Background Information: Which of These Five Stoves? And…My Five Wood-burning Goals
Hey all,
I have nothing but respect for this forum, the website and the people who post here! I have grasped, and agree with, the groups’ overall emphasis on “safety first”. Further, the reasonable, adult demeanor of everyone here could serve as a model for some less-reasonable forums I’ve seen, IMNSHO.
I have been “getting ready” to buy a wood stove since we moved into this house and quit renting, 5 years ago. Some personal setbacks, and procrastination (while seeking a stove that doesn’t exist, i.e., with all the features I want), have contributed to this delay. The girlfriend now says, either the stove comes in, or I go out….
That finally got the ball rolling….
This is going to be a huge post, which I apologize for in advance. If I am breaking some rule, it is not intentional. Hopefully, there will be enough here to interest those with the answers to my questions.
While I realize I am posting a ton of stuff on here all at once, please consider this: I’ve been “lurking” on the Q & A portion of this site, off and on, for two years. I read all 2,000 Q’s and A’s and all of the forums I could search in recent weeks, relevant to my questions. Hopefully now I am now able to ask at least semi-intelligent questions, making it easier to answer them. I hope so….
Actually, this is going to be a series of ten (yup, 10) posts, about generic concerns I have about wood stoves like burn time, easy loading, build quality, flue-liner construction and insulation, etc…that I have not been able to find the answers to on the site. It is my sincere hope that my concerns will be similar to those many “newbies” have, so that you all won’t be hatin’ on me for imposing this massive post upon you.
All the background info, about the house, etc…, was supposed to be neatly contained in the first section. However, the 6,000 character post-limit threw a wrench into my master plan, so the “introduction,” if you will, is itself in three parts (I know, I’ve heard it before, believe me…I talk too much…10/4.)`
. Of course, the most critical information that you may wish to review, if you choose to answer any of my questions, would be about the house, the chimney, etc…. To that end, after the 3-part “intro” info is posted, I will put a link, in each sub-post, back to “The House Details” post. That way, if you say to yourself “Does this joker even know what kind of chimney he has?” you’ll be able to hit a quick link back to that relatively short section entitled “The House Details.”
Please don’t feel the need to answer every question, in this or any of the subsections—lol. But I will be grateful for any and all contributions/criticisms anyone is motivated to make, so if you just want to jump in on one, or a few points, (or on all 25 pages?) be my guest!
I am particularly interested in owners’ feedback on the 5 stoves I’m seriously considering, however. (These stoves are listed below.)
And I would love to be made aware of any stoves sharing the same features I am interested in, that I have not considered here.
The five wood stoves I’m considering:
Country Canyon ST310
Lopi Liberty
Quadra-fire 5700
Napolean 1900
P.E. Summit “Classic”
Have I missed any enamel-optional, welded steel stoves, in this size-class?
Have I missed any non-enameled, steel stoves which are similar in features and performance to the fab five above? Please tell me!
For those not interested in the above stoves, (or steel stoves like them) be advised that I will first be asking some general questions which may interest you, and then asking questions under headings pertaining to the individual stoves.
My Wood Burning Goals
My wood stove search is driven by just a few concerns which I feel are priorities for me, personally. In descending order of importance, I would list them as:
1. Maximum Output—as I will explain, heating our house will be a challenge. If possible, I’d like to not use our furnace at all, even if it meant recharging the baseboard radiators with antifreeze. (We have a small, natural gas boiler heating those metal-shrouded, baseboard “radiators.”
2. Maximum Burn Time--I have poor sleep habits, and I don’t need the added hassle of feeding a stove any more often than absolutely necessary.
3. Ease of Operation/Loading—I’ve had my fill of needy woodstoves. I want to feed it twice (three times?) a day, empty it once a week, and bask in the glow 24/7.
4. Longevity—I’m only 45 years old, but I’d like this to be my last woodstove—LoL
5. Aesthetics—Basically, I love the look of enameled stoves like the Napolean and Pacific Energy. But I want the versatility of a step-top design, for cooking, boiling water easily, etc….
I hope to see you in the coming posts, and I really appreciate this opportunity to mine the depths of such a wealth of experience as you all represent.
Thanks again,
Peter
