Osburn 2000 vs 2400 Insert Advice

[billy269]

First off thank you so much for reading this and giving advice.

There are only two local installers in my area and only one that has much experience. He sells Osburns, so I am pretty much limited to that brand.

He will sell me the 2000 with new insulated liner (Duraliner brand) and install for $3500 and the 2400 for $3900.

I have a 2000 sq ft ranch style home that is one floor and very long (built in 1944). The stove is in the living room which is a 400 sq ft room on one end of the house. It has several really large double pane windows and two glass doors. A hallway connects the living room to the 3 bedrooms and bathroom. The kitchen and dining room are at the end of the 20 foot hallway. Off the kitchen and dining room there is a large rec room with a bathroom, which is probably too far for the heat to go (it has a kerosene Toyostove in it to prevent pipes from freezing in the bathroom hopefully!). This is my first winter in this home. It has some floor and attic insulation and 10 year old double pane windows.

Which stove would you buy? Thanks so much!

 

[dafattkidd]

Hey Billy,

I have the Osburn 2400 insert. It's a great stove. I don't know what your winters are like, but if you get freezing and below freezing temps you will most likely want to go with the larger stove. The main thing to look at is the firebox size. Having the 3.2 cf firebox vs. 2.3 cf will make a significant difference is burn time. I heat 1700 sf of a very breezy old beach house, and the 2400 serves me well. To be honest it's a little more stove than I need, but as they say, "You can always build a small fire in a large stove, but not vise versa."

So that's my two cents. Either way I hope it works out for well for you. I bought mine here http://www.dynamitebuys.com/ I got a great deal and the customer service has been great. But buying from a local dealer is usually a better route.

 

[billy269]

Thank you for the response! My area gets into the teens at night pretty regularly in the winter. I am at 3500 ft and we get about 5 ft of snow each year.

I am leaning toward the 2400, I just want to be sure it is not overkill!

 

[dafattkidd]

Thank you for the response! My area gets into the teens at night pretty regularly in the winter. I am at 3500 ft and we get about 5 ft of snow each year.

I am leaning toward the 2400, I just want to be sure it is not overkill!

Yeah, I'd go with the 2400. You won't be disappointed. You can build smaller fires if you need to. It's a beast, you'll love it.

 

[billy269]

I have the stove guy coming out tomorrow. Anyone else have any advice on which I should get?

 

[BrowningBAR]

I have the stove guy coming out tomorrow. Anyone else have any advice on which I should get?

I wouldn't worry to much about over-kill. Too warm is always better than not warm enough. Build smaller fires if it becomes an issue and open a window when the house temps get to high, if that happens. Additionall, the larger firebox comes in handy for overnight burns and when the temps really drop.

 

[Swedishchef]

I agree with browningbar: if you go to small you may regret it. If you go big, you can open a window or make smaller fires. Yet in a small firebox you can't make big fires.

I have the 2300 stove and wouldn't go smaller than 3cu ft. I love overnight burns,

Andrew

 

[billy269]

I just talked to my installer today. Since the insert will be at the very end of the long, single story house he does not think that the air will circulate enough to warrant the 2400 heating only the 1500 square feet of space that the warm air can reach. He thinks it is WAY too large for the part of the house that will be able to be heated. He also thought that we would have it cranked down low all of the time since it will be so hot and that could cause some problems with creosote..

But you guys say the opposite. Man, it's a tough call...

 

[dafattkidd]

I just talked to my installer today. Since the insert will be at the very end of the long, single story house he does not think that the air will circulate enough to warrant the 2400 heating only the 1500 square feet of space that the warm air can reach. He thinks it is WAY too large for the part of the house that will be able to be heated. He also thought that we would have it cranked down low all of the time since it will be so hot and that could cause some problems with creosote..

But you guys say the opposite. Man, it's a tough call...

This is a common problem here. Installers are often less knowledgable then these guys. Unfortunately usually the hearth.com guys are right. . My installer told me I couldn't heat my "whole house" with wood, so he gave me a smaller stove, too. I ended up selling that stove within a year and buying the Osburn 2400. Now that being said, I don't know the installer you spoke with. I haven't been to your house. So I'm not putting him down. I'm just saying more times than not, when there is a disagreement between the hearth.com guys and the installers- Most of the time the hearth.com guys are right.


I will however poke a few holes in what your installer said: Creosote build up comes from not burning hot enough, and burning green wood. Which ever stove you get you are going to need to burn hot to keep clean burns. And in terms of heating yourself out of the house; you control that with the amount of wood you put in the stove. If you put a few sticks in, you should get a quick hot fire. If you pack it to the gills you'll get a longer hot fire. You can build the same fires in the 2400 that you would build in 2000. The only difference is if it's super cold you will be loading the smaller stove more often and probably dealing with over coaling issues.


Hope that helps. Either way you're going to love heating with wood, and you're getting a quality product in the 2000 or the 2400. Good luck!