Replacing 1988 Hearthstone 1 stove Need help deciding

[Outnumbered]

Have spent a great deal of time on this informative forum and sometimes the more you read about the options available the more confused you get. Our situation is this: We have been using the Hearthstone Woodstove 1 for 30+ years and it has reached the end of its useful life. We have a raised ranch 1800sqft home, the woodstove is in the basement with 20+ feet of 8” stainless steel flue inside cement blocks to the top their are two 90 degree bends one at top of stove and the other when it goes into the cement block chimney. I love the stove in the basement as it heats our floors nicely and we have plenty of space around the wood stove. I also like the load from the side ability as opening and closing the front doors on the Hearthstone 1 can have issues. In our area (Southwest New York snow belt) we have dealers in Hearthstone, Lopi, Regency, VC, Buck and probably some others I missed. No dealers in BlazeKing though. We typically fill the Hearthstone in the evening 4.3cuft box and again in the morning, it keeps the house pretty warm throughout but we are approaching retirement in a couple years and the 8+ face cord as you get older 60ish you look for something more efficient. Have considered the Heritage, Green Mountain 60, VC Encore (but after reading threads I don’t think so), Lopi. Am intrigued by the Woodstock brands they are very rich looking. I think of entering the catalytic as it gives us the long burn times but am stumped between Cast, steel or stay with the Soapstone. Any advice would be welcomed as we continue doing our research to find the last woodstove we will purchase in our lifetime. We also have a propane baseboard we use in the shoulder months to take the nip off. I like the 4 leg options on a woodstove and would want one with a fan as the woodstove sits in the NW corner of basement. Let me know if I left out any critical information.

 

[begreen]

For basement heating of upstairs I would look at stoves in the 3 cu ft range. I don't see a lot of advantages to a soapstone stove in this location so the Woodstock Ideal Steel is worth considering as well as the Regency 3500 or 5200.

 

[Outnumbered]

By my research I tend to agree with you I did find a Blaze King dealer about 50 miles away. Along with the Regency should I be considering the princess 32 or even the Blaze King 40. Blaze King 40 is probably overkill but they do have the 8 inch flue, speaking of flues do you see any disadvantages in going from an 6 inch flue out of the stove into an 8 inch flue pipe? I never have smoke issues with the hearthstone and get a real good draw. Just a little concerned going from the 6inch to the 8inch flue.

 

[begreen]

Yes, a Blaze King would also work there. Going from the 6" to 8" will work, but the draft may be a bit weaker. With a cat stove there is a greater chance of creosote build up with an exterior chimney and slower flue gases. Does the chimney have stainless steel liner in it? If not, an insulated liner is strongly recommended both for safety, but also for keeping the cooler cat stove flue gases hotter to improve draft and reduce creosote buildup.

 

[Outnumbered]

Yes it has a stainless steel liner in the roughly 20’ chimney. With the Hearthstone I cleaned my chimney three times a year and would get a couple coffee cans of creosote each time all in the 3 ft the cement blocks and SS liner exits the roof line. The chimney is outside the original house but added a nice three season room that we keep at 50 degrees during the winter months. I worry a little about the cooler gas’s with the more efficient stove but should only be a problem at the point of exiting the roof line and will need to keep an eye on its performance.

 

[EbS-P]

stainless steel liner in the roughly 20’ chimney.

Based on what you have said if I was making the decision I’d probably not change the 8” flue unless it’s 20+ years old. (If it’s as old as the stove I be getting a camera inspection.). Keeping the 8”, I’d really want and easy breathing 6” stove or a BK 40 king (30 series on 20’ of insulated 8” would just be too much of a gamble for me) and would keep up my three cleanings a year until I’m confident that I can reduce that to twice or one. BK might not even be possible for this year. So I’d be weighing availability too. I’d drive or pay extra delivery fee for the BK. I’d be making a decision ASAP!

Just some thoughts.

 

[Outnumbered]

Based on what you have said if I was making the decision I’d probably not change the 8” flue unless it’s 20+ years old. (If it’s as old as the stove I be getting a camera inspection.). Keeping the 8”, I’d really want and easy breathing 6” stove or a BK 40 king (30 series on 20’ of insulated 8” would just be too much of a gamble for me) and would keep up my three cleanings a year until I’m confident that I can reduce that to twice or one. BK might not even be possible for this year. So I’d be weighing availability too. I’d drive or pay extra delivery fee for the BK. I’d be making a decision ASAP!

Just some thoughts.

I think the BK40 would be overkill just to utilize the 8” stainless liner. Would a 6” double walled insulated flue fit inside the 8” stainless liner? Do they make kits for doing just that? That would open me up to a wider range of BK wood stoves like princess/sirocco/Sanford. With everything I have read I am looking at moving away from the Hearthstone to a Blaze King. I need to use less wood and utilize latest proven technology.