Seeking Advice for Newbies First Wood Stove

[Bragg Creek]

Hello wood heat enthusiasts.

We recently moved to a rural lot that has lots of spruce, pine and poplar trees, many standing dead and recently fallen. Also lots of people giving away pine/spruce from dead fall/tree thinning. I don't plan to burn the poplar. Basically a never ending supply of pine and spruce for burning.

Wood stove will be in basement, 600 sq ft area, with open staircase to main 900 sqft and second floor 900 sqfts. Want to use wood heat to supplement natural gas furnace. Located in the Rocky Mountain foothills west of Calgary, Alberta. It gets really COLD here in winter, -40C a few times per year.

Aiming for budget of $2000 CAD for stove. Burn time of 8+ hours would be great so it can heat overnight.

Any suggestions for brands/models to look for? Is a base level catalytic stove within my budget?

Thanks for reading!

 

[GG Woody]

2k CAD is a bit of a skinny budget, I haven't been shopping for one this year, and not in the loop for pricing. What models have you been looking at?
I might suggest checking out True North (made in Canada) or Drolet? I was thinking I might buy a True North last year, went Blaze King instead.

I lived in Calgary for almost 4 years, early 2000's (left the day after the Flames didn't win the cup) Bragg Creek was really nice. I'm sure it's changed a ton since then?

 

[Bragg Creek]

Hi Woody,
You'd be surprised how little Bragg Creek has changed! There is always talked about development 1-2 years away, that never seems to materialize for one reason or another. It's ok, keeps it's sleepy little village charm.

Someone is selling a never used Century FW3500 for $1200, which fits the budget, just not sure if it's too large for my application.

Is there any downside to having a stove with an oversized firebox larger than I plan to use all the time?

 

[Megunticook]

Is there any downside to having a stove with an oversized firebox larger than I plan to use all the time?

Can potentially cause headaches--may overheat the place to the point where you start opening windows. And/or you understoke it so much to avoid overheating heating that you might start accumulating creosote. I'd be careful buying an oversized stove. Any sense of how tight your house is? In a leaky old farmhouse, for example, probably not an issue but in a more weathertight building overheating could become a real issue.

 

[Bragg Creek]

Good points. The house is not very tight at all. There are lots of big windows, that are 30 years old and not very efficient. Vaulted ceiling main floor living room and on top floor, lots of room for the heat to go.

 

[GG Woody]

Never used sounds great!
I'm guessing that the 3500 is a 3.5 cuft firebox? That is a big box for 600 sqft. It really is harder than I would expect to move that much heat upstairs, and I work in HVAC.

We have a 3 cuft box in our 1600 sqft basement, it is nice, but it is definitely a different climate down there!

Glad to hear that Bragg Creek hasn't out grown it's charm. Has Glenmore grown right up next to you. (Guess I could check Google maps)

 

[Murray01]

I’ve read on this forum more than once, “You can always build a smaller fire in a large stove.”

Are you starting from scratch? A stove for $1200 could be the cheapest part of the installation. Bonus.

In my case the stove was $4500 and the chimney was $1200 plus labour.

 

[Bragg Creek]

I'm not counting the installation or chimney costs in that budget. I realize both of those items will be more than the stove.

 

[begreen]

Drolet Escape 1200 or 1800 sounds about right. The Century is the low cost version of the biggest Drolet and Osburn, somewhat akin to the Drolet Austral III. It's a serious heater and might be overkill if the heat can not easily convect upstairs.

Are the basment walls fully insulated and has the sill plate been sealed? If not, the heat loss is thru the uninsulated walls will be high.

 

[Bragg Creek]

I'll check those models out. Basement will be fully insulated and finished drywall

 

[Bragg Creek]

The Escape 1800 sounds good. Anyone here have one that can comment on its quality/function?

Some people online complain about door latches not working properly, but that could be just one offs.

 

[begreen]

The Escape 1800 sounds good. Anyone here have one that can comment on its quality/function?

Some people online complain about door latches not working properly, but that could be just one offs.

There are several positive reports from owners in the SBI forum. Moving this thread there. (Century is also an SBI stove).

 

[marty319]

You should check this place out

MFP - The Online Stove and Fireplace Store

Welcome to MFP, the online store! Discover our wide selection of wood and pellet heating appliances, venting, replacement parts and accessories. Can.

www.myfireplaceproducts.com

They are canadian and sell the drolet,used to have free shipping.
I lived in Calgary in the mid seventies and remember going to the ice caves by bragg creek,was quite the adventure climbing up that hill to the caves and I was young then.

 

[begreen]

You should check this place out

MFP - The Online Stove and Fireplace Store

Welcome to MFP, the online store! Discover our wide selection of wood and pellet heating appliances, venting, replacement parts and accessories. Can.

www.myfireplaceproducts.com

They are canadian and sell the drolet,used to have free shipping.
I lived in Calgary in the mid seventies and remember going to the ice caves by bragg creek,was quite the adventure climbing up that hill to the caves and I was young then.

I should add the Century FW2900. It's the lower cost version of the Escape 1800.

 

[Bragg Creek]

When you say low cost version, is it the same stove with different branding on it? Or are there other differences between the two?

 

[begreen]

Depends, but it usually means just the basics with no frills. I don't recall any negatives for this model. It will have higher clearances due to the lack of side cabinet shields.

 

[Bragg Creek]

Would it be worth increasing my budget to try to get an entry level catalytic stove? Can anyone recommend models to look at?

Wondering if the efficiency/burn time increase of catalytic is worth the extra cost, and the cost of replacing the wearing parts. With today's non-catalytic tech, is the difference so slight it's not worth it, especially for a first wood stove?

 

[GG Woody]

I'd bet that it's worth it to get the one that you want first try, not just buy one that's maybe on sale or the best price and end up swapping in a few years. That said, used stoves do hold some value.
For me, the cat has been worth it. I have been enjoying the slow burn, longer burn times.
I also enjoy our secondary burn stove, it just gets less use with the Cat stove chugging along.

Dry fuel is needed in both and is the biggest "game changer"

 

[begreen]

Would it be worth increasing my budget to try to get an entry level catalytic stove? Can anyone recommend models to look at?

Wondering if the efficiency/burn time increase of catalytic is worth the extra cost, and the cost of replacing the wearing parts. With today's non-catalytic tech, is the difference so slight it's not worth it, especially for a first wood stove?

It depends on what the priorities are. It's not that hard to get an 8 hr burn with a non-cat burning softwood. If this is mostly going to be used when the weather is extra cold and the stove pushed hard, a cat stove's burn time may drop into the non-cat range. Conversely, if the stove is going to be running 24/7 from Oct to Mar or April, then a cat stove may be a good fit. Low and slow is where they shine. This will likely more than double the budget.

 

[EbS-P]

I have an 1800 insert. Quality is fine. Paint was good. Function is fine. My only complaint is the action of the air control. It’s not very smooth but it works.

It’s a no frill heater. Parts are dead simple. I used some high temp anti seize on the door hinge pins and the threaded door latch.