Osburn 2400 insert or Vermont casting Merrimack ?????

[Nico1986]

Hello I'm in the market for a wood burning insert that can heat 2400+ sq ft I've narrowed it down to these two was hoping to hear from people that have these and there experience with them. I want to do 24/7 burns with to heat the house and offset oil prices (killer) here on Long Island New York thanks guys and gals

 

[dafattkidd]

Hey Nico, welcome to the forum. I'm north of you and a few clicks west in Sound Beach. I have an Osburn 2400i. The two stoves seem pretty comparable. The firebox on the Osburn is a little bigger. The Merrimack is definitely aesthetically more pleasing to the eye. I think the Osburn is less expensive.

-That being said, my experience with Osburn has been great. The thing is a heating beast. It's a little over sized for my spacee, so I heat my drafty 1700sf house with no problem. Last year when it was super cold for two weeks straight one of my heating pipes froze. I couldn't use the oil heat at all. The house was in the 70s the whole time. The large firebox allows us to get long burn times. It has the ability to be installed so the face is closer to flush, or it could protrude about 9" into the room. I like having it protrude into the room. This allows more mass in the space which allows for more heat without the fan if I lose power. Overall I'm very happy with the unit. Seems to be built like a tank. It burns really clean, and has a pretty nice light show. I hope that's helpful. Good luck in your search!

 

[dafattkidd]

Something else worth noting: The Oz, and all EPA woodburners require dry wood (under 20% moisture). Plan on burning 3.5-4 cords of wood if you're burning 24/7. The trick is to be at least a year ahead on your wood supply. So this year you should get this year's wood and next year's wood. It's a big difference struggling with set wood, and burning nice dry wood. More heat, more efficient, less wood consumed, less fiddling with the stove.

 

[Nico1986]

I have an Osburn 2000 insert and if I could I would go with the Merrimack , I got two stoves from Sbi and both were pieces of s$&@. I would roll the dice on Vermont castings before I bought an Osburn

U don't like ur Osburn is it not big enough for ur space what don't u like it about it

 

[dafattkidd]

I have an Osburn 2000 insert and if I could I would go with the Merrimack , I got two stoves from Sbi and both were pieces of s$&@. I would roll the dice on Vermont castings before I bought an Osburn

Wow. I didn't realize you had such a bad experience. I'm sorry to hear that.

 

[Nico1986]

Wow. I didn't realize you had such a bad experience. I'm sorry to hear that.

Yes I've really not heard anything bad about the Osburns just wanted to get some opinions on them

 

[BigJake]

Just got my 2400i installed last week and thus far loved it after the paint curing fires had to let her rip. Was 50ish outside and even choked down was almost pushing 90 degrees in the house. Me and the wife looked at the Merrimack but couldn't justify the price and reading about the turmoil in the company at the time sealed the deal on not getting the Merrimack. By the way we're heating a 1800 Sq foot house.

 

[etiger2007]

I have had two stoves both brand new from the company , both if you turned the lights off in the stove room I could see flame flicker between the door seal and the steel it should be seated up against , my door handle locked up on the first stove I'm 6"3 220 and couldn't budge it. My new stove has the same door issue along the top if the door and the blower will run for five minutes then cut off with a 600 degree stove top. I'm growing tired of this stove .

 

[dafattkidd]

Ed, that sucks. Sorry to hear that. I was able to tighten my door and gain a good seal. There are a few other members on here with Osburns and most are pretty satisfied from what I have read. There are a few forum members with Merrimacks also. Hopefully one of them will chime in for you. SBI has a good reputation for customer service also.

 

[Nico1986]

Yes that does suck that seal has to be tight. @fatkidd I've heard good things about the osburns and like the style and it's pretty economical for the size of it. So fr it's my number one choice but my wife likes the Merrimack so just want to hear from people that own it u know to get a better grasp on them u can only get so much from the brochures and websites and dealers. Thanks again

 

[cygnus]

I noticed a loose seal on my 2200 insert after the first few fires. The door was easily adjusted to tighten things up and it's been fine since. Overall, I've been happy with my Osburn.

 

[etiger2007]

I'm a little calmer today , SBI -Osburn has always stepped up to the plate to help me even a total replace of the stove , it has no problem heating the house at all (1700sq). I just wanted to get a stove that was issue free and enjoy this burning season , I didn't get it with this stove but I'm sure they will make it right .

 

[Dave A.]

Have you considered the Enviro Cabello or Boston inserts? Your wife might like them and they are fairly well regarded. They're not quite as large as the two you're looking at but among the largest of the more decorative cast clad ones. Curious how you ended up with just these two -- your criteria for ruling out. I just got a large insert this year, myself There are other large ones by Regency, Buck, Pacific Energy, Quadrafire, Travis, and some others, if you haven't checked them out yet.

Personally I liked the bay front ones, and particularly liked ones where the blower wasn't underneath the ash lip like the one I replaced. Not a big problem but ashes that spill over onto the hearth can get sucked into those type blowers. The ones where the blower is in the bay(s) seemed to me to be better.

But if you're set on those two, I think the safer choice would be the Osburn for functionality. If you want something nicer to look at or don't mind taking risks, then the Merrimac.

 

[Iembalm4aLiving]

Going on season 3 with my Osburn 2200......I had the door gasket replaced this year (where the two ends of the original gasket met was starting to fray.) Other than that, I'm very happy with the insert.