Picking a Stove

[jjl04002]

Hey everyone, I was hoping for some advice on picking the right stove. I have about a 1600 square foot ranch in northwestern CT. The stove itself will go in the main room with ~15 foot ceilings, and will be used to heat the rest of the house which is a mix of high ceilings and standard ceilings. The floor is also granite which sucks up heat and it will reside in an old fireplace that has been converted over to take a stove. This biggest limitation with this set up, is that the pipe has to come out of the back, and has to do so below 30 inches to fit in the opening.

I am replacing an old Vermont Casting (20 years or so) that has had little/no care, burn out cat, and was leaky enough that it would run full blast when everything was closed. It would only burn for about an hour or 2, and adding more wood just caused it to go into jet fuel fuel, and turn the pipe all lovely shades of red. Obviously the heating was very uneven. Reading the forums, I am guessing this is not how it should work, but since is my first experience with a wood stove, I am not sure how to really gauge what to look for in a new stove.

I have been shopping around and I think I have it down to the Lopi- Leyden or the Lopi Cape Cop. I am willing to spend the extra money on the cape cod if it is worth it, and I rather buy a bigger stove than get an undersized stove as long as I'm not going to heat myself out of the house. I also like the hybrid idea of the cape cod, and it seems like if I wanted I could run it non cat during the day and cat when I go to bed to save the cat from some use and make it last longer. So long story short.....does it sound like I am looking at the right things, and what are people's opinions on the hybrid stoves. Is it worth it? I have seen some threads on hybrids, but it still seemed like the jury was out.

Thanks a ton.

 

[firecracker_77]

Hey everyone, I was hoping for some advice on picking the right stove. I have about a 1600 square foot ranch in northwestern CT. The stove itself will go in the main room with ~15 foot ceilings, and will be used to heat the rest of the house which is a mix of high ceilings and standard ceilings. The floor is also granite which sucks up heat and it will reside in an old fireplace that has been converted over to take a stove. This biggest limitation with this set up, is that the pipe has to come out of the back, and has to do so below 30 inches to fit in the opening.

I am replacing an old Vermont Casting (20 years or so) that has had little/no care, burn out cat, and was leaky enough that it would run full blast when everything was closed. It would only burn for about an hour or 2, and adding more wood just caused it to go into jet fuel fuel, and turn the pipe all lovely shades of red. Obviously the heating was very uneven. Reading the forums, I am guessing this is not how it should work, but since is my first experience with a wood stove, I am not sure how to really gauge what to look for in a new stove.

I have been shopping around and I think I have it down to the Lopi- Leyden or the Lopi Cape Cop. I am willing to spend the extra money on the cape cod if it is worth it, and I rather buy a bigger stove than get an undersized stove as long as I'm not going to heat myself out of the house. I also like the hybrid idea of the cape cod, and it seems like if I wanted I could run it non cat during the day and cat when I go to bed to save the cat from some use and make it last longer. So long story short.....does it sound like I am looking at the right things, and what are people's opinions on the hybrid stoves. Is it worth it? I have seen some threads on hybrids, but it still seemed like the jury was out.

Thanks a ton.

People love the Woodstock Progress Hybrid. Those high ceilings make that 1600 sq feet alot bigger.

 

[Ashful]

Ditto on Woodstock. Their rear exit flues will help in your case, sneaking under a low fireplace opening.

I thought the Lopi Cape Cod cat had to be removed (when the stove was not running) to run non-cat?

 

[jjs777_fzr]

Can you post a pic or two of what the intended location looks like ?
One of the things that you may want to pay attention to is ash removal. Some stoves have a nice ash catch bin - some don't. Or they vary by size significantly. It's a nicety to have a large one if you like the overall looks of the stove itself.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Hey everyone, I was hoping for some advice on picking the right stove. I have about a 1600 square foot ranch in northwestern CT. The stove itself will go in the main room with ~15 foot ceilings, and will be used to heat the rest of the house which is a mix of high ceilings and standard ceilings. The floor is also granite which sucks up heat and it will reside in an old fireplace that has been converted over to take a stove. This biggest limitation with this set up, is that the pipe has to come out of the back, and has to do so below 30 inches to fit in the opening.

I am replacing an old Vermont Casting (20 years or so) that has had little/no care, burn out cat, and was leaky enough that it would run full blast when everything was closed. It would only burn for about an hour or 2, and adding more wood just caused it to go into jet fuel fuel, and turn the pipe all lovely shades of red. Obviously the heating was very uneven. Reading the forums, I am guessing this is not how it should work, but since is my first experience with a wood stove, I am not sure how to really gauge what to look for in a new stove.

I have been shopping around and I think I have it down to the Lopi- Leyden or the Lopi Cape Cop. I am willing to spend the extra money on the cape cod if it is worth it, and I rather buy a bigger stove than get an undersized stove as long as I'm not going to heat myself out of the house. I also like the hybrid idea of the cape cod, and it seems like if I wanted I could run it non cat during the day and cat when I go to bed to save the cat from some use and make it last longer. So long story short.....does it sound like I am looking at the right things, and what are people's opinions on the hybrid stoves. Is it worth it? I have seen some threads on hybrids, but it still seemed like the jury was out.

