Real world output of Oakwood vs. Isle Royale...

[erichardson]

Hi,

I think i've narrowed my choices to these two stoves...I'll be a first time wood stove owner though and am wondering which one of these is 'easier' to learn. The BTU's of the quad are 66k vs. 42k for the Oakwood...These will be used in a 1300 sq. ft finished basement venting to an exterior chimney. The total square footage of the house is 2500 and I would ideally like to be able to get some of the heat upstairs.

Are these rating kind of subjective or would the quad heat that much better...

thanks,
eric

 

[Jags]

Hi,

I think i've narrowed my choices to these two stoves...I'll be a first time wood stove owner though and am wondering which one of these is 'easier' to learn. The BTU's of the quad are 66k vs. 42k for the Oakwood...These will be used in a 1300 sq. ft finished basement venting to an exterior chimney. The total square footage of the house is 2500 and I would ideally like to be able to get some of the heat upstairs.

Are these rating kind of subjective or would the quad heat that much better...

thanks,
eric

I would suggest not paying a heck of a lot of attention to the BTU ratings. Firebox size is the comparison that I would make. You are comparing a 2.3 cu ft firebox to a 3.0 ft. Quite a difference.

Trying to be fair here (because I own an IR), the IR will likely outperform the Oakwood for heat production and fire longevity. Its pretty simply math---More wood in = more heat.

Edit: and as far as ease of use? The IR is one of the easiest I know. 1 lever for primary air control and a handy push/pull knob for startup air (making for quick easy startups without leaving doors ajar, blah, blah blah.)

 

[Todd]

If you can, go measure the actual usable fire box in both of these stoves. There are other things in the way like andirons and burn tubes, the manufactures don't count when they take their measurements.

 

[jpl1nh]

Very good that your basement is finished. I assume that means insulated too which makes a HUGE difference. Nonetheless, its tougher to get heat upstairs from a basement to the rest of the house than you might think. 2500 ft is a lot of space to heat so I would think the bigger the better.

 

[northwinds]

I can't speak to the Oakwood, but the Isle Royale is not difficult to learn.

If you burn with well-seasoned wood, it's easy to operate. Hopefully, you have
your wood now for next year's heating season.

I have my Isle Royale in an insulated walk-out basement. It definitely helps to
have an open staircase and to have the stove located near the open staircase.

The bigger firebox means longer, more productive burns.

The andirons fold down if they get in the way.

 

[karri0n]

I'm also partial as an Isle Royale owner, but the larger stove is definitely what you want if you are trying to heat a good portion of the house from the basement. I don't know about the oakwood, but the IR is very easy to use.

 

[erichardson]

thanks everyone for the input...I think i'll go with the Quad. They are going for $2095 locally and hopefully they'll qualify for the credit this year. And yes, i'm acutally getting my wood for next year this week.

 

[Poult]

Something everyone said to me when I first was on here asking about a stove: You can get a stove that's too small, but it's hard to get one that's too big. And when it comes to feeding the stove over the course of the day, the bigger box has worked out well for me.

Poult