Recommendations from you pros

[wyosioux]

I will be getting a new wood stove and replacing our old, old pellet stove (1986 Pellefier) sometime this year. I have a few questions that I wanted to throw out there to see what information I could gather that might be helpful in my decision. This stove would ideally be our only source of heat, although we do have backup of course.

First of all you need to know that this stove will be going in an 1100 sq.ft. fully finished, well insulated, walk out basement. It will be located in a corner on an existing hearth. We have a centrally located stairwell that goes upstairs to another very well insulated 1100 sq.ft. I am thinking that heat will make its way up to next level fairly well.

My first question is this: what will best suit my needs, steel or cast? I am staying away from the soapstone option only because we occasionally like that instant high heat at times and I just don't want to wait 2-4 hrs. to feel heat coming from a freshly lit stove. I am worried that a steel stove might run us out of the basement (which is where we spend a good amount of time) as we try to heat the majority of the house up and down. Or, would this only be the case if it is a thinner steel, say 3/16 or less? (Read here, Englander 30) Should I just be looking at 1/4" steel or thicker? Or, should I just go with cast? This will still allow us to be within 6 feet or so of the stove and not get blistered from the heat, right? LOL In short, I guess, if I want to heat the majority of the house, what would you recommend?

Next question: Anybody in this similar situation as far as putting a stove in basement and approximately the same square footage? And if so, what stove do you have? Keep in mind my location... it can get cold here although this winter has been fairly mild in my location. Cold to me is something below zero. I see some people on here thinking that +20 is cold... not in my book.

Lastly, I have been doing a considerable amount of research on wood stoves and the following are my narrowed down choices. Help me decide with comments/suggestions. Possibilities: Blaze King Princess (can't go with King... ceiling in basement too short before going out wall), Kuma (either the Sequoia or Classic), Pacific Summit, a Harman (can't remember the model), Napolean, or a Quadrafire 5700. Oh, and I like the cost and reviews of the Englander, but afraid that I will get just what I pay for.

Thoughts? and thank you ahead of time!

 

[ansehnlich1]

Oh yeah, you'll be getting all sort and manner of input on this for sure! We all LOVE to give advice, haha

I heated a similar space in an a previous home, a rancher. I had a coal stove in the basement at that place. My opinion is this, no matter what stove you put down in your basement, if you want 70 degrees upstairs when it's "cold" there, you'll have to have that puppy crankin' and methinks your basement will likely be 85 degrees or more...

BTW, I'm partial to the JOTUL OSLO

...welcome to the best woodburnin' forum on the WWW!

 

[BrotherBart]

Oh, and I like the cost and reviews of the Englander, but afraid that I will get just what I pay for.

Perish the thought. :lol:

 

[wyosioux]

Thanks for the welcome!

I like the look of some of the Jotuls, and we even have a dealer right here close, but I have had a few people tell me they just didn't "put out" like they had hoped and moved on to something different and ended up very happy with a different brand. So, that is why they didn't make my cut list.

And, we don't mind it around 80 degrees if needed!

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

Watch out. BB might just talk you into that Englander. He's *very* persuasive.

 

[wyosioux]

BrotherBart-- Enlighten me on your experiences. Like I said, I like the price and the firebox size too. And I guess the fact that they are made in USA. But aside from that, every time I see one in a Home Depot they appear "cheap". You know what I mean, just flimsy looking... tinny almost. Maybe I'm wrong. Do you burn your's 24/7? If you were heating with it in a room about 400 sq.ft. to about 75 degrees, and say it is 10 degrees outside, would mamma be able to back on up to it like she likes to do or would her polyester slacks start dripping on the floor?

 

[BrotherBart]

We have it half in and half out of a raised hearth fireplace heating the two floors of a 2,500 sq. ft. raised hall colonial. When we have company in the family room where the stove is I just don't turn on the blower and we sit six to ten feet from it and it is fine. Of course I don't load it to the gills for those occasions and seldom do anyway.

If ya don't like the look of the stove don't buy the stove. Find something that you like. But tinny it ain't. Most steel stoves on the market today have 3/16" inch stove bodies and either 1/4" or 5/8" top plates. I had $2,500 budgeted for my next stove four years ago and couldn't be happier with the stove and its performance. But that is just me. Buy what you have confidence in.

