Quadrafire 4100, PE Summit...Englander 30NC?

[mtjulien]

Please help!! I have spent so much time trying to figure out what to get my brain hurts. I could definitely use some feedback!
This forum is awesome btw, thanks all!!

I am replacing my Jotul 3 that's in my back kitchen and want to start using wood as my primary heat source. My home is old dutch 230 yo, 2000sqft, with really cold kitchen (the laid stone foundation tapers off to just dirt below the back wall of the kitchen). I just lined the front chimney and am moving the jotul out there but don't know how much I'll use it...nor do I really want to maintain, clean and feed 2 fires if I can do with just one...we'll see. I'm thinking that I want to put a beast in the kitchen, approx 20'x24'. I intend to use passive ceiling vents for the 2nd floor and fans to move heat. Any thoughts on placing a vent right above the stove? Sorry I don't have a floor plan.

I started looking at Jotuls but have moved away from the uber pricey stoves. Maybe someday. I like the Alderlea T6 but for that money, I may as well stretch for the workhorses with pretty enamel. I cook on top of my jotul so the T6 is a contender but I'm afraid the matte black will get/look messier. I have been scouring Craigslist in NY, VT, CT, and MA...thinking maybe I could pu something on the cheap until I can afford what I want. The first one I looked at set me straight on that. There's a reason that you don't see PE stoves on Craigslist! I am still looking...was a sad second in line for a 10yo Oslo for $500!

The consensus here seems to be; a bigger firebox is better and some regrets out there about under-sizing stoves. That makes sense to me. I am very concerned with safety and quality but I'm a little lost on pros and cons of radiant stoves v. convection. I like (and know) cast iron but am open to steel. I've considered PE Summit, Alderlea T6, Quadrafire 4100. Today I've been looking at the Englander 30NC. It's a lot more affordable, sounds reliable but I'm wondering if it would heat me right out of my kitchen. Or can I successfully move the air through the house?...ceiling vent with blower above the stove, corner doorway fan to DR(middle of house) with passive vent to 2nd floor in DR, and a ceiling fan in the LR (front of house/down). There is also a ceiling fan at the top of the stairs in the front of the house. I have a forced hot air system that I might be able to run on just the blower.

Or I could step down somewhat on the size of the stove in the kitchen and use the Jotul 3 in the front of the house when it gets really cold. It would mean running two stoves sometimes but it might be a better setup for shoulder seasons.

So, I have two questions I guess...if I get a beast, is it reasonable to think that I can move the air.If so, which stove? I prefer cooler temps, 65 is really hot for me. Will I be too uncomfortable in the kitchen? There is a Quadrafire 4100 on Craigslist for $650/ new for $1600 (QF has a $300 coupon on their site right now). Or Englander 30NC for $900 at Home Depot. I just found the Englander but it sounds like a good compromise. Is there anything important that I should know about this stove (or any) that may not be obvious to a newbie? QF sounds slightly more high maintenance? Sorry for the long post!
Thank you

 

[begreen]

Welcome. It would be easier to help if you can post a simple floorplan for us to visualize. Very often folks have had success without cutting openings. But we need to see where the staircase is and other rooms. FWIW, no ducted ventilation system return is allowed within 10 ft of the stove. But you may have good luck with just a fan, on the floor, blowing cooler air into the kitchen from the adjacent hallway or rooms. This is also going to determine how well a big stove will work.

 

[mtjulien]

Soot...aha! typo... I meant to say shoot! I have no way to post a diagram. But my house is a side hall with 3 main, large rooms on each floor. Downstairs, it's kitchen, DR then LR moving from back to front. The stairs and hallways are in the front alongside the LR and there are two small rooms adjacent to the middle room on each floor. The new woodstove would go in the back in the kitchen and the jotul 3 is going in the LR in the front.
My forced hot air returns are all in the front 2 areas (LR and DR/down) with none in the kitchen. I would prefer to set this up w/o the forced hot air though. I think the passive air would be nicer for sleeping upstairs and there are some allergy issues that kick up when the air comes on.

 

[mtjulien]

and thanks for the welcome BG!

 

[begreen]

If the doorways between the rooms are generous and all in-line, I would try setting the fan at the opening of the living room, on the floor, pointed at the kitchen opening. Low speed is fine. You could try this with the Jotul 3 right now on a day when it can handle heating pretty well. Use a thermometer in the LR to note the before and after change and give it about 15-30 minutes to equalize. If it is effective you should see a significant change. The kitchen should be a bit cooler and the LR temp should go up. The DR will be just right.

 

[mtjulien]

hmmm, good call! A fan blowing cold to hot makes sense. my jotul just doesn't have enough moxie to heat all 3 rooms right now though. i made a curtain for the kitchen and the jotul can only keep the kitchen warm when I'm not running propane. Although after reading all the posts that I've read, I think my wood is not great. Prior to this year, I always used the jotul to supplement the kitchen only with the forced hot air/propane system. No joke, my kitchen is significantly colder than the rest of the house. There is a ceiling fan in the LR. I'll try using that after I get my new stove installed in the kitchen. What are your thoughts on putting a blower on the new stove as well?

I still don't know what to do about a stove, size or model or manufacturer. A new stove appeals to me, since, if there were problems with a CL/used stove I wouldn't be able to handle them myself. My chimney guy could help me but I might not know what I'm looking at with a CL stove. That Quadrafire 4100 for $650 seems like a good deal ($500 would be better!) It wouldn't be one of my first choices but it might work. Overall, from the posts I've read, QF seems to involve a little more maintenance. The Englander NC30 is a new consideration for me and at $900 it is looking good. Do you know if either stove likes to run hot or would I be able to damp it down and run it at a moderate pace in shoulder season weather? Also, do you think I would be able to move the hot air out of the kitchen effectively. I could spend more but only if I know my choice is spot on...and I don't...or do we ever

Are there any stoves tugging at your sleeve right now that I am not considering? btw, i took down a huge sugar maple and have about 7 cords of 20-21" splits cut in August 2011. so, a stove that takes longer wood sure would be nice. Right now I'm mainly using up scrounge wood. :red:

 

[swestall]

If you put a T-6 in there you might also need A/C. LOL..
BG can tell you about that.
A nice/small stove in there might add enough nice to the room to warrant the extra effort.
If you have to buy the wood then pellets might be an option, there are lots of nice looking Pellet stoves today and the price for pellets and wood are getting close.
Moving air is not easy but if you blow it from one fan to another it works.

 

[mtjulien]

well then, i guess with the 30nc, I'd need to build an igloo addition off the kitchen?
Does anyone know of any big stoves that are particularly good at both blasting the heat when needed and running on low really well too?
I have a nice small stove in the kitchen now and it only heats the one room. :-
fan to fan?...what about a blower on the stove, corner fan in the kitchen to DR door and ceiling fan in LR and another ceiling fan in the hallway upstairs? (I already have the ceiling fans.) I can cut vertical vents if that's not enough...or use the forced hot air system as a fan. If my Jotul 3 can't make it out the kitchen door, then do I need a beast of a stove to heat my whole house?
Definitely wood...I'm liking this game! Challenge!!

 

[begreen]

Well, the Alderlea T6 does fit the bill but I think that is over-budget here. If the 4100 is in great condition, then it might work out.

 

[mtjulien]

oh boy, it looks like I've struck out with my choices.
The T5 looks nice but I'm afraid it might not be enough. Also, it only takes 18" logs.
I'll keep looking for now. Thanks for all your feedback!!