Thanks a ton.

Posts some pics of the old VC. I am assuming it was an Encore.

The Oslo is about the same size as the Encore. Since you aren't a fan of maintained on stoves I would go with a non-cat stove in this case.

The Leyden is about the same size as well. Also, the Pacific Energy T5 would probably work for you as well.

 

[begreen]

The Cape Cod is too new for us to have any data on. If you like the cast iron look and want larger, maybe replace it with a new VC 2n1 Defiant?

 

[BrowningBAR]

The Cape Cod is too new for us to have any data on. If you like the cast iron look and want larger, maybe replace it with a new VC 2n1 Defiant?

I think he had an Encore by the sound of it.

 

[begreen]

Right, but it sounded like he wants to go larger, thus the suggestion to go up a size. Though the 2N1 Encore is also a possibility.

PS: welcome jjl.

 

[jjl04002]

http://imgur.com/FMWVm if the pic doesn't show.

That is the stove. It is a defiant encore. The lack of maintenance was more from the previous owner. I can/will do things like cleaning a cat and basic maintenance, but I'm probably not gung ho enough to rebuild the stove every year to scrub it clean or anything like that. The stove I have currently is warped and cracked, and for the time/money I would have to put in it, I figured it was time to enter the 21st century of stoves. I was more talking about the current poor operation because it is my first stove, and that is all I know of how a wood stove runs so I don't know what to expect in a new stove.

I am looking to go a bit bigger, since I am planning am running it as much as possible (to keep the oil burner off) since I have a massive surplus of split wood on my land.

I'll try an provide any more info/pics if needed. And I'll check out some of the recommended stoves.

 

[begreen]

It might be worth asking a VC dealer if he would take it in on trade for a 2n1 Defiant. The new models have a tougher refractory assembly.

Are you set on a cat stove or would a non-cat be ok. If non-cat there are several options. Also, is the traditional cast iron look important?

 

[BrowningBAR]

I wonder if you want to go larger because you need more heat or if you want longer burn times. Because, unless your house is drafty, which it might be, the Encore will burn for 6-10 depending upon your heating needs. That is, if the Encore is in good working order.

Now, do you need more heat or do you need more burn time from a stove that is working properly?

If you have enough heat, and just want a good burn time in comparison to what you have been dealing with, than any 2 cu ft stove will meet your needs. That includes the Woodstock Firview, Pacific energy T5, Jotul Oslo, Blaze King Princess, Lopi Leyden, etc.

 

[jjl04002]

I am not set on a cat/non cat stove either way. I kind of like the idea of a longer burn time, but if the stove can last the night, I am happy. My wife likes big viewing windows, and actually isn't a huge fan of the current look of the stove we have because of all the bars in the way of the glass. We are more focused on function over form, as long as it looks half decent. Finally, I would like something with a blower option, because currently I think I lose a lot of heat to the surrounding rock before it gets into the room.

The main reason I was looking at the hybrids is because the owner of one of the stores we visited made them sound like the greatest thing ever. That and the cape cod has a huge viewing window.

 

[jjl04002]

Currently, the stove I had will go through 2-3 logs an hour, and will keep the house nice on 95% of the nights. Those sub zero, windy, January nights it is borderline. I am worried if I get a newer stove that burns slowly, it may not throw as much heat as the current stove. but if it did, I would be happy. The house was built in the 50s, and it can be pretty drafty and has some high ceilings.

 

[begreen]

Here's the current stove. At 3000 pixels, the original picture was too large. It looks like a very nice setting for a stove.



What's not showing in the picture is how much clearance there is below the fireplace lintel. What's the height of the fireplace opening?

 

[jjl04002]

There is 30.5 inches from the floor to the top of the opening. The base stone is 4 feet wide, And sticks out 21 inches from the hole.

 

[begreen]

That's great. You have some good options in 3 cu ft stoves with a blower. Many will just squeak under that lintel, so be sure measurements are accurate. For example, a Pacific Energy Summit Classic is 29" tall and has a good quiet blower. It's a nice strong heater with a good glass view.

 

[jjl04002]

Wow, that really is pretty much what we are looking for. I will be sure to share this with my wife in the morning. The only question/concern I have is the current set up sits out of the alcove, and the pipe comes out of the back to a T joint, then goes up. It looks like this stove only exhausts from the top. Is there any disadvantage/advantage to putting the stove in the alcove, or do you know if a stove like this can be exhausted in the back?

 

[begreen]

That's correct. The stove is top exit and would sit further a bit back in the fireplace. But it's a deeper stove with a much deeper firebox. With a damper sealing block off plate it should work out well, especially with the blower. This is similar to the way mod BrotherBart's Englander is set up.