Edit: As to what is cold, the nights we had nine degrees and under this year I slept under a sheet upstairs. Temp was in the seventies when I went to bed and high sixties when I got up twelve hours after loading the stove.

 

[wyosioux]

That's good to hear! I'll look at them a little closer the next time I get to a Home Depot. Looks aren't all that important to me as much as practicallity and quality is... remember that I had a Blaze King on my short list so that tells you what I think of looks! HaHa

Kathleen-- You might be right! Ol' Bart might be banking his life savings on England Stove Works stock or something.

 

[BrotherBart]

That's good to hear! I'll look at them a little closer the next time I get to a Home Depot. Looks aren't all that important to me as much as practicallity and quality is... remember that I had a Blaze King on my short list so that tells you what I think of looks! HaHa

I painted ours dark metallic brown like our old insert before I installed it and me and the little brown haired girl think it is the best looking wood stove made.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Thanks for the welcome!

I like the look of some of the Jotuls, and we even have a dealer right here close, but I have had a few people tell me they just didn't "put out" like they had hoped and moved on to something different and ended up very happy with a different brand. So, that is why they didn't make my cut list.

And, we don't mind it around 80 degrees if needed!

I know brotherbart will stand behind his stove, been around here long enough to know he ain't froze up in the winter time yet!

My guess is you'll be wanting a 3 cu. ft. stove.

Whether it's steel or cast is your preference, either way, I think you'll be toast in the basement if you're trying to heat the upper floor to 70 degrees....that's just my opinion.

My Oslo run's my main living area which is around 1100 sq. ft. up to 80+ when it's 20 degrees outside pretty easily....the benefit of a bigger stove is extended burn times. I gotta tell ya though, I load the Oslo at 5:30 in the morning and come home about 4 in the afternoon and the living room temp. has not been below 67 degrees this winter.

If you have relatively new construction there with good insulation you'll be able to heat the place with the downstairs stove, I'm just predicting it'll get real warm down there when that wyo. cold sets in and you're looking for good heat upstairs.

 

[wyosioux]

You could be right... it'll be fun trying though!

Actually, we don't need the upstairs to be at 70 and don't expect that. If I can get it to consistently be about 67ish I would be happy. Again, I know that might be 80 downstairs, but that is okay too. Honestly, the couple of times when my POS pellet stove actually worked and got the basement up to about 74, we were at about 68 upstairs. That is why I think that with a good wood stove, we can make it our sole source of heat. Right now we are running baseboard heat down and nothing up and it is pretty much 66-68 upstairs. Probably 70=72 down.

I just love wood heat and miss it. We just bought this house about 6 mos. ago and pellet stove came with it. Won't own another. We have good wood supply around here, and it should keep me young going out and cutting and chopping.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Well sir, depending on how much green you want to spend, sounds like you're set to go.

New wood stoves like dry wood, so keep that in mind....meaning, wood that has been split and seasoned a year or more depending on species.

Ain't no doubt you can heat that place with wood!

Oh, btw, we are PICTURE addicts here too, need.....to......see...........pics..of..hearth.....chimney.....house......

 

[wyosioux]

I'll get some pics as soon as I get a stove in for sure.

I only cut standing dead wood. Pine is pretty much all we burn around here. Can burn some aspen, its clean but doesn't put out as much heat. Some also burn some cottonwood which isn't bad but leaves lots of ash.

I was just wishing somebody would make my decision for me... maybe i'll see if a sale on stoves comes along. Is there a time of the year that is best for buying a wood stove?

Sorry for all the questions

 

[madrone]

LOPI ENDEAVOR!

but seriously, at that sq ft, well insulated, it'd be a decent stove. Very well built and the bypass lever's a nice feature. It's easy to use and maintain. Lopi Republic 1750 is the lower-cost version with the same size firebox.

EDIT: Just figured out that your total is 2200 sq ft. Lopi Liberty would be a better choice, especially with pine and cottonwood.

