Seeking advice re large stoves

[scash]

First off - great forum! I've read the FAQ, many posts and learned a lot. I really appreciate the posters who pass their knowledge on to the community.

I have a 3k sq. ft house in Flagstaff; winters are 0-30 deg F at night, elevation is 7,200 ft. My stove will only heat the top floor, which has approx 1,500 sq ft, but it's a peaked roof, about 20-25 ft high. I'm replacing an existing Regency stove (destroyed by the tenant who lived there) - don't know the model, but it looks like the F3100.

I've narrowed my choices to: Regency F3100; Quadrafire 4300, Lopi Liberty and Jotul F 50 (though I just read about the Woodstock Ideal Steel and that looks nice - I'll see if my wife likes any of the designs). All of those have roughly the same dimensions as the existing, broken stove. I would appreciate any thoughts (pro or con) on the models I chose. Am I even buying the right size?

Also had a question re the vents that some of the stoves have (or offer as an accessory) - like the Regency and the Lopi. It looks like the Quadrafire doesn't have it. I get that it directs hot air into the room, but do people find that it heats the room quicker?

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[begreen]

That's a big space to heat when it's very cold. You'll definitely want at least a 3 cu ft stove. What happened to the old stove, overfired? Has the chimney been inspected for any damage? Who will be running the new stove, tenants or owner?

The Quad and Regency are similar. The Lopi is wider than deep and has a bypass for easier starts though that may not be an issue. The Jotul is a steel stove with a castiron jacket. It will radiate less heat out the sides than the other stoves. I would consider the F55 which is a little bit larger.

 

[scash]

What happened to the old stove, overfired? Has the chimney been inspected for any damage? Who will be running the new stove, tenants or owner?

Thanks for your reply. The old stove was damaged because the heat shielding bricks inside the stove broke and, instead of replacing them (or even asking me to replace them), the tenant just kept burning fires inside the stove. Eventually, the metal inside the stove warped and allowed heat damage to internal parts and, possible, caused cracks in the unit (though I'm not sure of that). Someone is coming tomorrow to inspect the chimney and existing stove.

I will be using this new stove - no more tenants.

 

[begreen]

Bummer about the stove. Hopefully you can claim it as a rental damage loss for tax purposes.

 

[Poindexter]

Do you know the R value of the walls and roof?