Howdy y'all, in the market for a north/south loading wood stove with the longest burn times possible. The only ones I'm familiar with are the Vermont Castings Aspen c3, Morso 2b standard, and Jotul 602. Leaning toward the morso, since I don't like the idea of not having control of the VC and don't like the coat of arms or whatever is on the side of the Jotul 602, but I am open to suggestions.
Reccomendations for a north/south wood stove with long burn times
- Thread starter milesmoony
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BK owners talk about having 24 hour burn cycles when set on low output. I drool thinking about it, but my BTU needs are high and the benefits of a catalyst stove are not as great when burned at higher outputs. Length of burn time is only one part of the equation...
Your climate seems ideal for a BK. And yes, 24 hrs is easily possible in a 30 firebox (named 30 for advertised 30 hr burns!).
These are cat stoves, so you have to want that.
What is nice is the thermostat control; set it and forget it. Too warm, inch it down. Too cold, inch it up.
And then forget it: Literally, because you can walk away for 24+ hrs. In mid winter I run on 12 hr cycles and I have to struggle a bit to empty out the firebox in time for the night reload...
This does not mean there are no other stoves that can get you long burns and would be suitable for you. But do consider the shoulder season when your need for heat is lower and the turn down ratio is important. Many stoves cook one out of the house then, or require intermittent small fires. Setting a BK at its lowest possible setting gives an even, long heat then.
What is your chimney height, diameter, lining, bends, etc? Home layout and size? Insulation and sealing? All things to consider as stoves have requirements to run safely, and homes matter in whether the stove would meet your needs.
These are cat stoves, so you have to want that.
What is nice is the thermostat control; set it and forget it. Too warm, inch it down. Too cold, inch it up.
And then forget it: Literally, because you can walk away for 24+ hrs. In mid winter I run on 12 hr cycles and I have to struggle a bit to empty out the firebox in time for the night reload...
This does not mean there are no other stoves that can get you long burns and would be suitable for you. But do consider the shoulder season when your need for heat is lower and the turn down ratio is important. Many stoves cook one out of the house then, or require intermittent small fires. Setting a BK at its lowest possible setting gives an even, long heat then.
What is your chimney height, diameter, lining, bends, etc? Home layout and size? Insulation and sealing? All things to consider as stoves have requirements to run safely, and homes matter in whether the stove would meet your needs.
WoodBurnerInWI
Feeling the Heat
I'm satisfied with the burn times on my Woodstock Ideal Steel. Stove has a 3.2 cf firebox but that number may be skewed a bit due to the sloping roof the secondary burn chamber. Since the Ideal Steel utilizes both a catalyst and secondary burn chamber, both systems work to provide good burn times. 12 hours is average, 8 hours in really cold weather and occasionally have gotten over 12 hour burns during shoulder season. Stove can be burned either N/S or E/W. I find that when burning N/S, logs 16 and 17 inches work wonderfully! Although you can technically put an 18 inch log in N/S, differences in those pieces of wood will probably have it stick out a bit more then you'd like so I just tend to burn 18 inch pieces and higher in E/W. The firebox will take up to 22 inch logs.
Are you looking for a box style stove or one that you load in a N/S orientation? The examples you listed are all box stove styles. The ability to load N/S is fairly common.
Small, 300 sq/ft, poorly insulated. Max budget would be around $1400. Fire view is nice, but not needed. No preference for cat or non-cat.
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
BK princess owner, I cut all my logs between 16-18" lengths for n / s loading, works very well for me, I feel as though n / s loading allows for more wood to fit in the box then e /w for some reason, either way for my climate zone which ranges from 30 / 40's in Nov, 0 to single digits in the heart of winter then back to 30 / 40's for spring the stove keeps the house warm (1980's 2x4 cons) My ideal temp is between 70-73, burn times average from almost 24hrs when temps are 30/40's to 8-12hr's in the heart of winter.
aansorge
Minister of Fire
In effect, there is the same control with the VC Aspen as the Morso or Jotul. If you want less heat, burn less wood. The Aspen does have the advantage of thermostatic control on a larger firebox which will provide longer burn times.
This will be an advantage in colder weather if this is a sleeping cabin. Otherwise, prepare for daily wide temperature swings.
This will be an advantage in colder weather if this is a sleeping cabin. Otherwise, prepare for daily wide temperature swings.
I already have an old style jotul 602 (glo fire 301) and use it as my primary heat source. It's usually pretty comfortable although a lot of the time I feel I could use a bigger hotter stove.
Yeah, those wide temp swings are what I'm looking to eliminate. Pretty comfortable with my current stove, except when it goes out. (I could do with a bigger/hotter stove) I guess my original question was if anyone knows of any north south box style stoves other than these 3?
Then why not first insulate better (if you need a stove this big for a space so small, you're really wasting most of your heat), saving on heating cost (or labor, for free wood) - and possibly avoiding having to shell out money for a new stove AND the increased fuel consumption of that bigger stove.
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
Not looking for advice on insulating. If you looks at the original post, looking for recommendations on north-south box style stoves
SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
We also have a wood burning cookstove, but our first winter here was with the 2b Classic and it was our sole heat. Our house is a well insulated 1200sqft saltbox in a coastal area of growing zone 5b, lots of south facing glazing. The little Morso can heat our whole house going six hours between burns on the coldest nights. In mild weather we only load it two or three times a day. With good hardwoods I can go overnight on a burn when it is very cold if I get the house nice and warm before a final load of hard maple. Mostly we burn fir and spruce which is not the best wood for fuel. I probably wouldn't cook on the top unless I really had to, the heat exchanger makes it hard enough to put a kettle or steamer on the "hot spot" without banging or scraping anything. The ash pan and shaker grate are lovely and the tiny ash lip works well enough. The manual states 18" is the longest suggested length for firewood, but I can fit more in the box with 16" splits due to the stepped firebox ceiling.
This is a very small stove, one of the smallest UL and EPA approved stoves on the market. I'm not 100% sure the 2b Classic is 2020 EPA approved, but I know the 2b Standard is. The Standard lacks the ash pan, shaker grate, and heat exchanger, but I assume the output is similar. In my opinion the heat exchanger mostly functions as thermal mass rather than more surface area to radiate heat. The 7" rear clearance to combustibles is very nice for smaller homes. The sides are 26" if memory serves, but that can be reduced with proper heat shielding. Realistically I wouldn't place it close to any walls on the sides since that is the primary radiant surface.
Anyway, I'm rambling a bit, let me know if you have any questions.
What is the current stove? There are larger stoves that are N/S loading and there are old stoves too, like some Langes.
That will give you a reasonable estimation of how a modern box stove will work albeit with greater efficiency and 1-2 hr longer burn time. I think the next step up is a True North TN20 or PS Super which have a 2 cu ft square firebox.
Not giving any recommendations here just a picture of the former one mentioned----trying to be helpful...clancey
www.truenorthstoves.com
TN20 Wood Stove - True North Stoves
www.truenorthstoves.com
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