 

[Todd]

Geez, nobody pushing the Blaze King yet? If I had nothing but softwoods to burn I'd want the control and burn times of the BK.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

My first question is this: what will best suit my needs, steel or cast? I am staying away from the soapstone option only because we occasionally like that instant high heat at times and I just don't want to wait 2-4 hrs. to feel heat coming from a freshly lit stove.

I will not say that a soapstone would suit your needs because I do not think it will. I also don't like basement installs with folks expecting to heat the upper level too. Heat indeed rises but most folks are sadly disappointed with that type of install.

My real point in posting here is to question one of your statements. I do not mean to belittle you in the least but I don't know where you got the idea that it takes a soapstone stove 2-4 hours to feel heat coming from it. I detect you've heard some tall tale stories; it doesn't even take half that long! It does take a bit longer than with steel or cast, but remember that a soapstone stove also has a lot of cast and therefore you start getting heat quite fast, especially compared to the stories people like to tell about soapstone. My rock does very well, thank you.

Good luck in your quest for a new stove. We wish you well.

 

[Mrs. Krabappel]

If you can get to your local box store today with this printout from Farm and Fleet, they will price match on that Englander NC-30. If you'll notice, Farm and Fleet's sale ends today. It's a great price.

http://www.farmandfleet.com/product...d_stove.html?lref=/catalog/find.aspx?t=618364

 

[fossil]

I burn almost exclusively softwoods in a Lopi Liberty heating ~2600 ft² lofted 2-story home. Blower kit & ceiling fans for distribution. No probs, we love it. I like steel stoves. Form follows function. I'd buy an Englander, but the damned door is hinged on the wrong side. %-P Rick

 

[madison]

You may wish to PM another forum member by the moniker "moosetrek", he is in your area and just installed a new unit. He may have some advice on local dealers etc.

I'll be out fishing in a month, hopefully the stove will be in and the beer cold by the time I visit, haha

 

[wyosioux]

Inferno--Don't be offended. I in fact like soapstone stoves, just not in this application. I will someday have one, but currently they seem to be rated for a smaller area. And, when I said the 2-4 hour time, I meant to get it to the same temp. as a steel stove. Maybe its closer to an hour... you are probably right, but still not for me at this time. Will have to wait until I get our log house built and I will have one in a section of that.

Kathleen--Great deal and thanks. But I called three different stores out to about 100 miles away and none of them have one in stock. Can't order as that season is over for them. Plus, I think physical size of a 30 NC do to 12" clearances at the corners would not work in my case.

Fossil--Any trouble with the secondary burn tubes on that Lopi? Read several people having trouble with them.

Thanks all! Keep the info. and suggestions coming.

 

[summit]

PE summit: you just can't go wrong.

 

[fossil]

...Fossil--Any trouble with the secondary burn tubes on that Lopi? Read several people having trouble with them.

Nope. Lost the anti-rotation pin from the front tube, so sometimes I hit it with a split and turn it...no big deal, I turn it back with the poker. Maybe someday I'll replace the pin. Other than that the tubes are fine, and we've had that stove plenty hot a few times...like ~950°F stovetop. Rick

 

[fredarm]

PE Alderlea T6 (cast iron clad Summit). A little mellower heat as I understand it, due to the cast iron cladding.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thanks for the welcome!

I like the look of some of the Jotuls, and we even have a dealer right here close, but I have had a few people tell me they just didn't "put out" like they had hoped and moved on to something different and ended up very happy with a different brand. So, that is why they didn't make my cut list.

And, we don't mind it around 80 degrees if needed!

Hmmm . . . I must be doing something wrong with my Jotul then . . . here in Maine it's "putting out" just fine . . . in fact sometimes it "puts out" a little too much . . . especially if I'm running her too hard.

By the way, we are talking about stoves, right?

 

[wyosioux]

FFJake-- Sorry, but I have to listen to the locals, you know?

There is a chance our climates could be a little different. We can go, especially where I am located, a week to 10 days and not get above zero. I used to have a sister in law that lived in ME, and I know that below zero was rare. Maybe not where you are, but needless to say, Jotul is out for me.

PS -- Don't run her so hard and maybe she'll put out just right for ya! (were we talking about stoves???) HAHA