Small affordable Cat stove insert?

[NBABUCKS1]

I have a feeling this is like one of those ven diagrams pick 2 things.

Two story house, only need one floor heated around 900 square feet. I used to have a larger single level house and had a True North TN20 stove which was great but I want the lower and slower burn of a cat. In the new house I have an existing chimney so I would need an insert.

I don't care about looks just want something that burns clean (epa 2020 a plus!). I wish I could get freestanding but there is no room

Any recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[begreen]

Nothing is affordable in AK due to shipping costs. Check out Woodstock's stoves.

 

[Highbeam]

Catalytic inserts are rare. You've almost certainly found the only option, a BK. Princess has a good reputation but there are also the relatively new other BK inserts that you may want to try.

 

[WoodBurnerInWI]

Nothing is affordable in AK due to shipping costs. Check out Woodstock's stoves.

I'll second that regarding Woodstock's stoves! Most anything you would want would have to be shipped to your closest fireplace shop or directly to your home. Both options seem like the costs would start getting way up there. With the Woodstock stoves, you can usually catch a sale almost any time of the year and the sales sometimes have shipping discounts. So basically a stove under let's say $3,000 plus under $500 for shipping to a nearby freight warehouse or business with a loading dock ends up being not such a bad deal cost wise.

If you are open to just replacing your stove with something a bit more efficient, I would take a good look at Woodstock's newest and smallest catalytic stove, the Survival Hybrid. With their hybrid tech, you get the best of both worlds when it comes to secondary combustion since the stove will run in catalytic mode and once it gets hot enough also erupts into very pretty secondary combustion with active flames at the top of the firebox. Both systems are working at the same time making for a super clean burn (I only had 1 cup of brown powder cleaning out my stove pipe over the weekend burning 24/7 since Oct in their larger hybrid stove the Ideal Steel). The Survival Hybrid has a 1.2 cf firebox and will heat up to 1,000 sq ft which sounds perfect for the room the OP is trying to heat. It may also burn for up to 8 hrs on a load of wood which is pretty great for such a small firebox. Takes up to 16" logs.

Survival Hybrid Wood Stove

The Most Affordable, High Efficiency Wood Stove! This little powerhouse is perfect for heating small spaces up to 1,000 sq.ft., has an output of 27,294 BTU's/hr, an efficiency rating of 79.4%, and emissions of 1.05 gm/hr! These combined efficiency and emissions results makes the Survival Hybr

www.woodstove.com

Otherwise if you have your heart set on an insert you are probably going to want to look at the Blaze King line. I know that Lopi makes a couple models of inserts (our local fireplace shop sells them) but they're fairly new and not a ton is known about them.

 

[begreen]

What is the size of the fireplace opening? I am wondering if a freestanding stove could be installed on the hearth? If not we will need full fireplace dimensions.

 

[begreen]

Wonder about the Kuma Alpine LE, but have no idea what will fit or what is meant by "small" or what is affordable.

 

[bholler]

Regency has their new Cascade line of stoves which has several insert options. And their pro line has a large insert. The Cascades are not proven yet though

 

[NBABUCKS1]

Thanks for the great replies, I only read the first reply so far but I have some reading to do..

I don't live in Alaska anymore and now am in Utah on the Wasatch front. I'll update that!

Size: 19" deep, 27" tall. It's trapezoidal. Back width 25" front width 34"

 

[PaulOinMA]

I just have a small Lopi Answer insert. Non-cat. Like it a lot.

My wife was on the 15th floor of a hotel in SLC for the earthquake in March. Not fun.

My late uncle was a Trappist monk at the monestary in Huntsville that closed a couple of years ago.

 

[NBABUCKS1]

Right on, I live down in Ogden. Never made it to the monetary when it was open. The only reason I want a cat is for a longer and lower burn.

 

[PaulOinMA]

My brother is in Ogden. My uncle was in the first group of monks that went from the Abbey of Gethsemani , KY to establish the Abbey of the Holy Trinity in Huntsville in 1947. Brother Boniface. Picture of his funeral at the bottom of the Wiki page for the Abbey.

Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[begreen]

Right on, I live down in Ogden. Never made it to the monetary when it was open. The only reason I want a cat is for a longer and lower burn.

How large an area will the insert be heating?

 

[PaulOinMA]

900 sq. ft.

 

[Highbeam]

900 sq. ft.

The home is much larger though right? 1800? Are you heating from the lower level?

 

[PaulOinMA]

You're right. I misread the second sentence. I read it as the area to be heated was 900 sq. ft.

 

[NBABUCKS1]

1 story house with basement. 1800 square foot house but we only use top floor in winter. 900 square feet on top level. No real insulation in walls as it’s a brick house.

 

[Highbeam]

1 story house with basement. 1800 square foot house but we only use top floor in winter. 900 square feet on top level. No real insulation in walls as it’s a brick house.

Stove upstairs or down?

 

[moresnow]

Likely going to want any model you choose to be equipped with a blower if your installing in a masonry fireplace. Something to consider. You will love the long cat burns if you've not had that yet.

 

[NBABUCKS1]

I always forget to add one thing. Upstairs.

it would be nice if they had small legs you could bolton say the survival hybrid that would lower it.

 

[Highbeam]

I always forget to add one thing. Upstairs.

it would be nice if they had small legs you could bolton say the survival hybrid that would lower it.

thanks for clarifying. It is pretty reasonable to think you’ll only need to heat the 900 sf if the stove is not in the basement. I wish I had a basement! All the more reason to seek a cat stove since heating small spaces with wood in a device that isn’t able to turn down low means lots of small fires and that’s just tiresome.

Since cat inserts are rare, especially cheap ones, and not particularly small, have you considered pellet inserts? Do you have natural gas?

 

[bholler]

thanks for clarifying. It is pretty reasonable to think you’ll only need to heat the 900 sf if the stove is not in the basement. I wish I had a basement! All the more reason to seek a cat stove since heating small spaces with wood in a device that isn’t able to turn down low means lots of small fires and that’s just tiresome.

Since cat inserts are rare, especially cheap ones, and not particularly small, have you considered pellet inserts? Do you have natural gas?

They really aren't that rare. But they aren't particularly cheap. Cat stoves just cost more they have the cot of the cat and housing bypass damper etc. And most are not that small either. The regency Cascade might be a good fit if it was proven. But it is just so new I can't recomend it to anyone yet.

 

[NBABUCKS1]

I do have natural gas plumed to the fireplace actually. I'm guessing an insert was in there at one point.

I guess the point was that we used to love burning wood and want to do it again.

I'm sure there are lots of great gas options out there. We already have one in our downstairs fireplace it's probably 20 years old though so can't comment on efficiency

 

[begreen]

Give Kuma a call. It's a family run business. Ask about running the Alpine LE at low output.