Replacing a 1950 wood stove

[rkysia]

Looking for suggestions for heating a 650 sq ft cabin, three season/no insulation, in Northern Michigan. I have a vaulted A frame roof with 25 foot pipe to the rooftop. I currently have a 1950 Atlanta stove company stove. I'm thinking about a high efficiency/hybrid stove that qualifies for tax credit. I've been reading a lot of reviews but having trouble gauging how many BTUs I need without overheating the space. Also would appreciate any brand suggestions, looked at Jotul, Osburn, and Hearthstone Green Mountain. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[begreen]

My recommendation is to not worry about the tax credit and keep it simple. For a cabin, a basic Drolet or Osburn is fine. 650 sq ft is not large, but it takes a lot ofheat to warm up the place and its contents from say 40º, then to keep it warm at 70º once the room temp has stabilized. If this is a weekend trip, that could take up most of a day. For that reason, go larger than you might think. That's why the old Atlanta worked. Once the place is warmed up, build smaller fires if it is not too cold outside.

The Drolet Escape 1800 or Osburn 2000 would work. So would a Regency 2450 or a Pacific Energy Super or a PE True North TN20.

 

[rkysia]

My recommendation is to skip the tax credit and keep it simple. For a cabin, a basic Drolet or Osburn is fine. 650 sq ft is not large, but it takes a lot ofheat to warm up the place and its contents from say 40º, then to keep it warm at 70º once the room temp has stabilized. If this is a weekend trip, that could take up most of a day. For that reason, go larger than you might think. That's why the old Atlanta worked. Once the place is warmed up, build smaller fires if it is not too cold outside.

The Drolet Escape 1800 or Osburn 2000 would work. So would a Regency 2450 or a Pacific Energy Super or a PE True North TN20.

Thank you. Do you think the high efficiency ones heat too slowly? Is that why you recommend the Drolet unit? Yes, I'm basically using it for weekends Spring through Fall.

 

[begreen]

Not really. What will differentiate the "feeling" of heating up quickly has more to do with radiance. The old Atlanta is unshielded. The only thing between the fire and you is a cast iron shell. That lets it radiate heat directly. This is line of sight heating, but effective in heating up the furniture and walls in a cold place. Most modern stoves are now shielded. This is both an aesthetic and it permits much closer clearance requirements. The latter is helpful in smaller spaces because the stove and hearth take up less room space. The side shielding makes modern stoves more convective. A blower on the stove can help convect the heat faster. If you want a modern beast heater with no shielding, look at the Drolet Austral.

In hybrids, the Hearthstone Green Mountain 60 has cast iron sides,. It's more radiant, but it is a more complex hybrid stove with a cat, so higher maintenance and more rules for operation if there are multiple operators. This stove qualifies for the tax credit if installed before Dec. 31, 2025.

 

[John Lehet]

Jotul 602 also qualifies for the tax credit. Jotul says “heats up to 800 sq feet.” I believe it’s some kind of hybrid?
I had a 601 (non cat) for one winter, quite a surprisingly mighty little stove.

 

[begreen]

The Jotul F602v3 and the VC Aspen C3 are both radiant heaters. The 602v3 is new and we have little user information about it so far. They are box heaters and on the small side, with the Aspen being the larger of the two at 1.2 cu ft. If this was an insulated cabin kept at least at 50ºF then yes, one of them could work.

 

[Todd]

If you have an L&M Supply store nearby check out the Drolet’s they stock. I’m pretty sure they qualify for the tax credit and you could buy one for under $1500.

 

[EbS-P]

Check about the tax credit, as it may only apply to your permanent residence.

 

[begreen]

New tax credit listing on Drolet's website, now with a QM.

https://www.drolet.ca/file/Certificate%20-%20Tax%20Credit%202025%20-%20Drolet.pdf