Options: Suggestions on stoves

[thinkxingu]

Hello There,
I have a 1970's Pro-Former Z wood stove (I think username Goose had/s the same one) that I'm looking to replace. If you have a moment, please provide a few options for me and my wife to think about with the criteria below. Thanks!

Fuel: Wood (want to be able to run without electricity, want to see nice fire, etc.)
Usage: Back-up/mood/supplemental for cold, cold periods (used less than 1 cord last year).
Location: Southern NH
Size of home: Split-level with 2100 square feet total (1000 down, 1100 up)
Would like: Glass front, fairly good looking, EFFICIENT (Pro-Former is a pig!), fan for periodic use (once stove has warmed up house, does not need fan to keep it at temp.)

Anything else I need to consider, please let me know. Thanks for your help.

SML

 

[cmonSTART]

There's a lot of possibilities I guess. Any modern EPA stove would be a drastic improvement for you. Last I knew, Englanders were still easy to get. I was at Home Depot this past week and they had several on the floor. Great stoves! We still have one regency at work that I know of.

I'm guessing you have your wood already. Yes? What's your chimney situation like?

 

[thinkxingu]

Hello,
I do have my wood already. As for my chimney, it is (I guess) a standard dual-flue, brick chimney (fireplace upstairs, wood stove outlet down).
I just looked at the Englanders at homedepot.com and it looks like they're only 66% efficient. Is this about the norm, or will I get better efficiency with other stoves. Essentially, I need to cram my Pro-Former late at night (10 or so) only to wake up to a barely warm pile of embers early (about 5 a.m.). I'd like to be able to run a load for as long as possible.

Thanks!

SML

 

[begreen]

EPA efficiency numbers are the same for almost all wood stoves I think. It's a standardized test number. The Englander 13NC and 30NC offer great value and they're available.

 

[RedRanger]

Local hardware store is offering the drolets for 799 and 899 respectfully. both epa certified. Still a good product in my opinion. Made in Le Belle Province, me thinks?

I can`t speak for todays product, but owned one of those in the early eighties and just loved the long burn times and heat output.

Made in Quebec-Canada...

 

[Jimbob]

If you have a moment, please provide a few options for me and my wife to think about with the criteria below. Thanks!

Fuel: Wood (want to be able to run without electricity, want to see nice fire, etc.)
Usage: Back-up/mood/supplemental for cold, cold periods (used less than 1 cord last year).
Location: Southern NH
Size of home: Split-level with 2100 square feet total (1000 down, 1100 up)
Would like: Glass front, fairly good looking, EFFICIENT (Pro-Former is a pig!), fan for periodic use (once stove has warmed up house, does not need fan to keep it at temp.)

SML

http://www.flame-intl.com/products.aspx?CategoId=1
http://www.drolet.ca/products.aspx?CategoId=1
http://www.osburnstoves.com/html/wood_stoves.html

All 3 brands are made by the same company but sold in different stores, and are all fairly good.

I also recommend Pacific Energy, but it sounds like they are in short supply in the states.
http://www.pacificenergy.net/

 

[thinkxingu]

Hello,
A few people have recommended the Englander 30nc ('h' is Home Depot's version and Lowes is 50-SNC30LC?) which is strange because it seems much less expensive than others. What makes this such a good model? I see that it will heat the square footage of my house, but what would I be getting if I moved up to a more expensive stove, and how much would I have to spend for the difference?

I would say the most important thing to me is easiness: burn time/cleanliness. My stove has me cleaning once a week and loading every couple hours.

Thanks for your input!

SML

 

[begreen]

It's a good model because of the value, simplicity and construction. I like to think of it as the model A of stoves. Perfectly good transportation that got over 30 mpg. Other stoves may offer more options like porcelain enamel, cast iron sides, quieter blower, stouter secondary system, thicker steel. Hard to say without having a particular model to compare it to.