside Hearth and Home in Madison by Woodman's West.

You're better off moving heat with ceiling fans and floor fans. The vent/fan is probably a code violation. I didn't have a building inspector for my installation, but my insurance agent needed to see it and take photos. You don't want to have a fire speed through your house along the vent system and then have your insurance company deny the claim.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Thanks for the replies. I thought the fairview might be a bit small for what I would like to do.
Didn't think about code on the vent. The guy (owner) of Top Hat in Baraboo said they sell 14 inch square ceiling pass through vents with fans.
I'm sure a hole that big even without a fan would draw lots of warm air from above the stove into the bedroom above. I will check with my insurance agent.
I should have a better idea what will fit once I get the old unit out.
I'm thinking cement board and tile at least half way up the wall in the corner where it will go.
The Oslo will definitely fit the bill, just not sure if I should be worried about the wife running it.
Thanks again guys.

 

[Woody Stover]

Tube stove are a little more prone to a run-away (some more than others) but either type of stove can be operated safely with a little experience. You have to know your fuel (how dry is it, how volatile) and you have to have a feel for what the stove is going to do, twenty or thirty minutes in the future. Start off burning conservatively (smaller loads, lower amounts of combustion air) until you get comfortable with it. You'll have a handle on it in no time.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Dan, if you think the Fireview might be a bit small, for just a little more you can get the Progress Hybrid stove. This has both secondary and catalytic. It also has a cook top with 3 different temperatures for cooking. This stove does throw much more heat than the Fireview and there also is no problems getting 12 hours or more with this stove. As always, dry wood is the key, no matter what stove you get but especially so with all the new epa stoves. Good luck.

www.woodstove.com to look at the Woodstock lineup.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Hey Woody, by tube stove I assume you mean stoves with secondary burn tubes with the glass wash.
What makes them more finicky? Also, I have heard catalytic units are maintenance intensive, not so?
Why did you sell the fairview?

Backwoods, I've been following the Hybrid deal for efficient stoves.
Not sure if the cook top is anything we (she) would use. Woodstock does look like a great manufacturer.

 

[begreen]

Tube stoves are not any more finicky than other stoves. Each design has it's rules of operation and peculiar needs. Downdraft stoves run quite differently and cat stoves have a very particular list of requirements in comparison.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Begreen, Downdraft stoves run quite differently and cat stoves have a very particular list of requirements in comparison.
What kind of requirements? Do you need use 10% or less moisture? I use mostly red oak seasoned (split/stacked) for more than a year but not always covered. I read somewhere that the catalytic combuster needs cleaning quite often.
I have more than enough stuff to tinker with.
Appreciate all comments,
Dan

 

[BrotherBart]

Wouldn't hesitate to burn in a modern cat stove. Wouldn't own a modern downdraft stove on a bet. But then I don't heat the joint with either of them. I just limp along warmly loving my secondary burn stoves. A whole raft of'em.

Get the Heritage. You will love it.